How Can We Know What the New Testament Authorizes?

By Bob Myhan

During the present New Testament age, Jesus has all authority both in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18-20). Thus, He is the only one "whose will and commands must be obeyed by others." Thus, in writing to the church at Colosse, Paul commanded,

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:17).

To do something "in the name of the Lord Jesus" is to do it "in recognition of His authority." Hence, we must recognize the authority of the Lord Jesus in everything we teach and practice! Otherwise, He is not really our Lord. This means that authority must come from the New Testament, not from the Old Testament.

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. (Heb. 9:15-17)

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- In the volume of the book it is written of Me-- To do Your will, O God.' " Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. (Heb. 10:1-9)

The New Testament authorizes in three ways—direct statement, approved example, and implication. These three methods were used by Jesus to establish authority for His teaching and practice. He taught what His Father commanded Him to teach (John 12:48-50), He did what He saw His Father do (John 5:17-19), and He taught as truth what His Father implied (Matt. 22:23-34). [This writer knows of no fourth method ever used by Jesus to establish authority for either His teaching or His practice, but will accept any method that either is self-evident or can be established by one of these three.]

Since Jesus has all authority “in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18), His commands [imperative direct statements] MUST BE obeyed. The commands of His apostles must also be obeyed.

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." (Matt. 10:40)

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." (Luke 10:16)

The New Testament directly states that approved examples MUST BE followed (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9). Of course, Jesus is our ultimate example (1 Peter 2:21), and He showed by example that implications establish truth (Matt. 22:23-34). To deny this is to implicitly affirm that Jehovah is "the God of the dead."

The apostles used implication to establish the fact that Gentiles do not have to submit to physical circumcision to be saved (Acts 15). First, Peter had necessarily inferred [from his experience in the home of Cornelius, recorded in Acts 10 & 11] that binding circumcision on the Gentiles would be testing God and putting a yoke on the neck of those disciples.

And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." (Acts 15:7-11)

Barnabas and Paul had necessarily inferred [from their first missionary journey] that Gentile converts do not need physical circumcision. They never demanded it, yet God endorsed their preaching with "miracles and wonders." 

Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. (Acts 15:12)

James stated that Peter's inference was in agreement with the prophets. He then quoted from Amos 9:11, 12, and concluded that to bind circumcision would be to "trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God."

And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.' "Known to God from eternity are all His works. Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts 15:13-21)

"The apostles and elders, with the whole church" implied in their letter to the church at Antioch that physical circumcision was not essential to salvation, by stating that those who were binding circumcision were "unsettling … souls" in so doing.

Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, "You must be circumcised and keep the law"--to whom we gave no such commandment-- it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell. (Acts 15:22-24)

Finally, the disciples at Antioch used necessary inference when they read the letter for they “rejoiced over its encouragement.”

So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. (Acts 15:30, 31)

We have thus shown three methods of establishing religious authority. (1) It is self-evident that commands and other direct statements [of one who is in authority] are authoritative, (2) we are commanded to follow the approved examples of the apostles and others and (3) we have approved examples of Jesus and the apostles using implication, or necessary inference, to establish a matter as being authorized. Is there a direct statement, approved example, or necessary inference that a fourth method may be used? If so, what is that fourth method? &

The Name of Christ’s Church

By Kent Heaton

Jesus promised to build His church in Matthew 16:18. He bought the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28) and reigns as King and only head of the church (Revelation 19:16; Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22, 23; 4:15; 5:23). After His resurrection Jesus spent time with His disciples instructing them and preparing them for the work that was to begin at Pentecost (Acts 1:1-3). Luke reveals in Acts 2 the birth of the promised church as the first converts were “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

The historian of Acts continues to reveal the character and nature of these early followers of Christ as a “company” of people (Acts 4:23), and the “multitude of those who believed” (Acts 4:32). Great fear came upon “all the church” when God took the lives of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). “Believers” are spoken of in Acts 5:14 and the “numbers of the disciples” were multiplying in Acts 6:1, 7. Following the death of Stephen a great persecution rose up against the “church” as Saul made “havoc of the church” (Acts 8:1, 3).

The church is described as “disciples of the Lord” when Saul was breathing threats and murder against them (Acts 9:1). The early Christians are referred to as “disciples” thirty-one times in the book of Acts. Luke records a remarkable description in Acts 9:2 when Saul is seeking out “any who were of the Way” (Acts 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; see also John 14:6). Early Christians were called “saints” (Acts 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10). The “church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied” (Acts 9:31).

Antioch was where Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) and “for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Paul would later call for the “elders of the church” (Acts 20:17) and instructed them to oversee the “church of God” as shepherds (Acts 20:28). Festus simply refers to the disciples as “their own religion” when he explained the case of Paul before Agrippa (Acts 25:19). The power of Paul’s persuasive speech led King Agrippa to say, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian" (Acts 26:28).

In the epistles we find many different descriptions of the church. “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). Paul refers to the “church in Cenchrea … church in their house … whole church” and the “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:1, 5, 23, and 16). “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). There are many terms used to describe the nature of the church (called out, household, kingdom, body, temple, vineyard, bride … see especially Hebrews 12:22-24).

What lesson do we draw from this? First, there is no single name attached to the church; but there is a New Testament name ascribed by God. Second, the New Testament does not reveal the names of most churches listed in the phone book. The name of Christ’s church is the name you can find in the New Testament and if that name is not found in His book then it is not the church Jesus built. &

“I Done It for Love”

Author Unknown

On a Saturday night, a Christian widow and mother, very busy with household chores, asked her seven year old son to clean and polish her shoes. He worked hard on them. Later on in the evening, he brought her the shoes. She was so pleased she rewarded him with a new, shiny dime. The next morning, the mother decided to wear those shoes to services. As she put them on she noticed a lump in the left shoe. Taking it off she found the dime wrapped in paper. Written on the paper, in her son’s childish scrawl were these words: “I done it for love.”

What have you done lately for love? &

Bulletin Digest

844 Pine Street

Abilene, TX 79601