Communication is still one of the greatest problems that plague mankind. Friendships are lost, businesses ruined, homes wrecked and bloody wars fought due to lack of proper communication. So, when God wanted to reveal HIS will to mankind, He chose a means to make it abundantly clear and understandable. Since man had sinned and could not meet God face to face, God spoke to man by prophets of old. This was explained by David "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue" (2 Sam. 23:2).
By means of the Holy Spirit, God gave His word to prophets. These prophets, in turn, gave it to the people. All through that process, God preserved the purity of His message; "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets . . . Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (Heb. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). The prophets were strictly warned against corrupting that messsage: "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell it as a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully; Jer. 23:28). Prophets spoke only as God gave them utterance (see also Acts 2:4), and were not allowed to improvise or alter God's message.
A Greater Revelotion Set Forth
In the Old Testament, prophets declared the terms of acceptance with God, but could not offer eternal life; "For if therehad been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law" (Gal. 3:2l). The old law was not designed to give life, and therefore was taken away, being nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:14-17). The reason was assigned, "For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For thelaw could make nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."(Heb. 7:18-19). Since the gospel dispensation is far greater than the law, we expect God to use improved communication in revealing His will to man. And He does.
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son"(Heb. 1:1-2). That is clear and concise and is accepted in fulness of faith by all who love and respect the word of God. God has spoken to man by His Son, who was duly qualified to speak for His Father! "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of god: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him"(John 3:34). This was no ordinary prophet, and His words were not ordinary utterances. The Son was given authority to speak for God, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life"(John 6:63). His words were spiritual in nature, and life-giving in their fruit.
Jesus Was Given Abosolute Authority
God chose Jesus Christ to deliver His word, and man cannot turn from that word with impunity. Jesus said, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (John 12:48-49). There can be no doubt of His claim to be God's spokesman to mankind.
Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth from Isa. 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). Handing the book back to the attendant, Jesus said: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.". He clearly claimed to be the prophet through whom God would speak to all mankind (Deut. 18:18-19; John 12:49-50). Jesus stands preeminent among all the prophets God has sent, and one who accepts the message of the prophets cannot be consistent in rejecting Jesus. As He put it, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me" (John 5:46).
Keeping the words of Christ is the basis on which prayers are answered."If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). Our confidence can be placed in the words of Him whom God hath sent, for He promised, "Heaven and earth shall pass away" (Mark 13:31). God placed His seal of divine approval upon Him with the declaration, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matt. 17:5). All men are to heed and honor the words of this Speaker come from God. Even to this good day, the heavens and earth are sustained by Him who is "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3).
The Spirit Promised to the Apostles
Jesus had before promised the Holy Spirit, who would empower the apostles: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever: even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16-17). This promise was for the apostles only, who at that time had the Spirit dwelling with them. It was specifically stated that the world could not receive this promise.
The Spirit Inspired the Apostles
The Lord promised the apostles, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:25-26). The Holy Spirit would remind the apostles of what Jesus had told them — this could not have been a promise to other people! To this the Lord added "the Comforter" would be given to these who were His witnesses and who "have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27).
Jesus clarified the work which the Spirit was to do for the apostles concluding with, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). Surely such passages should convince all that Jesus intended to speak through His apostles by the Holy Spirit after He departed. The fulfilment or these promises is clearly shown: "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).
The Authority in the Apostles' Doctrine
After Jesus left, it was yet necessary that the will of God be proclaimed. The apostles had the responsibility to take His message to the world: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature...He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth him that sent me" (Mark 16:15; Luke 10:16). One connot reject the apostles doctrine without rejecting Christ and his Father! One cannot accept God while rejecting Christ. Jesus was emphatic when He told them, "Verily, Verily I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me" (John 13:20).
The apostles guided by the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised, said: "We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake...But we have this treasure in earthen vesseIs, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:5,7). They knew the source of this saving message, and they knew Who bestowed salvation: "But our sufficiency is of God: who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament" (2 Cor. 3:6). The old testament was ministered by prophets and priests. The spirit of the new testament was ministered by the inspired apostles of Jesus Christ.
The Apostles Revealed God's Will
As the Father gave His will to His Son, Jesus passed it on to His apostles, and they gave it to all men to be believed and obeyed. The riches of glory permeating the gospel couId not be known of old, but is now revealed to us by inspired men (1 Pet 1:10-12). Paul wrote, We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory...Which things also we speak, not in he words which man's wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Spirit teacheth" (I Cor. 2:7,13). Though this wisdom was hidden for ages, the mystery was dissolved when the Holy Spirit revealed it through inspiration.
God intends that we know and understand His message to us. "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, yea may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Eph. 3:3-5). Thus, by inspiration in the apostles, we are enlightened where mystery had before reigned. And when we read may understand." Thus, today all can read, understand and obey God's will to obtain every spiritual blessing. The apostle Paul further defined the source and authority of what the apostles taught, When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God" (1 Thes. 2:13).
The Apostles Doctrine Must Be Obeyed
The last word Jesus gave His apostles before parting with them was: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). Salvation full and free was offered to all men who believed but the unbelieving would be lost. There must be sufficient faith generated in the heart by God's word (Rom. 10:17) to lead to obedience to His terms of pardon. It is not enough to merely acknowledge God's truth — the maid with the evil spirit did that (Acts 16:17). Salvation is based on more than mere belief: "Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17-18). They obeyed that "form of doctrine" when they had died to sin, been buried in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4).
The pattern of "faith which works by love" (Gal. 5:6) is clearly shown. "For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26-27). Those who put their trust in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and are baptized into Him and raised to new life are "born again" (John 3:5). "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). We should not expect salvation without obedience. Look at the example of Jesus, "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:8-9). Friend, why not render obedience to God's will and be saved?