No, you misunderstand. The priesthood is the power and authority to act in God’s stead here on earth to perform rites and ordinances as well as administer in His church. Before Aaron and sons received it, it was passed from father to first born son.
The priesthood was changed after the Exodus to be given to Aaron and sons, as well as the Levites. It was given to Aaron because of his faithfulness, not because of them being related to God and Jesus(aside from the fact that we are all children of God).
There is nothing in the Bible to back this up. The priesthood did not exist before God bestowed it upon Aaron then said it would be for his offspring only.
Please show where it was in existence before it was given to Aaron.
How and when was the priesthood changed?
And this is what you use to say the Melchizedek priesthood is not transferrable? I wonder if we are reading the same words.
Hebrews 7:23-24:And the others indeed were made many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing: But he, because he continueth for ever, hath an everlasting priesthood.
commentary (Douay-Rheims) The apostle notes this difference betwwen the high priests of the law, and our high priest, Jesus Christ; that they being removed by death, made way for their successors: whereas our Lord Jesus is a priest for ever, and hath no successor; but liveth and concurreth for ever with his ministers, the priests of the New Testament, in all their functions.
Is this statement worded the way you inteded? As I read it, first you say Jesus and Melchizedek were called by God, then you say that no where in the Bible does it say they were.
It should have read that Peter, James and John were not a part of the Melchizedek priesthood according to to the Bible.
It stated right in Hebrews 5:4 that a man must be called of God, and that is enough to tell me that anyone with the priesthood was called of God.
Now, Peter, James and John, along with all the other Apostles were called of God. In John 15, Jesus states that He has chosen them and ordained them. Matthew 16 says that He has given them the keys of the kingdom. It is obvious and very plain that Jesus bestowed upon them power and authority, otherwise known as the priesthood.
Yes, but not the Aaronic priesthood because one must be of Aaron’s lineage and there is no mention of the apostles being called to the Melchizedek priesthood!
This may be semantics, but the Aaronic priesthood does not come from the lineage of Aaron…It comes from God and was given to Aaron and his decsendants.
Semantics!? It is stated *very clearly *that only Aaron and his descendants can hold the Aaronic priesthood. Show me where it states this otherwise.
I believe they did ordain leaders of the different congregations. The issue is stewardship. Someone set in place to lead a specific congregation, has stewardship to do so, but does not have the stewardship to lead the entire church.
Please explain this more.
You left out that there would be a falling away. A famine in the land of hearing the Gospel, that it would not be found.
Jesus knew that there would be great opposition, that is why He promised that the gates of hell would not prevail (despite their efforts to tear down the Church) and that the Holy Spirit would always remain with His Church (and it has, unless you would like to claim otherwise?)
Like I have stated before, if you want to claim that any church that has problems with people not hearing the message, then the mormon church had a great apostasy in its beginnings as well.
Let me just ask you this, once the persecution of Christians stopped, and Christianity came to power, what happened to anyone that disagreed with what the church leadership said? They were labled heretics, imprisoned and even put to death. Remember Galileo? How dare the man of science contradict the revealed truth of the religious leaders. He was labled a heretic and his works were considered heresies, and was imprisoned…all for stating scientific fact.
When did the persecution stop?
When did Christianity come to power?
Who was put to death?
What happened was, inspired men began to cultivate a change…men like Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc. Also what happened was a country was founded that laid down laws with freedom of religion.
I thought that the apostasy happened after the last apostle died?
What Church was Luther fighting against?
Again, The Aaronic priesthood as given to Aaron was to officiate in the things of the Law of Moses. That law has been fulfilled, and the priesthood was changed…just as it was changed when it was given to Aaron.
Who changed the priesthood and when?
I disagree. I think it matches perfectly what is in the Bible.