Ordain; Ordination
The Concept of Divine Appointment
The English word "ordain" carries a wide range of meanings in Scripture, from establishing and decreeing to appointing and setting apart. Behind it stand dozens of Hebrew and Greek words, each contributing a different shade of meaning. At its core, biblical ordination is about God designating individuals for specific tasks and the community recognizing that calling through formal acts of commissioning.
The Old Testament repeatedly affirms that God ordains the course of history. He establishes festivals (1 Kings 12:32-33), appoints judges and officers (Deuteronomy 16:18), and decrees the purposes that shape nations. Psalm 8:2-3 celebrates the heavens as something God has "ordained," while Isaiah 26:12 acknowledges that God has "ordained" peace for His people. This broader sense of divine ordering provides the backdrop for the more specific act of ordaining people to service.
Priestly Ordination in the Old Testament
The most elaborate ordination ceremony in Scripture is the consecration of Aaron and his sons for priestly service. Described in detail in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8, this ritual involved washing, robing in sacred garments, anointing with oil, and offering sacrifices over seven days. The Hebrew phrase translated "ordain" literally means "to fill the hand" (Exodus 28:41; 29:9), probably referring to placing the priestly portions in the hands of the newly consecrated priests.
This ceremony was rich in symbolism. The washing represented purification, the special garments signified the dignity of the office, the anointing oil conveyed the empowerment of God's Spirit, and the blood applied to the right ear, thumb, and toe consecrated the priest's hearing, work, and walk to God's service (Leviticus 8:23-24). The seven-day duration underscored the completeness and solemnity of the consecration.
Jesus and the Appointment of the Twelve
Jesus brought a new dimension to ordination when He "appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach" (Mark 3:14). The word here is not the technical term for priestly ordination but simply "to make" or "appoint." Jesus chose His apostles not based on religious credentials but on His sovereign knowledge and calling. He told them plainly, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit" (John 15:16).
This apostolic appointment carried divine authority but took a remarkably different form from Levitical ordination. There were no special garments, no anointing oil, no week-long ceremony. The authority came directly from Christ's own person and mission. After His resurrection, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you" (John 20:21), commissioning them with the same authority He had received from the Father.
Ordination in the Early Church
The early church developed its own practices for setting apart leaders. The appointment of the seven in Acts 6:1-6 involved the community selecting qualified men, whom the apostles then commissioned through prayer and the laying on of hands. Paul and Barnabas were similarly set apart by the church at Antioch through fasting, prayer, and the laying on of hands (Acts 13:1-3).
Paul and Barnabas later "appointed elders in every church" during their missionary journeys (Acts 14:23), and Paul instructed Titus to "appoint elders in every town" on Crete (Titus 1:5). The qualifications for these leaders are spelled out in detail in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9, emphasizing character, teaching ability, and household management rather than ritual purity or lineage. Paul warned Timothy not to be hasty in the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 5:22), indicating that ordination was a serious matter requiring careful discernment.
The Priesthood of All Believers
While the New Testament clearly provides for ordained leadership, it also establishes that all believers share in a priestly calling. First Peter 2:9 declares that the entire community of faith is "a royal priesthood, a holy nation." Revelation 1:6 affirms that Christ has made all His people "priests to his God and Father." This universal priesthood does not eliminate the need for recognized leaders but transforms the understanding of what ordination means.
Ordination in the New Testament is not the conferring of a special spiritual status unavailable to other believers but the formal recognition of gifts, calling, and character that qualify someone for a particular role of service and leadership. The authority comes not from the ceremony itself but from the God who calls and equips, recognized and affirmed by the believing community through prayer and the laying on of hands.
Biblical Context
Ordination and related concepts of divine appointment appear throughout Scripture. The Pentateuch details Levitical priestly ordination in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8. The historical books record the appointment of kings, judges, and prophets. The Gospels present Jesus' appointment of the Twelve. Acts describes the setting apart of leaders through prayer and laying on of hands. The Pastoral Epistles provide qualifications for elders and deacons and instructions for ordination practice.
Theological Significance
Biblical ordination reveals that ministry is not self-appointed but divinely called and communally recognized. The shift from Levitical priestly ordination to the New Testament pattern of appointing elders reflects the broader theological movement from law to grace. The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers reframes ordination as recognition of particular gifts within a community where all members serve as priests before God. Ordination reminds the church that leadership is a stewardship, not a status.
Historical Background
Priestly ordination was common in the ancient Near East, with Egyptian and Mesopotamian temples maintaining elaborate consecration rituals for their clergy. The Jewish practice of laying on hands (semicha) became the standard method of ordaining rabbis by the Second Temple period. Early Christian ordination practices drew on both Jewish and apostolic precedents, with the laying on of hands becoming the central ritual act. By the second century, Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch attest to an established pattern of ordained bishops, presbyters, and deacons in the churches.