You Are a Royal Priest

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 CSB

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The New Testament calls believers “royal priests”, and calls us a priesthood to our God. In other words, YOU are a priest. If you’re like me, that comes as a bit of a surprise. After all, the priests in the Old Testament had a very specific job in the worship of God, making sacrifices, wearing an ephod, tending to God’s tabernacle or temple, and teaching God’s word to people. My evangelical mind would quickly assume that pastors are the New Testament equivalent to priests. And of course, they are. But so are we. The Bible teaches that every single believer is a royal priest.

If we pay attention to the flow of biblical history, we will see that the theme of priesthood flows all through the pages, starting right at the beginning in Genesis 1-2. The very first human, Adam, was the first priest in the first temple.

The Garden of Eden functioned as the first temple. “The garden of Eden” actually refers to the garden God created inside of the greater area of Eden. And outside of Eden was the untamed and uncultivated world (see figure 2 below).

This three-part structure is reflected by the three-part tabernacle and temple structures later in the Old Testament. Many scholars have noted the overt Eden imagery woven into the fabric (even literally!) of the tabernacle and temple (see figure 1 below).

[Image Sources, Created to Draw Near by Ed Welch]

Even though the word “temple” doesn’t appear in Genesis 1–3, there are many parallels between Eden and Israel’s temple:

• God’s “walking” in Eden mirrors His presence in the tabernacle (Gen 3:8; Lev 26:12).

• Adam was called to “cultivate and keep” (ʿāḇaḏ and šāmar)—terms later used for priestly service and guarding the temple (Num 3:7–8).

• The tree of life prefigured the temple lampstand.

• Eden’s entrance faced east, on a mountain, like later temples (Gen 3:24; Ezek 28:14–16).

• Rivers flowing from Eden anticipate temple imagery in Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22.

• Eden and its garden reflect a three-part sacred structure, like the temple’s courts, Holy Place, and Holy of Holies.
  

And most notably it’s where God and humans walked together. Ed Welch, author of “When People are Big and God is Small” writes:

“Within Eden was a garden - lush, with no hint of death or unfruitful foliage. Everywhere, there was rich, lively, almost too-much-to-bear life. It could be no other way, because this was the garden of God, the place where heaven and earth met. It was… more than a mere garden. Here, God and humanity went for a walk. This was “the holy mountain of God” that later generations hoped to gather around and perhaps ascend (Ezekiel 28:14). This was God’s house.” - Created to Draw Near, Ed Welch

"The heart of the priestly job description is fellowship with the Lord, enjoying his hospitality and protection, living in his house. May we never think that dour obedience is the essence of life in Christ. Lavish meals, satisfaction, peace, and pleasure are the lot of God's priests. It could be no other way when we are invited to live at the junction of heaven and earth." Ed Welch, Created to Draw Near

But the parallels don’t end there! Not only was Eden a temple garden, Adam was it’s royal priest-king.

“Adam was to be God’s vice-regent, extending the geographical boundaries of the Garden until Eden covered the whole earth. In doing so he would have been a king-priest, guarding and keeping the Garden, terms later used of priestly service in the temple” - G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission (pp. 66–80)

In Eden, Adam stood as the first priest, placed in God’s sanctuary to “work and keep” it (Gen. 2:15)—the very words later used to describe the Levites’ service of guarding and ministering in the tabernacle (Num. 3:7–8).

“As the image of God, Adam was invested with kingly authority to subdue and have dominion, and with priestly service to guard and to keep God’s sanctuary.” - Meredith G. Kline, Kingdom Prologue  (p. 45)

Just as Israel’s priests were to protect the holy place from intrusion, offer sacrifices, and mediate God’s presence to His people, Adam was to guard the Garden, offer himself as a living sacrifice in obedient worship, and represent creation before its Maker. Yet Adam, like Israel’s priests after him, failed to be faithful.

But where Adam let the serpent deceive, Christ resisted the tempter; where priests offered endless sacrifices that could never take away sin, Christ offered Himself once for all (Heb. 9:11–14). As the true and better High Priest, Jesus fulfills what Adam and every priestly image-bearer was called to do: He guards God’s dwelling, secures our access to His presence, and now intercedes eternally for His people (Heb. 7:25). In Him, the priestly vocation given to humanity at creation is restored, so that every believer can again offer their lives as “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1).

Adam, as the original Imago Dei, pictures to us what God intended all of humanity to experience; walking with God, ruling on behalf of God, extending God’s kingdom borders, discerning good from evil, and guarding what is holy from what is profane. These duties moved to the levitical priesthood because of the fall, until they restored to all redeemed humans again when Jesus, our High Priest, tore the veil with His perfect sacrifice on the cross. Now, as our High Priest, we are restored to our original calling as God’s priests and restored to our priest-king duties, or as 1 Peter words it, our royal priesthood.

So what does it actually mean to be a priest? When I wake up on a random Wednesday morning, I don’t roll out of bed thinking of myself as a priest to God. So let’s explore this rich Biblical theme and see what it means for us as humans and for our work.

1. Dwelling with God

• Adam: Walked with God in the garden, dwelling in His presence where heaven and earth met (Gen. 3:8). Adam’s greatest privilege was proximity to God, but sin exiled him from the dwelling place of the Lord (Gen. 3:23–24).

• OT Priests: Were chosen to dwell near God’s presence, serving in His house, eating from His table, and enjoying His protection (Num. 18:1–7; Lev. 6:16–18). The priesthood’s chief blessing was not the sacrifices or rituals but closeness to the God who dwelled in the tabernacle and temple.

• Christ: The true temple (John 1:14; 2:19–21), who dwelt in perfect fellowship with the Father (John 17:5, 21). As our High Priest, He entered once for all into the Most Holy Place by His own blood, securing eternal access for us (Heb. 9:11–12, 24). He brings us into perfect fellowship with God again.

• Believers: We are God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:16), a priestly people invited into constant fellowship with Him. Our priestly calling is joyful communion. Through Christ, we already dwell in God’s presence (Heb. 10:19–22) and anticipate the day when “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Rev. 21:3).
  

2. Serving God in Worship

• Adam: Placed in Eden, the archetypal temple, to “work and keep” (Gen. 2:15).

• OT Priests: Levites served and guarded the tabernacle (same Hebrew words) (Num. 3:7–8).

• Christ: The true temple (John 2:19–21), who secures our eternal access (Heb. 10:19–22).

• Believers: We are God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:16), called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1) and to serve Him in every sphere of life, making every inch of creation “set apart” as holy and consecrated to God.
  

3. Guarding Against Intruders

• Adam: Failed to expel the serpent (Gen. 3:1–6).

• OT Priests: Guarded God’s dwelling from unlawful approach (Num. 18:5, 7).

• Christ: Resisted Satan (Matt. 4:1–11) and destroyed his works (1 John 3:8), ultimately defeating the seed of the serpent.

• Believers: Called to resist the devil (James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8–9), guard the faith once delivered (Jude 3), and protect the church from false teachers (Acts 20:28–31) and those who would oppress the weak (Prov 31:9). Spiritual warfare is a real and vital aspect of our priesthood as believers.
  

4. Discernment of Good and Evil

• Adam: Commanded to trust God’s definition of tov and ra (Gen. 2:17), but redefined good and evil on his own (Gen. 3:6).

• OT Priests: Taught Israel to distinguish holy/common, clean/unclean (Lev. 10:10).

• Christ: Perfectly discerned and embodied truth (John 8:44–45; John 17:17; Heb. 5:14), calling “unclean” the Pharisees whom many deemed righteous (Matthew 23:27-28).

• Believers: By the Spirit and Word, we are trained to discern good from evil (Heb. 5:14), to test everything and hold fast to what is good (1 Thess. 5:21–22), and to live as lights in a dark world (Phil. 2:15).
  

5. Mediation and Sacrifice

• Adam: Humanity is intended to be ambassadors of God, a link between creation and the Creator. Adam failed to present his life as a living sacrifice of obedience, and brought a curse to creation (Gen. 3:17–19).

• OT Priests: Offered sacrifices daily (Lev. 16; Heb. 5:1–3) and interceded on behalf of a sinful people.

• Christ: Offered Himself once for all (Heb. 9:11–14; 10:11–14) and became our eternal High Priest.

• Believers: We no longer offer atoning sacrifices, but we do offer “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5)—our praise (Heb. 13:15), good works (Heb. 13:16), and obedience in daily life (Rom 12:1).
  

6. Royal Dominion

• Adam: Was given dominion over all of creation and was meant to extend Eden’s borders (Gen. 1:28).

• OT Kings: Ruled as God’s representatives to the people but failed (1–2 Kings).

• Christ: is enthroned forever as the glorious King of Kings (Acts 2:34–36; Rev. 19:16).

• Believers: We are co-heirs with Christ and share in His reign (2 Tim. 2:12, Eph 2:6), exercising kingdom dominion through faithful stewardship of our callings (Col. 3:23–24) and anticipating the day we will “reign forever and ever” with Him (Rev. 22:5).
  

7. Warrior Priests

• Adam: Was to guard the garden from intruders and punished for not opposing the serpent (Gen 3:15). Because Christ, the second Adam, crushed the head of the serpent, we can assume that this is what the first Adam should have done.

• OT priests: Old Testament priests didn’t fight as common soldiers did, but they consecrated the army before battle, carried the ark, blew trumpets, and declared God’s presence and promises, reminding Israel that the Lord Himself fought for them (Num. 10:8–9; Deut. 20:2–4; Josh. 6:6–7). Their task was to intercede and lead, showing that “the LORD is a man of war” (Ex. 15:3), and remind them that the army’s strength depended on the Lord’s presence. The Levites also took up swords and slaughtered 3,000 idolatrous Israelites in Exodus 32:26-29. Their job was to protect the righteousness of the people from sin’s intrusion.

• Christ: is our righteous Warrior Priest-King, who resisted Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11), disarmed rulers and authorities at the cross (Col. 2:15), and crushed the serpent’s head through His death and resurrection (Gen. 3:15; Heb. 2:14–15). Clothed in priestly purity and kingly power, He wages war in righteousness (Rev. 19:11–16) and secures eternal victory for His people.

• Believers: We are to wage spiritual battle as a priestly people, standing firm in Christ’s victory, resisting the devil (Eph. 6:10–18; James 4:7), tearing down strongholds by the Word of God (2 Cor. 10:3–5), encouraging and strengthening one another in battle (Heb 3:13), and guarding the church from false teaching (Jude 3; Acts 20:28–31). Our warfare is not with flesh and blood but with the powers of darkness, and as priests we fight by prayer, proclamation, and holy living. We should not only be warriors who kill sin in our own hearts and who wage spiritual warfare against the forces of evil, but also come alongside one another to encourage, pray for, and exhort each other in the battle, reminding each other that “The LORD will fight for you” (Exodus 14:14). (You can read more about warfare and priesthood in Our Priesthood and Spiritual Warfare)
  

8. Union

• Adam: We were united to Adam, whose disobedience brought death to us (Rom. 5:12–14).

• OT Priests/Kings: Represented Israel, but as sinners (Lev. 4:3; Ps. 51:5).

• Christ: The Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), whose obedience brings life (Rom. 5:18–19).

• Believers: United to Christ, we share in His life, His righteousness, His dominion, His inheritance, and His reign (Rom. 8:1–4), and represent Him in the world as ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:18–20).
  

9. Reflecting God’s Character

• Adam: Made in God’s image, he was to reflect God’s holiness and truth but distorted it through sin (Gen. 1:26–27; 3:6).

• OT Priests: Called to be holy as God is holy, bearing His name and representing His character before the people (Lev. 19:2; Num. 6:27). Moses’ face reflected God’s glory.

• Christ: The exact imprint of God’s nature, perfectly reflecting the Father’s glory in word, deed, and sacrifice (Heb. 1:3; John 14:9).

• Believers: As God’s priestly people, we are being conformed to Christ’s image so that we shine as lights, reflecting His holiness, justice, and love in the world (1 Pet. 2:9; Eph. 5:1–2; Phil. 2:15).
  

10. Multiplying Priests

• Adam: Commissioned to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth with image-bearers who would extend Eden’s worship to the ends of the earth (Gen. 1:28; 2:15).

• OT Priests: Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests among the nations, displaying God’s glory to the world (Ex. 19:5–6; Isa. 61:6).

• Christ: The true Priest-King has secured a people from every tribe and tongue to be a royal priesthood (Rev. 5:9–10; Matt. 28:18–20) through his death and resurrection.

• Believers: As priests, we obey the Great Commission by making disciples and filling the earth with more worshipers of God until the knowledge of His glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea (1 Pet. 2:9; Hab. 2:14).
  

What’s interesting is that the doctrine of the “priesthood of all believers” was something that was rediscovered during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, and it had a dramatic effect on the church. The Reformation emphasized that priesthood is no longer confined to a clerical class (the Roman Catholic priests in monasteries) but shared by all who are united to Christ, our High Priest.

In rediscovering this beautiful truth, the reformers - especially Martin Luther- realized that the implications had a deep impact on the Christian understanding of work and vocation.

Before the Reformation, the medieval church largely equated priestly service with the ordained clergy. Vocation was stratified: the “higher” callings of monks, priests, and nuns were viewed as spiritually superior to “ordinary” people and their work.

But the priesthood of all believers taught in Scripture flies in the face of this kind of hierarchy in God’s kingdom. It argues that Christ has made His people “a kingdom and priests” to God (1 Peter 2:5, 9, Revelation 1:6; 5:10) and this means that every believer has direct access to God (something only the priests had in the OT), and that ALL of their work is a spiritual sacrifice of worship.

Because the believer is a priest, all of their work is made holy. The milkmaid and the magistrate serve God just as much as a minister in a church. Luther famously wrote, “The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays—not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps, but because God loves clean floors.” God calls believers to serve Him not only in spiritual or “church work” but also in family, business, and civic life. The priesthood of all believers means that “vocation” or the call of God, became democratized— for all believers— and woven into all ordinary labor.

The Reformation reframed vocation from being a select spiritual path to being the daily arena where all Christians exercise their priesthood. That means that today, whatever fills your to do list, that is your area of Priestly service.

Practically, this looks like:

• Dwelling with God: When you practice abiding in Christ by stopping in the middle of a packed workday to simply acknowledge God’s presence before sending an email, you are living as a priest who dwells with Him.

• Serving: When you serve your neighbor with integrity, excellence, and selflessness, you are serving them in the name of God as His representative, turning ordinary acts of business into ways He serves people though you.

• Guarding Against Intruders: Saying no to a partnership with an unbeliever who would not honor Biblical principles in business (even though that means saying no to big opportunities) is a way to resist compromise at the gates, and keep your vocation consecrated as service to the Lord rather than to the world’s competing demands.

• Discernment of Good and Evil: When you recognize an area of your mindset where the world has infected your understanding and you remove those toxic beliefs, replacing them with God’s truth, you are waging spiritual battle against the ideologies that raise themselves against God (2 Corinthians 10:5).

• Mediation and Sacrifice: Praying over a client (whether with them or privately) is a way we directly partake of the priestly duty of intercession. All of our evangelistic relationships and witnessing opportunities is also a mediating act.

• Royal Dominion: When you take the chaos in your schedule and create order by using your planner, you help to extend the reign of Jesus into your time. You are “cultivating” (’abad) and it is spiritual service to God (Rom 12:1)

• Warrior Priests:  When you refuse to let sinful patterns like envy of another entrepreneur’s success take root in your heart, you are wielding the sword of the Spirit in battle. You’re not just “fighting personal struggles”—you are actively killing sin. And when you follow God’s call on your life, you are waging war against the kingdom of darkness by building the kingdom of God.

• Union: Business pushes us to see our moment-by-moment need of Jesus and His abiding presence with us. When you record your podcast in a posture of surrender and dependence (even though you were tired and depleted) you remind yourself and others that Jesus is your sufficiency, your wisdom, and your strength.

• Reflecting God’s Character: When you choose honesty in marketing—even when exaggeration might sell more—you are reflecting God’s truthfulness. Each small decision lets your business bear His name rightly before the watching world.

• Multiplying Priests:  When you mentor a younger woman in business or share gospel hope in a client conversation, you are participating in God’s plan to fill the earth with more priests.
  

Our priesthood as believers is is not an aspect of our identity that we are used to thinking though, so here are a few aspects we can center on:

• Reframe work as worship. Whatever your station—mother, manager, or entrepreneur—you stand as a priest offering your labor to God.

• Pray for your workplace, team, or customers. Intercede like a priest would for your colleagues, clients, and community.

• Embrace dignity in all tasks. Menial chores and high-level decisions are both part of your spiritual offering of worship.

• Resist the sacred/secular divide. The priesthood of believers abolishes the idea that some jobs are “kingdom work” while others are just “secular.” All work can be kingdom work. Formal ministry is not more important to God than the work of a home-maker, entrepreneur, or employee in a 9-5 job.

• Wage Spiritual Warfare - Guard your heart from the intrusion of sin. Fight against the evil one. Encourage and pray for your comrades on the battlefield.

• Live as an ambassador. As a priest, you represent Christ’s kingdom wherever you go, carrying His Word and presence into your particular calling.
  

The priesthood of all believers rediscovered in the Reformation shattered the false hierarchy of sacred vs. secular work and restored dignity to every calling. For us today, it means that sweeping a floor, writing code, teaching a child, or teaching the Bible are all acts of priestly service to God when done in Christ.

Remember how at the beginning we looked at how Adam was a priest-king? He was given a beautiful and royal task as God’s image bearer that we all partake in as Adam’s descendants:

“Placed in the Garden, Adam was at once king, invested with dominion over all creatures, and priest, to dedicate himself and the world to God” - Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics Volume 2 (p. 570)

But Adam failed as a priest-king. As believers living in the tension of this cursed-yet-redeemed world, we carry around within ourselves both the old Adam and the second Adam, Christ. We fail, just like our father Adam. But we are being remade in the image of God, the second Adam who has never failed. And as He transforms us into His likeness, we become a little more able, each day, to carry out our royal priestly office. And when we fail, as we often will, we can rest confident in the finished work of our great High Priest who never has and never can fail His people.