Alright, I wish you Godspeed on your journey.
The sources you cite only help my claim though, why?
First they all confirm the correct interpretation of “minister” in Rom 15:16, which is not simply “to preach” but “to minister as a priest”.
Certainly the Gentiles were “a consecrated, sacrificial offering which he presented to God for his acceptance.”
The question begs to be answered though: how does a priest (who functions as a priest not a mere “minister” or “preacher” but someone who acts as a preist) “consecrate” a congregation (Gentiles) so that they themselves may be a “sacrificial offering”?
In other words I have (with Tim Staples’ help, and now with your own commentators) shown how St. Paul was not some mere preacher, but acted as a priest for the Gentiles and thus to the Gentiles. So we now know that it’s NOT true that the “Catholic priesthood is fabricated pagan extra biblical mumbo-jumbo” (or whatever other disparagement you of others say) but rather a man acting as a NT Priest IS found in the Bible.
This is uncontrovertable and should at least be acknowledged. But whatever if not fine....
...the main point is that a reasonable person (ie one who will acknowledge the fact above) must therefore ask themselves “how can one who acts as a priest ‘consecrate’ a congregation such that that congregstion themselves becomes a sacrifice to God?”
What does a priest do? Part of a priest’s function is to offer sacrifices. Certainly Rom 15:16 as read strictly says St Paul offers the consecrated Gentiles as sacrifices but AGAIN, one must ponder: how does a congregstion become so sanctified?
When a PRIEST is involved?
Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Hebrews 10:11-18 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”
then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Jesus offered HIMSELF up for our sins.
His death is not a sacrifice that WE are to offer to God for our sins. That would put it at the same level as what the Jews had with the continual sacrifice of an animal because it was never finished.
When Jesus died, He said *IT IS FINISHED*. There is no more sacrifice for sin because His did it all.
Nor is there anywhere in Scripture where we are commanded to offer Jesus up to God in our stead continually as if His dying once and rising again was of no effect.
When Jesus rose from the dead, His death was in effect sealed. It showed that it did what it was intended to do and there remains no need for any other sacrifice because His resurrection proved that it was effective.