Bible Study Pre-requisites of a bible teaching.

[Gary Sullivan]

A few basic biblical principles first.
If someone is a believer in the LORD JESUS CHRIST he will have understood the basic gospel message found in many places in the New Testament such as 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:9-10. These verses were written by divine inspiration through Paul, one of the 15 and only apostles, all of whom qualified as apostles in at least 3 ways, and state that the specific reason Jesus came to earth as a man was to fulfill the Law of Moses and die for the sins of others. He was also buried and resurrected. We are only saved by Grace and the only human element in our salvation if that we believed. This is a free gift of GOD. The purpose we see is that we walk in HIS WORD. At the point of salvation we confessed Jesus(his humanity) as LORD HIS DEITY) at the very moment we believed in our hearts. All these facts and others are found in these verses.
Briefly the NT tells us the 4 things that qualified the 15 apostles: the first group of 12, including Matthias , were firstly disciples of John the Baptist in Acts1:21-22; all fifteen had to see the resurrected Jesus in Acts1:22 (over 500 saw the resurrected LORD but only 15 were appointed) They were all Jews and all males as seen in Acts1:21. We are told that Paul saw the resurrected LORD at least 4 times in the New Testament.
Their central purpose is seen in many passages but see John 17:8 the one prayer of Jesus recorded and Ephesians 2:20. The church is founded on the WORD of God given by HIM only to the NT apostles and prophets. The LORD had to authenticate them by miracles, signs, and wonders but only the truth of their words saves and grows up the believer. The test case in Scripture is not outward manifestations but conformity to the written Word of GOD. The gift of miracles was necessary as the New Testament canon had not yet been recorded. Note only to the apostles was uniquely given the gifts of miracles as clearly stated in 2 Corinthians 12:12. 2 apostolic legates, Stephen and Philip, were empowered in Acts 6 to carry out lesser supernatural acts, directly by the first 12 apostles, but the LORD will never entrust such powers to the body in general .
The New Testament tells us that there were 19 spiritual gifts given when the Church was born in Acts 2 but also tells us that only 16 remain since the completion of the New Testament canon. The purpose of the apostles and NT prophets (those who recorded Scripture such as Mark, Luke and the writer to the Hebrews ) was to lay the foundation of the new entity, the Church, in Ephesians 2:20 and record New Testament doctrine in Ephesians 2:5-6. The completed Bible, specifically everything recorded from.Acts onwards is that foundation and because of this, the actual laying of the foundation is identical to the inspired words we now have. The new entity the Church is dealt with in Ephesians 2-11-16 and Ephesians 3:5-6. Note the peril of Gentiles prior to the removal of the middle wall of partition (the Law of Moses).
Remember even the gospels deal nearly exclusively with the way to live under the Law of Moses as it continued until the Cross. A little of the gospels deal with some truths after the resurrection. I will show this in another email.
There are several things to check about anyone who seeks to teach the Bible. One thing needs to be understood and that is that most local churches are made up of unbelievers. This is not even difficult to prove as so many believe in evolution and therefore that the laws of so many countries concerning the murder of unborn children and sexual depravity. I am not talking about all the cults but the visible church and of course Jesus deals with the 7 types of a local church that will exist until the Rapture when the invisible church of believers is removed prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
Paul, Peter James etc taught on the evil of Christendom. A good example is in.2Timothy 4:3 onwards. The reason false teachers are so successful is seen in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
The spiritual gifts are given to a believer the moment he believes and this is taught in 1 Corinthians 12. The first thing we need to understand is that the gifts reflect the grace of the giver and even if we use the one or more gifts we have. correctly no glory must ever go to us as individuals. I hear people speak of My ministry!! As soon as they say that the stench of pride is revealed. Spiritual gifts come from the same source as our Salvation and that is the grace of GOD.
The purpose of any Bible teacher is to point to YESHUA, not himself. What happened in the upper room discourse, which continued to the Garden of Gethsemane in John 13-17, was exclusively between Jesus and the first 11 apostles (extended to the last 4 after His resurrection). In John 16:13-14 Jesus told these humble men who loved HIM that one of the things the Holy Spirit would do in the coming age of the Church was to speak of and reveal the SON of GOD. He was to glorify the resurrected SON of MAN.The scriptures from Acts onwards do exactly that. One of the sub-themes of the gospel of John is that Jesus came to reveal the Father.How HE did that is found in each of the 4 gospels.
We know how the Father thinks, acts etc by seeing the words and works of HIS SON. Now GOD is so clearly revealed GOD the HOLY SPIRIT always points to the second person of the Godhead.

 

[for_his_glory]

Hi Gary and welcome to CF
Could you post the link to all these teachings please, Ty.

 

[JLB]

If someone is a believer in the LORD JESUS CHRIST he will have understood the basic gospel message found in many places in the New Testament such as 1 Corinthians 15:1-4;

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Where is the Gospel in these verses?


JLB

 

[Runner]

Briefly the NT tells us the 4 things that qualified the 15 apostles: the first group of 12, including Matthias , were firstly disciples of John the Baptist in Acts1:21-22;

You appear to be suggesting that Jesus' first 12 disciples (and the replacement Matthias) had previously been disciples of John the Baptist. I've never heard anyone suggest this in my pretty extensive study over the decades. Acts 1:21-22 is well-understood to mean, "Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—beginning with [His] baptism [by] John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” Ditto for the selection of Matthias: "beginning with the baptism of John" in Acts 1:22 is well-understood to mean "beginning with Jesus' baptism by John."

You seem to be reading this as "beginning with the baptism of John the Baptist" - but Jesus would not have been going in and out among them at the baptism of John the Baptist (whenever that may have been). Two of John's disciples, including Andrew, did follow Jesus (John 1:35-42), but those are the only ones I am aware of. I did find a commentary suggesting that the Greek does not absolutely have to be read as referring to the baptism of Jesus personally but could refer to "the time when John was baptizing" - but again, Jesus was not going in and out among them throughout John's ministry, there is no suggestion that any but the two mentioned in John 1:35-42 had been John's disciples, and I at least have never seen anyone suggest all 12 and Matthias had been John's disciples.

 

[Gary Sullivan]

I seem to have given the wrong impression on the Disciples of John the Baptist who became the disciples of Jesus, I am sorry for this & I thank Runner for pointing this out to me. What I should have said or meant to say is this, there was at least 2 of them but maybe 3. One was Andrew, we know from ver. 40 (see Com. on Matthew ch. 10:1–4); the other was certainly John. We judge thus from (1) John’s manner of mentioning himself, either not at all, or indirectly (chs. 13:23; 18:15; 19:26; 20:3; 21:20); a manner which he seems to have extended also to his mother (19:25; comp. Introduction, p. 5), and to which we might cite analogies in Mark (ch. 14:51) and Luke (ch. 24:18).

God Bless

 

[Gary Sullivan]

JLB, Here is the answer to your question above:
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul writes the following.In verse 1 Paul reminds the church at Corinth the gospel he preached at the start of his ministry there. He reminds them that they received it and this means they exercised faith in the past and remain standing in that faith for the present time, and this continuous and will remain unbroken.
In verse 2 again he reminds them this brought about their salvation. Also, remember he is writing to many people in Corinth and it since his departure some people have come into the local church as unbelievers seeking the truth. Unbelievers need the gospel which is the content of what we need to believe. Then he states something that does not come out too well in English. There appears to be only a conditional element but the Greek word if is actually "if indeed". This combines both a conditional and unconditional event. The conditional is that some may on the surface have appeared to believe but God can see those whose profession is empty ie devoid of content. The unconditional element who believed, once and for all, will indeed continue to stand fast. This means that the believers will seek to respond positively to Paul's admonitions in his epistle. I say they will seek to do so as sinless perfection in this life is impossible.
In verses 3 and 4 Paul reminds them that the gospel was the first spiritual truth he spoke to them because if one does not believe the basic gospel all other spiritual truths are meaningless to them. Indeed Paul made this point in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that the natural man, in his old sin nature, finds all spiritual truths foolishness.All of us, when we were unbelievers, were in this position of having no understanding of any spiritual truths. Paul even reminds this church at Corinth that the gospel they received was the one he believed when saved in Acts 9.
Then he gives the 3 points of the gospel as follows:- 1) Christ died FOR OUR SINS.Here gives the purpose of GOD becoming MAN. He who never sinned died in our place.2) HE was buried.3) HE was resurrected.
This is, in essence, the gospel. Note that he adds ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. The point is that whilst this is the basic we believed when saved, there are other aspects e need to understand fully what Jesus did for us on the cross. By the time we get to chapter 15, for example, Paul would have expected the reader to have read everything that preceded it as this is the way to normally respond to any letter we may receive.
As a theologian, I would be able to teach in great detail on the gospel, purely because of the fact that biblical teaching like all other spiritual gifs comes from.God's Grace, but as an unbeliever at one moment of time, and a believer in the next millisecond all I could believe is that Jesus loved me so much HE died FOR my sins.
If anyone wants any other teaching on the doctrine of salvation please let me know.For example if anyone wants to know the ramifications and significances of these 3 elements, HIS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION , in the event you are not totally certain, I would be happy to respond.However, it is quite an in depth study.

God Bless

 

[Gary Sullivan]

Runner, you were absolutely right to query my statement on the first pre-requisite for the first 12 apostles. I have failed to deal accurately on this. . So I will do a breakdown of what Peter says in these verses but I will then need to make reference to several other passages. This will take more than one email but I owe to anyone who has read the teaching on the apostles to be more precise and more accurate
Please forgive me for being too lazy to get this right.
What we have in Acts 1 is Peter beginning his ministry as the chief apostle, appointed by Jesus in Matthew 16, and taking the lead.However, as yet neither he, nor his fellow disciples, have received the spiritual gift of apostleship as the gifts were not given until Acts 2 on THE DAY OF PENTECOST, the day the new entity, the Church was born.
In Acts 1:21 Peter firstly states " Of the men". In the Greek, this is specifically males. He goes on to say that the choosing of the twelfth apostle must come from among those who accompanied Jesus during HIS whole earthly ministry from the time HE was baptized by John the Baptist until HIS Ascension when heaven received HIM back.
In verse 22 Peter spells out the qualification further " beginning from the baptism of John". The baptism by John of the Christ is the beginning of the declaration.of the gospel story.(Mark 1:1-14 ). The ending is " unto the day that HE was received up from us" at the Ascension.. The first qualification, therefore, is that they were followers of the LORD JESUS from HIS baptism until HIS ascension. The twelfth apostle to be chosen would have followed Jesus together with the first 11 during this time. To fully understand everything I will have to go back to the events of the water baptism so we can seen what happened at the beginning, and it is directly related to the actual ministry of John.Because of this first qualification Paul, Barnabas and James are not part of the first group of 12.
Peter then deals with second qualification "of these must one become a witness with us of HIS resurrection"
There are 2 categories of apostles. On the one hand, there is the inner group of 12, and the prerequisite is that they must have been with YESHUA from the baptism of John to the Ascension. Then there is the second apostolic group of, at that time an unknown number, and the requirement for them was to have seen the resurrected Messiah. We eventually see there are 3 from over 500 who saw the resurrected LORD that are appointed.
Much more has to follow but I just want to point out some other things in Acts 1. Of the 120 persons who witnessed these events 2 men qualified. It was GOD alone WHO made the choice. The spirituality of Joseph called Barsabbas must not be called into question. He was chosen for salvation and discipleship but not as an apostle. Over 500 saw the resurrected LORD but only 15 in total were chosen.
In verses 24-25 all resorted to prayer before they received the decision of GOD. They defer to the omniscience of GOD( the heart knower of all). Also note they realised this"the one whom THOU hast chosen ( the decision was already made by GOD). There is the recognition of the unbelief of Judas and his consequent destiny in the Lake of Fire.
Then in verse 26 is the casting of lots. This was GOD's way to reveal HIS previously decided decision. This is a valid way of receiving GOD's will simply because the new dispensation had not yet begun and the Old Testament laws still applied. Historically we see this in places like Joshua 14:2, Nehemiah 10:34 etc.However, the clear doctrinal basis is found in Job 16:33 where it states" The lot is cast into the lap, But the whole disposing thereof is of YHWH.
To finish off here one of the new ministries of the Spirit is the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit for all believers, unique for this age. In the Old Testament some believers were indwelt by the Spirit for a specific task, and even then the indwelling was not necessarily permanent.
The apostolic age was unique in that there were believers whilst the Law of Moses still applied who continued into the new Law of Christ. Of course, this was true of the first 12 apostles. To finish please note what Jesus said to HIS followers in John 14:16-17, as this is very revealing. " 16 And I will pray to the FATHER, and HE shall give you another COMFORTER, that HE be with you forever, 17 even the SPIRIT of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholds HIM not ; neither knows HIM: ye know HIM; FOR HE ABIDES WITH YOU, and SHALL BE IN YOU".
We see the 3 members of the GODHEAD in these verses; The FATHER will send another COMFORTER, the HOLY SPIRIT. This is a proof statement of the deity of the HOLY SPIRIT because the Greek word for another is ALLOS, and this literally means ANOTHER OF THE SAME KIND.Jesus is uniquely the GOD MAN as neither the Father nor the SPIRIT took on humanity.The only way, therefore, that Jesus and the HOLY SPIRIT can be the same kind is in their deity.
However the point that needs to be made is this 1) at that time, just before the cross, the HOLY SPIRIT was abiding with these 11 men, which means HE was present with them 2) the FATHER will send the HOLY SPIRIT in a new way; 3) In the future HE will be in them but note this is permanent in verse 16.
Jesus clearly indicates a difference in the HOLY SPIRIT Ministry for the future apostles. In the church age, all believers are permanently indwelt with the HOLY SPIRIT, and we are told of 4 other new ministries of HIM for this age.In Acts 1 this permanent indwelling had not begun so the use of the casting of lots was valid.Had the church already been born then the apostles would have been led by the indwelling SPIRIT!!
I have to deal with more in my next email. Again many apologies for the unnecessary confusion I have caused.