The doctrine of the royal sacrifices

These sacrifices are the many sacrifices that are offered on the altar of Bible doctrine resident in the soul.

1. Definition: The royal and universal priesthood of the believer demands priestly function in the field of sacrifice. The Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament and of Israel offered animal sacrifices on a brass altar in front of a tabernacle or in the forecourt of the temple after it was constructed. The royal priest of the Church Age does not have a metal altar, an overt altar that can be seen, but an altar in his soul. The altar in the soul of the royal priest is the accumulation of bible doctrine which becomes resident there. This accumulation is based upon his consistent daily function of GAP. The sacrifices of the royal priesthood of the Church Age, therefore, all come from Bible doctrine resident in the soul.

2. The sacrifice of the rebound technique is mentioned specifically as a priestly sacrifice in Romans 12:1 where the living sacrifice is the rebound technique. This is the way in which we present our bodies. This is comparable to the fourth and fifth Levitical sacrifices which portrayed the rebound technique. The sin offering of Leviticus chapter four emphasised rebound on the unknown sins and the trespass offering of Leviticus chapters five and six was rebound with emphasis on the known sins of the believer. The rebound technique of 1 John 1:9 and 1 Corinthians 11:31 is the means of the filling of the Spirit, the filling of the Spirit is the means for the daily function of GAP and therefore the means for the construction of our priestly altar in the soul.

3. The sacrifice of the daily function of GAP — Hebrews 13:10 mentions this under the construction of an altar. The altar of the royal priesthood here is in contrast to the altar of the Levitical priesthood. Remember that the Levitical priesthood was specialised, belonging to one family, the tribe of Levi, the family of Aaron. They functioned at a definite brass altar. However, the royal priesthood of which we are a part has its altar in the soul and, again, it is the accumulation of Bible doctrine resident there. They royal altar of the believer, then, is constructed by the daily function of GAP and all of the offerings are based upon doctrine resident in the soul. Therefore our basic priestly function as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is our daily intake of the Word of God. The result of this is maturity or the supergrace life.

4. The sacrifice of separation — Hebrews 13:13 — is the result of maximum doctrine resident in the soul. Doctrine in the soul is the dictator that gives us wisdom with what we associate and what we do not. All separation is the principle of choosing your own associations.

5. The sacrifice of praise — Hebrews 13:15. This is the mental and verbal expression of category #1 love or occupation with the person of Jesus Christ.

6. The sacrifice of divine good — Hebrews 13:16. This sacrifice, again, is the result of the construction of the altar in the soul, and this sacrifice is the attainment of the supergrace life and the normal function of that life. The normal function of the supergrace life produces divine good.

7. The sacrifice of academic discipline, and that brings us to verse Hebrews 13:17, the sacrifice of your recognition of your right pastor and consistently assembling to learn doctrine under his ministry. This sacrifice demands maximum objectivity. From the ministry of God the Holy Spirit this is possible and this sacrifice demands maximum concentration on teaching.