Rebuilding Baptist Identity: Reestablishing the Priesthood of All Believers
Everyone longs for identity. As Christians engage with postmodern culture, many find themselves in the midst of an identity crisis. They realize that their identity lies outside of themselves (rather than the confines of their own perception) and is therefore established within the boundaries of Scripture, the local church, and the greater Christian tradition. The quest for identity has caused evangelicals to rethink who they are and has encouraged them to reconnect with the Church’s past.
Yet as evangelicals seek to address this issue of identity, Baptists find themselves in a predicament. Individualism runs rampant in the Church and many surmise that congregational polity consequently embraces such thought. It follows that Baptists often only concern themselves with their localized context having no desire to be part of a collective body. As a result, Baptists who are otherwise concerned about the broader Christian heritage are vacating their roots for more ecumenical movements instead of securing their identity through the confines of their Baptist tradition.
The inability to form an identity raises some important ecclesiological questions that Baptists must confront: How will Baptists address the identity crises that many evangelicals claim is so prevalent among their movement? How do Baptists reestablish a confessionalism [1] that will rebuild ecclesiology within their own tradition, and more broadly, the evangelical community? I propose that the solution comes from an age-old doctrine that has defined the Baptist tradition from its genesis, namely, the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.
Establishing the Theological Foundation
Despite numerous biblical texts that support this doctrine [2], 1 Peter 2:5-9 provides the most direct discourse concerning the subject. The apostle says, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood….” Again, Peter states in the passage, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession….” Notice how the emphasis is on the collective whole rather than the individual person.
The original language demonstrates the point even better. By transitioning from the plural word “you” to the singular word “priesthood,” Peter clearly states that the plurality of the body encompasses the very essence of the one priesthood [3], Kevin Hester affirms this point. He states, “The word ‘priest’ always occurs either in the plural form as ‘priests’ or as a collective ‘priesthood.’ There is no example in Scripture of the priesthood of the believer, only the priesthood of all believers” (emphasis his) [4].
As clearly noted, the priesthood of all believers embraces the corporate nature of the Church. The fulfillment of this office is only accomplished through of the body of Christ. Only then can “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” be offered (1 Pet. 2:5). Through this corporate priesthood we become “a people for his own possession” that proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of a world of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ (1 Pet. 2:9).
The Foundation of the Baptist Tradition
With the biblical basis for the priesthood of believers established, the next question to consider is how this teaching’s implications solidify Baptist ecclesiology. It is easy to understand why this doctrine is the key to the establishment of congregational polity among Baptists. It highlights much of the Christian’s responsibility to covenant together to hold one another in high regard.
Hence, at least two implications follow. First, individual believers have direct access to God concerning prayer, confession of sin, and the right to interpret Scripture. Thus Baptists would give a hearty amen to what Martin Luther said:
Christ has made it possible for us…to be not only his brethren, co-heirs, and fellow-kings, but also his fellow-priests. Therefore we may boldly come into the presence of God in the spirit of faith and…pray for one another, and do all things which we see done and foreshadowed in the outer and visible works of priests. [5]
Secondly, the priesthood of all believers is only to be understood within the larger confounds of every believer’s service to one another. Timothy George explains:
We stand before God and intercede for one another, we proclaim God’s Word to one another and celebrate His presence among us….Moreover, our priestly ministry…propels us into the world of service and witness….Priesthood of believers, then, has more to do with the Christian’s service than with his status. [6]
Not only does this priestly status allow all to come before God through Christ, but it is also a reminder of our responsibility to one another. Unfortunately, this mindset is not present among many Baptist congregations today. Hester laments how the rise of democratic ideals has influenced these congregations, resulting in an emphasis on an individual’s right outside of the context of the Christian community. Such thought continued through both Great Awakenings and has greatly influenced Modernism [7]. Consequently, Baptist churches of all sorts find that their members lack concern for the ministry and business of the local church. Usually only a select few give notice. Greater still is the apathy shown toward the church’s denominational tradition. Individualism among church members shapes how the local church views itself in relation to its own denomination. It considers such bonds as irrelevant to the affairs of the local church.
In times past, congregations considered it necessary to covenant together with churches among their tradition for purposes of edification and evangelism. Matthew Pinson explains, “Such general assemblies of churches exist so that churches of Scriptural faith and practice can maintain and illustrate Christian unity; give one another mutual support, encouragement, strength, and admonition…curtail heresy; and promote sound doctrine” [8]. It was normal for congregations to come together occasionally for joint worship services or establish forms of community outreach. It was not uncommon in Baptist circles for laymen, both men and women, to participate in associational structures on the local, state, and even national levels. Some of the greatest contributors to the cause of missions have been Carl, the average business professional, or Susan, the stay-at-home mom. Yet for many Baptists today, such ecclesiastical thought and practice is foreign to congregational life. Furthermore, such issues are understood as matters relegated to clergy.
Ironically, and incorrectly, all of this has been done in the name of the priesthood of all believers. The doctrine that has been the very foundation for congregational polity has become a doctrine so readily misunderstood. Historically Baptists have supported this teaching because they understood it to establish the proper relationship with God and with each other. All matters of church life should be areas of concern for every believer, for all are priests held equally responsible in God’s eyes. Once this mindset is recovered, Baptist identity will flourish again, for this is our spiritual sacrifice before God.
The Point of Engagement with the Evangelical Community
As the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers solidifies us within our Baptist tradition, it also requires a concern for our broader heritage within evangelicalism. Far too often Baptists have not understood their place within church history. Instead, they have embraced separatism. Consequently, those who do desire such heritage often depart from Baptist movements and embrace a form of ecumenism found among Protestant Anglicans, or even the Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox.
Nevertheless, the priesthood of all believers pushes against these notions. The responsibility of priesthood exhorts us to understand our role within the context of the evangelical community. How do Baptists start a dialogue with Presbyterians or join with Anglicans to build up the kingdom? Our priestly status requires us to consider ourselves as equal with our brothers and sisters from other traditions. To this extent, the Baptist heritage has always been ecumenical from its foundation.
Critics need not fear that such dialogue will dull Baptist ideology and fade the lines concerning doctrinal distinctives. The essence of priesthood requires that doctrine be ensured through congregational polity. The priesthood of all believers does not allow for a prominent distinction between clergy and laity as maintained by other traditions. Clergy and councils cannot dictate to the local body what it must believe [9]. This makes it essential for every believer to wrestle with Scripture in order to define their ecclesiology. The body of Christ secures the Church’s doctrine. Our priesthood only drives us further into our Baptist heritage, not away from it. Because our foundation is rooted among our local church and tradition, Baptist ideology will further establish itself as it interacts with the evangelical community.
Conclusion
The priesthood of all believers is the doctrine that will maintain identity in the 21st Century. Without it, evangelicals will continue to flee their Baptist heritage. We as Baptists must realize that we have not fully embraced a doctrine we so boldly proclaimed. This priestly ministry calls us to affirm our beliefs and maintain a strong ecclesiology in order to establish a gospel witness. It is this identity that many Christians desire, and rightfully deserve. It will provide a voice for Baptists that will certainly be heard by the broader evangelical community and surrounding lost world. For when this takes place, we become “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession” who mediate the glorious gospel to the lost nations of the world.
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[1] Concerning this principle of confessionalism, see my previous article entitled, “The Importance of Being a Confessional Christian.”
[2] See Ex. 19:3-6; Is. 61:6; Rev. 1:5-6, 5:9-10. For passages dealing with the function of priests, see Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 5:2; Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:15-16.
[3] The pronoun autoi when functioning intensively usually modifies the subject of the sentence in gender, number, and case. Here in 2:5, however, autoi intensifies the implied subject “you” of the verb oikodomeisthe (you are being built). Thus the clause translates, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up like a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.”
[4] Kevin Hester, Free Will Baptists and the Priesthood of All Believers (Nashville: The Historical Commission of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, 2010), 5.
[5] Martin Luther, Treatise on Christian Liberty, in Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings, ed. Timothy F. Lull (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1989), 607.
[6] Timothy George, “The Priesthood of All Believers,” in The People of God: Essays on the Believer’s Church, eds. Paul Basden and David S. Dockery (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1991), 92.
[7] Hester, 8.
[8] J. Matthew Pinson, Free Will Baptists and Church Government (Nashville: The Historical Commission of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, 2010), 6.
[9] Baptists have always cautioned and stood against pastoral authoritarianism. Elders (ordained pastors) have always had spiritual authority in the church. Yet this authority did not lie outside the confines of the local congregation. Baptists have always taught that elders receive their authority by the Spirit through the recognition of the local body. Therefore, emphasis is always placed on the elder’s role as shepherd. Shepherds guide and protect the congregation through strong Biblical teaching of Scripture, regular administration of the ordinances, pastoral care, prayer, and fasting. The elder’s calling is one of submission to the body of Christ. He is to serve and meet their spiritual needs. Likewise, congregations are to submit to the leadership of their elders since they have clearly recognized and confirmed the Spirit’s calling on the pastor’s life. The relationship of the elder and the congregation is then one of submission and love to each other.
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For Further Reading:
Eastwood, Cyril. The Priesthood of All Believers: An Examination of the Doctrine from the Reformation to the Present Day. London: The Epworth Press, 1960.
Hester, Kevin. Free Will Baptists and the Priesthood of All Believers. Nashville: The Historical Commission of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, 2010.
Natch, Nathan O. The Democratization of American Christianity. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1991.
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