One of the hallmarks of the Protestant faith is a doctrine known as “the priesthood of the believer.” This doctrine rose in prominence along with the Protestant Reformation, and as a result, regular old Christians began reading the Scriptures for themselves, praying directly to God only through Jesus rather than an additional intermediary, and began to think of their relationship with Jesus as something truly personal to them rather than exclusively corporate.

In essence, the priesthood of the believer is the belief that there is nothing, other than Jesus, necessary in order for us to commune with God. We have a direct access to God Himself, in Christ. It doesn’t eliminate the need for pastors; it simply acknowledges the open door in Christ. We can pray by ourselves. We can read by ourselves. We can do because Jesus is the last and greatest high priest who has swung open the doors of heaven to us.

The question for today is whether we really believe it or not.

In some respects we do. When the meeting is coming or the kids or unruly and we simply pray, “God help me,” we are in a sense practicing our belief in this doctrine. But there is another aspect to our lives that we need to lay this doctrine on top of. Namely, our spiritual influence over other people.

There is still, in our minds at some level, a division between the sacred and the secular when it comes to our interaction with other people. We often feel unequipped, inexperienced, or unqualified to give spiritual counsel or even have a simple conversation about faith. That’s the job of those who work at the church. Our job is to simply “be loving” and kind and hospitable. Unless we believe in the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer. If we do, then there is no longer any mediator other than Christ required.

That’s why Jesus can send all His followers out from Him to make disciples.

That’s why we can look for the opportunity for an ordinary conversation to become something more.

That’s why we can share the gospel freely though we might not have all the answers and nuances under our belts.

Perhaps our belief in this doctrine might more readily be measured today not in our words, but in our commitment to exercise our privilege to share the gospel today. Maybe one of the ways we know we really believe we have full access to the throne of God in Christ is our willingness to bring others there with us.