What is a priest?

Answer

A priest is a minister of any religion—whether true or false, good or evil—who is given authority to teach sacred information and perform sacred duties to preserve and share that faith with others.

Priests typically act as intermediaries between people and a higher power, being, or group of beings. They serve as a link between individuals and spirits, deities, gods, or God. Priests impart teachings on proper reverence, gratitude, praise, sacrificial giving, worship, and the way of life that characterizes the faith. In numerous religions, a priest’s primary role is that of a mediator and intercessor, offering prayers and sacrifices on behalf of believers to obtain the deity’s forgiveness and favor in this life and, ultimately, eternal happiness in the afterlife.

Christianity distinguishes itself from other religions in various aspects, including the concept of priesthood. Here are two key distinctions of the Christian priesthood compared to other religions:
1. In many religions, believers lack direct interaction or influence with their god; priests serve as the sole means to connect with the distant deity. However, Christians do not require an earthly priest to reach God the Father. Instead, all individuals have direct access to Him through our exalted High Priest in heaven, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8–9). Christ is the exclusive path to God the Father (John 14:6;Acts 4:12). Consequently, Christians can directly pray to God for all their needs and desires (Matthew 7:7-11;John 16:23-26).

2. The Bible teaches that all Christians are priests; the Christian church is essentially a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:5,9;Revelation 1:6). Under the Old Covenant, priests were selected from tThe Levitical tribe was set apart from the rest of Israel. Exodus 28–29 and Leviticus 8 detail the primary priestly responsibilities for the Levites. These priests served in the temple, where the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a chamber known as the Holy of Holies, secluded by a large, heavy, ornate curtain accessible only to the high priest. The blood of sacrificial bulls was sprinkled on the Ark’s Mercy Seat to make amends for the people’s sins. However, at the crucifixion of Jesus, the curtain tore from top to bottom «And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; », (Matthew 27:51), indicating that all believers now have direct access to God’s presence. We now approach God through faith in His Son’s blood rather than the blood of animals. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we have the assurance to enter the Most Holy Place by His blood, through a new and living way opened for us by the curtain, which is His body (Hebrews 10:19-20).

Jesus’ death brought an end to the Old Testament priesthood, replacing the continual animal sacrifices with one ultimate, flawless sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. Now, forgiveness is freely extended to all who believe in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ as our sin offering (John 3:16-17;Romans 3:23-25;10:9-10). This is the gospel message—the good news—that we, as Christians, proclaim as “priests” of God’s kingdom.