My Weblog: The Gospel Preacher.

In Matthew 15:9, it is written, " 9 BUT IN VAIN THEY DO WORSHIP ME, ^aTEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN. "  The hearts of those who practice vain worship are far from the LORD ( see Isaiah 29:13-15 and Matthew 15:8, for example ).  In John 14:15, it is written, " 15 ^aIf ye love me, keep my commandments. "  Jesus ( see John 14:9 ) said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, and His word is God's word ( see John 8:26, 29, for example ).  Thus, the Bible teaches that if we love Jesus, we will do what God has commanded us ( see also Ecclesiastes 12:13, for example ).  Jesus said that vain worship involves teaching what is contrary to God's will ( see Matthew 7:21-27 and James 1:22, for example ).  This means that all denominational, partisan, or sectarian, worship is vain worship.  The literal wearing of robes, for example, in the assembly, is something that became obsolete when Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary ( see Matthew 1:16; Luke 23:26-49 ( especially verse 33, for example ); Galatians 3:26, 27; 4:30 ( CJB, for example ); Colossians 2:14; and Hebrews 8:13, for example ), though we can still learn from the Old Testament.  In Exodus, chapter twenty-eight, we read of the commandment to make the priests' garments ( see verses 1-5 ), the ephod ( see verses 6-14 ), the breastplate ( see verses 15-29 ), the Urim and Thummim ( see verse 30 ), the robe of the ephod ( see verses 31-35 ), the holy mitre ( see verses 36-38 ), and the priest's coat ( see verses 39-43 ).  How does this passage of Scripture apply to us, as Christians, today?  In Hebrews 10:1, it is written, " 10 For the law having a ^ashadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, ^bcan never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. "  The shadow of the good things to come, in Exodus, chapter twenty-eight, are the literal, physical ephod, breastplate, Urim and Thummim, robe of the ephod, holy mitre, and the priest's coat.  The very image of the things, here, is the fact that when one is baptized into Christ, he or she has put on Christ..  Specifically, when we put on Christ through Scriptural baptism, we are wearing the ephod, the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim, the robe of the ephod, the holy mitre, and the priest's coat, in a figurative sense.  That is, since the New Testament took effect when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary ( see Hebrews 9:15-18, for example ), it is not required that priests of God dress that way today.  In 1 Peter 2:9, it is written, " 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, ¹a peculiar people; that ye should ²shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of ^adarkness into his marvelous light. "  Every member of the church of Christ holds the office of priest.  We are to dress modestly ( see 2 Corinthians 11:19 and 1 Timothy 2:9, for example ), and sinners ( see Matthew 26:36-46 ( especially verse 45, for example ), for example ) will notice us because of our holy conduct, dress, and speech ( see Colossians 4:6, for example ), for example, just as if we were literally wearing the priests' garments, as described in Exodus, chapter twenty-eight.  Members of religious sects, who do not understand that the priests' garments, described in Exodus, chapter twenty-eight, are a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, that is, they are not to be physically worn today, can be seen literally wearing such Old Testament garb today.  This is just one example of members of religious denominations, parties, or sects, not having an accurate understanding of what the Bible teaches.  In short, the concept of the priests' garments, as described in Exodus, chapter twenty-eight, is carried forward into the New Testament, and is implemented literally and spiritually — not physically — through the reality of putting on Christ through Scriptural baptism.  Thus, wearing Old Testament garb today is an example of vain worship.  For a consideration of the shadow of the good things to come, verses the very image of the things, please see the SmartArt graphic, below:

The blood that we come in contact with, through Scriptural baptism, is the blood of the new covenant or New Testament.  This is the blood of Christ ( see Revelation 1:1-8 ( especially verses 4-6, for example ), for example ).  See also Colossians 1:1-23 ( especially verse 20, for example ), for example.  Jesus offered up Himself, since it is " not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins " ( see Hebrews 10:4 ).  When one has been Scripturally baptized, he or she has been consecrated as a priest in the kingdom of God, and holds that office.  It is a privilege to be a member of the royal priesthood ( see Philippians 1:29, for example ).

In Acts 4:13, it is written ( please read all of this chapter to get the immediate context ), " 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, ^aand perceived that they were ¹unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they ²took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. "  God can use unlearned and ignorant men in His kingdom.  As children of God, we may be uneducated and untrained with regard to worldly matters ( see James 4:4, for example ), but we search the scriptures daily, as the Jews of Be-re´-a did ( see Acts 17:10, 11, for example ).  This enables us to avoid vain worship, for example.  Please seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read ( see Isaiah 34:16, for example ). 🕮