Theological term
Royal Priesthood
2 sermons · All terms
Baptism in the Old Testament
The washings of the Old Covenant — priestly consecration, the Day of Atonement, and ritual purification — constitute the Old Testament type to which New Testament baptism is the antitype, not circumcision as pedobaptist argument typically asserts. This session of a three-part seminar argues that Jesus' baptism marked his public entry into priestly ministry, and that believers are baptized because they, too, are priests to God who must be consecrated for access into his presence. The session draws on Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Hebrews, and 1 Peter to build a biblical theology of water and cleansing, urging a recovery of genuine appreciation for baptism as a meaningful ordinance rather than a mere formality.
The Privileges of Christ's Church
1 Peter 2:9 presents the church with a fourfold corporate identity — chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, special people — rooted in what God originally purposed for Israel at Sinai and fulfilled in Christ. This sermon traces that identity from Exodus 19 through the failure of Old Covenant Israel, to its consummation in Christ who, by his obedience, death, and resurrection, purchased these privileges for his church. The God-centered function of this identity is the proclamation of God's excellencies, which demands a gospel rightly understood as centered on the doing, dying, and rising of Jesus Christ. Believers are called to take up the corporate privileges of access to God, prayer, praise, and the knowledge of God with the seriousness these mercies deserve.