The apostles' doctrine
It is through the writings of
Apostles that we know Christ.
Their word is the plumb-line by which we are to judge any teaching concerning
him.
There are no surviving records of
any writings of Jesus. There are no records that he made any attempts to leave
any such thing.
Instead he chose certain men to do
this on his behalf.
In his prayer to the Father, Jesus
revealed his intention:
John 17:20
¶Neither pray I for these (The
Apostles) alone,
but for them also which shall believe on
me through their word;
It was Jesus' intention that we
should come to believe on him through the word of his Apostles.
Paul was fully aware of this fact
and was deeply concerned lest anyone should try and tamper with the message
which had been committed to his trust:
Galatians 1:8
But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say
I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed.
So what are the hallmarks of the
Apostle's doctrine of Christ?
1 They
preached Christ in simplicity:
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,
so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Their
understanding of him was rooted in the Old Testament revelation
(Remember- the New Testament was not yet written).
They used the Hebrew scriptures as the final authority regarding the person and
work of the Messiah.
This is evidenced by the fact that
in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament (Apart from the gospels and the book of Revelation) the Old
Testament is quoted far more than Jesus himself! Selah!
Acts 26:22
Having therefore obtained help of God, I
continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great,
saying none other things than those
which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that
should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the
Gentiles.
Acts 8:35
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and
preached unto him Jesus.
Acts 17:2
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto
them, and three sabbath days reasoned
with them out of the scriptures,
Acts 18:28
For he mightily convinced the Jews, and
that publickly, shewing by the
scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
Acts 28:23
¶And when they had appointed him a day,
there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the
kingdom of God, persuading them
concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets,
from morning till evening.
The same can be said of Jesus
himself:
John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life:
and they are they which testify of me.
Matthew 26:24
The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of
man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
Luke 24:25
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow
of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory?
27 And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
John 12:16
These things understood not his disciples
at the first: but when Jesus was glorified,
then remembered they that these things
were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
The Apostles encouraged the
disciples to compare and contrast their message with the Old Testament
Scriptures.
Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so.
This was the basis of Apostolic
authority, as opposed to Pagan, Gnostic and Platonic philosophy or human logic:
Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not
after Christ.
Out of the entire record that God
has chosen to leave us of the Apostles' preaching
there is not a single mention of Jesus
Christ as God Almighty.
Instead he was proclaimed to be:
A man, exceptional
by virtue of God's choosing, empowerment and blameless life:
A man whom
God had raised from the dead as evidence of his favour
A man exalted
by God to his right hand until his enemies will be made his footstool.
Acts 2:22
Ye men of Israel, hear these words;
Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you
by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of
you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:
because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Acts 2:32
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we
all are witnesses.
33 Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted,
and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost,
he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Acts 2:36
Therefore let all the house of Israel
know assuredly,
that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ.
Acts 3:13
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of
Jacob, the God of our fathers,
hath glorified his Son Jesus;
whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was
determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied
the Holy One and the Just, and
desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15 And
killed the Prince of life,
whom God hath raised from the dead;
whereof we are witnesses.
Acts 3:22
For Moses
truly said unto the fathers,
A prophet shall the Lord your God
raise up unto you of your brethren,
like unto me;
him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Acts 3:26
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus,
sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Acts 4:10
Be it known unto you all, and to all the
people of Israel, that
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified, whom God raised
from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which
was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved.
Acts 4:26
The kings of the earth stood up, and the
rulers were gathered together against the Lord,
and against his Christ.
Acts 4:27
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus,
whom thou hast anointed...
Acts 4:30
By stretching forth thine hand to heal;
and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of
thy holy child Jesus.
Note: the Greek word
translated 'child' in these 2 verses also means 'servant'.
I think that since Jesus was a 'grown up' at the time of his crucifixion
and since he was the servant prophesied about in scriptures such as Isaiah 42
and Isaiah 53
this would have been a better rendering of the word. Never mind.
Acts 4:33
And with great power gave the apostles
witness of the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus:
and great grace was upon them all.
Acts 5:30
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Him
hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 7:37
This is that Moses, which said unto the
children of Israel,
A prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you of your brethren, like unto me;
him shall ye hear.
Acts 7:52
Which of the prophets have not your
fathers persecuted?
and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of
the Just One; of whom ye have been
now the betrayers and murderers:
Acts 7:56
And said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on
the right hand of God.
Acts 8:5
Then Philip went down to the city of
Samaria, and preached Christ unto
them.
Acts 8:37
And Philip said, If thou believest with
all thine heart, thou mayest.
And he answered and said, I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Acts 9:20
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
Acts 9:22
But Saul increased the more in strength,
and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus,
proving that this is very Christ.
Acts 10:36
The word which God sent unto the children
of Israel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is
Lord of all:)
Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power:
who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land
of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the
third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God,
even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify
that
it is he which was ordained of God to be
the Judge of quick and dead.
To him give all the prophets witness,
that through his name whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Acts 11:20
And some of them were men of Cyprus and
Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
Acts 13:23
Of this man's seed hath God according to
his promise raised unto Israel a
Saviour, Jesus:
Acts 13:27
For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and
their rulers, because they knew him not, nor
yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they
Pilate that he should be slain.
29 And when they had
fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree,
and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
...
32 And we declare unto you glad
tidings, how that the promise which was
made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the
same unto us their children,
in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the
second psalm,
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Acts 13:37
But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins:
Acts 16:31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house.
Acts 17:3
Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and
risen again from the dead; and that
this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is
Christ.
Acts 17:18
Then certain philosophers of the
Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this
babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods:
because
he preached unto them Jesus, and the
resurrection.
Acts 17:31
Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom he hath ordained;
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men,
in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Acts 18:5
And when Silas and Timotheus were come
from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews
that Jesus was Christ.
Acts 18:28
For he mightily convinced the Jews, and
that publickly,
shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was
Christ.
Acts 19:4
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with
the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on
him which should come after him, that is, on
Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus.
Acts 20:21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to
the Greeks, repentance toward God,
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 22:14
And he said, The God of our fathers hath
chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
The Apostles preached Christ simply as a 'made man'.
Their message was not that God had become a man or that some pre-existent
demi-god or spirit-being had donned human flesh or some likeness of it.
There is a total absence any
reference to God having done any such 'new thing'
Instead they preached that God had
fulfilled all the promises made in his Old Covenant and to the prophets by
sending and empowering the man Christ Jesus.
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1. Introduction |
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10. Seen! |
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17. Jesus- a Godsend |
18. 1 Creator |
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20. The firstborn |
21. The name of God |
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