God’s original intention was that all His people would fulfill the priestly ministry. However, because of the rebellion of the children of Israel and their fall by worshipping the golden calf, they lost the priesthood. Only the tribe of Levi guarded God’s covenant and separated themselves from their brothers. This qualified the Levites for the priesthood of God. From that time onward the tribe of Levi was chosen by God to replace all the people of Israel (Exo. 32; Deut. 33:8-10). However, not even the whole tribe of Levi was chosen by God; only those of the house of Aaron were chosen to be priests.
Leviticus 8 describes how the high priest, Aaron, and his sons were anointed and ordained by God. Aaron was anointed by God through Moses, who poured the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head and then sprinkled it on his sons and on their garments for their sanctification (vv. 12, 30), thereby ushering in the priestly service.
Christ went from us to God through crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to be our High Priest to bear us into the presence of God and to care for all our needs (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-15). On the one hand, as our High Priest according to the order of Aaron, Christ was tempted in all respects like us and is able to be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, and He affords us forgiveness of sins through His work on the cross. On the other hand, as the High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (5:6), Christ has become the source of eternal salvation to us (v. 9), and now He is on the throne in heaven ministering to us with His divine life.
Christ was appointed High Priest not according to the powerless letters of the law but according to the power of an indestructible life (7:16). By this life Christ ministers as our High Priest. Hence, He is able to save us to the uttermost; He lives always to intercede for us (v. 25). He brings us to God and prays that we may be saved and brought fully into God’s eternal purpose.
In the New Testament Christ is the High Priest of God, and the believers are a royal priesthood engaged in serving God (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). Every regenerated believer should grow by being nourished with Christ (v. 2) and be built together into a priesthood to serve God corporately, offering up Christ as a spiritual sacrifice for God’s satisfaction.
Colossians 1:28 says, “Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ.” This presenting, which is the work of a priest, brings man to God. This is a duty that must be fulfilled by every believer. Whether in announcing Christ or in teaching others and interceding for them, we minister Christ to people that they may become mature with Christ as the element of the divine life unto full growth.
As New Testament priests of the gospel, believers do not offer material sacrifices such as goats and bulls. Rather, they offer spiritual sacrifices, including Christ as the reality of the types of the Old Testament sacrifices. They also offer sinners who are saved by gospel preaching (Rom. 15:16); that is, they save sinners to offer them to God as sacrifices. Furthermore, they help believers, who have received God’s compassions, to present themselves as a living sacrifice to God (12:1-2), and they exercise all wisdom to present every believer full-grown in Christ (Col. 1:28).