The Apostles' Doctrine

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Steve Starcher:
>The Apostles' Doctrine
>
>Being Apostolic  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.


Amen! This is the root of the issue, you desire to know what is right
and true you better go to the story of the people that got the teaching
first hand.

>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).


Again, amen!

<snipped the scripts for brevity>

>This is the teaching of the apostles.  This  is the apostolic
>proclamation of Jesus Christ.

This is true, it also is the proclamation of how and why we must take on
the name of or future bridegroom, of how we attain remission of sins, of
how we get to know Jesus. They did not stop with the proclamation, they
added more as the Holy Ghost lead them to greater knowledge.

>The apostolic teaching was not about
>doctrinal truths, about a systematic theology.

Firstly there was only the Jewish teachings, pagan teachings and the new
kids on the block....so yes it was about truth...the truth that Jesus
was the Messiah to the Jews and truth that the "gods" of paganism was in
fact the one the Jews called Jehovah and the Apostiles called Jesus. It
was about the teachings of Jesus and the teachings about Jesus. You may
not wish to call it a "doctrinal truths" but it was a oft repeated set
of teachings...today we would call this the doctrine and they oft defend
them as true. What do you think the trials that Peter and John went
through in front of the Jewish priest was....a theological discussion!

>The apostolic teaching
>was not about proving the  existence of God from  history or science.


No need it prove God...God existed in all minds (might be gods in some)
so proving God was not needed. Organized athiesim was 1500 years away.

>The apostolic teaching was not about proving  the authority of the
Bible.

Nope...the OT was accepted and the NT was yet to be written, however
their authority was questioned many times and they had to answer. Paul
oft defended where his teachings came from (how many times does he
proclaim himself an Apositle) and Peter reaffirms these questions as
well.

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of
any private interpretation.

2 Peter 3:15 And account [that] the longsuffering of our Lord [is]
salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom
given unto him hath written unto you;
2 Peter 3:16 As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these
things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that
are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction.

So yes they did have to defend their teachings.....

>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.


In a previous post ("What are we to preach") I showed that Peter's
Sermon on the day of Pentecost fulfilled the great commission (that is
obeyed it fully) so my only comment here is that if you only teach them
about Jesus without the how of salvation (that you yourself mention) we
are not obeying the word of God.

Lord Bless;
Bill



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