Do we need a human priesthood today?

The Man Who Thought He Could Reach God Only Through a Priest

He grew up knowing that between himself and God stood an indispensable priest. The priest alone could change the bread and fruit of the vine in the Divine Liturgy, the priest alone heard his confession and pronounced absolution, and the priest alone — by an ordination descending from the apostles — held the authority of the mysteries by which grace flowed to his soul. So he would stand in the church far from the sanctuary hidden behind the iconostasis, where none but the priests enter, and he felt that God was there, behind the screen, reachable only through a consecrated man. Then one evening he opened the New Testament and read the words of the apostle Peter — the apostle from whom the priesthood is said to descend — addressing all believers: "an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices" (1 Peter 2:5). A priesthood — for all believers, not for one class alone.

And the answer of the Holy Bible to the question of the priesthood is a single sentence which, once grasped, frees every soul taught that it cannot reach God except through a priest: no. There is in the New Testament no special sacramental priesthood standing between the believer and God and monopolizing grace. For every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is a priest, with direct access to God through the one and only High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. As for the system of a consecrated priesthood that monopolizes the mysteries and mediates between the people and God, the New Testament does not support it, but its plain texts overturn it.

What Orthodox Theology Teaches About the Priesthood

Let the position be stated fairly. Orthodox theology teaches that the priesthood is a special sacramental order, transmitted by the laying on of hands in an unbroken chain from the apostles (apostolic succession), and that the bishop and the priest alone hold the authority to perform the mysteries: changing the offerings in the Eucharist, granting absolution in confession, and the other mysteries by which grace is conveyed to the people. And within this framework, the priest is seen as a necessary mediator standing between the congregation and God, so that without him the mysteries are not complete and grace does not flow.

And we acknowledge that God gave His church pastors and teachers and elders (Ephesians 4:11), whom we honour and obey in their biblical ministry — the matter is not the existence of servants of the Word. But the difference is essential: the biblical minister is a pastor and a teacher who serves the Word, not a sacramental priest who monopolizes grace and mediates between the soul and God. And the New Testament knows no separate priestly class standing as a barrier, but declares that all believers are priests, and that the mediator is one, Christ.

Every Believer Is a Priest unto God

The clearest thing that overturns the sacramental priesthood is that the New Testament calls all believers priests. The apostle Peter wrote to believers generally: "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). Then he added: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9). And the apostle Peter is here addressing all the believers, not a class among them — all of them are a royal priesthood.

And the book of Revelation seals the truth, as the redeemed sing to the Lord Jesus Christ: "and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father" (Revelation 1:6). So every believer whom Christ has redeemed has become a priest unto God — with direct access to His presence, able to offer up prayer and spiritual sacrifices and worship by himself, without a human mediator. And if every believer is a priest, then the idea of a special priesthood that monopolizes the approach to God collapses, because it strips from believers a priesthood that God gave them.

One High Priest Who Needs No Successors

The priesthood in the Old Testament was many and successive for one reason: that the priests died, so successors were needed. But the epistle to the Hebrews declares that the Lord Jesus Christ is a High Priest of another kind, who needs no succession at all, because He lives forever: "And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood" (Hebrews 7:23-24). «An unchangeable priesthood» — it does not pass on, nor is it inherited, nor does it need a successor.

And the idea of «apostolic succession» on which the priesthood rests assumes that the priesthood of Christ needs someone to succeed Him and continue it; but the Bible says His priesthood «does not pass away» because He «continueth ever.» So He is the present, living High Priest, who needs no successors in a chain, and therefore: "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). So the believer comes to God «by Him,» not by a priest who succeeds Him.

One Mediator Between God and Men

And if the sacramental priesthood presents the priest as a mediator standing between the people and God, the Bible declares that the mediator is one and no more: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). One mediator — not a priesthood of many mediators succeeding one another. And the mediation of Christ is direct, present, available to every believer at every moment, so there is no need for a human mediator standing between Him and the believer.

And when the Lord Jesus Christ died, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), a declaration that the way into the presence of God had become open to every believer. And therefore the Bible invites us: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). We ourselves come — not through a priest who presents us — directly to the throne of grace. So the veil that separated has been torn, and the iconostasis that hides the sanctuary from the people rebuilds a barrier that Christ demolished by His death.

The Old Testament Priesthood Was a Shadow That Ended in Christ

Why does no sacramental priesthood remain to offer sacrifices? Because the Old Testament priesthood was a shadow and a type of Christ, and when the One it pictured came, the shadow ended. The priests stood offering sacrifices every day, because those sacrifices could not take away sin; but Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever, and then sat down: "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). So a priest who must keep offering proves the sacrifice is incomplete, but Christ sat down because the work was finished.

And because the sacrifice was finished once and forever, no priesthood remains to offer a sacrifice: "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:18). So the sacramental priesthood that offers the offerings in the liturgy re-establishes what Christ abolished: a system of priests standing and offering, after the great High Priest sat down because His one sacrifice sufficed forever. And the early apostolic church knew no priestly class offering a sacrifice, but knew elders and pastors who served the Word and shepherded the flock.

The Elders in the New Testament Are Pastors, Not Mediating Priests

It is true that the New Testament mentions elders and bishops (overseers) and pastors, but it never describes them as sacramental priests who mediate or offer sacrifices. Their function is pastoral and teaching: "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof" (1 Peter 5:2). They shepherd, and teach, and watch over souls — they do not monopolize grace nor stand as a barrier between the people and God. And the apostle Peter himself called himself «an elder» (1 Peter 5:1), not «the supreme priest.»

And note that the New Testament, when it speaks of the servants of the Word, uses the terms elder, overseer, and pastor, and never uses the term «priest» (in the sacrificial sense) for the servants of the church, but reserves it for the old priesthood that ended, and for Christ the High Priest, and for all believers as a spiritual priesthood. So the Bible's choice of its terms is not in vain: the minister is a pastor and a teacher, and the only Priest in the sacrificial sense is Christ, and all believers are a spiritual priesthood. And there is no place for a priestly class that mediates between the soul and God.

The Veil Is Torn — Every Believer Has Direct Access

When the Lord Jesus died, "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." (Matthew 27:51). This act was a divine declaration: the separation between God and the people was removed. What only the high priest could enter once a year is now open to every believer: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith." (Hebrews 10:19-22). "Boldness" — not permission from a priest. "By the blood of Jesus" — the only required qualification. Any ecclesiastical system that re-introduces a priestly class as necessary intermediary is reversing what the torn veil declared.

The Royal Priesthood — All Believers

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5). "An holy priesthood" — all believers together. Every believer offers "spiritual sacrifices" — prayers, praise, service — directly to God. No ordained priestly class is needed to mediate between the believer and God. And Revelation 1:6: "hath made us kings and priests unto God." The whole redeemed community is a kingdom of priests — every individual believer a priest in direct access to God.

The One Sufficient High Priest

"For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled... who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice... but this he did once, when he offered up himself." (Hebrews 7:26-27). Christ is the one, sufficient, eternal High Priest. His sacrifice was offered "once" — not repeated in the Eucharist. His intercession is "ever" — "he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (7:25). The Orthodox system of priests re-introduces what Hebrews explicitly declares finished and surpassed. Christ's priesthood replaces all human priestly mediation — not just supplements it. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31).

Closing — Come Directly to the Living High Priest

If you have spent your life thinking that you cannot reach God except through a consecrated priest, the Lord is calling you to something freer and nearer: to direct access to His presence. You do not need a priest standing between you and God, for the veil has been torn, and you yourself are a priest in the priesthood of all believers, and you have one living High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who ever intercedes for you. Your salvation is not in belonging to a priestly system, but in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Believe on Him. Receive Him as your own personal Saviour. And come boldly to the throne of grace directly, for the great High Priest said: "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). For He alone saves, He alone is the mediator, and you come to Him yourself with no barrier standing between you and Him.

A Special Prayer

If you have come to see that every believer is a priest, that the mediator is one, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that you have direct access to God, you may come to Him now, without priest or mediator. You do not need anyone to present you; the veil has been torn, and the throne of grace is open to you by the blood of Christ. What saves you is not the words of a prayer, but the faith that the Lord Jesus Christ died for you and rose again. So pray from your heart to the living God who hears:

"O great and holy and loving God, the one true God: I have long thought that I could reach Thee only through a priest, and I see now that the veil has been torn, and that I have direct access to Thee through Thy Son the great High Priest. I confess that I am a sinner, and that no priest nor system can save me. I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. I trust in Him alone as my Saviour, and I come to Thee directly through Him. Forgive me, receive me, and grant me eternal life. I pray in the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen."

After You Have Prayed

If you prayed this prayer from a sincere and believing heart, then you have direct access to God through the great High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ, and you yourself have become a priest in the priesthood of all believers, a child of God forever. Here are steps to steady you:

First — read the Word of God every day. Know that the King James Version (KJV) is the truest and purest copy of the Word of God in all the world, His true and pure Word, and you will find it on this website (alinjil.com); and in Arabic, read the trustworthy Van Dyck translation. Begin with the Gospel of John, not in haste, but with meditation and prayer, for God speaks to you through His Word.

Second — come boldly to the throne of grace directly, for you have become a priest with access to God through the High Priest Christ, with no need of a human mediator.

Third — pray to God directly every day in words from your heart, and offer Him sacrifices of praise and spiritual worship as a priest unto Him.

Fourth — seek a church that honours the Word of God and knows Christ alone as High Priest and mediator, join the fellowship of believers, and be baptized in obedience to the Lord.

Fifth — bear witness to others that every believer is a priest, and that the mediator is one, Christ, especially to those who thought they could reach God only through a priest.

And keep reading the Word of God in the King James Version, the truest and purest Word of God in the world, and in the Van Dyck in Arabic — both found on this website — that you may grow in the knowledge of the High Priest who saved you.

A Personal Word to You, Dear Reader

Thank you for taking the time to read this message about the priesthood of all believers and the one great High Priest, and the salvation that God offers through the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have received Christ as your own personal Saviour, you have direct access to God, you have become a priest unto Him, and His child forever. "seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

We encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of John for yourself, to continue in the Word of God in the King James Version — the truest and purest Word of God in the world — and in the Van Dyck in Arabic, both found on this website (alinjil.com), and to share this good news with everyone who thought he could reach God only through a priest. May God richly bless you as you come to Him directly through the High Priest who saved you.

The Holy Scriptures address this question with the full authority of the one who inspired them — the living God who knows the human heart and understands every objection before it is raised. What He has said on this subject is not the product of human opinion or denominational tradition; it is the preserved and authoritative Word of God, which He has declared will never pass away. The reader who examines this testimony honestly and without a predetermined commitment to reject it will find it both intellectually satisfying and personally transforming.

The cumulative weight of the biblical evidence on this question is not easily dismissed. It draws on multiple independent witnesses across centuries — the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles all speak consistently to the same truth, each from its own vantage point and in its own manner, together forming a body of testimony whose coherence is itself one of the strongest arguments for its divine origin. The reader who reads these texts carefully will find not a collection of disconnected religious opinions but a unified revelation with a single coherent message.

The practical question that every reader must eventually face is not merely an academic one — it is personal and urgent. The truth about this subject has direct implications for how one lives, how one understands suffering and purpose, and how one faces the certainty of death. The Holy Scriptures do not present these truths as abstract theology detached from daily life; they present them as the most practical knowledge a human being can possess, because they concern the most important realities of human existence and the eternal destiny of every soul.

No honest engagement with this question can avoid its personal dimensions. God calls every person who reads these words not merely to intellectual acknowledgment but to personal response — specifically, to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the one through whom all of the truths discussed in this article find their ultimate resolution. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is not peripheral to any of the questions the Christian faith addresses — it is central to every one of them. And the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is the historical event that validates every claim the Christian faith makes.

The invitation that the Holy Scriptures extend through this article is not to religious performance or institutional affiliation but to personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He who addressed every question honestly during His earthly ministry addresses them still through the Word He has preserved. And He who promised to give rest to all who come to Him keeps that promise to every generation. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is the personal invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ to you.

Those who have wrestled seriously with the questions raised in this article and have come to genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result testify consistently to two things: first, that the intellectual journey to faith was more honest and more rigorous than the comfortable alternatives they had previously entertained; and second, that the personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that followed transformed not only their understanding of these questions but their entire orientation toward life, death, and meaning. This is not the testimony of credulous people who have abandoned critical thinking — it is the testimony of people who followed the evidence to its honest conclusion.

The great gift that the Holy Scriptures offer to every reader who engages honestly with their content is not a set of easy answers to hard questions but a framework within which the deepest questions of human experience find their most complete and most satisfying resolution. The framework is God Himself — His character, His purposes, His acts in history, and above all the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every question addressed in this article, when examined within that framework, is seen not as a challenge to faith but as an invitation to a deeper understanding of the God who created the mind that asks the questions.

This article has sought to address its subject honestly and from the foundation of the Holy Scriptures, without evasion and without minimising the genuine difficulty of the questions involved. The reader who finds the biblical answers compelling is invited to pursue them further — in the Holy Scriptures themselves, in prayer addressed directly to God, and in genuine engagement with a community of believers who take both the questions and the answers seriously. The reader who remains uncertain is invited to continue the search with the same honesty with which it began. God honours the sincere seeker: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

The Holy Scriptures address this question with the full authority of the one who inspired them — the living God who knows the human heart and understands every objection before it is raised. What He has said on this subject is not the product of human opinion or denominational tradition; it is the preserved and authoritative Word of God, which He has declared will never pass away. The reader who examines this testimony honestly and without a predetermined commitment to reject it will find it both intellectually satisfying and personally transforming.

The cumulative weight of the biblical evidence on this question is not easily dismissed. It draws on multiple independent witnesses across centuries — the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles all speak consistently to the same truth, each from its own vantage point and in its own manner, together forming a body of testimony whose coherence is itself one of the strongest arguments for its divine origin. The reader who reads these texts carefully will find not a collection of disconnected religious opinions but a unified revelation with a single coherent message.

The practical question that every reader must eventually face is not merely an academic one — it is personal and urgent. The truth about this subject has direct implications for how one lives, how one understands suffering and purpose, and how one faces the certainty of death. The Holy Scriptures do not present these truths as abstract theology detached from daily life; they present them as the most practical knowledge a human being can possess, because they concern the most important realities of human existence and the eternal destiny of every soul.

No honest engagement with this question can avoid its personal dimensions. God calls every person who reads these words not merely to intellectual acknowledgment but to personal response — specifically, to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the one through whom all of the truths discussed in this article find their ultimate resolution. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is not peripheral to any of the questions the Christian faith addresses — it is central to every one of them. And the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is the historical event that validates every claim the Christian faith makes.

The invitation that the Holy Scriptures extend through this article is not to religious performance or institutional affiliation but to personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He who addressed every question honestly during His earthly ministry addresses them still through the Word He has preserved. And He who promised to give rest to all who come to Him keeps that promise to every generation. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is the personal invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ to you.

Those who have wrestled seriously with the questions raised in this article and have come to genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result testify consistently to two things: first, that the intellectual journey to faith was more honest and more rigorous than the comfortable alternatives they had previously entertained; and second, that the personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that followed transformed not only their understanding of these questions but their entire orientation toward life, death, and meaning. This is not the testimony of credulous people who have abandoned critical thinking — it is the testimony of people who followed the evidence to its honest conclusion.

The great gift that the Holy Scriptures offer to every reader who engages honestly with their content is not a set of easy answers to hard questions but a framework within which the deepest questions of human experience find their most complete and most satisfying resolution. The framework is God Himself — His character, His purposes, His acts in history, and above all the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every question addressed in this article, when examined within that framework, is seen not as a challenge to faith but as an invitation to a deeper understanding of the God who created the mind that asks the questions.

This article has sought to address its subject honestly and from the foundation of the Holy Scriptures, without evasion and without minimising the genuine difficulty of the questions involved. The reader who finds the biblical answers compelling is invited to pursue them further — in the Holy Scriptures themselves, in prayer addressed directly to God, and in genuine engagement with a community of believers who take both the questions and the answers seriously. The reader who remains uncertain is invited to continue the search with the same honesty with which it began. God honours the sincere seeker: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

The Holy Scriptures address this question with the full authority of the one who inspired them — the living God who knows the human heart and understands every objection before it is raised. What He has said on this subject is not the product of human opinion or denominational tradition; it is the preserved and authoritative Word of God, which He has declared will never pass away. The reader who examines this testimony honestly and without a predetermined commitment to reject it will find it both intellectually satisfying and personally transforming.

The cumulative weight of the biblical evidence on this question is not easily dismissed. It draws on multiple independent witnesses across centuries — the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles all speak consistently to the same truth, each from its own vantage point and in its own manner, together forming a body of testimony whose coherence is itself one of the strongest arguments for its divine origin. The reader who reads these texts carefully will find not a collection of disconnected religious opinions but a unified revelation with a single coherent message.

The practical question that every reader must eventually face is not merely an academic one — it is personal and urgent. The truth about this subject has direct implications for how one lives, how one understands suffering and purpose, and how one faces the certainty of death. The Holy Scriptures do not present these truths as abstract theology detached from daily life; they present them as the most practical knowledge a human being can possess, because they concern the most important realities of human existence and the eternal destiny of every soul.

No honest engagement with this question can avoid its personal dimensions. God calls every person who reads these words not merely to intellectual acknowledgment but to personal response — specifically, to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the one through whom all of the truths discussed in this article find their ultimate resolution. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is not peripheral to any of the questions the Christian faith addresses — it is central to every one of them. And the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is the historical event that validates every claim the Christian faith makes.

The invitation that the Holy Scriptures extend through this article is not to religious performance or institutional affiliation but to personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He who addressed every question honestly during His earthly ministry addresses them still through the Word He has preserved. And He who promised to give rest to all who come to Him keeps that promise to every generation. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is the personal invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ to you.

Those who have wrestled seriously with the questions raised in this article and have come to genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result testify consistently to two things: first, that the intellectual journey to faith was more honest and more rigorous than the comfortable alternatives they had previously entertained; and second, that the personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that followed transformed not only their understanding of these questions but their entire orientation toward life, death, and meaning. This is not the testimony of credulous people who have abandoned critical thinking — it is the testimony of people who followed the evidence to its honest conclusion.

The great gift that the Holy Scriptures offer to every reader who engages honestly with their content is not a set of easy answers to hard questions but a framework within which the deepest questions of human experience find their most complete and most satisfying resolution. The framework is God Himself — His character, His purposes, His acts in history, and above all the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every question addressed in this article, when examined within that framework, is seen not as a challenge to faith but as an invitation to a deeper understanding of the God who created the mind that asks the questions.

This article has sought to address its subject honestly and from the foundation of the Holy Scriptures, without evasion and without minimising the genuine difficulty of the questions involved. The reader who finds the biblical answers compelling is invited to pursue them further — in the Holy Scriptures themselves, in prayer addressed directly to God, and in genuine engagement with a community of believers who take both the questions and the answers seriously. The reader who remains uncertain is invited to continue the search with the same honesty with which it began. God honours the sincere seeker: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

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