Being Apostolic In The Modern World 15

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Being Apostolic In The Modern World

Being Apostolic in the modern world means to "continue steadfastly in
the apostles' doctrine" (Ac 2:42).  The word "doctrine" has its origins
in the Latin term "doctrina" , which is derived from the verb "doceo"
teach.  The Kings James Version uses doctrine to translate "didache" (Mk
4:2; Ac 2:42; and "didaskalia" (1Tm 4:13,16; 5:17; 2Tm 3:10,16).  Recent
translations have chosen to translate "didache" and "didaskalia" as
teaching.  This avoids the connotation that these terms refer to a
complete and systematic corpus of Christian doctrine which developed
subsequent to the Apostolic era.

What was the teaching of the Apostles?  As noted above, there have been
many attempts to identify this teaching with the doctrines, theological
systems, of later Christian history.  Through eisegesis these doctrines
are read back into the  New Testament and obscure the teaching of the
Apostles.  The apostolic teaching focused on three realities; 1)  Jesus
was the Christ (Ac 3:18); 
2)  Jesus was risen from the dead (Ac 1:22; 2:24,32; and 3) Salvation
was received by calling upon his name in faith, water baptism, and
receiving the Holy Spirit (Ac 2:38; 3:16).

This Apostolic teaching was presented by Peter and Stephen as the
fulfillment of Old Testament faith (Ac 2:14-36; 5:29-32; 7:2-53).  In
his speeches in Acts Paul expanded this presentation to include the
history of the world and the universe (Ac 13:16-41; 14:15-17; 17:22-31).
Throughout the New Testament Jesus Christ and his significance for the
salvation is the focus of teaching.  To depart from this center is to
depart from sound teaching.  This was the faith, the truth, "once for
all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

The Apostolic teaching, doctrine, was the story of Jesus Christ.  Noted
New Testament Scholar James Dunn after documenting the incredible
diversity of the New Testament makes the following comment about its
unity: "I think it can be justly said that we have discovered a fairly
clear and consistent unifying strand which from the first both marked
out Christianity as something distinctive and different and provided the
integrating center for the diverse expressions of Christianity.  That
unifying element was the unity between the historical Jesus and the
exalted Christ, that is to say, the conviction that the wandering
charismatic preacher from Nazareth had ministered, died, and been raised
from the dead to bring God and man together, the recognition that the
divine power through which they now worshiped and were encountered and
accepted by God was one and the same person, Jesus, the man, the Christ,
the Son of God, the Lord, the life-giving Spirit" (James Dunn, The Unity
and Diversity of The New Testament).

I am tempted to comment upon this quotation.  However, perhaps it is
best to let the New Testament speak. 

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel (Mk 1:15).  And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of
the Only Son from the Father (Jn 1:14).  For God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the World, not to condemn
the world, but that the world might be saved through him (Jn3:16,17)."

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the
law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who
believe(Rm 3:21,22).  Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for
all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life
for all men (Rm 5:18).  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rm 6:23).

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him
crucified (1Co. 2:2).  For no other foundation can any one lay than that
which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1Co 3:11).  For I delivered to
you as of first importance what I also received , that Christ died for
our sins in accordance with the scripture, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that
he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve" (1Co 15:3-5).  For all the
promises of God find their Yes in him.  That is why we utter the Amen
through him to the glory of God" (2Co 1:20).

"For it is the God who said, Let light shine out of  darkness, who has
shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Christ (2Co 4:6).  Therefore if any one is in Christ
he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come. 
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto himself, not counting their trespasses
against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation" (2Co
5:17-19).

"But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a
woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so
that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God
sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father! (Gal
4:4-6).   For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the
mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in
Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in hin,
things in heaven and things on earth (Eph 1:9,10).  To me, though I am
the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what
is the plan of the mystery hidden for all ages in god who created all
things" (Eph 3:8-9).

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord to the glory of God the Father (Php 2:9-11).  For in him all the
fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to
himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the
blood of his cross" (Col 2:2,3).

Paul preached that believers might have  "All the riches of assured
understanding and knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3).  God our Savior
wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 
For there is one god and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus
Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was
borne at a proper time. (1Tm 2:4-6).  Beyond all question the mystery of
godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in
the world, was taken up in glory (1Tm 3:16).  Take your share of 
suffering for the gospel in the power of God, who saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own
purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago and now
has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel (2Tm 1:8-10).  For the grace of God has appeared for the
salvation of all men (Titus 2:11).

"In many and various ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets; but
in these last days he has spoken to us by a son, whom he appointed the
heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.  He reflects
the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the
universe by the word of his power (Heb 1:1-3).  Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy we have been born
anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and
unfaded, kept in heaven fro you, who by God's power are guarded through
faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1Pe 1:3-5).
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our
hands, concerning the word of life-the–the life was made manifest, and
we saw it, and proclaim to you eternal life which was with the Father
and was made manifest to us (1Jn 1:1-2).

"When the people heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter
and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?' Peter replied,
‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are
far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call' " (Ac 2:38-39).

"Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I
found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith
which was once delivered to the saints (Ju 3).  But he laid his right
hand upon me saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the
living one; I died, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the
keys of Death and Hades' (Rev 1:17-18).  Then one of the elders said to
me, ‘weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David,
has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals' (Rev
5:5).  And he who sat upon the throne said. ‘Behold, I am making all
things new' " (Rev 21:5).

This is the teaching of the apostles is the apostolic proclamation of
Jesus Christ.  The apostolic teaching was not about doctrinal truths,
about a systematic theology.  The apostolic teaching was not about
proving the  existence of God from  history or science.  The apostolic
teaching was not about proving  the authority of the Bible.  The
apostolic teaching was about Jesus, what Jesus has done to human
history,  the salvation brought by Jesus. To be Apostolic in the modern
world is to continue in the apostolic teaching.  To be Apostolic is to
tell the world about Jesus and the salvation he brings.