LDS Basic Manual for Women, pp 91-96; “[The priesthood] is … the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family”…Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the companionship role of the priesthood and women: “In the true Patriarchal Order man holds the priesthood and is the head of the household, … but he cannot attain a fullness [sic] of joy here or of eternal reward hereafter alone. Woman stands at his side a joint-inheritor with him in the fulness [sic] of all things. Exaltation and eternal increase is her lot as well as his. (D. & C. 131:1–4.) Godhood is not for men only; it is for men and women together.”
Hebrews 7:18-19; “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”.
We could go on and on with each verse in the book of Hebrews so choosing just one passage seems to never suffice when giving a description of who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. However, the two verses we’ve used today are a small, but powerful reflection of His purpose for us.
There is absolutely nothing in this world that we could do to pay the price for our sin. Until the Mormons can grasp the reality that God is God and there is no other (Isaiah 43:10-11), their reasoning for works is meaningless.
The ‘priesthood’ in the sense that Mormonism utilizes this word has been turned into a priestcraft, not a priesthood. For the Mormon there is no true salvation without becoming a god or goddess. Somewhere along the way they’ve totally lost focus of Jesus or what He’s done as it’s all about them and what they deem worthy for their god and his heaven.
In reality…
Upon the advent of Jesus’ sacrifice for man’s sin, no other priesthood was effective as He took it with Him into heaven. The epistle of Hebrews clearly states that God appointed Jesus directly (Hebrews 5:6) which meant He didn’t need to trace his lineage through the human line of Aaron or Levi. (See Holman’s Bible Dictionary, Priesthood of the Believer).
While we as believers are all a type of priest unto God (1 Peter 2:5), this is to be understood in the context that Israel has fulfilled the role as a kingdom of priests and a light to the nations, by giving spiritual sacrifices to God through worshiping Him.
A human priest (mediator) is no longer needed (1 Timothy 2:5) and in essence naming yourself as such is nothing more than a rejection of God’s sacrifice. The title of priest in a true Christian church simply means he is the representative of that flock.
They pray for, advise, and preach God’s word, but they aren’t there to absolve anyone of sin or to work for salvation (Isaiah 64:6). Being absolved from sin comes solely through the shed blood of Christ.
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