Round the Sphere Again: Recommended for Listening

When Not to Forgive
Ardel Caneday discusses forgiving others—when we should and when we shouldn’t—on the Janet Mefferd Radio Show.

Free for the First Time
Starting this week, all of the recorded sermons by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones are available to download at no cost. Go here, sign up for a free membership in the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Audio Library, and begin downloading. 

Cat and Conf Readings
A list of audio recordings of the Heidelberg Catechism and Westminster Confession (Beggers All: Reformation and Apologetics).

Now That It’s Over
Here’s the audio and video from the just-finished Together for the Gospel 2012 Conference:  

• Main sessions
• Breakout sessions (not there yet, but I assume they will be soon.) 

Last Week Would Have Been Better
But we ought to be celebrating the resurrection all year long anyway, right? Here’s some Sacred Heart singing to bring you a little resurrection joy.

When I imagine the saints singing in heaven, it sounds more like this than the Hallelujah Chorus, not because this is more beautiful, but because it’s more real. 

Thankful Thursday

I had a free day today—no appointments or visitors—so I could spend the day working uninterrupted. I’m thankful that my life is often full of happy interruptions, but I’m also thankful for a solid work day now and then. I sewed and did laundry and cleaned the stove top and oven. I’m thankful for my new sewing machine and my old but still working washing machine and stove.  I’m thankful for my home and everything in it.

I’m thankful that my son returned safely from his trip to Germany and Poland. I’m thankful that he enjoyed himself and didn’t spend all of his money. 

I’m thankful that my little granddaughter lives close by so I can spend time with her regularly. Not every grandmother has that and I count it as a gift from God that I do.

I’m thankful for asparagus, a tasty spring blessing. 

I’m thankful for all these temporal blessings, and I’m thankful that the blessings of this world are not the only blessings I have. I’m thankful that all believers are priests, so that we have direct access to God without an earthly mediator.  I’m thankful for forgiveness of sins and the promise of a heavenly inheritance.

What about you? What are you thankful for?

Theological Term of the Week

priesthood of all believers
The teaching that every believer is a priest; therefore all believers have direct access to God without an earthly mediator, and are called to praise him and do good works as sacrifices to him.

• From scripture:

…[Y]ou yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5 ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

…so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:10 ESV)

• From The Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter XVIII:

  PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS. To be sure, Christ’s apostles call all who believe in Christ “priests,” but not on account of an office, but because, all the faithful having been made kings and priests, we are able to offer up a spiritual sacrifices to God through Christ (Ex. 19:6; I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6). … [T]he priesthood, as we have just said, is common to all Christians….

• From The MacArthur Study Bible Notes on 1 Peter 2:5:

  OT priests and NT believer-priests share a number of characteristics: 1) priesthood is an elect privilege (Ex. 28:1; John 15:16); 2) priests are cleansed of sins (Lev. 8:6–36; Titus 2:14); 3) priests are clothed for service (1 Pet. 5:5; Ex. 28:42; Lev. 8:7ff.; Ps. 132:9, 16); 4) priests are anointed for service (Lev. 8:12, 30; 1 John 2:20, 27); 5) priests are prepared for service (Lev. 8:33; 9:4, 23; Gal. 1:16; 1 Tim. 3:6); 6) priests are ordained to obedience (1 Pet. 2:4; Lev. 10:1ff.); 7) priests are to honor the word of God (1 Pet. 2:2; Mal. 2:7); 8) priests are to walk with God (Mal. 2:6; Gal. 5:16, 25); 9) priests are to impact sinners (Mal. 2:6; Gal. 6:1); and 10) priests are messengers of God (Mal. 2:7; Matt. 28:19–20). The main privilege of a priest, however, is access to God.

Learn more:

1. GotQuestions.org: Is the priesthood of believer’s biblical?
2. Theopedia: Priesthood of All Believers
3. P. G. Mathew: The Priesthood of All Believers
4. David Hagopian: Trading Places: The Priesthood of All Believers
5. Bill Webster: The Priesthood of All Believers (mp3)

Related terms:

• priest (as an office of Christ)
• vocation

Filed under Ecclesiology.

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.