BQ: This will be a short series on whether or not the only words in the New Testament that are important are the ones written in red—that is, only the words Jesus Himself spoke. We're actually going to work backward on this one, going from claims of the apostles after Jesus back down to Jesus Himself. To start off, let's read something that Paul said wrote:
"For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal 1:11-12)
Here Paul makes the claim that the parts of the Bible penned by him were received through a revelation from Jesus Himself! Is this so, or are only the red letters applicable? We'll look more tomorrow and the days after. :)
BQ: So are things in the New Testament not spoken by Jesus really that important? Are they inspired? Yesterday Paul said that He received a revelation of Jesus, and today we'll look at another statement that he makes from 1 Thess 2:13:
"And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers."
Here Paul says that these books of the New Testament which aren't directly spoken by Jesus are still the word of God!
BQ: So we've seen that Paul has stated that the words in the NT are the words of God and Jesus, regardless if Jesus spoke them all in His physical body. Now we're going to roll it back a bit and start looking at things that Jesus said. :)
First, when Jesus spoke to the original disciples, He said, "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet." (Mt 10:14) It's easy to glance over this, but notice that He gave weight to the words of these students of Him! That's indicative of something, but it's not full-blown proof that the NT is all inspired. We'll see more as we move along. :)
BQ: Jesus ascribed legitimacy to the words that some of His followers spoke, but can we really trust that what the men who went on to pen the NT wrote is really legit? Let's look at a few more things that Jesus said. Today we'll look at John 16:13-15,
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you."
Here Jesus says that these "authors" would be guided into all truth, and that what they were writing would be from God. This just about seals the deal, but tomorrow we'll see some very solid info!
BQ: Today we're going to really decide on whether or not the rest of the NT holds as much weight as what Jesus actually spoke, as it claims so claims. We'll look at John 14:26 and Luke 10:16, in that order:
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." Here Jesus says that these people would be taught all things, and able to perfectly remember what Jesus also said!
"The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” And here we see that rejecting the NT is to reject Christ Himself! The reason that the apostles made such bold claims was because the claims were both true and necessary. As noted in 2 Pet 1:3, "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."
If you're not that familiar with the NT, you're not that familiar with Jesus! Make Him your best friend! :)
BQ: We just saw that Jesus said that all of the New Testament was just as important as what He said through His physical body, as it would all be coming from God. So while God was choosing to use men as penners of the books, He was Himself the author. Does this match up with what the other books in the NT record? Let's see what various books mention:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. (2 Tim 3:16)
"By revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." (Eph 3:3-5)
This matches up with what Jesus said, meaning that all of the New Testament is equally valuable and inspired.
BQ: The previous post connected the dots on why all the words in the NT are just as valuable as those that Christ Himself spoke, and today we'll finish up with a final connection. But why didn't Christ do it all Himself at once? Acts 1:1-2 answers saying,
"The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen."
Notice that the first account was simply all that Jesus had begun to do and teach. Just because He was taken up to heaven didn't mean that His work had ended. Why not? First, because as 1 Cor 2:7-13 says in part,
"But we speak the wisdom of God...But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
And second, because as Gal 3:26-27 notes, if we're immersed into Christ, we are clothed in Him, and are continuing His mission to this day: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."