A Priest Serves God in His Spirit
"However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit... (if) the Spirit of Christ dwells in you... And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness."
Romans 8:9
"The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him."
1 Corinthians 6:17
A Priest Clothes Himself With Christ, His Life Hidden With Christ in God
"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory"
Colossians 3:1-4
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
Galatians 3:27
A Priest Is Sanctified
"For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for that reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, 'I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren..."
Sanctification
(Handbook 3, Article 23)
"Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me."
Hebrews 2:13
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are One."
John 10:27-30
A Priest Is a Partaker of the Divine Nature
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence... in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature..."
2 Peter 1:2-4
A Priest Is a Messenger
"For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."
Malachi 2:7
"Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke by the commission of the Lord to the people, saying, 'I am with you, declares the Lord.'"
Haggai 1:13
"Confirming the word of His servant, He performs the purpose of His messengers."
Isaiah 44:26
"Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those day, no vision spread abroad...
Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail (Lit. fall to the ground)... And all Israel... knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord..."
1 Samuel 3:1, 19, 20
"Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel..."
1 Samuel 4:1
"Behold, I am going to send My messenger and he will clear (or prepare) the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple..."
Malachi 3:1
The Lips of a Priest Preserve Knowledge, True Instruction Is in His Mouth
"Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem... And He said to them... 'why do you... transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition...
This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.'"
Matthew 15:1, 2, 8, 9
A Priest Walks in the Same Manner as Jesus Walked
"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner...
For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel."
John 5:19, 20
A Priest Is a Judge
"Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world... Do you not know that we will judge angels?"
1 Corinthians 6:3
"...Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with you in the word of judgment.
Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for there is not with the Lord God unrighteousness, or partiality, or the taking of a bribe."
2 Chronicles 19:6, 7
A Priest Walks in the Way of God's Judgments
"In that day, the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown and a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; a spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, for those who sit in judgment, a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate."
Isaiah 28:5, 6
The Way of God's Judgments
(Handbook 3, Article 53)
A Priest Is Faithful
"But I shall raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and soul. And I will build him an enduring house and he will walk before My anointed forever."
1 Samuel 2:35
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service..."
1 Timothy 1:12
"(And the beast and the ten horns), these will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and the chosen and faithful."
Revelation 17:14
A Priest Fears the Lord
"The fear of the Lord is his treasure."
Isaiah 33:6
"And He will delight in the fear of the Lord..."
Isaiah 11:3
"How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments."
Psalm 112:1
A Priest Calls on the Name of the Lord and He Answers Him
"Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the Lord, and He answered them.
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
They kept His testimonies,
And the statutes He gave them.
O Lord our God, Thou didst answer them;
Thou wast a forgiving God to them,
And yet an avenger of their evil deeds."
Psalm 99:6-8
A Priest Stands in Awe of His Name
"Then God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM, and thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "'I AM' has sent me to you... The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.
This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations."'"
Exodus 3:14, 15
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."
Deuteronomy 5:11
"These are the names of the sons of Aaron... whom he ordained to serve as priests... Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai..."
Numbers 3:3, 4
A Priest Serves the Purpose of God in His Generation
"...So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorifies.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations,
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolation of many generations...
But you will be called the priests of the Lord;
And ministers of our God..."
Isaiah 61:6
A Priest and the First Resurrection
"Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years."
Revelation 20:6