Just a Thought: A Third Myth About Biblical Families. A corollary and third myth about the Christian family is found in the use of the phrase “the husband/father is the priest of his home.” This concept is a pernicious deception that simply is not to be found in the Scriptures anywhere. The New Testament proclaims that we are a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9) who together have one High Priest, Christ Jesus (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14f; 5:1, 5, 10; 6:20; 7:1, 26; 8:1, 3; 9:7, 11, 25; 13:11). The etymological root of “priest” in Hebrew is believed by some to be “to draw near,” or “to stand.” A priest of the Lord is thus “one who stands in the presence of God.” By way of extension, a priest stands as a gap-filler who offers sacrifices for those who cannot stand in the presence of God. The problem is that in naming any one person to be the priest of the home we exalt that person to the rightful place of Christ and we restrict others from their rightful place in Christ. When one person is exalted to a special position between Christ and others, it is inevitable that the spiritual growth and vitality of all will be arbitrarily stunted whether they realize it or not. This is true for the church and for the home. The Christian home should function as an enclave of priests standing together in the presence of Christ with each member standing in the gap for the others, ministering the grace of God to each other. JDJ #245
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 10:25:12 +0000
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