Excerpt from Being Lutheran © 2016 A. Trevor Sutton, pages 214–17, published by Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Not only does God work through the daily efforts of normal people, but He also ministers
through the daily ministry of normal people. Scripture talks about the active ministry of all
Christians in this way:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own pos-
session, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9–10)
Jesus does His work through you. He seeks
and saves the lost through you. He places His
word in your mouth. He forgives the broken-
hearted through your proclamation of Christ's
forgiveness. He invites rebellious sinners to
repent through your invitation to repentance.
He delivers the peace of God through your
peaceful presence. Jesus lifts the fallen from
the floor with your hands. Jesus feeds the fam-
ished with your spoon. His work is done through
you. Baptism flooded your life with eternal pur-
pose in Christ Jesus: you are part of the priest-
hood of all believers.
All believers are equal in their relationship to
God. All have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. The Law shows that we are all
Priesthood
OF ALL BELIEVERS
14 Lutheran Life
