All believers are the lively stones of His congregation.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." -- 1 Peter 2:5-10"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
If one takes on the role of clergy, then there are many things that one must take on above and beyond the role of laity.
The role of the clergy is clearly spelled out in Scripture, and it does not include anything about being "another Christ" or sacrificing Christ anew with every worship service.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." -- Ephesians 4:11-16"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Who are these Saints,Dear Sister?
I have been told by other protestants that all who believe in Christ are Saints
Is Saint Irenaues,Saint Polycarp,Saint Ignatius,Saint Athanasius “perfected” Saints in your mind?
They all taught completely opposite of John Calvin and protestant teaching on Eucharist and the Catholic Church.
Do you think God allows a Saint to be a lier or is God truth?
Either the Saints I mentioned are TRUE Saints and John Calvin is Not a Saint from Christ or vice versa, or God is NOT truth.
Take your Choice?
***The clergy teaches sound doctrine and leads in worship; it does not interpret the Scriptures or bequeath the gift of the Holy Spirit.***
How can you formulate or teach sound doctrine if you do not interpret Scripture?
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Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
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And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you,
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speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.
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Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.
Even Peter cautioned us all to not misinterpret Paul - that misinterpretation is as common now as it was then, if not more common. But what is stability? How should we proceed?
The Catechism says:
The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it.78
112 1. Be especially attentive “to the content and unity of the whole Scripture”. Different as the books which compose it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover.79
The phrase “heart of Christ” can refer to Sacred Scripture, which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it, consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be interpreted.80
113 2. Read the Scripture within “the living Tradition of the whole Church”. According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (”. . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church”81).
114 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.82 By “analogy of faith” we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.
Yes. Scripture is one entity. It is an attempt at writing down what Jesus instructed us. It needs to be interpreted through the Church. When we try to read Scripture on our own, we are as lost as those that Peter addressed, and as lost as the eunuch attempting to read Scripture on his own.