Mankind has an innate desire to worship. For thousands of years of recorded history, various avenues have been pursued in an effort to find favor with the Creator. Finding favor with any identity is a result of knowing what the identity finds pleasing, and the only way to know that is through revelation. The Holy Spirit put it this way: "For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11). This fact was revealed through the apostle Paul following his statement that what he spoke was God’s wisdom and God had revealed it "through the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:10). Such being the case, it should not come as a surprise that "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Believing God’s instructions regarding His standard is among the first steps required to be found acceptable to God. In reference to the law given to Israel, it "was given through Moses" (John 1:17). The treasure of the gospel was committed to the "earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7) whom Jesus commissioned to go "into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). Jesus said, concerning the apostles, that others would believe on Him (Jesus) "through their word" (John 17:20). The apostles were commissioned with the responsibility to "make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you…" (Matthew 28:19-20). When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he said, "…as I wrote before in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit" (Ephesians 3:3-5). Paul also instructed the young evangelist Timothy, "And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). The procedure utilized by God, to reveal his will unto man was to "guide you (the apostles) into all the truth" (John 16:13), and empower them with the ability to impart to others, through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:18), the gift of prophecy and other gifts necessary for the revealing of God’s word (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Jesus gave unto his body, through apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors (i.e., shepherds/elders), the necessary tools "for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ…from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:11-12, 16). Through this means the body could "attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15).
Within the realm of authority, the apostles were guided into all truth, and left those truths in a written form that all generations could benefit from them. Since the imparting of spiritual gifts was accomplished through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, both the apostles, the prophets and the various gifts ceased to be exercised once the apostles, and those they had laid their hands on, had passed from this life. But the word of God, which they spoke, remained. As it was with the Law of Moses, so it is today: there was no need for the law to be given in a miraculous way to each succeeding generation. Even the prophets of old did not legislate; they simply instructed the people to execute the dictates of the Law. Since the apostles had been guided into all truth, there are no new truths that were to be revealed after their passing. The apostle Paul affirmed this, when he said, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema" (Galatians 1:8-9). Jude echoed this principle, when he said, "I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Note that Jude said, "once for all." The phrase "the faith" is defined as, "the religious beliefs of Christians" (Thayer’s). In like manner, the apostle Peter revealed, "Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:2-3). When compared with the statement that Christ offered up himself "once for all" (Hebrews 7:27), it is evident that before the death of Paul, before the death of Jude, and before the death of Peter, the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) had been delivered unto the saints, once for all. These men spoke as the Holy Spirit guided them; thus it was God who said "once for all." To ascertain that the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) was not "once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3), is to do the same thing Satan did to Eve: God said, "thou shalt surely die," (Genesis 2:17); Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die." In all the word of God, the Bible, not one error can be found that "pertains to life and godliness." Heed the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).
Ross Triplett