10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West
Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Peculiar
Misunderstandings
Written by Dr.
Lester Hutson
Copyright
- Lester Hutson - 1989
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced
without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Message #17
MISUNDERSTANDING
THE PRIESTLY WORK OF CHRIST
(Part #2)
The Importance of Being Within the Sphere of Christ's Priesthood
Text * Hebrews 10:18-22
II. NOW, THE CASE THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED SO FAR IS SIMPLY RUDIMENTARY THEOLOGY, AND IS NOT VERY CONTROVERSIAL IN BIBLE BELIEVING CIRCLES. WHAT IS SOMEWHAT CONTROVERSIAL IS WHETHER THIS SPECIAL HIGH PRIESTLY WORK OF CHRIST COVERS ALL SAVED PEOPLE, OR ONLY THOSE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF ONE OF THE LORD'S CHURCHES:
A. A great many fine saints of God believe Christ acts as a high priest over all saved people whether or not they are baptized or members of any church:
1. They believe that when a person is saved; he can successfully pray, sing, give, and invest his life in the service of God, even if he never follows Christ in baptism. A few even think such a person would be eligible to take the Lord's Supper. They just can not see that a person has to be a church member to be able to pray a prayer God could truly bless, or offer a gift or service pleasing to him.
2. Many cite examples of people who have appeared to enjoy the spiritual blessings of God even though they never did line up to serve God in or through any church.
B. Some people think those of us, who believe the priestly work of Christ is limited only to church members, are peculiar:
1. We believe a person must be saved and baptized, and thus be a member of some local church, in order for his prayers, singing, giving, participation in the Lord's Supper, or any act of service to be truly blessed of and honored by the Lord.
2. In other words, we think one can not offer to the Lord an acceptable sacrifice except he does so through the proper channel, and we believe that channel is the church. Thus, we do not believe anyone can by-pass the church, and yet experience the intercessory work of Christ at the same time.
3. We think that when a believer attempts to worship and serve God apart from membership in a church (not a building, but a true body of Christ), his worship and service simply will not honor God and draw his spiritual blessings as will worship and service by members of a church. Yes, it may sound and look good, and be offered with deepest sincerity; yet at the judgment seat of Christ, we believe such efforts will constitute "wood, hay, and stubble," I Corinthians 3:12.
4. And, we believe this applies to all acceptable worship and service. We don't see any logic nor scriptural grounds for telling a believer who won't be baptized that he can pray while telling him he can't take the Lord's Supper. If both are offered unto God, and it takes intercessory work for either to succeed, we do not see how God would accept the one and reject the other. We think he would reject both on the same grounds: the absence of an intercessory High Priest.
5. This is simply to say that when it comes to worship and service which truly honors God and which he can truly bless, it must come from a saved church member. We believe his intercessory work as High Priest is limited to only those who are members of one or another of his churches.
III. NOW, LET US TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE BIBLE FOR THE LINE OF REASONING WHICH LEADS US TO BELIEVE THAT THE HIGH PRIESTLY WORK OF CHRIST IS LIMITED TO HIS CHURCH:
A. A key passage of scripture which leads us to believe that the high priestly work of Christ is limited to those who are members of one of the Lord's churches is Hebrews 10:18-22, especially Verse 21:
1. The passage is discussing Jesus in his role as High Priest. It is making the point that we can enter into the presence of God only by him. And, Verse 21 says that he is "An high priest over the house of God." We understand this to be a clear statement that his high priestly work is "over" or limited to "the house of God."
2. We know from I Timothy 3:15 that "The house of God" and "The church of the living God" are one and the same. This verse says, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
3. This being true, then Christ is an High Priest over the church. In view of the fact that a church is made up of baptized believers; not just believers, then we do not see the priestly work of Christ extending to all believers, but rather to baptized believers, for it is these who make up a church. (Keep in mind that we are discussing the current priestly work of Christ as he lives; not his finished work on the cross on behalf of all believers.)
B. This interpretation of Hebrews 10:21 is not out of harmony with other passages of scripture:
1. Consider I Peter 3:21 which says, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." In what sense does baptism "save us"? From sin's penalty, which is eternal death or eternity in the lake of fire? The answer is "No," for it is by grace through faith that people are saved in that sense, according to Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:18, and many other passages.
Baptism does not save from sin's penalty; it saves from sin's power. But, how? The answer is in the fact that baptism adds a believer to one of the Lord's churches. As I Corinthians 12:13 says, believers are baptized into the body, which Colossians 1:18 affirms to be the church. Acts 2:41 shows people being added to the church at baptism. But, why be baptized, and become a member of one of the Lord's churches? The answer is, because Jesus acts as a High Priest over his church. It is only as a part of that institution that a believer can offer up acceptable worship and service to God. Jesus acts as an intercessor for these, but not for those who are not a part of one of his churches And, those, who attempt to offer praise, worship, and service to God without an intercessor, do not avail with God, for we can only approach God upon the strength of an intercessor.
So, baptism puts us into that sphere over which Christ acts as High Priest, which is the church. Thus, it puts us in a position to offer up acceptable worship and service to God. And, it puts God in a position to bless us, and give us that daily help, deliverance, or salvation we so desperately need. This is not salvation form sins's penalty in the lake of fire, for we have already been saved from that peril. It is salvation from sin's power to wreck and ruin our daily spiritual lives. So, baptism saves us; not from sin's penalty, but from sin's power, because it puts us in the church over which Jesus acts as High Priest and where he can make intercessions for us. (It should be noted that not all of those in the church claim the benefits of Christ's high priestly work which are available to them. Often through sin and backsliding, they put themselves into a position where they can not please God, nor claim his blessings. Although, as church members, they are in the sphere or position where they can get his daily help, if they're willing to repent and confess their sins to him.)
2. Along these same lines is Psalms 66:18. Here the scriptures say, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Obviously, prayer is under consideration. Remember that prayer is one of the fruits of our lips mentioned in Hebrews 13:15. Revelation 5:8 says these prayers come up before God and are precious to him. The four and twenty elders in heaven have these prayers in golden vials which are to be presented as a sweet incense or "odor" before the Lord.
But, note well from Psalms 66:18 that sin or iniquity unaddressed in the heart of a believer will put God in a position where he will not hear that believer's prayers. That is to say "the fruit of his lips" will not be accepted by the Father. We're talking here about a saved person who can not successfully worship or serve God, and who can not expect God's spiritual blessings upon his daily life.
Apply this truth now to the person who trusts Christ, but who will not follow him in baptism and thus become a member of one of his churches. That believer is standing in open rebellion against God. There is no way he can successfully deny his iniquity before God, for the first command of God to believers is to follow him in scriptural baptism. That is clear in the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20. Baptism is a public acknowledgment of one's faith in Christ, and an entry into the very institution which Jesus loved and gave himself for (Ephesians 5:25) and through which he wants his work to be done, Ephesians 3:21.
Now, when any believer refuses to be baptized, he cuts himself off from the church. If Christ acts as a High Priest over his church, which Hebrews 10:21 says he does, then he does not act as a High Priest over those who cut themselves off from his church. Why should he? It's easy enough for any believer to obey the Lord and be baptized, which will add him to the Lord's church. You see, for one to refuse baptism is not just to cut himself off from the church; it is also to cut himself off from the high priestly work of Christ. For that Psalms 66:18 passage flatly says God will not hear such ones. Jesus is just not acting as High Priest and interceding for such ones.
3. There is design and order to how our God operates. He has a realm or sphere over which he acts as High Priest. There he does some wonderful things for people, but he will not do those same wonderful things for people who refuse to get into that realm or sphere. That realm or sphere is the church, and there's only one way to get into it. One must be saved and scripturally baptized. Until he is, he can not expect Jesus to compromise his position, move out of that realm or sphere, and do for him the good things that are reserved for those in that realm or sphere.
You see, the church of the living God is not some unimportant, "take it or leave it" organization. It is a blessed place over which Jesus Christ acts as High Priest. He does things for people in his church that he does not do for those not in it. By his intercessions, he sees to it that their worship and service to God is presented to the Father; but those saved people who are not in a church have no such intercession. If a person could get saved and never become a part of a church, yet still enjoy all the benefits of the High Priest, then why would he want to ever become a member of a church? We just do not believe the will of God is that a man get saved refuse to be baptized, and never become a part of one of the Lord's churches. And, if one tries such a thing, he will not be able to successfully pray, sing, give, preach, or observe the Lord's Supper. Neither will his daily service, however zealous and sincere, avail with God. We believe the first thing a saved person should do is follow the Lord in baptism, which will add him to a church, and place him in the sphere over which Christ acts as High Priest.Then the man can pray, sing, give, and participate in other worship and service in an acceptable manner before God. But, he cannot shortcut the design and order of God, and still accomplish the same thing. We believe that it is in light of this very truth that the believers of Acts 2:41 were baptized "the same day," and Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch on the spot (Acts 8:37-38), and Paul baptized the Philipplan jailer "straightway," Acts 16:33. That's the same reason Paul was instructed by Ananias in Acts 22:16, "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord." Paul was in no position to call upon the name of the Lord and thus wash away (through confession) his sins until he was baptized. Ananias was not telling Paul that baptism would wash away his sins. No. Baptism would merely put him in a position where he could call upon the name of the Lord and thereby address his daily sin problems. In other words, we believe baptism would add Paul to one of the Lord's churches, and thus put him under the high priestly work of Christ.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"