3) 1 Peter 2:9 - [9] But you are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people: that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Protestant Christian Understanding: The Catholic priesthood is not valid or needed. Christ made us all priests and we are all priests who have trusted in Christ.
Catholic Christian Understanding: The context of this verse is very important, what has to be understood here is that Peter is quoting the book of Exodus when he is saying this. He is quoting a statement that God gave to Israel. Peter's point is not that there is a difference between Israel where some people were priests and some were not. What Peter is saying is, "You who are the believers in Jesus Christ, you are the true Israel. In all the things that God said to Israel are true of you and you inherit all of those promises.
Paul says this also in Galatians 3: "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams seed and you are heirs to all the promises that God made the seed of Abraham." In other words, everything that is true of Israel is true of you.
So what Peter is saying in this passage, and the terminology he used, is the same terminology God used in Exodus to Israel, "You Israel, are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood." (Does that mean that every man and woman or every Israelite was now a king because God just used that terminology? Did they immediately say they no longer needed king David or Solomon, every man now being their own king?) No, not at all, and they did not interpret it that way as they knew that God was not literally making them all kings. God meant they were a nation that is ruled by a dynasty of kings and a sequence of kings. And a nation that contained a priesthood. Thus, in the original context, the language about Israel being a "kingly priesthood" did not mean that every man was automatically a priest anymore than every man was a king. And when Peter applied what he said to the church, he meant "you as Christians are in continuity with this special elect status (priests)", as the church is now the elect and chosen people of God under the New Covenant, as Israel was with the Old Covenant, and as part of this we are called to be a light to the nations. Peter did not mean anyone of us was more of a priest than God meant anyone was an actual king in the old testament.
Therefore, even though Israel was referred to as a kingly priesthood, there were still individuals that held higher positions than others to lead the rest. Thus is the same in the priesthood that Peter talks about. That there are individuals chosen by God to lead the rest in His way. It is true that by virtue of our baptism, we all share a "priesthood" of all believers, but Martin Luther twisted this scripture taking the Catholic doctrine saying "everyone of us was a priest" and just cut it off there. Luther chopped Catholic doctrine in half and began teaching his own version saying everyone is equals as priests. Yes, we are all priests by baptism, but a "Priest", like a Catholic Priest who has a calling to dedicate his life to God fully on earth, is a special place.
If we take this ideal literally, then why do we have any pastors at all at church? According to Luther's ideal, there is no need for Pastors, Priests and leaders because we are all equal as "priests" in Christ.
So the answer to that is "yes", we are all priests by virtue of baptism, but few of us are called to be "Priests", called by God to lead the flock in a Sacramental sense and hold a special place in His kingdom on earth.
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