Why I am a Baptist (part 5 of 10)

Nature of the priesthood

The second element of ecclesiology in which Baptists have articulated a particular view is in the realm of church polity, through their affirmation of two related matters: the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers and the principle of congregational government.

Reacting against the excesses and omissions of the Reformation churches, Baptists in the seventeenth century believed that Anglican ministers were ordained by a corrupt episcopacy and did not bear the character of Christ in their personal lives. Their response to this sad situation was to emphasise the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all true believers and the championing of congregational government.

In doing so, early Baptists were directly influenced by English Separatism and indirectly by continental Anabaptists. They also emphasised the soul's competency before God, or 'voluntary religion' - what we might call a spiritual individualism.

The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers had two implications: there was no need for a mediating priest to stand between the believer and God; and no one person or group had any special claim on spirituality or access to God, although gifted and effective leaders were regularly set apart for particular ministries such as preaching and pastoral care.

The words of the Baptist Reply to the Lambeth Appeal of 1920 ably defend the Baptist conviction: "For us there is no more exalted office than a ministry charged with preaching the Word of God and with the care of souls . . . Yet any full description of the ministerial functions exercised among us must also take account of other believers who, at the call of the Church, may preside at the observance of the Lord's Supper or fulfil any other duties which the Church assigns to them."

Similarly, in an Australian context Graeme Garrett reflects this understanding of priesthood: "Every believer is called by Christ and charged with doing the work of the gospel in the world. Every believer is 'ordained' (set apart) in this sense. The moment of this 'ordination' we call baptism."

More in the next post....

Rod Benson is a NSW Baptist minister and ethicist. He attends Dural Baptist Church.