The Hope of the Believer . . .

RECOGNITION OF THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS (4)  

W. Carl Ketcherside

The authority and power as delegated to the apostles was intended to continue during the reign of God's anointed. We believe this to be proven by the following:

1. When Jesus commissioned them to go and make disciples of all nations he did so upon the basis that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given unto him. His promise was that if they acted in all fidelity he would be with them "always, to the close of the age" (Mt. 28:19,20).

2. The power to bind and loose on earth with heavenly recognition of the authority so exercised was not subject to temporal limitation. "Truly I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 18:18).

3. The apostles were to occupy thrones and judge during the regime of the Son of God. A throne is symbolic of authority and the right to judge implies exercise of power. "You are those who have continued with me in my trials; as my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Lk. 22:28-30). Here is proof from Jesus that the apostles were to possess authority beyond their span of life upon earth.

4. They constituted a component in the foundation of the temple of the Lord, a structure equivalent to the one body composed of Jews and Gentiles who have access in one Spirit unto the Father. These are "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:20-22). It is apparent that so long as the temple of God stands, the apostles must be in place in the foundation.

In commenting upon this verse Albert Barnes writes, "On them and their doctrine we can build. On them the church is reared. It is not on the opinion of philosophers and lawgivers; not on creeds, symbols, traditions, and the decisions of councils; it is on the authority of the inspired Book of God. The church is in its most healthy state when it appeals for its doctrine most directly to the Bible.

5. The perpetuity of the place and authority of the apostles in the divine scheme is evidenced by the fact that their names are inscribed on the foundation of the eternal city the new Jerusalem. John, who was one of the apostles, was provided an apocalyptic vision. He says, "And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God... And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:10,14).

Christianity differs from every system of religion devised by men in that it is a divine revelation. All others are the discoveries or inventions of human genius. Christianity is not a philosophy, a code of personal ethics, or a formal declaration of behavior. It is a relationship with God and Christ exemplified by principles growing out of a divine nature rather than by precepts imposed externally and legally. It is a fellowship of the redeemed, a fraternity of the reconciled. It was a mystery to mankind, hidden in the divine will until revealed in the fullness of time. "When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Eph. 3:4, 5).

Since it was revealed to the "apostles and prophets" they constitute our source of information relative to its nature. When men become confused or entangled in their reasoning concerning it, the court of appeal must be to the words of those who received the revelation. If the Holy Spirit knew the things of God, and revealed those things to the authorized spokesmen, we must revert to the words of the holy envoys if we would recapture the mind of God. When the weight of opinions and divergent interpretations saddles the church with a yoke which it cannot bear, the strength must be renewed, not by occasional injections of new philosophical deductions, but by recovery of the primitive proclamation, power and purpose.

When God's people become involved in schism, we cannot hope to achieve peace by relying upon debates with theologians, regardless of how sincere they may be to attain that desirable goal. Indeed, it is out of such debates most of our strife has arisen. It is only when all of those who love God, both small and great, resolve to consult the apostles, without partisan prejudice, that we can gain renewal for our day. — published posthumously

When we talk of restoration, we do not imply that the church disappeared or went out of existence. We use the term in the same sense that the art dealer does when talking about "restoring" a painting. The work of the" restorer" is not to create another picture, nor produce a new one, but remove the grime and dirt that has gathered until the original can be seen in its full glory. —Carl Ketcherside