The Sacrament of Priesthood
The Sacrament of Priesthood
Do Not Be Jealous with a False Zeal for the Loving God Who Created Man in His Image and Likeness
The Titles and Functions of Christ That He Lovingly Granted to His Disciples
“My Glory I Will Not Give to Another” — A Statement Concerning Divinity and Infallibility Only
A Misguided Zeal
74. Some Claim to Be Jealous for God and Fear That Humans Might Rob Him of His Glory
They oppose the priesthood, thinking that it takes for itself the glory of God.
To such people we say: God is far greater than to be jealous. Jealousy belongs to the small-minded, not to God.
When God created man, He created him in His image and likeness, and He did not consider this a diminution of His glory.
75. God Granted the Priesthood a Special Glory and Splendor
As an example, consider how the Lord cared for the vestments of Aaron the high priest and chose them Himself. He said to Moses:
“And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest” (Exodus 28:2–3)
And concerning the sons of Aaron He said:
“And for Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics… and you shall make hats for them, for glory and beauty” (Exodus 28:40)
76. If God Gives Beauty to the Lilies of the Field, Will He Not Give It to His Servants and Stewards?
Consider what the Lord did for Moses and Elijah, who had previously consecrated sacrifices for Him. He caused them to shine with light alongside Him on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Lord could have shone alone, yet He gives of His glory to His children, whom He created in His image.
77. Many Miracles Were Performed by God Not Directly by His Hand, but by the Rod of Moses
Thus God granted Moses glory before the people. Moses was a priest of the Lord.
78. This False Zeal for God’s Glory Reminds Us of a Similar Error by Joshua
Joshua once became jealous for his teacher Moses when he saw two men prophesying and wanted to stop them so that his teacher alone would remain the prophet. Moses rebuked him and said:
“Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” (Numbers 11:29)
79. What Then Does the Phrase “My Glory I Will Not Give to Another” Mean?
God is willing to give His children everything.
The only glory He has not given to anyone is the glory of divinity and what belongs to it, namely infallibility.
The phrase “My glory I will not give to another” was spoken in the context of forbidding idol worship:
“I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8)
The glory of divinity means that God is eternal without beginning, unlimited, holy by nature, omnipotent, omnipresent, the searcher of hearts and minds, and the Creator. These divine attributes He has not given to anyone.
But the glory that does not pertain to divinity, He has indeed granted to us.
The Titles of Christ Given to His Disciples
80. As an Introduction, Consider the Lord’s Beautiful Statement
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them” (John 17:22)
Do those who practice “false zeal” cry out at this verse and say, “God forbid! God’s glory has been given to others!”?
Indeed, the Lord has given much of His glory to human beings and regarded them as representing Him, saying:
“He who receives you receives Me” (Matthew 10:40)
“He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me” (Luke 10:16)
81. Christ Is the Light
The Lord said of Himself:
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)
And He said to His disciples:
“You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14)
The same title is used. Has God’s glory been given to another?
No. Christ is light by His very nature, while they are light by deriving it from Him—just as the sun shines by itself and the moon shines by reflecting the sun’s light. Yet Scripture calls them both:
“The two great lights” (Genesis 1:16)
82. Christ Is the Shepherd
He called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10).
He said to Peter:
“Feed My sheep… Feed My lambs” (John 21:15–16)
He also gave some to be shepherds (Ephesians 4:11).
God being the Shepherd does not prevent His stewards from being shepherds, while He remains:
“The Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4)
Saint Augustine beautifully prayed concerning his people: “For them I am a shepherd; but with them I am one of Your flock.”
83. Christ Is the Teacher
He was called “Teacher” and “Good Teacher.”
He said to His disciples: “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am” (John 13:13)
Yet Scripture says:
“He gave some to be… pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11), “He who teaches, in teaching” (Romans 12:7)
Does this mean God’s glory has been taken by others?
No. God is Teacher in the sense that all treasures of knowledge and wisdom are in Him, infinite in nature. Humans teach only by what God grants them of knowledge.
84. Christ Is the Bishop (Overseer)
The Apostle Peter says:
“For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25)
Just as Christ is called Shepherd and Bishop in one verse, His children receive the same titles in another verse, where Paul says:
“Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28)
85. Christ Is the Governor (Steward)
It was said of Him—speaking of Bethlehem:
“For out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel” (Matthew 2:6)
The same title is given to God’s servants, as Paul speaks of honoring:
“The elders who rule well” (1 Timothy 5:17)
“Those who labor among you and are over you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
86. Christ Is the Son
Christ is called the Son, and we are also called sons of God—but in different senses.
He is the Only-Begotten Son, being of the essence, divinity, and nature of the Father.
87. Christ Is the Worker of Miracles
It is not surprising that the Lord grants His disciples the working of miracles, for He Himself said:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do” (John 14:12)
If the Lord were jealous of His children, He would not have said, “greater works than these.”
Yet those greater works are done only by the power of God, for He also said:
“Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5)
Likewise, the priesthood accomplishes many things—but only by the power of the Lord working within it.
88. Christ Is a Priest
Scripture says of Him:
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110)
And Paul says:
“That I might be a minister… ministering the gospel of God as a priest” (Romans 15:16)
Christ is a priest in one sense, and humans are priests in another.
He is the priest who offered Himself as a sacrifice; priests offer the sacrifice of Christ.
He grants forgiveness through His priesthood; they take from His forgiveness and distribute it to the people as His stewards, according to the merits of His Blood.
