Jumping ahead in Hebrews in my own personal study, I am thinking of the question posed in Hebrews 7:11,

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? (NASB)

Does the extensive organizational structure of the LDS Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood permeating every aspect of our religious culture follow closely the line of authoritative reasoning set forth by the author of Hebrews?

Questions for Hebrews 5

Observation

1.  What did the high priest in the O.T. do?  How does Heb. 7:27, 8:3f; 9:9; and 10:11 shed light on this?
2. Who is Aaron?
3. Who put Aaron in the position of high priest (v. 4)? 
4. What if someone else in the O.T. tried to be high priest like Aaron?
5. Who is Melchizedek?
6. Where would one glimpse Jesus in “loud crying and tears”?
7. How did Jesus become the “source of eternal salvation”?
8. What is the summary of verses 1-10?
9. What are the spiritual concerns that the author has for his Hebrew readers?
10. Provide for me a summary statement of verses 11-14.

Interpretation

1. What does it mean “Jesus learned obedience”?
2. How does that differ from us?
3. If Jesus is already sinless and perfect, what does it mean for the Son in “having been made perfect” (v. 9)
4. Could an Aaronic high priest become a Melchizedek high priest?
5. Why or why not?

Application

1.  Are you a mature believer or still a baby?
2. If you are still a babe, what will it take to get you off the milk and on to the solid food?
3. Why do some Christians stay as babies?
4. What sources are available to you for eating solid food?
5. Where and to whom can you be a teacher?

Jesus told Mary on that first Easter Sunday,

I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God (20:17).

Now here is once again where I would clash with LDS friends in interpretation.

Pastor Messenger, the worship leader at Calvary Chapel in Idaho Falls, wrote an Easter passion musical entitled, “The Very Stone”. 

1.  There were five showings of this musical in Idaho Falls.

2.  Satan in the musical reminded me of the voodoo man in Walt Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog”.  🙂

3.  There was one statement in the musical that stood out to me loud and clear.  It was when Jesus declared, “I and my Father are one.”  I am as deeply impacted as the Jews by this utterance.  But it is a marvelous, worshipful awe that fills my soul on this Monday morning after Easter.

“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then?  Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king.  To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.  Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

Two things:

1.  To my atheist friends – By not wanting to hear the voice of Jesus Christ, how can you say that you are interested in truth?

2. To my LDS friends – By claiming pre-existence like Jesus Christ, are you not also setting yourselves up to be in the same relationship of experiential truth that Jesus has with the Father?

Southeastern Idaho has not been too happy about the political headlines lately.

How many of you have been taking in The 5000 Year Leap and the city lecture series by Pastor Dave Bass in Idaho Falls?

Questions for Hebrews 4

Observation

1. Let us do what in verse 1?
2. What did those in the O.T. have preached to them?
3. And what did they have missing as they heard?
4. Does God like to repeat Himself?  What does God want made so clear that He repeats it three times (3:11; 4:3; 4:5)?
5. What is the remedy that He repeats three times (3:7-8, 15; 4:7)?
6. List all the characteristics of the word of God.
7. What are we before God (v. 13)?
8. What is a good summary statement for verses 1-13?
9. How many times did you observe “let us” in chapter 4?  What are they?
10. What is a summary statement for verses 14-16?

Interpretation

1.  Why does the author of Hebrews focus on the word, “Today”?
2. Why is Joshua brought into the picture (v. 8)?
3. What is a Sabbath rest (v. 9)? Will we work in heaven?
4. List the descriptions of the high priest in Hebrews 4:14-15.  Who meets this description?
5. Why should we pray?

Application

1. Could God say this:  “Some of you sitting in these church pews will not enter into my rest!”
2. That statement should provoke what kind of responses in any assembly?
3. Which of your weaknesses can Jesus sympathize with you?
4. How does he give you victory in your specific temptations?
5. Are you experiencing Hebrews 4:16 in your prayer life?

I first picked up on Rob at MADB here, responding to Dan.

Also, Rob highlights some of his thoughts on the First Vision, where Bill jumps in.

Bill questions if Rob uses consistent methodology.

And then Bill slyly asks, “Do Bible authors ‘add to’ or ‘take away from’ biblical texts?” 

See what one misses, when one doesn’t read MADB.

Today is an exciting day.

What are some of the best links that you will discover in reading on the Trinity?

About a year and a half ago, Jacob over on “Heart Issues for Todd Wood” formulated some questions for me with this post title – “What shall we make of God’s oneness?”

He ends his post with these questions:  “(1) But what are we to make of John 17?  (2) Do you agree that this is the primary text from which we should interpret the meaning of God’s oneness?  (3) What do you make of its emphasis on our potential to be brought into the very same oneness currently shared by the Father and the Son?”

In response, (1) John 17 is one of the most glorious and sacred texts in all of Scripture, especially for me as I live in the Mormon corridor.  In answer to the next question (2), John 1 lays out the eternal unity of Jesus and the Father that I have not experienced as a finite creature.  John 17 lays out unity with the Godhead that I presently experience.  And in thinking of the last question (3) it is not just a future potential, I have already been given the glory.

Now, I have three questions for my readers.

(1) If thousands of Orthodox Jewish men, gathered together at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, does this reflect what Jesus is praying in John 17?

(2) If a quarter of a million LDS joined together in Salt Lake City for the 180th General Annual Conference (April 3-4), would this resemble the oneness mentioned by the Savior?

(3)  What about a million bowed Muslim knees at Mecca in 2010?