The Royal Priesthood: Understanding Our Identity in Christ

 

There's something profoundly transformative about understanding who we really are. Not who the world says we are, not who our circumstances suggest we might be, but who God declares us to be. The apostle Peter gives us a stunning revelation of our true identity: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

A royal priesthood. Let that sink in for a moment. You are royalty. You serve the living God. This isn't just poetic language or spiritual hyperbole—it's the reality of what happened when you placed your faith in Christ.

The Mystery of Melchizedek

To understand the depth of this calling, we need to explore one of Scripture's most mysterious figures: Melchizedek. This enigmatic priest-king appears briefly in Genesis 14, mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then becomes central to the theological argument in Hebrews 7. With only three brief references in the Old Testament, Melchizedek seems almost like a phantom—yet his significance is monumental.

His very name tells us something profound. "Melchizedek" literally means "king of righteousness," and he ruled over Salem (later Jerusalem), which means "peace." Here was a man who embodied both righteousness and peace, serving as both king and priest to El Elyon—the Most High God.

When Abraham encountered Melchizedek after defeating several kings in battle, something remarkable happened. Abraham, the chosen one through whom God promised to make a great nation, recognized that Melchizedek was superior to him. Without obligation or commandment, Abraham gave this priest-king a tenth of everything he had captured. This was the first recorded tithe in Scripture, given not out of duty but out of recognition of divine authority.

What makes Melchizedek so mysterious is what we don't know about him. Scripture tells us he was "without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life." He simply appears in the narrative, blesses Abraham, and then disappears. Some scholars suggest this was actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ himself. Whether that's true or not, what's undeniable is that Melchizedek serves as a prophetic picture of Jesus.

The Priesthood That Changes Everything

Under the old covenant, becoming a priest required specific lineage. You had to be from the tribe of Levi. The priesthood and kingship were kept strictly separate—priests could not be kings, and kings could not be priests. They came from different tribes and served different functions.

But Jesus changed everything.

Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, not Levi. He had no legal right to be a priest according to the Levitical system. Yet Hebrews declares that Jesus is "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Like Melchizedek, Jesus is both king and priest. Like Melchizedek, His priesthood transcends human genealogy and legal requirements.

Here's what makes this so significant: "For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well." Jesus didn't just add to the old system—He inaugurated something entirely new. The old covenant, with its endless sacrifices and ritual requirements, served its purpose for its time. But it was never meant to provide salvation. It was meant to point toward the need for something greater.

There's a fascinating historical detail that illuminates this transition. Every year at Yom Kippur, the priests would tie a red cord in the temple. When God accepted their sacrifice, that cord would miraculously turn white. According to the Talmud—the ancient Jewish writings—after 33 AD, that cord never turned white again. God had accepted the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus and no longer required any other.

The Superior Sacrifice

The Levitical priests had to offer sacrifices repeatedly—daily, in fact. First for their own sins, then for the sins of the people. They were mortal men with their own weaknesses and failures. Their sacrifices could only provide temporary covering for sin.

Jesus is different in every way:

• He is sinless. The priests were sinful.
• He is eternal. The priests were mortal.
• He offered one sacrifice. The priests offered repeated sacrifices.
• He offers unlimited access to God. The priests could only offer limited access.

Jesus became both the priest and the sacrifice. He offered Himself—perfect, spotless, eternal—as the once-for-all payment for sin. His sacrifice has "unlimited power, unlimited potency." It doesn't just cover recent sins; it deals with sin completely and eternally.

This is why the writer of Hebrews can say with confidence: "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them."

What This Means for Us

Understanding Christ's priesthood transforms how we approach our relationship with God. We don't have to:

• Fulfill endless rules and regulations
• Bring repeated sacrifices
• Jump through hoops hoping to make God happy
• Strive for an impossible perfection
• Wonder if God looks on us with favor

Our hope lies in something far more solid: the moment we placed faith in Christ, our names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We don't earn our salvation through religious performance. Salvation was "credited to us as righteousness" through faith, just as it was for Abraham and other Old Testament believers.

But here's the crucial point: having faith in Christ isn't a one-time event. It's an ongoing relationship. We need "a faith that perseveres." We are called to live as what we are—a royal priesthood.

Moving from Milk to Meat

The book of Hebrews challenges its readers to mature in their faith. The author essentially says, "You should be eating solid food by now, but you still need milk." This raises an important question for each of us: Are we growing in our understanding and practice of faith? Are we moving beyond the basics to embrace the fullness of what Christ has accomplished?

Being part of the royal priesthood means more than just receiving salvation. It means living in the reality of who we are in Christ. It means interceding for others. It means representing God to the world. It means declaring "the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

You are not just saved. You are chosen. You are royal. You are a priest serving the Most High God. This is your identity in Christ—permanent, unshakeable, and glorious.

The question isn't whether you're qualified for this calling. Jesus has qualified you through His perfect sacrifice. The question is whether you'll embrace this identity and live accordingly.