Are All Believers Equal In Every Way ?

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Are All Believers Equal In Every Way ?
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Objection 1

• There is neither Jew, nor Greek, slave nor free,
  male or female, for you are all one in Christ
  Jesus Gal. 328
• You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it
  over them, and their high officials exercise
  authority over them. Not so with you. Instead,
  whoever wants to become great among you must be
  your slave just as the Son of Man did not come
  to be served, but to serve, and to give His life
  as a ransom for many Matt. 2025-28

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The reply to objection 1 (1)

• All believers are equal in being children of God
  and temples of the Holy Spirit and they all have
  equal moral responsibility and there is no
  distinction between one group and another on the
  basis of sex, race or color.
• Nevertheless, this does not in any way mean that
  they are equal in having a special task to
  perform, or that they are all equally entitled to
  consider themselves part of the priesthood

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The reply to objection 1 (2)

• The first verse quoted from Galatians 328 was
  speaking about the results of faith and baptism,
  in so far as we are children of God.
• Yet beside this equality in being children of God
  and enjoying equal advantages, there is still
  differentiation.
• There is no difference between male and female,
  even so, the Bible says The head of the woman
  is man 1Cor.113

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The reply to objection 1 (3)

• Despite the equality between slave and free, in
  being children of God, nevertheless there is a
  difference when the Lord said no servant is
  greater than his master John 1316
• And the apostle said Slaves, obey your earthly
  masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity
  of heart, just as you would obey Christ Serve
  wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord
  Eph.65,7

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The reply to objection 1 (4)

• In reality there is no difference between Jew and
  Greek, when it comes to being children of God,
  nevertheless the apostle speaking of his kinsmen
  said Theirs is the adoption as sons theirs the
  divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the
  law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs
  are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the
  human ancestry of Christ Rom. 94-5

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The reply to objection 1 (5)

• So what St. Paul said in Galatians 328, is not
  for us to take as an absolute, but should be seen
  to apply within the context to which he was
  referring. Beyond those limits, differences exist
  as mentioned.
• Regarding what was quoted from Matthew 20, the
  Lord Christ was speaking about humility, not
  about the priesthood. He did not want His
  apostles to have a dominating spirit or an
  arrogant attitude

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The reply to objection 1 (6)

• He drew an example from Himself when He said
  the Son of Man did not come to be served, but
  to serve. But though Jesus behaved with this
  humility, did that mean that He was equal to His
  disciples?
• These words of the Lord to His disciples meant
  that humility should characterize the activities
  of the priesthood, which He had entrusted to them.

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Objection 2

• And afterwards, I will pour out My spirit on
  all people. Your sons and daughters will
  prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your
  young men will see visions. Even on My servants,
  both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in
  those days Joel 2 28 - 29

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The reply to objection 2 (1)

• There is difference between the gifts and the
  priesthood. Gifts can, on occasions, be given to
  all believers, though not all people are equally
  gifted, while the priesthood is not bestowed upon
  everyone.
• St. Paul explains the various gifts of the Spirit
  in 1 Cor. 12. He finally asks Do all work
  miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all
  speak in tongues? Do all interpret 1 Cor. 1229
  30

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So, Clergymen are
Individuals set apart for specific tasks
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1. He gave His chosen ones the authority to teach
and baptize

• He told them Therefore go and make disciples of
  all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
  Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
  teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
  you Matt. 2819-20
• He also said to them He who listens to you
  listens to Me Lk. 1016. This was not said to
  all the believers.

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2.He gave them the authority to loose and bind

• I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth
  will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
  on earth will be loosed in heaven Matt. 1818
• Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone
  his sins, they are forgiven if you do not
  forgive them, they are not forgiven. John
  2022-23

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3. And the authority to perform the sacrament of
the Eucharist (1)

• The Lord Christ said to His disciples (and not to
  all the believers) This is My body given for
  you do this in remembrance of Me Luke 2219
• St. Paul speaks of this matter poses the
  question Is not the cup of thanksgiving for
  which we give thanks a participation in the blood
  of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
  participation in the body of Christ? 1 Cor.
  1015

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3. And the authority to perform the sacrament of
the Eucharist (2)

• Notice how he said we give thanks and we
  break, not you, since performing this
  sacrament is not a job for every believer to do.

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4. They had the power to lay on hands and appoint
ministers (1)

• During the consecration of the seven deacons, the
  apostle said to the believers Choose seven men
  from among you who are known to be full of the
  spirit and wisdom. We will turn this
  responsibility over to them and They presented
  these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid
  their hands on them Acts 63-6

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4. They had the power to lay on hands and appoint
ministers (2)

• Paul said to his disciple Timothy For this
  reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of
  God, which is in you through the laying on of my
  hands 2 Tim 16
• And he also said to Timothy, who was a bishop
  Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and
  do not share in the sins of others 1 Tim 522

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4. They had the power to lay on hands and appoint
ministers (3)

• St. Paul also instructed his disciple Titus, who
  was the bishop of Crete The reason I left you in
  Crete was that you might straighten out what was
  left unfinished and appoint elders in every town,
  as I directed you. Titus 15

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5. To Them He gave the authority to give the Holy
Spirit (1)

• In the story of the faith of the people of
  Samaria, the Bible says When the apostles in
  Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the
  word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
  When they arrived, they prayed for them that they
  might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy
  Spirit had not yet come upon any of them they
  had simply been baptized into the name of the
  Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their
  hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit
  Acts 8 14 - 17

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5. To Them He gave the authority to give the Holy
Spirit (2)

• We see the same situation in the bestowing of the
  Holy Spirit to the people of Ephesus. The people
  there knew nothing about the Holy Spirit, but
  When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy
  Spirit came on them Acts 196
• Thus the apostles used to bestow the Holy Spirit,
  whether it was to the ranks of the priesthood or
  to the people, in what was later known as the
  sacrament of anointing 1 John 2 20,27

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5. To Them He gave the authority to give the Holy
Spirit (3)

• The Bible teaches us that the anointing was not a
  function performed by the ordinary believers.
• Even Simon the Sorcerer noticed this and wanted
  to be able to do it himself, but he was mistaken
  in thinking he could buy this gift. The Bible
  says When Simon saw that the spirit was given at
  the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered
  them money Acts 818

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6. Theirs is the task of guiding and directing

• Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God
  to you Heb.137
• Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.
  They keep watch over you as men who must give an
  account. Heb 1317
• Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who
  work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord
  and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest
  regard in love because of their work 1 Thess.
  512-13