Protestant: There is no such thing as "priests." The Catholics' "priest" is not Biblical.
One will not see “priest” in Scripture except as referring to Old Testament priests.
Again, this does not mean “priests” do not exist. Take a look at 2 Tim 2:1-2. Protestants might not believe it, but the “grace” referred to by Paul here is the sacramental grace of Order, in other words, grace associated with priestly ordination. Taking this passage alone will not show how this claim is true. Those seeking the truth have to go back a lot to the history of Paul, right down to the time Timothy, the son of a pagan father and a Jewess mother, then a mere strapping youth, so impressed Paul that Paul marked him off as someday becoming a good priest. Here Paul makes use of military, athletic, and farming examples to impress upon Timothy the need for effort in Timothy’s work as a minister if it is to produce results, in the manner that Paul applies to himself. In 2 Cor 12:15, for instance, Paul says: “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” This exhortation is classic, and encapsulates the spirit of solicitude which should be the hallmark of every priest.
The institution of the priesthood by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper is the usual given in answer to Protestant questions about priests, but many must have heard about it countless times before I’m sure, so I thought of doing it through the example of Timothy. There’s only one problem: one won’t appreciate it unless he has become more or less intimate with the life of Paul, in which case he’d have gotten to know better the other people Paul’s worked with.
One will not see “priest” in Scripture except as referring to Old Testament priests.
Again, this does not mean “priests” do not exist. Take a look at 2 Tim 2:1-2. Protestants might not believe it, but the “grace” referred to by Paul here is the sacramental grace of Order, in other words, grace associated with priestly ordination. Taking this passage alone will not show how this claim is true. Those seeking the truth have to go back a lot to the history of Paul, right down to the time Timothy, the son of a pagan father and a Jewess mother, then a mere strapping youth, so impressed Paul that Paul marked him off as someday becoming a good priest. Here Paul makes use of military, athletic, and farming examples to impress upon Timothy the need for effort in Timothy’s work as a minister if it is to produce results, in the manner that Paul applies to himself. In 2 Cor 12:15, for instance, Paul says: “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” This exhortation is classic, and encapsulates the spirit of solicitude which should be the hallmark of every priest.
The institution of the priesthood by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper is the usual given in answer to Protestant questions about priests, but many must have heard about it countless times before I’m sure, so I thought of doing it through the example of Timothy. There’s only one problem: one won’t appreciate it unless he has become more or less intimate with the life of Paul, in which case he’d have gotten to know better the other people Paul’s worked with.
1 comment:
Why do the Catholic priest are not allowed to be married? There are people who were born with the gift that enables them not to marry. They don't have that desire or longing for the comfort of the opposite sex. Most of us which do have that desire, when one chooses not to marry, it is bad for them if they have that desire, but try to refrain themselves from the is desire. Remember it is a gift not to have the desire, it is not something to try to discipline yourself not to part take. 1 Corinthians 7: 9 sais "But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn."
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