Heb 12:28-13:6
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say:
"The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say:
"The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
For Christians living in America “kingdoms” and “priests” are rather foreign concepts. So when the Scriptures call the Church “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9) or describes believers from around the world as “a kingdom and priests” (Rev 5:10), we aren’t quite sure what to make of it. Perhaps our minds go back to Exodus 19:6 where the Lord tells Israel that they would be for Him “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In our text the author of Hebrews declares that Christians possess a “kingdom which cannot be shaken,” and that they should gratefully “serve God (priestly language) with reverence and godly fear” (Heb 12:28).
What is the New Testament trying to teach us? It is easy for our minds to get distracted by all sorts of periphery issues, such as the problem of sacramental priests in certain churches, or questions of how Israel (Exodus 19) relates to the Church (1 Peter 2). While these questions have their place, we need to be careful that we don’t miss the main message of the biblical language.
A huge part of God’s purpose in election, whether of Israel or of the Church, has been to bring His redemptive blessings to the whole world. In Gen 12:3 God promised Abraham that through his seed all the nations would be blessed. In this sense election is always “for others.” The Lord then chose Israel because he wanted his people to model life under his rule before the world (kingdom work) and mediate his saving blessings to the nations (priestly work). This would ultimately be fulfilled in connection with Christ, the perfect royal priest.
So how does this relate to us? The text is explicit. Our priestly work is first to cultivate our lives as worship (“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,” Heb 13:15; cf. 1 Peter 2:5). Second, it is to bear witness to others of the saving blessings found in Christ (“the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name,” Heb 13:15, 16; cf. 1 Peter 2:9).
But what about the kingdom? What does it mean to model God’s rule in our individual and community life? And how do we know if we are doing this faithfully? Hebrews 13:1-6 gives us three very practical tests. First, we know we are living a faithful kingdom life, if we love other Christians, including those not in our immediate circle of friends, and especially those who are persecuted for Christ (Heb 13:1-3). Second, we know that we are faithful if we exercise self-control, especially in matters of sexual purity (Heb 13:4). And finally, we live faithfully under God’s reign, if we are not captured by consumerism (Heb 13:4-6). How do we score on these “kingdom” tests?
May the Lord help us to be a kingdom of priests for his glory.