”Man's
sanctification (moral restoration) is definitive, progressive, and
final. One God, one covenant law: through time and across borders.
The successive covenants of Scripture really record for us a gradual
historical unfolding of one overarching covenant, rather than the
successive, compartmental establishing of distinctively different
capsule covenants” –Kenneth Gentry in He
Shall Have Dominion
Luther
on Priesthood of the Laity
Schaff
Vol 7 page 23, quote-Ҥ
8. The Priesthood of the Laity.
“The
social or ecclesiastical principle of Protestantism is the general
priesthood of believers, in distinction from the special priesthood
which stands mediating between Christ and the laity.
The
Roman church is an exclusive hierarchy, and assigns to the laity the
position of passive obedience. The bishops are the teaching and
ruling church; they alone constitute a council or synod, and have the
exclusive power of legislation and administration. Laymen have no
voice in spiritual matters, they can not even read the Bible without
the permission of the priest, who holds the keys of heaven and hell.
In
the New Testament every believer is called a saint, a priest, and a
king. "All Christians," says Luther, "are truly of the
spiritual estate, and there is no difference among them, save of
office alone. As St. Paul says, we are all one body, though each
member does its own work, to serve the others. This is because we
have one baptism, alike; one gospel, one faith, and are all
Christians for baptism, gospel and faith, these alone make spiritual
and Christian people." And again: "It is faith that makes
men priests, faith that unites them to Christ, and gives them the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whereby they become filled with all
holy grace and heavenly power. The inward anointing—this oil,
better than any that ever came from the horn of bishop or pope—gives
them not the name only, but the nature, the purity, the power of
priests; and this anointing have all they received who are believers
in Christ."
This
principle, consistently carried out, raises the laity to active
co-operation in the government and administration of the church; it
gives them a voice and vote in the election of the pastor; it makes
every member of the congregation useful, according to his peculiar
gift, for the general good. This principle is the source of religious
and civil liberty which flourishes most in Protestant countries.
Religious liberty is the mother of civil liberty. The universal
priesthood of Christians leads legitimately to the universal kingship
of free, self-governing citizens, whether under a monarchy or under a
republic.”-endquote
A
priesthood of believers is a correct form rather than a partitioned
dichotomy of priests and laity mirroring that of traditional
aristocracy-subjects paradigms. Developing an active priesthood of
believers church structure with just three ranks of beginner,
intermediate and elder will be a challenge and a renewal of
reformation.
In
the world today the political drift is toward ad hoc neo-imperlialism
of class of wealth through global networks. Considering the role of
the Christian Church in bringing civilization to the pagan tribes of
Western Europe over the course of several hundred years it is not
surprising that the Church gained influence among the princely
leaders of the various nations. Churchmen were also the
transnationalists of the era after the fall of Rome to the Goths with
an army of priests. Corruption in human social organizations
including the church was of course the rule rather than the
exception.
When
the Muslim forces of the Abbassid Caliphate attacked Spain, Sicily
and Byzantium the church had a role that naturally developed as the
faith of the invaded resisting the theocratic war machine of
Mohammedan votaries.
With
a millennium of defense military operations against the Muslim forces
European nations increased their military skill. When the Byzantine
Empire decreased in power due to the attacks by Muslims and Huns the
church at Rome naturally increased in power and influence. Yet of
course sacerdotal corruptions with concubinage and the huge problem
of Papal sales of indulgences-papers-granting forgiveness of
sins-that brought gold to the Vatican from all over Europe grew as
uncorrected problems of the Roman Church leadership. Because some
Popes asserted unlimited power over all church and state affairs a
reformation was sought by the laity. Martin Luther in Germany and
Zwingli in Switzerland led a rectification of the Christian Church to
return to Bible basics that the word of God is primary and that the
correct ideal ecclesiastical expression is an egalitarian priesthood
of believers with one High Priest-The Lord Jesus Christ.