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| Justdodie Registered user Username: Justdodie Post Number: 103 Registered: 2-2006  |
Can someone give me a VERY SIMPLE answer to a couple of questions? I have read the book of Hebrews TWICE in the last few days, from the New Revised Standard Version. The introduction says: "This...treatise combines a theological argument for the finality of salvation, achieved by Christ, with repeated exhortations, directed to those whose faith and practice are weakening, not to abandon that salvation." In your understanding, would you say this is a good nutshell explanation of the gist of the book of Hebrews?? And another question, there is quite a bit of reference to the "heavenly sanctuary" where Jesus completed his sacrifice "once for all", but no real explanation as to what this is. I know as ex-SDAs you don't believe in EGW's "sanctuary doctrine", so, what do you take this to mean? What IS the sanctuary in heaven? A place, a spiritual concept, symbolism (for what I don't know...)?? This book is a good example of why I don't understand the New Testament, or Christianity in general. Even with reference books on the side to explain, I'm still stymied. On the other hand, I am studying The Jewish Publication Society's "Jewish Study Bible" and I am having a great time with it and beginning to understand things about the Hebrew culture and experience that I never got as an SDA, jumping around as they did throughout the Bible, from this verse to that one. I'm wondering if it's the influence of Greek philosophy that makes the New Testament so difficult for me to understand? I have made my way about halfway through a book called "Plato's Gift to Christianity" by Jerry Dell Ehrlich, and what I see is a very strong influence on Christianity by Platonic ideas and writings, most of which are very, well... Greek to me!! Do I need to back up and study all the Greek philosophers? I know that the middle eastern cultures were strongly influenced and permeated by Greek culture by the time of Jesus, but I've never really understood what this means. Any ideas, anyone? Please don't throw any more Bible verses at me... that's what's got me so confused in the first place!  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philharris Registered user Username: Philharris Post Number: 1221 Registered: 5-2007  |
Joyce, Answer to first question: No, that is commentary that totally misses the mark. Hebrews contains a whole series of quotes from the Old Testament show that Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies and is our true and better sacrifice, priest, etc. Central to the book is Chapter Eleven explaining what faith is. The Heavenly Sanctuary is simply where God, the Father is. Nothing more complicated than that. Pagan Greek concepts will only add to your confusion the more you turn to them. That is not the foundation of the New Testament. Hebrews, even though written in Greek, uses the Old Testament originally written in Hebrew, as its foundation. Phil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 556 Registered: 7-2007 |
Hebrews showed me that Ellen White was totally wrong. She said that Jesus waited until 1844 to go into the Most Holy Place. Hebrews says that Jesus went into the Most Holy Place upon His ascension and DIDN'T wait until 1844. Hebrews knocked Ellen White clear out of the picture! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6088 Registered: 3-2004  |
I am almost through with my study of Hebrews. What I have learned is how Jesus Christ fulfilled all the sanctuary system, sacrifices and everything connected with the sanctuary. I have learned of the faith of the all the patriarchs of the Bible because they believed God. Yes, Ellen was wrong on all counts. The God of the Bible is the only God and I have found Him so awesome. Diana L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9078 Registered: 12-2003  |
Exactly, Phil. Further, Joyce, the "sanctuary" in Hebrews, which as Phil pointed out is where God is, was foreshadowed by the tabernacle and temple services in the OT (that's where "sanctuary" was first discussed). Christianity is not based on Greek philosophy or thought. It is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Greek philosophy is pagan, not God-based, and it has no bearing on the gospel or the NT except insofar as the people in the NT lived in Roman civilization which was partially shaped by Greek culture. For example, in Acts 17 Paul clearly addressed the Athenians and told them who their "unknown God" really was. This is not to say that Greek culture didn't in some ways predispose the Gentiles to be able to "hear" the gospel in ways they wouldn't have been able to think about it without the Greek contributions. But Christianity itself is not based on Greek culture. In order to understand the foundation of Christianity, it is the OT that will give you that. The NT is the fulfillment of the OT. Colleen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 30 Registered: 8-2008 |
To your first question, I think we need to look at why Hebrews was written, how it fits into the narrative of the NT church, to get where the author is coming from. Lately I've been reading The Untold Story of the New Testament Church by Frank Viola (no, not that Frank Viola). Viola takes the various Epistles and puts them in the context of the Biblical narrative of the New Testament church, so that you can see why and to whom a particular book was written. Viola argues that Hebrews was written during the persecution of the Christians by Nero. The church in Rome is a mixed church, with Jewish and Gentile believers. Some of the Jewish believers were returning to Judaism in order to avoid the persecution. Hebrews is written to exhort them not to abandon the New Covenant and return to the Old. Viola writes:
I prefer Viola's explanation to that of the commentators in the NRSV, because Viola's is actually written in English. But that's just me. As to your second question, the best thing to look at are the numerous parallels drawn in chapter 9. If you are careful, you'll see four of them: Two for the Old Testament priestly Day of Atonement ministry and two for the ministry of Jesus. Here is a table I constructed while I was investigating the Sanctuary Doctrine:
Verse 12 refers to Jesus entering the Most Holy Place. Verse 24 further explains this by referring to where Jesus went as "Heaven itself" and "the presence of God." The Most Holy Place, or the Heavenly Sanctuary, is Heaven itself, the place beyond the material world where God dwells. But there is also another sense in which the author uses it, because in the New Covenant God's dwelling on earth is the Church. That is, not the buildings we mistakenly call churches (Biblically, calling a building a church is like calling a house a family), but the people who are in Christ, both individually and collectively - see Eph. 2:19-22, 1 Cor. 3:16, 1 Cor. 6:19, 1 Pet. 2:4-5. This is why the author of Hebrews refers to Christ's ministry as cleansing our consciences. Now, it is important when you read the Bible to understand that there is an immediate meaning, and what scholars call a sensus plenora, a fuller sense. The fuller sense of Hebrews, and indeed the New Covenant, is this: Up until Jesus came, mankind could only access the deity in dark temple rooms, only at certain times of the year, with certain rituals to make the person acceptable to the deity, and with great fear lest the deity not accept the ritual. This was true whether you were Jewish or pagan, though the Jewish faith was built around the one true God, with rituals that reflected what His eternal purpose in Christ was, while pagan religions were based on human ideas and purposes. When Jesus came, the Divine crashed into the material world. Jesus became "Immanuel" - God with Us. John writes that in the person of Jesus, God "became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). But that's just what the English says. The Greek says Jesus "became flesh and tabernacled among us," harkening back to the tabernacle the Israelites would carry with them and worship God at, before Solomon built the first temple. In Jesus, God became completely and totally accessible. We Christians are "hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). No longer did we have to try to appease Him with empty ritual, constantly fearing His anger. We found in Christ that God is a God of love who desparately desires human companionship. In fact, Ephesians says the church was conceived of in the Trinity long before the world was made. The persons of the Trinity so greatly enjoyed living in the love they have for each other, and so desired for that love to grow and be experienced by other beings, that the chose before the universe existed to create man to share in that love for eternity (see, for instance, Ephesians 1 and 2). In Jesus Christ we are given adoption as Abba's (Hebrew: Daddy's) sons and daughters. No longer do we approach God as masters to slaves, but when we are born again, when our spiritual nature is resurrected in us, we are given the "Spirit of Adoption" (Rom 8:15-17, Gal. 4:1-7). When we are given that Spirit, we are invited into the very midst of the fellowship that the Trinity has - not that we become Divine, but that we are brought to dwell in spirit with the Trinity, to commune with them as they commune with each other, and to live in their life (note I said life, not lives - the Trinity is one God in three persons), much as a son or daughter lives in his Daddy's home and shares in his Daddy's life. This is why Paul says Christians are "hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3) and that God "raised us up with Him [Jesus] and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). No longer does a Christian need to relate to God by the works of religion, if you catch my meaning (by religion I don't mean faith in Jesus Christ, but obligatory acts and rituals and services aimed at winning the deity's favor, or at creating certain feelings or changes in ourselves by our own feeble efforts). This is why the famed theologian Karl Barth wrote, "There is a real basis for the feeling, current to this day, that every genuine proclamation of the Christian faith is a force disturbing to, even destructive of, the advance of religion" (in Church Dogmatics.) We do not relate to God in the Old Ways, with sacrifices and rituals and repeated prayers (it is ironic that, right before Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer, He instructed against rote repetitions of prayer - His point was that prayer should be genuine and from the heart, but Christians don't always live lives that are consistent with the life they have in Christ). The born-again Christian is adopted as God's child, seated with Him in heaven in Jesus Christ, and at the same time indwelt by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. No longer do we need to go to a specific places, at specific times, and in ritualistic ways in order to experience god, because "the kingdom of God is within you" (Lk. 17:21). An illustration that I like is the life of John F. Kennedy's son John-John. When John-John was a very young little boy, we were treated to pictures of him playing in the Oval Office while his daddy was at work, crawling under the Resolute Desk and smiling and enjoying his dad's presence and love. Everyone else had to approach JFK as you would a President or sovereign - only when his staff allowed an appointment, only for official business, and always referring to him as "Mr. President." John-John, in contrast, could approach JFK any time of the day, with no appointment, called him "Daddy," not "Mr. President." This is the way it is for the Christian who is in Christ. We do not approach God as someone in a far-off, shadowy, and mysterious realm. We do not cower before Him in fear. We call him "Abba" or "Papa" or "Father." We have full access to Him, and because of the love He has for us, He is anxiously waiting to give us all good things if we so ask. It is in Christ that this is possible, because it is in Him that we have this adoption, that we have this advocacy that allows us free, unfettered access to God as a Father, an Abba or Daddy. To the Christian, Jesus Christ is not simply some fact of systematic theology, not merely some doctrine or head knowledge: He is an ever-present reality and companion. When a Christian is born again, he experiences the very real and unmistakable revelation of Jesus Christ to his spirit. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus still, in a sense, "walks" the earth as He did Judea 2000 years ago, resurrecting the spiritually dead, changing lives, healing the sick, and sometimes even resurrecting the physically dead. It is not that Jesus became less real at His ascension, but that He became more real through the Holy Spirit who does His bidding on earth. The work of God on earth is not done by simply expressing facts to people, or explaining theology, but by a very real and unmistakable revelation of Jesus Christ--not a revelation in a theory or list of facts, but in His very person--to the one who is to be saved. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Justdodie Registered user Username: Justdodie Post Number: 105 Registered: 2-2006 |
This is all very interesting, and of course the Old Testament is referred back to a great deal as pointing forward to Jesus as being the Jewish messiah, but I would still recommend the book by Jerry Dell Ehrlich. The parallels are staggering. I always wondered why the Christian thinking changed so much from the Old Testament. Now that I'm learning about the influences of Greek thought, I'm starting to get a much clearer picture. This is why the Christian religion is like night and day when compared with the Jewish religion--because so much of it didn't really come from the Jewish at all! I don't consider that a bad thing, or a sacrilege, nor is it denigrating to the ethical teachings of Jesus. I just enjoy getting at the truth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 557 Registered: 7-2007 |
I must respectfully disagree. Christianity is a continuation of Judaism. The Bible is one seamless story from Genesis to Revelation. It starts in a garden where man had fellowship with God and lost it by choosing his own will. It ends in a garden where Jesus says "not My will, but Yours be done." The redeemer is promised to Adam and Eve at the very beginning. They are given the sacrificial system to represent the redeemer to come. The Bible continues through where Abraham is promised "Seed" through Whom "all the nations shall be blessed." (Galatians 3:8) Israel is given the passover lamb, who's blood "covered" the inhabitants of the house. (The person "covered" by the blood didn't have to be "good," he/she just had to have the blood - just like us Christians have to be covered by Christ's blood) Isaiah continues this further, saying that He would be the atonement and suffer for the human race. There are many many prophecies of the messiah to come, including a time prophecy in Daniel 9 which showed WHEN He would come, which Jesus fulfilled exactly. The New Covenant and the Holy Spirit are prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament. Jesus is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament sacrificial system. Instead of offering the blood of goats and calves over and over and over, Jesus is the atonement that covers once for all time. Hebrews 10:14 says "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." The Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. The New Testament is concealed in the Old Testament. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Benevento Registered user Username: Benevento Post Number: 247 Registered: 4-2005 |
But Jesus wasn't just the Jewish messiah, he sent his disciples to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. He choose Paul especially, to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. and they did cover much of the then known world by AD 100. And don't forget the message to love one another as Christ has loved you, see B. Skillet's last paragraph. Very profound I think! Peggy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 558 Registered: 7-2007 |
Yes, we Gentiles who accept Jesus are grafted into Him. Isaiah 49:6 says: "Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth." When Jewish people look and see what the New Testament is all about, they are astounded at how very Jewish the New Testament is. I've been reading interesting testimonies in the "Jews for Jesus" website. Joyce; the Greeks were very much into the exercise of the body. The apostle Paul said that "bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things" (1st Tim. 4:8) Also Greeks were into the worship of MANY gods. See Acts 17:16-24 Yes, the New Testament is the continuation of the Old Testament with the prophecies of the Messiah and the sacrificial system being fulfilled by Christ. Oh I just thought of something. ALL of the New Testament writers were Jewish with the exception of Luke! So yes, the New Testament was VERY Jewish! God raised up that nation with a very specific purpose in mind - to bring the Messiah through them. (And He's not done with them yet. As I mentioned in another post, He brought the nation back into existence in 1948.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 31 Registered: 8-2008 |
I'd say the opposite. Someone once said that all Western philosophy is just commentary on Plato. If Greek thought did indeed permeate the NT, that would make it easier for our Western minds to understand, not more difficult. Regardless of what historians might say, I don't think the Western world has ever had a truly Christian worldview and culture, but only Greek philosophy clothed in Christian words. That said, I am not an expert on Greek philosophy, but I have studied 1st century church history within its historical context. What I would say on this is that Paul, more than any of the other apostles, was highly educated in Greek thought. But in his writings and actions we find, not a support of it, but an antipathy to pagan Greek philosophy. For instance, the Greek method of lecturing at the time was called rhetoric. Indeed, our modern forms of preaching and public speaking derive from rhetoric, with its intro-body-conclusion style, usually based on three main points. In the first part of 1 Corinthians Paul is at times defending himself against charges leveled against him that his method of speaking is not very high quality because he doesn't speak according to the standards of Greek rhetoric. His response appears to be that the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not find its effect from the supposed elegance of Greek rhetorical speaking, but in the power of God as He reveals Jesus Christ to our spirits. Secondly, Paul's writings are permeated with the proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the coming resurrection of the believers and of the entire material world. Jesus Christ was the firstfruits of a completely new universe that is to find its complete re-creation at the second coming. To the Greek, the very idea of resurrection struck at the very basis of their philosphy: To them, matter was dirty, corrupt, and base. To die was to be set free from the material world, with its vileness, in order to live as a disembodied spirit in a greater realm. To a Jew like Paul, matter was very good. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God likes matter. He created it." A major theme of Judaism, even to this day, is the fundamental goodness of material creation. This is so at odds with Greek philosophy as to make the two incompatible. To take a disembodied spirit and re-unite it with a re-created physical body was, in the Greek view, disgusting. But that concept, the resurrection, is precisely what permeates Paul's letters. To Paul, having man's spirit live apart from his body is seen as unnatural, not the ultimate ideal. He discusses this in 2 Cor. 5, where he describes our life in the in-between of death and the resurrection as being "naked." For the Christian, being absent from the body upon death and thus going to be with Jesus (see Philipians 1:20-26) is not the ultimate destination, but an intermediate step before being re-united with a new heavenly, but certainly physical, body. Again, to a Greek like Plato, this would be seen as disgusting. Revolting. This is why the Greeks saw the message of Paul as revolting and "foolish." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Javagirl Registered user Username: Javagirl Post Number: 594 Registered: 6-2005  |
Hi Dodie, good to see you here again! I hope all is well with you and yours. I love the Book of Hebrews. In a nutshell, I see it as deep contrast between the Old and the New. Look at it thru the lens of what life and religion was like with only the promise of better to come....When people lived without the indwelling Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come after the resurrection when He went back to heaven. He told us it would be BETTER for Him to go, because we would have the PROMISED comforter, the Holy Spirit. Things at that point of his ascension into heaven following his resurrection would move from the earthly to the heavenly realm if you will. In every area. Power of sin was defeated. Power of Jesus was available to all believers, only now supercharged. In Bebrews, We are shown the earthly vs. heavenly perscpective, the flesh vs. the spirit, the old vs. the new. The good vs. the Better. The adequate vs. the perfect. Its a call to enter into living by the SPirit of God, with a spiritual vs. an earthly perscpective. The shadow vs the substance. The preview vs. the reality! Its a call to live in the NOW of what Jesus secured. I dont believe it can EVER be logically discerned, because to enter into the kingdom of heaven, we must be changed, born again, not of flesh but of the Spirit. THere is a literal crossing over from death to life, and from living under a veil to increasing understanding. I can speak of this, because I have experienced it. When I was born again, when I asked Jesus to remove the veil of any false doctrine or teaching, when I asked Him to live in my life and fill any area where false belief once lived, I was given new vision. I was able to understand the Bible. The really amazing thing is this, while I could not use logic to understand the scripture before, Once I abandoned my OWN logic, and asked for the Holy Spirit to teach me all things as promised, I began to have Spiritual Logic, and things made such sense. What is so profound is that Spritual logic supersedes human knowledge, but doesnt require an abandonment of human logic. It operates within a human logic paradigm, but just illuminates it all. Like looking at the galaxy through a telescope vs human eyes. To me, that is the greater illumination of the Holy Spirit. WE begin to see "in full". I know I am rambling, I am following your example of long posts.. . I just get so excited. Bebrews is so amazing. Since you already took the time to read it twice, consider it again. Draw a line down the middle of several pieces of paper. Make a contrast of everything you see: the old, lesser, weaker, covenant and ministry mentioned in Hebrews, vs. the new, greater, better, covenant and ministry described in Hebrews. Much love and endurance to you! Lori | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6091 Registered: 3-2004 |
God took the veil off me the day I read about EGW. After reading about her I said out loud to myself, I cannot go back to that church. She has too much of an influence on it's doctrine. That is when I felt a burden lifted off my shoulders that I did not know was there. After that I read the NT with new understanding. I remember saying to myself, when I read something, I know I read that when I was in SDA schools, but it did not say to me what it is saying now. John 3:15, 16, 17 made me cry for joy as I realized Jesus died for me. I have eternal life now. What an eye opener. God is always so awesome. Diana L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Psalm107v2 Registered user Username: Psalm107v2 Post Number: 21 Registered: 10-2008 |
I've heard the book of Hebrews called the book of BETTER THINGS. I don't have time to comment a lot today but the chart Bskillet put a few posts ago does a n excellent job. I'm planning to study Hebrews again soon and I have some commentaries that I'll send some links that I have enjoyed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christo Registered user Username: Christo Post Number: 81 Registered: 2-2008 |
Hebrews has shown me so much of Gods love, the following reveals much... Heb. 7: 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. 20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: 21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec 22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. When it is written"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change of the law." It illuminates just how profound the following chapter's declaration is. Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. So when he puts his law into our minds,and writes them in our hearts, its a new law.A law that reveals to us the new priesthood of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice that he made once and for all,for all, for all time..and as it is written in 1John3:23,24 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. So sin becomes a transgression of this law, and this law has so many ways of expressing love that it really is a law of liberty. Not liberty to sin but liberty to love God, and our neighbor.Who is our neighbor?..Anyone who needs the fruits of the spirit expressed through us.Faith, in Christ Jesus produces the fruits of the spirit, the comforter. We show our faith by works of love. 1John3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. We purify ourselves with his righteousness for when in Romans 10:9 it is written,... That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. That is as perfect as we can get. WE are the sons of God through adoption, and the Bible is our adoption papers. Declare your adoption and let no one steal your crown. In the name of Jesus, Chris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9097 Registered: 12-2003 |
Chris, I love your sentence, "WE are the sons of God through adoption, and the Bible is our adoption papers." Also, your point about the new law revealing a new priesthood is profound. As Hebrews 7:12 also says, "Where there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law." Indeed, the law written on our hearts is a new law—not a new God or a new morality, but a new LAW. It is the law of Christ; the law of love, the law of liberty, as James says. It is "written on our hearts" in the "form" of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God Himself is our law! Great insights, Chris! Colleen |
