Hidden Treasure: Why We Don't Need an Earthly Priesthood

Hebrews 7:1-3 ¶For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God,... to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace,"  without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually...


Hebrews 7:21-24 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: "The LORD has sworn And will not relent, 'You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek'"), by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.
But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.


Without pasting the entire text of Hebrews 7 here, it's a little difficult to say much about it.  It is so full of meaning.  But the main point I get from it is that the Aaronic priesthood was temporary.  The priests died off and had to be replaced all the time.  But Christ is of the Melchizedek preisthood which never changes. He continues forever and has an unchangeable priesthood.

Christ lives forever, therefore there is no need for another earthly priest...ever. Christ never vacates His office of priest, because he lives forever to make intercession for us.  Therefore, the priesthood made up of a succession of men was abolished when Christ stepped into that place.

It is interesting to note that the Apostle Paul in 1 Peter says Christians in general are a "holy priesthood" and a "royal priesthood".

Albert Barnes has this to say on the matter of all Christians being priests:

 An holy priesthood. In the temple at Jerusalem, the priesthood appointed to minister there, and to offer sacrifices, an essential part of the arrangement. It was important, to show that this was not overlooked in the spiritual that God was raising. Accordingly, the apostle says that amply provided for, by constituting the whole body of Christians to be in fact a priesthood. Every one is engaged in offering sacrifice to God. The business is not intrusted to a particular class to be known as priests; there is not a particular portion to whom the name is to be peculiarly given; but every Christian is in fact a priest, and is engaged in offering an acceptable sacrifice to God. See Ro 1:6 "And hath made us kings and priests unto God." The Great High Priest in this service is the Lord Jesus  Christ, (see the Epistle to the Hebrews, passim;) but besides him there is no one who sustains this office, except as it is borne by all the Christian members. There are ministers, elders, pastors, evangelists in the church; but there is no one who is a priest, except in the general sense that all are priests---for the great sacrifice has been offered, and there is no expiation now to be made. The name priest, therefore, should never be conferred on a minister of the gospel. It is never so given in the New Testament, and there was a reason why it should not be. The proper idea of a priest is one who offers sacrifice; but the ministers of the New Testament have no sacrifices to offer--the one great and perfect oblation for the sins of the world having been made by the Redeemer on the cross. To him, and him alone, under the New Testament dispensation, should the name priest be given, as it is uniformly in the New Testament, except in the general sense in which it is given to all Christians.

So we see that the body of Christians as a whole are priests in that we are to offer up acceptable sacrifices to God as referenced in  Romans 12:1-2 and Hebrews 13:15.  We also see that a priesthood consisting of a succession of men within the church is no longer needed because Christ has taken that office of High Priest and since He will never die, there is no need to replace Him as priest.