GINDIRI THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

(An Affiliate of the University of Jos)

SCHOOL OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

COURSE TITLE:

OLD TESTAMENT THEMES

COURSE CODE:

CRS

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION:
Biblical Theology of Priesthood and Holiness; Implication for Contemporary Christian
Understanding Of
Priesthood of All Believers.

WRITTEN BY:

GTS/UJ/2022/PG/MDIV/0213
DADYIEL AMOS SANI

SUBMITTED TO:

Yohanna Ambima

DUE DATE:
!7th November, 2023
Table of Contents

Abstract ………………………………………………………………………

Introduction …………………………………………………………………

Definition of Key Concept ………………………………………………….

Man the first Priest …………………………………………………………

Priesthood in the Old Testament …………………………………………..

Priesthood in the New Testament …………………………………………

Implication to all believers ……………………………………………….

Works Cited ……………………………………………………………..

ABSTRACT

This work examined the concept of priesthood and holiness in the Bible as it relate to the

priesthood of all believers in the New Testament. The Survey method is used and sourced data

from books, articles journals etc. The researcher found that, holiness is required of every

believer irrespective of the dispensation. God is a holy God and demands holiness even when the

priesthood office is opened to all. Holiness is one of the major finding of the roles of the

priesthood. There are many roles stipulated to the office- roles such as: offering sacrifices on

behalf of the people and himself. However in every role performed by the priests, there are

responsibilities attached to it. And of which is the careful obedience to the condition of service.

The relationship between the role of the priest and holiness and that of the priesthood of all

believers are similar. There is call to live a holy life in both the Old Testament and the New

Testament. God demands that believers walk in holiness especially those saddled with the

responsibility of the office of the priest and the bishop in the New Testament. One of the major

things that was clear in the Old Testament and the New Testament is a call to holiness. The

researcher recommended church leaders, Pastors and other ministers to walk in holiness as

without which, no man shall see the Lord.

INTRODUCTION

The idea of Priesthood and Holiness and the understanding of the priesthood of all believers is a

topic that needs to be research especially as many misconception on the teachings of grace and

priesthood of all believers has made people to live as they want and not as the Lord wants.

Believers are called to living a pure and holy lives. The demand of the priesthood office is huge

and requires serious attention. Those who aspires the office aspires a good thing but must be

willing to give what the office requires of them.

Man was the first priest who received instruction from God and passes it down to his first family.

However, man’s sin brought condemnation to the world. Man lost the fellowship which he was

created for. The main idea of this research is consider the relationship between the priesthood

and holiness in the Old Testament and also the relationship with the idea of the priesthood of all

believers in the New Testament.

How did the church evolve from the original priesthood of every believer to the current

clergy/laity structure? To find the answer to this crucial question, shall follow very carefully the

historical progression of the priesthood revealed for us in Scripture, beginning in the Old

Testament, and concluding in the New Testament.

Adam was given a responsibility by God in the Old Testament which served as the major

example of the initial concept of priesthood which God desired of men. Wason rightly observed:

Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful
and harmonious relationship with God. Technically, there was no
 need for a priest. However, Adam functioned as a priest because
he had received instructions from God and bore responsibility to
pass those instructions on to Eve and others who came after her.
Adam was obedient and taught Eve about the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil (13).
Well, this paper shall examined the other roles of the priest especially the roles and responsibility

of the office. God demands that all believers understood this concept which shall serve as a

major guide especially for family heads. Even though this priesthood office is now opened to all,

it is also an opportunity to understand the biblical concept in order to draw meaningful

application.
CLARIFICATION OF KEY TERMS

Priest: The Old Testament Hebrew word for priest means ‘one who stands,’ particularly

referring to standing before an altar. Priests often received instructions (called oracles) from God

and then relayed that information to the people as intermediaries (Dawson 11).

Holiness: The word holiness can be perceived indifferent ways. For a Jew, It has to do with

obedience to some set of rules and rituals. For the Gentile believers, Holiness has to do with the

fined work of Christ on the cross.

In general terms, the word Holiness means a total abstinence from evil. Obedience to God’s

word.
PRIESTHOOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Garden of Eden

Primarily, we can traced the priesthood office from the Garden of Eden through the job

description of Adam. He was to serve as the first priest. He receives instructions and passed them

down to Eve. Dawson clarifies this task of Adam and he has this to say:

Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful
and harmonious relationship with God. Technically, there was no
need for a priest. However, Adam functioned as a priest because he
had received instructions from God and bore responsibility to pass
those instructions on to Eve and others who came after her. Adam
was obedient and taught Eve about the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil. This is evident, for when she was confronted by
Satan, she made this statement, “If we eat from this tree we will
surely die” (13).
His assertion can be found in the book of (Genesis 1:1 – Genesis 3 :). Adam was our perfect

example of a priest. He received from God and passed it down to his wife and perhaps those that

came after him. It is important to note that all priesthood responsibilities emerged from this

place. God is a God of pattern and he understood what exactly the need of men. .Every man need

a priest. He is to serve as priest to his family.

Throughout history, disobedience has never paid anyone. Was the promises of God to man after

the fall a benefit or a curse? Well, Dawson also observes this and he have this to say:
 Satan was told that from the seed, or offspring, of a woman, God
was going to give a Seed. This Seed would be a Messiah, or
Savior, who would die as a substitute in our place. His death would
pay sin’s debt and restore us into right relationship with God. God
was willing to accept the blood of an animal until the future
sacrifice of Christ would be made. Adam and Eve had tried to
cover their nakedness with the leaves from the Garden. Before God
expelled them, He covered them with the skin of an animal. This
was the first blood sacrifice for sin (14).
God had it in mind to restore man back to Himself. Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness,

But God being gracious killed an animal and cover them with it. This actually became the major

roles of the priest and what was going to be the role of Christ as shall be seen in the New

Testament.

Cain and Able serving after the fall, men began to become the

After the fall, men became personal priest of themselves and begin to build altars and sacrifice to

God. However one was able to offer a blood sacrifice and was accepted while the other sacrifice

grains and was rejected. Wason also observed this greatly and he has this to say:

Adam and Eve’s sons began to build altars and offer sacrifices.
Cain was a farmer and offered the fruit of the ground, but the
ground had been cursed by God (Gen. 3:17). It was not a blood
sacrifice and was rejected. By contrast, Abel, who was a shepherd,
offered a blood sacrifice, and God accepted it. Scripture does not
tell us how Abel knew to offer a blood sacrifice. He may have
learned it from God’s example, or from observing Adam carrying
out his priestly responsibilities. Further, Adam may have instructed
him how to offer sacrifices (15).

The question that thus arise is that, how were they able to understand the concept of sacrifice?

Perhaps God also put in man an inbuilt understanding of the concept of sacrifice. These

sacrifices were clear to everyone that God has a pattern.

In Genesis 8, Noah also sacrificed to God. The first thing he did after was actually to

offer to God a sacrifice. Perhaps this understanding flows from Adam to his sons and down to
Noah and perhaps to Abraham. Wason vividly explain this concept and this is what he has to say:

“the very first thing Noah did when disembarking from the Ark was to build an altar and offer a

blood sacrifice to God. Noah was given the same instructions that God had originally given to

Adam” (15). This is serious. The idea of sacrifice in the Old Testament is crucial. It remains one

of the major theme of the Old Testament. THs research work is actually on one of the major role

of the person who carries out the sacrifice. After the fall of man, the sanctity of this role did not

really became an issue. Everyone could offer to God as he or she is led.

The Levitical Priesthood

The Old Testament reveals a connection between the Levitical priesthood and the concept

of the firstborn. God saw Israel as His first born so as to establish the priestly office. This could

have divine plan as everything God does have a divine connotation. In Egypt, the Lord

presented Israel to Pharaoh as His firstborn (Exod4:22, 23). Because Pharaoh refused to allow

the Lord’s firstborn leave Egypt, He struck Pharaoh’s firstborn (12:29; cf. 4:23). The firstborn

sons of Israel, who were passed over during the plague, were now the Lord’s property and thus

consecrated to Him (13:2, 13-15; 22:29; 34:20; Lev 27:26). The Israelite firstborns probably had

to engage in a consecrated service or priesthood, but at Sinai the Lord substituted these firstborns

with the male descendants of the tribe of Levi:

Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every first-born,

the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be mine. For all the

first-born are mine; on the day that I struck down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I

sanctified to myself all the first-born in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the

LORD (Num 3:12-13; cf. v. 16) (Bediako 3-4)

Thus, the killing of the Egyptian firstborn and the consecration of the Israelite firstborn to the

Lord provide the basis for the consecration of male priests representing the male firstborns in

Israel (Num 8:16-18). With this background, it is may be concluded that the selection of only

males to constitute the priesthood was theologically motivated—at least in the case of the Levites

—rather than merely culturally biased. It should be pointed out, however, that the election of

Aaron and his sons as the priests is not explicitly related to the firstborn concept. The command

to Moses to switch the Israelite firstborns with Levite males (Num 3 and 8) is not specifically

dated. What is clear, however, is that Aaron’s priesthood was implied before Moses went to

receive the law (. 18:12; 24:1-12) and that while Moses was on the mountain, the Lord named

Aaron and his sons priests (27:21; 28:1, 41) (Bediako 4).

Even if the selection of Aaron and sons is not specifically linked to the firstborn theology—

notice that within the nuclear family Aaron was the male firstborn (Exod 6:20; 7:7)—the

emphasis on the ‘male gender’ in Israelite priesthood is directly connected to the historical event

of the Passover.

Criteria for Priesthood

In order to become a priest, according to Bediako, one needed to satisfy two basic

criteria: lineage and ordination. First, priesthood was inherited; only the descendants of Levi

could become priests. Priesthood was further restricted to male descendants of Aaron. Female

descendants could not become priestesses. These could not even partake of the ‘holy meat’

except perhaps in some limited cases (e.g., the elevated thigh and breast of the well-being

offering; Lev 10:14; cf.6:18, 29) (4).

 But even among the male descendants of Aaron, only those without physical defect could

qualify to serve as priests (Lev 21:17-23). Thus, the sacrificial lamb was to be without blemish

just like the priest who offered it. Second, priesthood was an ordained ministry. Aaron and his

sons received special ordination (i.e., anointing [mashakh], consecration [qadash], and filling in

the hands [male’]). It was only the ordained priest who was authorized to minister before the

Lord on behalf of Israel (Exod 40:15; Lev 6:22; 16:32) (Bediako 4).

He also observed that, the ordination ceremony was an elaborate, seven-day ceremony

with rituals including the smearing of blood on the ordained (Exod 28; Lev 8-9). The ordination

of the Levites was different from that of the Aaronic priests, as theirs consisted in cleansing and

sacrificial laying on of hands (Num 8:5-26). While ordination, as a whole, might have served to

officially recognize, set apart, and authorize the levitical priests to handle holy things, the solemn

ceremony for the Aaronic family may have signified the high status of that family in this work of

the sanctuary ( Bediako 4)

Roles of the Priesthood

For Dawson, there are basically two major roles of the priest in the Old Testament which

are: to represent God to mankind and to Intercede for man before God. However, others sees it

beyond these and expatiate them further to make for easy understanding of these key roles

identified by him (11).

First and foremost, priests were ministers particularly mediators in the sanctuary/temple

(Exod 28:43; Num 8:19), where they offered sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of Israel. In other

words, they were cultic personnel who ensured faithful covenantal relations between the Lord

and Israel (i.e., corporate and individual) through the sacrificial system (Lev 1-8). Raoul Dederen
has noted that “on the assumption that Israelites were sinners standing in need of a mediator, the

essential duty of the priest was to represent Israel to God. This particular function was inherent

to the priesthood.” (Dederen 12)

Bediako also noted that the special garments which they wore, from the day of ordination

onward (Exod 28; Lev 8-9), both protected them from dying when ministering and symbolized

their representative, mediatorial status (Exod 28:35, 43) (4).

The second role, which flows directly from the first, is that priests were agents of holiness and

purification. The guided the temple from being polluted. As such, it was their duty to consecrate

or purify the sanctuary (e.g., Exod 29:36-37; Lev 4:1-6:7; 16:1-19), and maintain the purity of

both the sanctuary and the land as a whole (Lev 20:3; Num 3:10; 18:1; 19:20) ( Bediako 6).

This is the major theme of this paper. Holiness is one of the roles of the priest. In fact the book of

Leviticus was written purposely to address these issues- on how the priesthood office should be

organized.

The priests also purified persons or entities incurring cultic impurity (Lev 12; 15:13-15). Stated

differently, then, the priesthood was to assure, maintain and constantly reestablish the holiness of

the elect people of God (Exod 28:38; Lev 10:17; Num 18:1). as agents of holiness, priests served

as boundary interpreters in time, space and status (Lev 10:10; 11:1-46; 1:47; 13-15; 18:3,24-28;

20:22-25; 18-20; 23:1-44). They watched over the physical health of the nation and judged ritual

uncleanness, which included inspection of infectious diseases (i.e., leprosy) and subsequent

labeling. By occupying the boundary zone between the holy and the common, they monitored

and maintained the classification systems of the clean/unclean and Holy/common (Lev 10:10;

13-15) Bediako 5).

Third, the levitical priests taught the people the law of the Lord (Lev 10:10-11; Deut 31:9-13;

33:10; 2 Chron 35:3; Ezek 22:26; Hag 2:11-13; Neh 8:2-3).

Fourth, priests served as judges in difficult cases and thus administered justice (Deut 17:8-13;

19:16-17; 21:1-5; cf. 16:18-20; cf. Num 5:11-31). Fifth, priests inquired of the Lord and

Pronounced oracles announcing the will of God for certain decisions using the Urim and

Thummim (Num 27:21; Deut 33:8; Ezra 2:59-63).

Sixth, they pronounced blessings over the people (Num 6:22-27; Deut 10:8).21 seventh, priests

participated in warfare which was basically a religious activity (Num 31:6; Deut 20:2-4; Josh 6;

Judg 20:26-28; 2 Sam 11:11). Bediako has this to say especially as it regards to the roles of the in

given instruction to the soldiers

“The priests would inquire of God whether or not to go to war

(Judg 20:26-28; Num 27:18-21). They also addresses the troops
before they went out to battle (Deut 20:2-4). They may have been
going to battle (Num 31:6; Josh 6; 1 Sam 4; 2 Sam 11:11; Ps 24;
Num 10:33-36; 14:41-45;. Num 3:31-32; Deut 31:9, 25; Num
10:1-9).They may also have been making decisions about the
purification and division of the booty (Num 31:21-31). They could
sing during war (Josh 6; 2 Chron 20). (Lev 27:3, 8,11-
12,14,18,23,25; Deut 12:11) (7).

Finally, the levitical priests assessed and collected tithes and taxes (Exod 20:22-23:33; 23:14-19;

30:11-16; Num 18:8-32; Deut 14:22-29; 18:1-8; 26:1-15).23

A few more characteristics of priesthood are worth noting. Priesthood was characterized by a

high degree of orderliness, both in dress and in service. It was an organized ministry, with a high

priest at the presidency. The roles listed above also suggest that priests had some administrative

functions. Finally, the priestly task required full time employment. This is highlighted by the fact

that the tribe of Levi was not given a tribal allotment of land (Lev 25:32-34; Num 35:1-8; Josh
13:14, 33). Because they were fully employed, the priests and Levites were remunerated in the

form of tithes, offerings, and some portions of the sacrifices which they oversaw (Num18:20-32).

PRIESTHOOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament is actually the continuation of the Old Testament. God’s revelation is

actually progressive. We need to actually understand that the roles of the Levites and the Priest,

ended in the Old Testament. A new format is introduced through the ministry of Jesus Christ.

This section is to actually consider the roles of the priesthood in terms of their responsibility to

God. God is a holy God and He demands holiness not only from those who represent but also

those who are to be represented. Wason observes how this role should be played and this he has

to say:

Jesus Christ came to earth 1,500 years after God revealed His plan
for His people at Mt. Sinai. The Levitical tribe continued to pursue
a self-serving agenda. The very priests who should have eagerly
received the long-awaited Messiah chose rather to reject Him.
Jesus, in spite of the signs, wonders, and miracles— which
authenticated Him as the Messiah—could not penetrate their hearts
of stone. The Levites told the people, this is not the Messiah. The
powers which He has displayed are not divine, but demonic. It was
these very priests who engineered the crucifixion of the Son of
God through the agency of the Roman government. As a result,
they were no longer fit to represent God, neither to the eleven
tribes nor to the other nations of the world. These facts are
documented in the four Gospels (15).

They rejected the Lord of Glory. He was never seen as the long awaited Messiah. They were ok

with their cultic rituals of animal’s sacrifices. God demands that at every point, people should

understand him and walk with him according to his divine plans and agenda for man. The whole

journey is actually to present man holy before God.

The Major Concept of Priesthood in the New Testament can be found in the book of Hebrew. It

is clear that Clear Jesus Christ became the sacrificial lamb which takes the sin of the whole

world. God was actually having a plan to finally bring this ritual to an end. Jesus sacrifice his life

and spilled the blood in the holies of holies once and for all for the salvation of the world. The

book of Hebrew clearly observed this pattern:

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with
the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that
is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but
with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all,
having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and
goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies
for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God? (Hebrews 9:11-14).

How much the blood of Jesus Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself. Jesus

became the sacrificial lamb which takes away the sins of the whole world. H was without sin.

Jesus never sinned, neither did he defiled himself which made him a more qualified candidate for

this office.

Two major scriptures address the issue of holiness and priesthood of all believers in the New

Testament. However it does not mean that believers in the New Testament are to live a loose life

because their holiness is a function of what Jesus did on the cross, rather they are to build and

strengthen their lives and living a pure lives daily on God. These are the scriptures which support

the above assertion.

You also, as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house,
a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ ( I Peter 2:5).
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (I Peter
2:9).
All believers are seen as priests and Levites in the New Testament. Well, Cain and Abel also

served as priest when they offer unto God. This could actually mean that God plan for priesthood

of all believers has been there since the inception of creation. This is awesome and a good new.

We are now delivered from the bondage of sin and sorrow to the divine plans of God.

PRIESTHOOD AND HOLINESS IN RELATION TO THE TEACHING OF THE OLD

AND NEW TESTAMENT

This actually is the crux of this research work. Having understood the concept of holiness and

the roles of the priesthood in the Bible (Old and New Testament) the papers now summarizes

this concept. Holiness in the Old Testament especially as it relate to the life of the priest is seen

more in the ritual of purification. One major roles of the priest is to keep himself pure. But it

seem in the old testament, holiness seem not to be sufficient as such a rope need to be tired to his

garment as he moves into the holies of holies t offer up sacrifice un behalf of the people.

Leviticus 16: 1-34, it made it very clear that the high priest had to follow some serious guidelines

which are crucial to his performing an acceptable sacrifice to God otherwise his life will be

destroyed. Jameson also observes that:

after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before
the Lord, and died -- It is thought by some that this chapter has
been transposed out of its right place in the sacred record, which
was immediately after the narrative of the deaths of Nadab and
Abihu [Le 10:1-20]. That appalling catastrophe must have filled
Aaron with painful apprehensions lest the guilt of these two sons
might be entailed on his house, or that other members of his family
might share the same fate by some irregularities or defects in the
discharge of their sacred functions. And, therefore, this law was
 established, by the due observance of whose requirements the
Aaronic order would be securely maintained and accepted in the
priesthood (np).

The priesthood office is sensitive that if those in charge mismanage the office, they may die

instantly. This is actually for the two sons of Aeron who died mysteriously. It calls for caution

for those intending to serve as priest and levites. Pastors too must understood the gravity of

mishandling the office. This actually shall be part of the implication for the church today.

Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the
holy place within the veil. Common priests went every day into the
part of the sanctuary without the veil to burn incense on the golden
altar. But none except the high priest was allowed to enter within
the veil, and that only once a year with the greatest care and
solemnity. This arrangement was evidently designed to inspire a
reverence for the most holy place, and the precaution was
necessary at a time when the presence of God was indicated by
sensible symbols, the impression of which might have been
diminished or lost by daily and familiar observation (Jameson np).

This is very important. The concept of the holies of holies is very crucial to the work of the

Priest. Moses gave Aeron the picture of his job description which is very important. There was

an atmosphere that was temporary in the Old Testament. When men brake boundaries, they lost

the fellowship they used to enjoy.

I will appear in the cloud -- that is, the smoke of the incense which
the high priest burnt on his yearly entrance into the most holy
place: and this was the cloud which at that time covered the mercy
seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place -- As the duties of
the great day of atonement led to the nearest and most solemn
approach to God, the directions as to the proper course to be
followed were minute and special.

God appears in the cloud when there was a burn offering signifying the mercy of God. When we

see him coming in the cloud with angels, it shall be our time of salvation. This was spoken of

Jesus. There is a great day of atonement, likewise the great day of the coming of the Lord.
 With a young bullock ... and a ram -- These victims he brought
alive, but they were not offered in sacrifice till he had gone
through the ceremonies described between Le 16:3-11. He was not
to attire himself on that occasion in the splendid robes that were
proper to his sacred office, but in a plain dress of linen, like the
common Levites, for, as he was then to make atonement for his
own sins, as well as for those of the people, he was to appear in the
humble character of a suppliant. That plain dress was more in
harmony with a season of humiliation (as well as lighter and more
convenient for the duties which on that occasion he had singly to
perform) than the gorgeous robes of the pontificate. It showed that
when all appeared as sinners, the highest and lowest were then on a
level, and that there is no distinction of persons with God [Ac
10:34] ( Jameison np).

This crucial, that the Levites and priest, offer sacrifices for his sin first and then that of the

people. He cannot be holy himself. Until he purifies himself his life is also at state. Every Pastor

must strive at self-purification. Men and women who are into this kind of service to God, must

do their best at purifying themselves for God’s greater glory.

However, in the New Testament, reverse is the case. The priesthood has become the

responsibility of everyone. Our hands must be on desk to see that we live a life worthy of our

calling. In the Old Testament, priest and Levites receive immediate penalty for their mistakes

unlike in the New Testament, Jesus Christ has satisfied the wrath of God. He has presented us

holy unto the Lord. The church evolve from the original priesthood of every believer to the

current clergy/laity structure? To find the answer to this crucial question, we need to follow very

carefully the historical progression of the priesthood revealed for us in Scripture, beginning in

the Old Testament, and concluding in the New Testament.

Believer in the Nes Testament must understand that Jesus Christ our perfect example offer

himself as a sacrificial lamb without blemish or wrinkle. The book of Hebrew clear puts it as:

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with
the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that
 is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but
with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all,
having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and
goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies
for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot
to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God? (Hebrews 9:11-14).

From this concept, one will understood that, The Church is called to holy living- as ministers and

believers. The Church as a whole who claim the holiness of all believers must strive to live this

life of God and purge itself of any evil. Our conscience must be purged as the book of Hebrews

rightly puts it.

QUESTIONS

1. Off hand and not off head (English Language)

IMPLICATION FOR THE CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN UNDERSTNDING OF

PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERSAND HUMAN RESPONSE TO SLVATION

The following implications are crucial for the understanding of the priesthood of all believers as

they response to the concept of salvation. There are key issue at stake especially as the researcher

investigate the concept of the priesthood of all believers which is found in the book of 1 Peter

which paved the way for the priesthood of all believers. Yes we are saved by grace and not by

works. However the faith we have must produce the righteous requirement that God desired or

deserve from us. Holiness is not something we throw away because we have come to believe in

Jesus and that Jesus paid it all for our sins. There is call in Hebrew to purge ourselves and live a

quiet life that God demands of us. The following implication are crucial for the all believers.
1. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. “Make every effort to live in peace with all men

and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the

grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many ( Hebrews

12:14-15). This is not an Old Testament passage- rather a New Testament passage. It calls all

believer to live in Holiness.

2. Holiness is not an absent of fault. However the believer is called to live a perfect life. All

have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Yes but we cannot continue to sin thinking

that grace shall abound.

3. Grace carries in it works. Yu cannot say that you are saved yet the life of Christ cannot be

seen in you. One must do its best to reach perfection. Without holiness we cannot see the

face of God.

4. Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the Old Testament. As such, all that was in the Old

Testament especially as it regards the priesthood office and holiness was actually a shadow

of things to come. He was blemish – just like the sacrificial lamb in Old Testament must be

blemish. He spilled his blood once and for all just like others too.

5. There is a demand and also a cost to following Jesus. Jesus told his disciples that they would

be hated by all men because of him. If Jesus had joined the Pharisees and the religious

leaders of that time to living a wayward life, there wouldn’t be anything

CONCLUSION

Without Holiness no one will see the Lord is the major theme in the book f Leviticus and

Hebrew. This brings this research work to its conclusion. The work discovers that God is a holy
God. He has demonstrated that throughout the Scriptures- from Genesis to Revelation. Yet, man

is unable to keep and maintain the standard of God. However as this work comes to a close, it is

expedient that everyone is sensitive to God’s demand of Holiness in everything as it regards to

the services of the Lord. The Priest has to offer sacrifices for his sin and those of the people. This

show how serious the call to holiness is in the bible.

WORKS CITED

Dederen, Raoul “A Theology of Ordination,” in Symposium on the Role of Women in the Church

Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1984. Print.

Jameison, Robert. Commentary Critical and explanation on the whole bible.

https://biblehub.com/library/jamieson/

commentary_critical_and_explanatory_on_the_whole_bib le/le_16_1-34_ (Assessed, 16th

November 2023).

R. Abba, “Priests and Levites,” Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, 3:877-878.

Wason, David. The Priesthood of all Believers, Greenville: ETS Ministries, 2018.Print.