In the previous teaching, we began to examine the role of the Spirit in giving revelation to believers, and we saw from Scriptures that the Holy Spirit has chosen certain men to be the custodians of the revelation of Christ. Some scholars have classed them as the ‘Foundational Apostles’, and that includes all the eleven disciples who were with Jesus, and Paul who was later appointed by Jesus in a personal encounter. In this teaching, we’ll further explore the role of the Spirit and these individuals as custodians of the revelation of Christ.
Let me begin this by saying categorically that no preacher of the gospel dead or alive today (including this author), has equal ranks with the twelve Apostles. As a matter of fact, no one is to be regarded as a preacher of the gospel if he or she doesn’t submit to the teaching of the twelve Apostles. We’ve seen previously, that they were the ones sent to teach all nations all the things Christ had commanded them or entrusted to them.
Matthew 28:18-20; “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
So, Jesus entrusted them with the message and instructed them to pass it down to others. While we are all witnesses to Christ, the Apostles were eye-witnesses, and according to Luke’s account, they were the ones who delivered the word to us – Luke 1:1-2; “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us…” The early church respected the testimony of the Apostles as eye-witnesses – those who saw Him and heard Him! Now, while there were many other people who saw Jesus, the Apostles had a special place and experience with Him. Hence, they were the ones commissioned to teach others.
Luke says the word was delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses. The word ‘delivered’ is the Greek word, ‘paradidōmi’ which means to transmit something to others. This means the message was preserved for us through the ministry of the Apostles. Peter also described himself and the other Apostles as eyewitnesses – 2 Peter 1:16; “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” In other words, he wants us to know their witness is from a first-hand encounter with the Christ. John puts it this way: “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:1-3). In fact, a major requirement for choosing a replacement for Judas in the early church was that the person must have been with them all along – Acts 1:21-22; “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, “beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
Paul’s case seem peculiar but he also saw Jesus and was given the ministry in like manner – 1 Corinthians 15:7-8; “After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” At 1 Corinthians 9:1 also, he claimed to have seen the Lord. The appearance of Jesus to him was specifically to make him an Apostle or a witness of the things he had seen – Acts 26:15-16; “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ‘But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.”
A vital lesson about the ministry of Paul is that he submitted his message to those who were Apostles before him for scrutiny and review and it passed the test (Galatians 2:1-10). So, whether you agree that he had seen Jesus or not, the other Apostles validated his message – there was no difference! The only thing that seemed to be different was their major spheres of influence and reach. Paul reached the Gentiles more, while Peter reached the Jews (Galatians 2:8-9). Such that in all respects, Paul ranks as an equal to all the other Apostles. So, if you claim you have a special encounter with Christ, your message must not be different from what the Apostles have taught. Again, let me state, no preacher alive or dead, is equal to the twelve Apostles. The reason why the revelation of Christ is hidden from many today is because they’ve been taught to esteem every preacher like the Apostles. Once upon a time, I stumbled on the presentation of a preacher who claimed that our books today are as authoritative as the letters of the Apostles. Nothing could be farther from the truth! The bible says we are BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES!
Ephesians 2:19-20; “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone…”
The foundation of the Prophets and the Apostles is descriptive of their message. Elsewhere, Paul says no other foundation can be laid except Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Prophets of Old had same message and this was why Jesus showed His Apostles things written concerning Himself from their prophecies! Luke 24:27; “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Peter, after being well taught by Christ, was able to define the message of the Prophets in his own letter – 1 Peter 1:10-11; “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” He was merely repeating what Christ told them about the prophets!
Luke 24:25-26; “Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
Luke 24:44-47; “Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Have you seen the importance of teaching? The Apostles didn’t try to find the revelation; they simply received it from Christ, and were commissioned to do the same for others. In short, you will understand the bible when you submit to Apostolic doctrine! The preacher of the gospel has not been called to sound unique and innovative; he has been called to faithfully preach what Christ and His Apostles have entrusted to the church. So, there’s such a thing as the APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE, and this is what we are to be found learning today – Acts 2:42; “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Let us wrap this up with a simple contextual study of 1 Corinthians 2:1-13.
The tenth verse says, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
I have deliberately isolated this verse from the entire chapter to show you the danger of lifting verses out of their contexts. Standing alone, this text sounds like God has revealed the deep things to all of us personally, but when read together with every other thing Paul said in that chapter, we find out what the deep things are, those to whom the Spirit has revealed them, and our place in the entire equation. Now, put on your thinking cap.
CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF 1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-13.
Verse 1-5: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Paul, in the above verses, recalls how he had reached the Corinthians with the gospel of Christ. He calls the message, ‘Christ and Him Crucified’; the only thing he determined to preach in their midst. Christ and Him Crucified is Paul’s way of describing the gospel – the benefits we have in Christ came from the events of His death and resurrection. Thank God for the cross!
He further expressed how he shunned human wisdom – persuasive words, but had faithfully preached Christ so that their faith would not rest in the wisdom of men. Now, from this point henceforth in his discourse, every time he speaks of ‘wisdom’, ‘preaching’ ‘revelation’, he is referring to the gospel he had defined as ‘CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED’. Why? Because he said he knew nothing else among them apart from this. In fact, this is the same thing he describes as the ‘mystery’ and ‘the deep things of God’.
Verses 6-8: “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
The wisdom Paul was heralding is what again? Christ and Him Crucified. This is why he says if the rulers of this age had known this hidden wisdom, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory. At chapter 1, he had described Christ as both the power and the wisdom of God – 1 Corinthians 1:22-24; “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” So, this is the exact thing he’s still saying in chapter two. This is the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age knew.
Verses 9-10: ‘But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
What are the things eyes have not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man? The next statement answers it: ‘the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ What are these things? The same things the rulers of this age didn’t know – things pertaining to the cross of Christ! Now, these things aren’t things we are to start praying for today. Whenever you see the phrase ‘as it is written’, it’s a reference to the Old Testament. This means, it was written in the prophets as a promise to be fulfilled in time! Hence, the next verse says, ‘But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit’. That is, eyes are seeing, ears are hearing, and the hearts of men are receiving these things! Don’t forget that this is simply the gospel of Christ. Now, when Paul says, God has revealed them to us, the question is, ‘Did the Corinthians receive the revelation personally?’ No! They got the revelation through the ministry of Paul. The next verses clarify this further.
Verses 11-13: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
What did you observe? The things revealed by the Spirit are the things freely given to us by God – the benefits of the cross. Now, Paul says, “these things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” In other words, these things were known to the Corinthians via the teaching ministry of Paul. To put it in a much more simpler manner, ‘How did you get born again?’ You most likely heard a preacher. That was how you got the revelation. Now, even if you never heard anyone preach in person, you must have either read a tract, or even the bible itself. Now, if it’s the bible, the only places you could have gotten a clear revelation of what the gospel of Christ is, are the ministry of Christ and the Apostles. Bottom line, the revelation didn’t come to you out of the blues – it came from that which was already explained and written. Let’s see how this is explained in the book of Romans:
Romans 10:13-15; “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
So, according to verse 13, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but verse 14 shows how it’s impossible to call on Him if they haven’t believed, and that it’s also impossible to believe in Him if they have not heard. Lastly, he says they cannot hear without a preacher! Oh my God! Paul even went on to say none would preach if they weren’t sent. How did he arrive at all these conclusions? Because it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things! So, we see how the gospel is brought to men through men. In fact, the word ‘apostle’ is from the Greek word, ‘apostolos’ which means a delegate, an ambassador, or HE THAT IS SENT. Indeed, how shall they preach unless they are sent? The Apostles were commissioned by Christ to take the gospel to the world. We have their writings with us but many are ignoring or twisting their message. We will never understand the revelation of Christ till we accord the writings of the Apostles the reverence and honour they deserve as Christ’s ambassadors to us.
We have to acknowledge that the revelation was not given to people randomly; THEY WERE REVEALED TO THE APOSTLES FOR US! Let’s see how Paul puts this at Ephesians 3:1-5:
“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles; if indeed you have heard of THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS GIVEN TO ME FOR YOU, how that by revelation HE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE MYSTERY (as I have briefly written already, by which, WHEN YOU READ, YOU MAY UNDERSTAND MY KNOWLEDGE IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, AS IT HAS NOW BEEN REVEALED BY THE SPIRIT TO HIS HOLY APOSTLES AND PROPHETS…”
Note the words and phrases in capital letters. Paul says the dispensation of the grace of God was given to him for us. He says the mystery was made known to him by revelation and that when we read his epistle we’d understand his knowledge. This is so personalized! Now, I’ve seen people get angry at Paul for sounding this way, but they do not realize that their grouse is with Christ who appointed Paul for such a role. Now, Paul wasn’t even saying he is the sole custodian of this message, and this is why the last statement is so key: “which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets…” Who did the Spirit reveal the message to? You and I? No! It was revealed to His holy Apostles and Prophets; and they revealed it to us. We are not to be in competition with the Prophets and Apostles; we are to submit to their revelation. The phrase ‘Holy Apostles’, is a designation for the twelve. They are not like every Apostle today; they are set apart. So, if you are looking for the revelation, feed on the epistles of the Apostles.
You may be asking, ‘Why the emphasis on the Apostles? What about the Prophets?’ Good questions. While we are to read the prophets also, I’ll be sharing why the Apostles are important and critical to an understanding of the Scriptures, in the next teaching.
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