Determining Our Standard Of Authority

Following Jesus Without Denominationalism
Determining Our Standard Of Authority

As dealt with in previous lessons, following Jesus without denominationalism begins by heeding the call of the gospel. For the Lord "calls" us through His gospel - 2 Th 2:14. As we respond to the call, the Lord Himself adds us to His church (His "called-out" group of people), not a man-made denomination - Ac 2:41,47. But I also suggested that if we are to be simply Christians, members of the Lord's church as we read about in the New Testament, then we must follow the example of the early church who "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine..." - Ac 2:42.

The importance of this relates very closely to the subject of authority in religion. It is impossible to maintain unity unless we can agree upon a "standard" of authority. This is true in all areas of life. Imagine the confusion if we did not have a standard of authority relating to weights and measures. We could not even agree on the length of a line, the volume of a tank of gasoline, etc. Confusion would reign supreme in the market place if we did not all agree on one standard of authority in regards to weights and measures. An essential key to having unity on any subject is this: We must accept and submit to the same standard of authority! This is especially true in matters of religion. If people can agree on the standard of authority in religious matters, unity is possible when we submit to that same standard. There are other elements necessary to have unity (which I will discuss in a later lesson), but without a standard of authority upon which we all agree, unity is impossible!

What should be the standard of authority for Christ's church? Let's begin with a point with which I am sure all those professing to be Christians can all be in agreement with. Jesus Christ has been given all authority. He claimed all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him - Mt 28:18 "Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth!" He therefore expects us to observe all things He has commanded - Mt 28:19-20 "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." His Apostles taught that He is HEAD of the BODY (the church) - Ep 1:22-23 "God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. The church is Christ's body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything." As such, we are to submit to Him in everything - Ep 5:23-24 "A husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head and the Savior of the church, which is his own body. Wives should always put their husbands first, as the church puts Christ first." If Jesus were on earth today, we could solve all religious questions by simply asking Him. But since He is not on earth, what then? This leads to our next point that Jesus has delegated some of His authority to His Apostles.

To receive Christ, we must receive His Apostles as Jesus taught in Jn 13:20 "I tell you for certain that anyone who welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." Please note that the word "apostle" means "one sent". So as Jesus speaks of "whomever I send", He has particular reference to His apostles. The apostles were sent as "ambassadors" for Christ - 2 Co 5:20 "We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God." Therefore the early church "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" - Ac 2:42

To ensure reliability, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would teach the apostles all things, reminding them of what Jesus spoke to them - Jn 14:26 "But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you." The Spirit would guide the apostles into ALL truth - Jn 16:12-13 "I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand. The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen." The Holy Spirit guided them into "all" the truth. Paul said he taught "the WHOLE counsel of God" - Ac 20:27. Peter wrote God "has given to us ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness" - 2 Pe 1:3. So the apostles were given ALL the truth God (and Christ) wanted us to know. If the apostles were on earth today, we could simply ask them to settle religious differences. But again, they are not on earth. What then?

In the New Testament (NT), the Apostles have written what Christ wants us to know! In the NT, we have what the Apostles were given by the Holy Spirit. As Paul explained in Ep 3:1-5 "Christ Jesus made me his prisoner, so that I could help you Gentiles. You have surely heard about God's kindness in choosing me to help you. In fact, this letter tells you a little about how God has shown me his mysterious ways. As you read the letter, you will also find out how well I really do understand the mystery about Christ. No one knew about this mystery until God's Spirit told it to his holy apostles and prophets." He wrote, so that when we read his writings we can have his same understanding. Peter wrote his epistles that we might always be reminded - 2 Pe 1:12-15 "You are holding firmly to the truth that you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things. In fact, I think I should keep on reminding you until I leave this body. And our Lord Jesus Christ has already told me that I will soon leave it behind. That is why I am doing my best to make sure that each of you remembers all of this after I am gone."; 3:1-2 "My dear friends, this is the second letter I have written to encourage you to do some honest thinking. I don't want you to forget what God's prophets said would happen. You must never forget what the holy prophets taught in the past. And you must remember what the apostles told you our Lord and Savior has commanded us to do."

In the NT we have the commandments of the Lord himself. As Paul made clear in 1 Co 14:37 "If you think of yourself as a prophet or a spiritual person, you will know that I am writing only what the Lord has commanded." As Peter confirmed, such writings as Paul's were considered Scripture - 2 Pe 3:15-16 "Don't forget that the Lord is patient because he wants people to be saved. This is also what our dear friend Paul said when he wrote you with the wisdom that God had given him. Paul talks about these same things in all his letters, but part of what he says is hard to understand. Some ignorant and unsteady people even destroy themselves by twisting what he said. They do the same thing with other Scriptures too." Therefore, when we have questions about what the Lord would have us to do we don't have to ascend to heaven for an answer. We don't have to ask Jesus personally, nor His apostles. We simply need to turn to the apostles' writings (i.e., the New Testament)! In the New Testament, the repository of the "apostles' doctrine", is where we can turn to learn the will of Jesus, given through His selected and inspired ambassadors, the apostles. But this raises another question: Is the New Testament a complete guide for us today? Is it sufficient?

Let’s turn our attention to answering this question. It must be complete, for "the faith" has been revealed "once for all" - Ju 3 "My dear friends, I really wanted to write you about God's saving power at work in our lives. But instead, I must write and ask you to defend the faith that God has once for all given to his people." "Once for all" literally means "one time for all time". We cannot expect further revelation in the future. The writings of the apostles as collected in the New Testament are all we have. Our task, is not to look for further revelation, but to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints"!

According to the Apostles themselves, these writings (scriptures) are indeed sufficient! Sufficient to make one complete, furnished unto every good work - 2 Ti 3:16-17 "Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds." They provide all we need to enjoy life and godliness - 2 Pe 1:3 "We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness." By heeding the writings of the apostles we will have the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ - 2 Pe 1:8-9 "If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don't grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven." An abundant entrance will be supplied into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - 2 Pe 1:10-11 "My friends, you must do all you can to show that God has really chosen and selected you. If you keep on doing this, you won't stumble and fall. Then our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will give you a glorious welcome into his kingdom that will last forever."

We are left with God’s providence and His Word. As Paul prepared the elders of the church at Ephesus for his departure, he commended them to God and the word of His grace - Ac 20:32 "I now place you in God's care. Remember the message about his great kindness! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God's people." He did not instruct them to appoint apostles to take his place. He did not instruct them to seek further revelation (for Paul had already proclaimed "the whole counsel of God" to them - Ac 20:27 "I have told you everything God wants you to know.") He simply directed them to two things: To God Himself (i.e., His Divine Providence). The word of His grace (that word which had been revealed by Paul himself). These two blessings, Paul was confident, were able to do two things. Build them up and give them an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

"The New Testament", then, is how Christ speaks to us today. He leads us to life everlasting! It is through the writing of the apostles, "the apostles' doctrine", that the Lord speaks and directs His Church! It is "the apostles' doctrine" that is the standard of authority in matters of religion. It is "the apostles' doctrine" in which we must "continue steadfastly"! - Ac 2:42

There is more to be said about authority in religion, which we will cover in the next lesson. But I hope that our attitude is such that what was said about the Thessalonians can also be said of us:

"For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." - 1 Th 2:13

Is that your attitude toward "the apostles' doctrine"?


God Bless,
Jim Newsted
Shamrock, Tx
The town that turns green for a week every year

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