Eternal Decrees

As was shown in the last article, titled The King's Proclamation, the apostolic writings that comprise the New Testament reflect the royal law of King Jesus. By way of review:

• Jesus taught "kingdom law" throughout His ministry (e.g. Mt. 4:17) and later commented that His words will be the standard by which we are judged (John 12:48).
• When Jesus ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God to reign as King (Acts 2:33), He sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles not only to remind them of His teachings, but to guide them into "all truth" (John 16:12-13).
• These apostles both spoke and penned through the Spirit the inspired words of Christ that we might read and understand the King's will (Eph. 4:3-5).

It's important for us to remember that the apostolic writings reflect "kingdom law." Not only did the apostles and prophets record the will of King Jesus (John 14:26; 16:13), and not only did they write to citizens of the kingdom (Col. 1:13-14; Rev. 1:9), but we cannot separate Christianity or even the church (local and universal) from the kingdom. To say that there is no connection is to say that we as kingdom-citizens are not kingdom-citizens while functioning together as a local church. Furthermore, to say that the local church does not fall under the jurisdiction of King Jesus is not only untenable, it forces us to conclude that there are no boundaries whatsoever for the church. After all, if the church is not under Jesus' jurisdiction, then it is outside the bounds of the royal law...which then means that anything goes. Again, this is untenable.

However, there is a question that is naturally raised from this points...

Even if we accept that the apostolic writings reflect the will of King Jesus, does that mean that those same apostolic writings are equally binding upon Christians and churches today...to whom these letters were not directly written? I've heard some say that when we're reading the books of the New Testament, we're reading someone else's mail. Paul wrote the Ephesian letter to the church located in Ephesus. The books of 1-2 Corinthians were letters written by Paul to the church in Corinth. Even the book of James, though not written to one church in particular, was written to "the twelve tribes who [were] dispersed abroad" (James 1:1). We're not members of the Ephesian or Corinthian churches. We're not a first century Christian slave-owner named Philemon. I know a guy named Theophilus, but he's not the same Theophilus to whom Luke wrote the books of Luke and Acts. So can we take these 27 books (of the New Testament) and apply them to our own lives today?

There's no question that these were personal letters to specific churches and individuals. We see, especially at the ends of these books, personal remarks made by the writers to the recipients. And yes, we absolutely have to take this into account. When Paul told Timothy to "bring the cloak...and the books" to him which he had left at Troas (2 Tim. 4:13), we're not to interpret that to mean that we're to travel to Troas to find Paul's cloak and books. When Paul asked the saints in Rome to help Phoeba in her work (Rom. 16:1-2), that doesn't mean that we're to locate and assist her as well. I could cite many, many other examples, but I'm sure you get the point.

Were these 27 epistles written to us? Not directly. But as many have commented, while they weren't written to us, they were written for us, and yes, we ARE to study and apply the principles and commands of these epistles to our lives today. In other words, as citizens of the kingdom, if we want to please the king, we must submit to His will as it's been recorded in the New Testament. This is true for our own personal conduct, and as I've already explained, this is true for the local church.

Consider with me the following points which confirm the aforementioned conclusion (that the New Testament writings are applicable today and should govern our behavior):

• First of all, even though these epistles were written to specific churches, it was always God's plan for these epistles to be distributed, read, and obeyed by a much broader audience. In Colossians 4:16, Paul said this to the church in Colosse: "And when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea." Historically, we know that this is exactly what all the early churches (who received letters) did. They would make copies and distribute them to all the churches. And they did this, not of their own volition, but because it was commanded.
• Even though different letters were written to different churches, that doesn't change the fact that there was a consistent pattern in the first century. We learn in 1 Corinthians 4:6-7 that the things which were "written" were to be the standard of unity, and later, in verse 17, Paul indicates that he taught the same things in every church. Paul referred to unity of practice among the "churches of God" in 1 Corinthians 11:16). Paul gave the same orders to multiple churches (1 Cor. 16:1-2; Eph. 5:19 --> Col. 3:16). The apostle Peter, writing to certain churches in a region (1 Pet. 1:1; 2 Pet. 3:1), made reference to the writings of Paul as if Paul's writings were more than mere personal letters; they were intended to be understood and followed by all (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Based on these few verses (and there are others), the New Testament epistles represent and convey a unity of doctrine and practice...as opposed to detached, personal letters of correspondence that we're abusing by reading and applying today.
• We know that it was always God's plan for His will to be recorded. The prophets of the Old Testament went to great lengths to copy and preserve the books of the Old Testament. When King Josiah was presented with the scrolls of the Law of Moses, he tore his clothes upon realizing that they had not obeyed these commandments (1 Kin. 22:8-13). Likewise, Jesus believed that the Law of Moses, though 1,400 years old at the time, was still a valid source of law and governance. He repeatedly pointed the Jews back to that which had been written those many years ago (Mt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:31, et al). Not only do we see King Jesus ordering, through the Holy Spirit, that His decrees be recorded, but we see the Christians of the first century treating these writings with the same care and reverence that the Jews of old exemplified in their treatement of the Old Testament. They made copies. They distributed these copies. They patterned their lives after these apostolic teachings.
• In 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Paul reminds Timothy of the "sacred writings" (vs. 15) by which he had been trained as a young man. Here, he is probably referring to the Old Testament. After all, even though he was a Christian, he had been raised in a Jewish home. However, Paul goes on to say in verse 16 that "ALL Scripture" is inspired and intended to complete or perfect us before God (vs. 17). The written words define which works are "good." Now, the Old Testament writings were/are no longer binding because they had been nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14-16). Therefore, Paul here must be referring - or at least he is including - the inspired writings of the apostles and first century prophets which were even then being broadly distributed. What makes us complete before God and serves as the standard of "good works?" The written word!
• Finally, the word of God is said to be "imperishable" and "abiding" (1 Pet. 1:22-25). Even though flowers and grass will die, God's word will not die. I take this to mean that God's word - the divine decrees of King Jesus - would be and have been preserved. God's providence - not a Catholic council - has ensured the preservation of the apostolic writings. Why would God see to the preservation of these 27 books? Obviously, He intends for us to use them.

I'm sure MUCH more could be said, but this article is already long enough, and these few points suffice in making the point that the 27 books of the New Testament, though written to specific churches and individuals in the first century, ARE for us today. The New Testament serves as the only tangible standard, and we must read and obey these ancient writings.

Having said that, I agree that we must read these books in context. We must understand that they were not written directly to us, but that they're for us. It's vital that we read them as the apostles intended for them to be read and that we consider the original audience.

But here's what I know. Jesus Christ is our King and Judge (John 5:29), and we will be judged by the standard of His words (John 12:48). As we all prepare for that great day, we must seek in every way to obey the apostolic writings which, through the process of inspiration, reflect the royal decrees - the eternal decrees - of King Jesus.

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