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To: aMorePerfectUnion
Priest is not a NT office of the Church. This is simply eisogesis from hundreds of years later, read back into Scripture to justify it... like so many other doctrines made up out of whole cloth.

Indeed, it is error begetting error, as if the Holy Spirit of Christ had no good reason for distinctively using the word for priests/high priest over 280 times (mainly as the latter), but never using it for NT pastors but instead using presbuteros over 60 times for NT pastors.

225 posted on 04/28/2016 7:02:47 PM PDT by daniel1212 ( Turn to the Lord Jesus as a damned and destitute sinner+ trust Him to save you, then follow Him!)
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To: daniel1212
. . . but instead using presbuteros over 60 times for NT pastors.

More error begetting even more error.

The Greek word for "pastor" is ποιμήν (poimēn) and is used once in the NT. The adjective presbuteros (translated 'elder') is the comparative form of πρεσβύτης presbutēs (old), The protoype Jerusalem assembly was governed by a plurality of older, more spiritually mature men, whose angel/messenger/spokesman was James (Acts 15).

Similarly, Paul constrained Titus to appoint elders (plural) in each city (singular). While the elders may have had a pastoral function, the title "Pastor" was not one used in the first churches, and is absent from the NT as being equated with episkopos as is done today, That whole concept of government of churches by an episcopacy is entirely a Romish military-style to subjugate great masses of humans despite their supposed freedom in Christ.

The error today is to use this system even of independent autonomous local assemblies to make all the church members subordinate to a single leader determining the conduct and finances of the church, and quenching the spiritual maturation so as to prevent any opposition to the "Pastor." That is not the form of the NT church.

238 posted on 04/29/2016 2:57:18 AM PDT by imardmd1 (Fiat Lux)
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