Mathetes - Kokomo Baptist Church

Join Ian this week as he explores the final verses in Galatians 1, particularly noting Paul's understanding of the uniquely personal role Christ plays in the ministry of his chosen apostle.

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As a teaching ministry of Kokomo Baptist Church in Kokomo, MS, Mathētēs (μαθητής) encounters and explores Bible doctrine, theology, and apologetics as a Christian community learning the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require.

This week Ian continues unpacking the writer's purpose in identifying Christ as the fulfillment of the Melchizedekian priesthood. Ian shows how the writer's progression through the letter — from his superiority to the angels and Moses and forward — lead up to the writer's assertion that Christ is superior to the Levitical priesthood. Ian further established the centrality of the new Law that comes with this new priest. 

This week Ian begins to explore what it means for Christ to be in the order of Melchizedek. He spends time dealing with Abram's brief interaction with Melchizedek in Genesis 14, and shows how the writer to the Hebrews understands this passage in his explanation of Christ as a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Ian also begins exploring the significance for Christ to be in such a line.

This week Ian addresses the writer's admonitions to the Hebrew church regarding their spiritual maturity. The writer challenges the church to overcome their spiritual sluggishness so that they may not fall into apostasy and will be able to understand and teach the deeper meanings of faith. These deeper meanings, for our writer, are established in the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ. 

Ian takes an explorative dive into history as he examines the history of the High Priesthood in light of the writer's admonitions concerning God's election of the same. He then turns to a discussion of Jesus' qualifications for High Priesthood, and introduces the person of Melchizedek.

The thrust of this week's lesson is found in the idea of "God's rest." Ian continues to explore the ways in which the writer is invoking the Wilderness Generation as a warning to the church. Now, the warning takes an eschatological turn as the writer increasingly begins to identify God's rest with salvation.

This week, Ian continues explaining the writer's use of the Psalms in his exploration of Jesus as supreme. In this section, the writer's quotations invoke Moses and the Wilderness Generation. Ian explains how, throughout this section, the writer is situating Jesus as superior and greater than Moses. Further, he is warning the church against becoming like the Wilderness Generation.

In this lesson, Ian explores the writer's ideas on the humanity of Jesus. In particular, Ian sets up the centrality of God and God's plan to human history, and the role that Christ played in the redemptive apex of the plan. The writer understands that it is through the human sufferings of Jesus that God's plan was fulfilled.

This week Ian continues to unpack the comparisons between Christ and the angels. He also begins to introduce the theme of the priest-king and the introduction of the warning to the church not to fall away from the message delivered in Christ.

In these first verses of Hebrews, Ian tackles the initial statements on the nature of God and Christ. There is an emphasis here on Christ's superiority to angels which Ian spends a good deal of time unpacking and examining as a key element of Hebrews.