Hebrews 3:14 tells us that we are partners of Christ by holding fast the beginning of the assurance firm to the end. We must hold fast what we have believed from the beginning and have no doubt concerning it. If we hold fast the beginning of the assurance firm to the end, we shall keep ourselves in the partnership with Christ.
The believers are also slaves of Christ. “He who was called in the Lord when a slave is the Lord’s freedman; likewise, he who was called when free is Christ’s slave” (1 Cor. 7:22). The Lord’s calling does not change the outward status of His believers, but it does change their inward reality. A slave outwardly is changed to a freedman inwardly, and a freedman outwardly is changed to a slave inwardly. Inwardly we all are Christ’s slaves.
As slaves of Christ, we have been purchased with a price. Paul tells us, “You were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 7:23). This price is the precious blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 5:9).
In Ephesians 6:6 Paul says, “Not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul.” Here “from the soul” equals from the heart. This means to serve not only with the physical body but with the heart. We need to do the will of God from the soul, from the depths of our being. All believers should be such slaves of Christ.
The believers are not only priests of God (Rev. 1:6; 5:10) but also priests of Christ. “They shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6b). As priests of Christ they will bring man in his need to Christ and minister Christ to man.
It is in the resurrection life that the believers are priests of Christ serving Him. Revelation 20:6a says, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: over these the second death has no authority.” This indicates that the believers serve Christ as priests in resurrection life.
Revelation 20:6b speaks of the believers reigning with Christ a thousand years. This refers to the overcoming believers as co-kings with Christ to reign over the nations in the millennium (Rev. 2:26-27; 12:5). Therefore, the believers’ being priests of Christ matches their co-kingship with Christ. In other words, if we are not priests, we cannot be kings with Christ. Only when we are priests of Christ can we be His co-kings.
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