Israel
as Priests vs Believers / Body of Christ as Ambassadors
Background:
In review, one of the basic principles of Bible study was
told by the Apostle Paul to his protégé` Timothy, when he said: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2
Timothy 2: 15) As one example of
this principle, Paul revealed a two-fold purpose of the coming of our
Lord Jesus in His First Advent:
First, for Israel, to fulfill the Gospel of the
Kingdom: The Lord Jesus came “to confirm the promises made to the fathers” relative
to His Coming Kingdom and Israel’s serving as His priests. They would teach the
rest of mankind (the Gentile world) God’s standards for worship and living. (Genesis 12:
1-3; Exodus 19: 5-6; Matthew 4: 17, 23; Mark 1: 14; Luke 4:43). – (Romans
15: 8)
…but following Israel’s rejection of the Lord Jesus as
their Messiah…
Secondly, for believers in the Gospel of Grace: Through His crucifixion, death, burial, and
resurrection, the Lord Jesus served as our substitute, and has paid the eternal death penalty for the sins of all mankind. (Genesis 3: 15; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 3:
22-26; 8: 10-11; 10: 9-13; Romans 15: 9) Mankind has received this pathway to the
eternal salvation of our souls…if we will believe. Pastor Joseph Prince and
other teachers gave me this insight: Because our God is Righteous, He has
already punished His Son Jesus for our sins. He would not be Just and Fair if
He were to punish believers for the same sins. In this “Divine Exchange”, the
Lord Jesus took the punishment we deserved, and we received His righteousness, that
we did not deserve / earn. That is God’s Grace.
Now, let’s review a little more on these differences in
the respective roles of the Nation of Israel versus the believers in the Body
of Christ in God’s Plan for man’s salvation. (For more background on why we
“need salvation”, read Genesis Chapter Three; Romans 3: 23; and 5: 12)
Israel as Priests:
Exodus 19: 5,6, 8 – The LORD instructing Moses to tell
the people of Israel:
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Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep
my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:
for all the earth is mine: |
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And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (See Revelation 1: 5-6; 5: 10)
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Christian Believers / Body of Christ as
Ambassadors
The Bible informs believers that after God the Father
raised our Lord Jesus from the dead, He “set Him at His own right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also that which is to
come: And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1: 17-23)
Believers are not only
members of His church, but also members of the Lord’s spiritual Body.
Now, what does that mean in
our day-to-day life? The title of this post says believers are “ambassadors”
for Christ. Think in the context of this
fallen world, controlled by the Enemy who is the god of this world (2
Corinthians 4: 4)… until the Lord says, “Enough is Enough!!” and makes His
Second Coming. In the meantime, believers use the guidance of the Holy Spirit
to help stem the tide of this world’s evil.
Proverbs 13: 17 - In the Old Testament, the most wise
King Solomon first used the term “ambassador”: “A wicked messenger
falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.”
[“ambassador” – Strong’s # 6735 in the Old
Testament: “a herald or errand-doer (as constrained by the principal;
ambassador; Strong’s
# 4243 In the New Testament: “act as a representative (an elder); to be an
ambassador.] [“health” – Strong’s # 4832 in the Old Testament: “medicine;
a cure or remedy”. (See also Proverbs 4:
20-22; 16: 24)]
As noted under “Background” above, this
reference to Christian believers refers specifically to members of the “Body of
Christ” (1 Corinthians Chapter 12,
especially v. 27) (https://www.gotquestions.org/body-of-Christ.html ) At one time believers
were outside of the Body, but now, God “has raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:…” (Ephesians 2: 1-6) (See also
Colossians 3: 1-3)
The Scripture notes that we have various
roles within the Body of Christ, but in every aspect, we are to be “Ambassadors”
for our Lord Jesus. For further clarification, an ambassador is a person of one
nation who represents that nation while living in another nation. The Scripture
also notes for believers: “For our conversation is in
heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”
(Philippians 3: 20) [The word “conversation”
applies not only to our manner of speaking, but it also reflects our home
citizenship: (Strong’s # 4175 – a community, citizenship.”) ] Even as we
live in this ungodly physical world, God has “delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath (spiritually) translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son:” (Colossians 1: 12-14) That is the true home for believers (soul and
spirit), to which we will ultimately return.
In the meantime, members of the Body of
Christ know that our service as ambassadors for our Lord Jesus are a full-time
commitment. Others might wait for special days, such as Christmas or
Resurrection Sunday, but we acknowledge and represent Him every day.
Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson
