To Reclaim the Language of the Reformation

The Royal Priesthood or Priesthood of All Believers?

God, the creator, created mankind a sentient being capable of thought and advanced deed. In a perfect world, mankind's thoughts and deeds would be to the glory of God but we are a fallen race. We are corrupted by the very fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Whatever we have accomplished is stained with sin and all of it valueless to God.

Through God's gracious will, mankind has developed languages. Languages were developed to communicate with others of mankind. But languages were also developed so that God can communicate to mankind through His Word and ministers. In God's realm one must constantly be aware that words mean things - for God has a plan and He wants mankind to know it, explicitly.

In the time of the 16th Century, the Reformation Fathers were quite cognizant that words meant things and one should take care with theological explanations and terminologies so that God's meanings are clear. In that day, the man who would twist God's meaning to fit his own was shunned as a sophist and publicly decried as the same. Luther, Melancthon, et al. had little time for sophists such as Erasmus or Zwingli whose personal view of Scripture became their doctrine and dogma.

We must, today, look back at the Reformation Fathers and mimic their conciseness for language or we will be relegated to the despairing pasture of the Works Righteousness indicative of the Reformed faith. We must understand that to co-opt terms and phrases into the Lutheran consciousness can be theologically dangerous because of the baggage carried by these words and the linguistic gymnastics one must undertake just to make them "sound" Lutheran. One such phrase is "priesthood of all believers" (POAB), a term carried over from the Reformed tradition, mostly through the use of the NIV Bible.

The Reformed use POAB to describe the position of the regenerate while on Earth. In this description, all mankind are priests and have a ministry on Earth. Over time POAB has been corrupted to mean that anyone who confesses Christ as Savior is a called "minister" to his or her place in time and may exercise every authority of the ministerial office. Justification for this definition is usually centered in Galatians 3:28.

POAB conjures up the plurality and diversity of a global society where no one is really "in charge". It evokes a sense of centerless authority and accountability that is infinitely appealing to modern Americans. POAB is a truly acceptable, politically correct (PC) term for use in our times. No one individual has power or authority over another if we all hold the same Office in the church; we are all equals. The individual becomes the reviewer, purveyor and definer of doctrine and dogma for him or herself. And this dogma becomes irrefutable (at least not without offending another's so-called ministry) The change to a pluralistic apostolic ministry was inevitable and destructive to the Office of Holy Ministry throughout Christendom. Doctrine has become watered down and denominational drift toward individual Churches (that is, each congregation is the only truly Christian Church in that time and place) is happening before our eyes.

Lutheranism, as a religious doctrinal entity is not immune from this muddling of the Office. The Wisconsin Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod both have extreme difficulties with defining the Office of the Holy Ministry precisely because of the terminology used. POAB, its baggage and the mental strain it creates is causing some larger conservative Lutheran bodies to be torn apart internally over just who is a Pastor.

Missouri herself has been increasingly fond of the POAB term and is paying for it in like manner. Internal strife between laity and Pastors, laity and Synod (in place) and Pastors and Synod has been manifest in many ways. Pastors being fired from their call as if they were simple hirelings, District Administration upholding the will of the congregational Voter's Assembly beyond doctrine and Scripture and Pastors who view themselves as the last great Hope for Missouri (as long as they can get enough of the Congregation to go for it).

Missouri laity see an opportunity to become ministers without all the attached accoutrement (things like seminary or actual calls) so we are treated to "called" school teachers; "called" lay ministers (an oxymoron of infinite proportions) and sundry "Ministers of..." in every parish in every corner of the Synod.

Not all solutions are simple and, truth-be-told, the recommendations of this short essay are not a cure for the "accountability drift" we are now seeing in the Lutheran tradition. All solutions, though, require a starting place.

In research, one cannot find the term "Priesthood of All Believers" in the Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord, 1580). In research, the ordered chain of words "priesthood of all believers" cannot be found in the Bible (Greek New Testament) without forcing English linguistics on Greek words. The ordered chain that most resembles POAB is "Royal Priesthood...chosen people" as found in 1 Peter. This verse has given rise to the term used by the Reformation Fathers "Royal Priesthood Of Believers" (RPOB). A term that, on the surface, looks equal to POAB but has far deeper meaning, doctrinally. The Lutheran tradition would do well to reclaim this term for the Church.

RPOB carries a sense of authority that emanates from a Godly source. It evokes an image of the reverence and solemnity of Royal Court proceedings. All those present in the Royal Court have a well defined purpose and each has been placed in the Royal Court by the King. No one is a member of the Royal Court by mere presence or due to his or her merit or ability. The Royal Cabinet is made of ministers appointed by the King himself, not because the minister calls himself minister or that he has enough political clout to be there. The ministers have assignments and each is duty bound to perform.

The RPOB then is parallel to this Court scene. The members of the priesthood have specific assignments according to one's vocation and the ministers perform assigned tasks, each according to his ability. Royal accountability is overarching. All are accountable to the Lord and some more accountable than others, such as the Ministers in the Holy Office. Responsibility is not eschewed either. The entire priesthood is responsible for all of mankind and mankind's salvation through the Gospel. Power, accountability and responsibility then are centered in Christ and His Presence on Earth. Members of the Royal Priesthood do not interfere, usurp or combine assigned roles - assigned by Christ.

As members of the RPOB, we have a duty to God and God gives us the means to perform this duty. We, as members, are to properly use these means to accomplish God's will for us all - salvation. We do not change, accommodate or manipulate these means to our advantage or bend them to our will, claiming Priesthood rights. We must understand, in the final analysis, that these means of Grace include both our vocation and the Pastor given us by God.

Let us once again use terms that were handed down from Luther, Melancthon, Chemnitz, Walther, Pieper and Sasse. Let us eschew the co-opting of terms from other traditions that carry such doctrinally weak substance like Priesthood of All Believers. Let us, and all of Missouri, again use the term Royal Priesthood of Believers in an effort to strengthen our proper view of the Office of Holy Ministry, to eliminate the muddling of the authority and responsibility of the Office and to catechize our members in understanding this term in a forthright and Biblical manner. This is but the start of regaining the respect and reverence due for the position of the Pastor but as was said before, all solutions require a starting point.

SDG

James K. Heap, LCMS Laity

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Marshall, Michigan