Copyright © 2019 Tyler Morgan Smith All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. THE GUARDIAN-PRIESTHOOD, THE SPECIAL PRESENCE OF GOD, AND CHURCH DISCIPLINE: A BIBLICAL- THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRIESTHOOD __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Tyler Morgan Smith December 2019 APPROVAL SHEET THE GUARDIAN-PRIESTHOOD, THE SPECIAL PRESENCE OF GOD, AND CHURCH DISCIPLINE: A BIBLICAL- THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRIESTHOOD Tyler Morgan Smith Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Gregg R. Allison (Chair) __________________________________________ Stephen J. Wellum __________________________________________ Peter J. Gentry Date______________________________ To my sons, Anderson and Eli Smith, who bring immeasurable joy to my life; I cherish you both as God’s gifts and pray for you continually. And to my parents, Scotty and Cathy Smith, who have been a constant source of wisdom and encouragement in my life and throughout my educational and ministerial pursuits. I love all of you so very much. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... viii PREFACE .......................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1. PRIESTHOOD, CHURCH DISCIPLINE, AND BIBLICAL THEOLOGY ..........1 Thesis ..................................................................................................................5 Overview .............................................................................................................7 Methodology .....................................................................................................10 2. THE PRIESTHOOD OF ADAM AND EVE ........................................................11 The Garden: The Archetypal Cosmic Temple ..................................................13 Adam and Eve’s Priesthood: The Prototypical Priest .......................................16 Access to the Presence of God ................................................................. 16 Guardianship ............................................................................................ 18 Adam and Eve’s Priestly Tasks ............................................................... 20 Adam and Eve Fail as Priests .................................................................. 26 Adam and Eve’s Expulsion from the Edenic Temple.............................. 29 Adam and Eve’s Priesthood Reinstituted ................................................ 30 Summary: The Priesthood of Adam and Eve ....................................................35 3. THE PATRIARCHAL PRIESTHOOD ................................................................36 Altar-Building and the Expanding Sanctuary of God .......................................37 Sacrifice, Mediation, and Border Management ................................................38 Cain and Abel .......................................................................................... 40 Noah ......................................................................................................... 43 iv Chapter Page Job ............................................................................................................ 45 Abraham .................................................................................................. 46 Isaac and Jacob ........................................................................................ 51 God’s Word .......................................................................................................54 Cain, Abel, and Seth ................................................................................ 54 Noah ......................................................................................................... 55 Job ............................................................................................................ 58 Abraham .................................................................................................. 59 Isaac and Jacob ........................................................................................ 62 Summary: The Patriarchal Priesthood ..............................................................63 4. ISRAEL’S PRIESTHOOD ....................................................................................65 Permutations of the Garden-Sanctuary .............................................................72 Israel at the Mountain Sanctuary of Sinai ................................................ 73 Israel and the Tabernacle ......................................................................... 74 Israel and the Temple ............................................................................... 76 Israel’s Priesthood .............................................................................................78 God’s Word ............................................................................................. 79 Border Management ................................................................................ 83 Sacrifice ................................................................................................... 89 Mediation ................................................................................................. 92 The Decline of Israel’s Priesthood........................................................... 94 Summary: Israel’s Priesthood .........................................................................102 5. THE PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST ..........................................................103 Jesus Christ: The True Priest and True Temple ..............................................104 Jesus, a New and Better Priest ............................................................... 106 Jesus, the Temple ................................................................................... 116 v Chapter Page Jesus’ Priesthood ................................................................................... 119 Summary: The Priesthood of Jesus Christ ......................................................137 6. THE NEW COVENANT PRIESTHOOD ..........................................................138 Christ Confers His Priesthood on the Church .................................................139 New Covenant Temples and the Holy Spirit ..................................................145 Indwelling of the Holy Spirit ................................................................. 145 Priesthood of All Believers .................................................................... 152 The Ministry of the New Covenant Priesthood: Church Discipline ...............163 Defining Church Discipline ................................................................... 163 God’s Word ........................................................................................... 174 Sacrifice ................................................................................................. 179 Mediation ............................................................................................... 187 Border Management .............................................................................. 194 Summary: The New Covenant Priesthood ......................................................214 7. THE ESCHATOLOGICAL PRIESTHOOD ......................................................215 The Eschatological Sanctuary .........................................................................216 The Eschatological Priesthood ........................................................................218 God’s Word ........................................................................................... 218 Sacrifice ................................................................................................. 221 Mediation ............................................................................................... 222 Border Management .............................................................................. 223 Summary: The Eschatological Priesthood ......................................................228 8. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................229 vi Chapter Page The Priesthood of Adam and Eve ...................................................................230 The Patriarchal Priesthood ..............................................................................230 Israel’s Priesthood ...........................................................................................231 The Priesthood of Jesus Christ ........................................................................233 The New Covenant Priesthood .......................................................................234 The Eschatological Priesthood ........................................................................235 A Final Word ..................................................................................................235 Appendix Page ORIGIN OF THE PRIESTHOOD ..........................................................................236