10. What is the church? The Church kings and priests, a royal priesthood

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Blessed is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his mercy through Christ has made us priests, as it is written: "But you are... Royal Priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9) and again: "Ye also, as living stones, be built as a house Spiritual and Holy priesthood, to offer acceptable spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ "(1 Peter 2:5).

The church is not a physical structure, it is a people of holy people, people of priesthood and not any Sacerocio, but a royal priesthood.

The New Testament writers used several words to describe our new nature as believers. We read that we are servants, sheep, saints and of course, the most prominent reality has to do with our identity as ' Children of God '. Each of these figures communicate the different realities and each one points to different aspects of our salvation.

But the apostle Peter also described Christians as priests. In his first epistle he said that we are Royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) and Holy Priesthood (1 Peter 2:5) and the same apostle John said that the Lord "made us kings and Priests for God, (Revelation 1:6)

But what does it mean that we are priests? To answer this question, it is necessary to look at the system of sacrifices, the structure of the tabernacle and nature, the requirements and the purpose of the priestly Office:

The Tabernacle was the sanctuary that Israel built in the wilderness for worship of God. Moses received the instructions as to its design and its dimensions. This sanctuary was divided into three parts: the atrium, which was a large courtyard, the holy place and the most holy place. These last two were a sort of shop that was divided by a thick cloth called the veil. No one, except the high priests, could cross the veil to enter the most holy place. This was allowed only once a year to make atonement for the sins of the People (Hebrews 9:6-7). In addition, the Lord established the system of sacrifices, with his rituals and ordinances, and appointed only the tribe of Levi to serve as priests, particularly Aaron's family.

However, this whole system of sacrifices, the Tabernacle and the Priestly office pointed to a greater reality: the person and the work of Christ. In the words of the Apostle Paul everything was "a Shadow" (Colossians 2:16) which illustrated and anticipated, the greatest sacrifice, i.e. the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the light of this we must consider a fact of crucial importance that Matthew Records when Jesus died on the cross: "And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two" (Matthew 27:51). This event represents a spiritual truth of great value to the believer and was explained by the writer of Hebrews in this way:

"So, brethren, having freedom to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the new and living way that he opened us through the veil, that is, of his flesh" (Hebrews 10:19-20). This means that Jesus ' bruised and lacerated body is that veil that was torn to give us access to God. Unlike the Israelites, we now have that freedom to approach God.

Therefore, we are able to consider not only our new position as priests but also the function that emerges from it. We know we're priests. We know that the veil is torn and that there is a new path that takes us to God. So we are invited to approach "to offer acceptable spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5) and we are also encouraged to approach confidently "to reach mercy and find grace for timely relief" (Hebrews 4:16).

To this reality and this aspect of the Christian life the reformers of the sixteenth century called it the "universal priesthood of all believers". They taught that life that pleases God must be expressed in each and every area of our lives.

So what does it mean that we are priests? Or what is the priesthood of the believer?

The priesthood of the believer refers to the new position of Christians for the task of worship. By virtue of this, every believer has the privilege and the responsibility to approach and present himself before God as a sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and in turn to offer him spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:4-5). Now we can worship him in every place. We can pray, ask and receive from him. We can serve him, look for his face, and even more glorious, be accepted by him.

The priesthood of the believer is exerted in each and every sphere of life, from individual responsibilities at home, at work and in the church to interpersonal relationships. All we do is spiritual worship. Everything is sacred. Our work as workers, our performance as students, our dedication as husbands, fathers and children are legitimate ways through which we exercise our priesthood.

The veil was torn and the road opened. We are priests and we can approach. Let's live to worship God. Let's live for his glory.

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