Embodied Priesthood

A Biblical Exploration and Theological Implications

Introduction

We’ve been sold a disembodied Gospel. Here’s what I mean. Oftentimes, when the Gospel message is shared, it is often reduced to a “give your life to Jesus so that when you die, you can go and live forever in heaven and leave this place behind.” It’s a bit escapist if I’m being honest. Hurry up and get off of this cruddy planet and get to somewhere better.

But when we flip to the end of the story, we know there’s more to it than that. This earthly kingdom and the Kingdom of God have long been in an ongoing process of merging, and will one day finally unite and fully merge at the second coming of Christ, when He comes to rule and reign here on earth. Here, He’ll resurrect and restore our fragile human bodies to fullness of life. NT Wright talks about this way better than I’ll ever be able to in his book, Surprised By Hope.

It flips the script on what we’re quick to believe about the inheritance of believers after we die. Rather than a separation of body and soul, earth and heaven, it is a perfect union of the two. A marriage, in a way. It’s beautiful. And the reality of this union has me thinking: If the story ends with full habitation in our physical (and perfected) bodies, then a theology of our embodiment (a physical, in-body, form or expression of our faith) must matter too, right?

This is not something I’m only now starting to think about. Thoughts about the importance and impact of embodiment started ruminating for me back in 2020 when the pandemic prevented us from physically showing up and living life alongside one another the way that we were so used to up until that point. This impacted my ministry greatly. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but with the pieces I’ve put together over the last six or so years, I can say this: how we think about embodiment impacts what we believe about worship, what we believe about our priesthood, and vice versa. Let me explain.

Worship

Let’s rewind to the beginning. Worship in the Old Testament looked a little different from what it does today. In the simplest of terms, for people of the Old Testament to go into the presence of God to worship Him, they had to offer up sacrifices to go into the temple, because that is where His presence dwelt. It was a very specific, involved, and geographically fixed process.

However, things changed for New Testament believers. When Jesus died on the cross, it states in Matthew 27:51 that: “At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” This signified the removal of the barrier between God and humanity that the Old Testament believers encountered in their worship, and now allowed all people direct access to God – anywhere and anytime.

The change didn’t stop there. Later in John 16, when Jesus was preparing the disciples for His impending departure, He promised them the Holy Spirit’s presence with them always, ultimately enabling them in their endeavors to make disciples of all nations. Later in Acts 2, we see the manifest fulfillment of this promise on the Day of Pentecost, when the disciples, while waiting in the upper room, were baptized in the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues. This not only initiated a new season of ministry for the disciples, but also a new way of living (and worshipping) in the presence of God.

Paul took this a step further in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 when he said, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; You were bought with a price.” and Romans 12:1 when he wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

With the onset of living with the Holy Spirit, we see a change from what Old Testament worship looked like. Rather than making sacrifices to go to the temple and worship in God’s presence, we now are temples of the presence of the Holy Spirit. And because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we no longer have to make sacrifices, but are instead instructed to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Jesus fulfilled the sacrifice once and for all. But we continue to live as living, breathing sacrifices, even so. According to Paul, this is our “true and proper worship.”

What does this look like, practically? I think the early church mentioned in Acts 2:42-47 illustrates this well:

“42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Here, the believers’ lifestyle of worship involved devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, meeting in homes and breaking bread together, living life alongside one another, and selling property and possessions to help meet one another’s needs. It didn’t stop with singing songs or going to church on a Sunday morning. It was an active, intentional, relational, embodied way of worship. One that required them to be present, to live alongside one another, and physically show up. For them, worship wasn’t just an intellectual exercise or an emotional singing of songs. As temples of the Holy Spirit, their worship was everything they did. Full-time and fully embodied.

Our Priesthood

Now, let’s jump back to the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther had many critiques and corrections of the religious system of his day (95, to be exact). One of the biggest and most substantial critiques was the belief in the priesthood of all believers. What that means is that unlike Luther’s religious counterparts of the time who believed priesthood was for only the few at the top of the religious system, Luther makes the claim that through Jesus’ work on the cross, we have all been made a priesthood, with equal access to God (again, Matthew 27:51 exemplifies this), responsibility for making spiritual sacrifices (which include prayer, praise, thanksgiving, justice, repentance, love and kindness), a prophetic role to proclaim truth, and a role to be agents of reconciliation. The apostle Peter touches on this point of priesthood in 1 Peter 2:5 and 1 Peter 2:9.

Taking all of this into account, in his article “The Priesthood of All Believers,” Dr. Lindsley states, “When Luther referred to the priesthood of all believers, he was maintaining that the plowboy and the milkmaid could do priestly work. In fact, their plowing and milking was priestly work. So there was no hierarchy where the priesthood was a “vocation” and milking the cow was not. Both were tasks that God called his followers to do, each according to their gifts. This has enormous implications for how Christians live their daily lives. If the Church teaches that working in business, communications, politics, or any other profession is just as impactful as working directly in the ministry, it allows Christians to connect their beliefs to their everyday actions, giving them purpose in their jobs and equipping them to serve others and improve society through their daily work.”

In her article, “Luther’s Doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers: The Importance for Today,” Rachel Ciano writes, “...by doing away with the demarcation between the spiritual and temporal realms, Luther invested a dignity in vocation whereby a Christian may live a whole life in worship of God (Rom 12:1). Each daily activity, from the mundane to the material, from the remunerated to the unpaid, is a realm in which to glorify God. Whereas the world tempts us to think that the value of a task is wrapped up in the amount paid to do it, we are offered a new way – all tasks are a way to glorify God as priests, which is the ultimate bottom line at the end of the day.”

Since the priesthood is not designated to select spiritual authority figures at the top, Lindsley and Ciano argue in their respective articles that this belief makes the work and lives of all believers an intentional, holy expression.

Practical Implications

As I continue to chew on these things, it’s become increasingly clear that how we show up in the world matters. How we show up in relationships matters. How we show up in our work matters. How we treat our bodies matters. We are not disembodied souls trapped in our bodies here on earth. Our bodies, as much as our souls, have a redemptive arc in God’s grand story.

This revelation impacts the way we think and live out how we worship, as well as the fullness of our identity as a royal priesthood. In an age where I feel we often live compartmentalized lives, Christianity (and our theology thereof) can often feel like nothing more than just an intellectual or emotional exercise. Embracing the practical importance of embodiment brings us a fuller picture of God’s redemptive plan and better equips us to fulfill the fullness of the calling and assignments He has for our lives.

1 Corinthians 10:31
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Articles

• Rachel Ciano, Luther’s Doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers: The Importance for Today - Credo Magazine

• Dr. Art Lindsley, The Priesthood of All Believers