# A Man as Priest in His Home



## Username3000 (May 23, 2015)

Greetings, 

Is anyone familiar with Sam Waldron and his book _A Man as Priest in His Home_? 

I have begun listening to the messages from which the book is derived, and it seems very good so far. Yet, I have read some scathing reviews online, so I will have to watch for anything that is out of place. 

Is priest an accurate title for a man in his home? We know that Christ is our great high priest, but is there a sense in which a husband and father can fulfill the priestly role as well? Things such as leading worship and intercessory prayer stick out to me. 

What saith ye?


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## Miss Marple (May 23, 2015)

I may oversimplify things but any man being called a priest bothers me.

He is my joint heir with Christ, he is my covenant head, but my husband is not, I think, my priest.


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## Jeri Tanner (May 23, 2015)

The Bible doesn't describe husbands as priests of the home, so it seems best to me that we don't do so either. 


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## Pilgrim (May 23, 2015)

Dr Waldron did respond to one of his critics. By quoting worthies of the past who indicated directly or by implication that the a man is a priest in the home, he does appear to demonstrate that this language is not something novel. If his teaching violates the confession then it would appear that most if not all of the excerpts are also examples of false teaching. 

I really haven't studied this much. I do think that this is easily misunderstood and perhaps moreso today than previously. Over the past several years I have been alarmed at hearing language to the effect that the man is in some sense a real mediator (i.e. not simply by analogy) along with mediator language applied without qualification in other contexts.

Elijah, what other negative reviews have you seen besides Crippen's and those that are basically in his "Amen corner?" (By that I mean people who evidently think "verbal abuse" and perhaps any other sin or annoyance under the sun is grounds for divorce and that there is no duty whatsoever to try to reconcile or help your spouse in those areas.) Are there any reviews by other pastors or professors?


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## Username3000 (May 23, 2015)

Chris, 
The only negative reviews I have seen other than Crippen's have come from comment sections on the internet where people are basically agreeing with Crippen. 

I think it is all in how words are used, and that there is a Biblical way in which a man can be prophet, priest, and king in his home. Waldron isn't saying men take the place of Christ, but that there are certain elements of the priests work that a husband and father can and must do.

Do we not see something of this in Ephesians 5?

My question to those who don't like the sound of this, what if the book was entitled _A Man as Spiritual Leader/Teacher/Intercessor/Judge in Holy Matters in His Home_? As far as I can tell thus far, that is basically what Sam Waldron is saying, except instead of listing the duties of the man in the title, he puts the name of the man who performs those duties.


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## Peairtach (May 23, 2015)

You have to remember that all believers, men, women and children, married or unmarried are spiritually-speaking prophets, priests and kings in the NT by analogy with the biblical prophets, priests and kings, without holding these offices, which have passed away.

The head of the household - whether that be a husband or widowed mother, or whoever, has to lead in intercession for the family and others (priest), in ruling the family according to God's Word (king) and in instructing the family about God's Word and will (prophet). But to say more than that person is the head and leader of the family may be downplaying the priestly, kingly and prophetic tasks of all believers, introducing confusion and going further than the NT Scriptures warrant.

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## Pilgrim (May 23, 2015)

Peairtach said:


> But to say more than that person is the head and leader of the family may be downplaying the priestly, kingly and prophetic tasks of all believers, introducing confusion and going further than the NT Scriptures warrant.



I think that is really the question. Similarly, I was a bit alarmed last year when visiting a Presbyterian congregation. The pastor was out and one of the Ruling Elders was leading the worship. For some reason he was compelled to explain many of the elements of worship even though they do the same thing every week. When he got to the pastoral prayer, he likened the intercession to Moses interceding for Israel in the wilderness, etc. I thought "Hmm...not quite." That's a similar use of unguarded and confusing language and there was no reason to mention it to begin with. I wasn't able to clarify his meaning. That's not to say that a certain analogy can't be made, but to me this was as bad and probably worse. All I could think was that Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant and that this elder certainly isn't the mediator of the New!


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## Username3000 (May 23, 2015)

Indeed, the comparison certainly has limitations. Yet, when mindful of those limitations, I still think it can be useful. In his response article which was posted earlier, Sam Waldron is clear about qualifying his use of the term priest, which I think clarifies any problems. 

If we put the terminology of the priest aside, don't we as husbands and fathers still have a unique position of authority and responsibility?


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## Username3000 (May 23, 2015)

Oops double post.


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## Miss Marple (May 24, 2015)

I guess I am narrowly defining "priest" as "one who offers a sacrifice to atone for sin." Husbands don't do that.

Moses did, we certainly had many priests in the Old Testament, but, that era is over, because Jesus is our priest now and forever.


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## Peairtach (May 24, 2015)

E.R. CROSS said:


> Indeed, the comparison certainly has limitations. Yet, when mindful of those limitations, I still think it can be useful. In his response article which was posted earlier, Sam Waldron is clear about qualifying his use of the term priest, which I think clarifies any problems.
> 
> If we put the terminology of the priest aside, don't we as husbands and fathers still have a unique position of authority and responsibility?



The offices of prophet, priest and king(in the Church) are over in the NT. Christ is our prophet, priest and king, and believers carry out certain prophetic, priestly and kingly tasks in Christ in a spiritual and "invisible" way analogically to the prophets, priests and kings of the OT. Obviously there are certain things that only Christ could do/does.

There is no formal and visible induction or distinction in this prophetic, priestly and kingly ministry of believers, and the Reformed churches resist this in contradistinction to the e.g. Roman Church and Pentecostal churches, as not being in accord with Christ's finished and fulfilled work.

The head of the household, whether a husband, or wife - if the husband is dead or otherwise absent - or an elder brother, has a responsibility to gather the family for family worship, instruct the family in spiritual things according to God's Word, gather them for church, seek to ensure Sabbath observation, rule himself and them according to God's Word. 

So there is a particular responsibility on the leader(s)/head(s) of the household in spiritual things as in all things.

I haven't read Waldron's book. There may be some meat in it among the bones, but I would keep in mind while reading it that these offices have been fulfilled in Christ, and in all His true believing people in Him E.g. Jeremiah 31:34; Joel 2:28-29; Zechariah 13:1-6. Moses' prayer that all God's true people were prophets has been fulfilled in the NT through Christ (Numbers 11:29). All of God's blood bought people are now kings and priests in Christ (e.g. Rev. 5:10).

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