Truth Magazine

By Dudley Ross Spears

John’s first letter was written to Christians to make them joyful and fully assured of their fellowship with God. “. . . and these things we write that our joy may be made full” (1 John 1:4). That written message assures all that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (verse 5). To claim fellowship with God, and the attendant fulness of joy, while walking in darkness is the same as lying. However, on the other hand, Johns added, “but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (verse 7). The blessedness of walking in the light is one every sincere child of God should enjoy and be thankful for.

The blessings of walking in the light are conditioned upon a continual walk in the light. The term “walk” is used figuratively to describe one’s general life-style. It is the counterpart of walking in darkness. The life one leads “in the light” is a life of faith (2 Cor. 5:7) or a life led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:61). It may also be described as a life that is not walking “after the flesh” (Rom. 8:4). We might also look at it as the “new life” of Romans 6:4. Anyway we look at it, it is a life that is devoted to following the light to God’s revelation (Psa. 119:105; 2 Cor. 4:4). The light in which Christians walk comes from above and is God’s divine wisdom (Js. 3:17). Every good and perfect gift we possess, including the guiding light from God’s word, comes from above, because God is the “Father of lights” (Js. 1:17).

Christians may enjoy the blessings of walking in the light when they continually comply with God’s conditions. Those blessings include “fellowship one with another” and being “cleansed from all sin.” The first of these blessings is God’s way of keeping His children together. The fellowship we have comes from God and extends to every child of God who is walking in the light. This fellowship is a partnership, a family affair, a working arrangement among the people of God. Only when one ceases to walk in the light is the fellowship disturbed. The second blessing in the text is the cleansing from sin that Christians all need. The cleansing comes from the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. It is the only detergent to sin – the only cleansing medium. The walking is our part; the cleansing is God’s part. The cleansing agent is Christ’s blood.

We must all realize that our fellowship is enjoyed as long as we walk in the light, for in the realm of light, fellowship is possible. During the plague of darkness in Egypt, all association and fellowship ceased. It was not until physical light returned that fellowship was restored (Ex. 11:22023). So is it with spiritual partners now. When one walks in the light and another walks in darkness, there is no fellowship between them. To be more specific, when one leads a life of habitual sin and another does not, there is no fellowship in the light possible. But this tie that binds can be maintained among those who walk in the light, because they are cleansed from the sins they commit. They do not lead lives of habitual sin. B.F. Westcott said,

The ideas of divine sonship and sin are mutually exclusive. As long as the relationship with God is real sinful acts are but accidents (The Epistles of John, B.F. Westcott, p. 105).

The cleansing from sin is promised to the Christian who walks in light, in the text. But what sins could John have intended? The Christian who turns back into the world and ceases walking in the light is not under consideration here. This is not to say the blood will not cleanse an apostate child of God. It simply means that the text is discussing the cleansing that the Christian receives because he or she is walking in the light. It must be seen that the “if” with which the statement begins puts the situation in the conditional category. Therefore, it is possible that one walking in the light may sin from time to time. For such a case the cleansing blood of Christ is available. However, the cleansing is conditioned on continued walking int eh light. To be more precise, the Christian who sins has a critical moment when he must either repent or try to justify his sin. If he repents, he does so because he is walking in the light. I he chooses to justify himself and ignore the problem, he will soon be in darkness. I said, “soon,” because the precise time when a person’s mind goes from the awareness of an evil act and the hardness of heart that causes them to have a “care-less” attitude about it is really known only by God.

But Christians who walk in the light will sin. Any position that teaches the impossibility of sin while walking in the light ignores what John has written elsewhere in his letter. “My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not isn. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (2:1). The “we have” here in this verse is the same as the “we have” in 1:7. The “we have” in 2:1 refers to the “we have” of 1:7 and therefore tells those who walk in the light that the purpose of the epistle is to deter sin. However, John recognizes the distinct possibility that Christiabs, while walking in the light, will sin – they will have accidents. If Christians, while walking in the light cannot sin, John’s appeal in 2:1 is useless.

The tense of the verb “cleanseth” is present, active, indicative. Unless some specific action is implied, the present indicative denotes a continued action. It describes an ongoing process, when the specific action is not called for. Mike Willis has an excellent comment on this in his commentary on I Corinthians. He wrote about 1 Corinthians 1:18 as follows:

But unto us which are saved (tois de sbzomenois libmin). The word sbzomenois, like apollumenois~ is a present participle; it is taken from the verb sbzb, “to save.” And, like its counterpart earlier in this verse it denotes linear action. Those who accept the gospel as the power of God are in the process of being saved. Salvation is described by Paul -as a past event (Rom. 8:24), as a present abiding state (Eph. 2:5 – perfect tense), as a process (I Cor. 15:2), and as future result (Rom. 10:9). Here it is viewed as a process. Those who accept the gospel are viewed as being in a course of fife that will ultimately lead to salvation. Thus, salvation is not viewed as a one time event in one’s life which has no abiding effect on it but as a continuing, process. From this, one should observe that Christians should always be progressing in the Christian life; there is no place to remain content with that state in life” (A Commentary on Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, p. 41).

You might also like to read his comments on 1 Corinthians 1:21 (p. 46) and on I Corinthians 15:2 (pp. 525-526). We have no reason to believe that the present tense of 1 John 1:7 “cleanseth” is different than the present tense of I Corinthians 1:1& Both describe what Willis calls “a present abiding state.” Both are what are called “linear action.” Both describe an on-going process. Both are continual in action. But you do not have to understand Greek tenses to know this. We can say that an automobile runs well, if we take good care of it. We say “oranges grow in Florida, if the weather is right.” Other illustrations like this could be given. The point is that the present tense describes a continuous action, and the blood of Christ continues to cleanse those who continue to walk in the light.

The specific thing that walking in the light demands of a Christian who sins is confession. John said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our, sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1:9). The “we” who confess are the same “we” who walk in the light. The “we” of verse 9 are the “we” of verse 7. So, walking in the light requires those who sin while walking in the light to confess all sins. The condition expressed in verse 7 is general, describing a general way of life. Verse 9 gives the specific requirement. As long as we:”‘ confess our sins, both those we are conscious of and thosel of which we may not be conscious, we have this blessing of continual cleansing. Two great men of yesterday have spoken on the topic and this article closes, leaving you ponder over their statements.

And when people walk in the light, not only is there fellowship between them, but they also have the cleansing blood of Christ, This blood cleanses such people from all sin. This would include all those sins of which we may not be conscious. God graciously blots out such sins, as well as those of which we are conscious and of which we repent; and the next three verses of the chapter show that we all sin, whether consciously or unconsciously, and that God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, if we confess our sins. And that is a blessing for which every sincere disciple of Christ is profoundly thankful” (R.L. Whiteside, Annual Lesson Commentary, 1937, p. 291).

But there is a present salvation, continuous, co-extensive with Christian living. John says “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin” I Jn. 1:7-9. By baptism ‘into death’ we obtain the benefits of Christ’s blood, and are cleansed from past sins. But by fellowship with the body – in Christ – his blood continually cleanses us from sin. This continuous cleansing is conditioned upon “walking in the light” as stated in verse 7, and in verse 9, “if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” – that is, to keep us cleansed, as we obey these divine instructions” (Bulwarks of the Faith, Foy E. Wallace, Jr. 1946, p. 115).

(Editor’s Note: Those who have kept up with the discussion on 1 John I will recognize that brother Spears present another point of view than I have written. For a consideration of another point of view to what he here expresses, read “Understanding 1 John 1:6-2:2” [Guardian of Truth, XXV:48-50, pp. 755f, 771f, 781f] and “Sinning While In The Light” [Guardian of Truth, XXVII:19, pp. 578fl Though brother Spears and I disagree regarding this matter, we have the same practical application and consequent see no reason for a break in our fellowship over the matter. He deserves to be heard just as certainly as does the poi of view which I hold. Consequently, in the interest of presenting both sides, this article is printed.)

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 6, pp. 171-172
March 15, 1984

By Russell Dunaway

In our last article, we observed that the prophet Isaiah foretold the establishment of the church, and that his prophecy was fulfilled on Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. But Isaiah said some other things about the church of the Lord that I hope we can see in this article. Isaiah prophesied concerning the nature of the church as well as the establishment of the church. Isaiah said, “It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and exalted above the hills. ” I understand, and hope you understand, that Isaiah was not saying that the church would be established in some literal mountain top or on some literal hill top. Isaiah is using a figurative language to show that the church was to be exalted in its nature, that the church was to occupy an exalted position in the heart of man. The church of the Lord is the only institution known to man which is completely spiritual in its nature.

In Luke 17, when the Pharisees questioned Jesus concerning the coming of His kingdom, Jesus answered them saying, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall ye say, Lo here! or Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Jesus is simply saying that the kingdom of God, the church, is not a material kingdom built with man’s hands, but that it was to be a spiritual, kingdom. The kingdom of God can only exist in the lives of those who have had the seed of the kingdom, the word of God (Lk. 8: 11), sown in their hearts. The kingdom of God is within. It dwells in the heart, the love, and the affections of its members. We are obligated to God to give the church the exalted position in our hearts that He gave the church in the Word of God.

In Matthew 13:44-47, Jesus taught that the kingdom of God ought to be the most important thing in our lives. He compared it to a merchant seeking after goodly pearls who, when he had found that one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and purchased that pearl for himself. Again, Jesus said that the church was like a treasure hid in a field which, when a man hath found it, he sells all that he has, in order to purchase that field. The church ought to be more important to us than all the material things in the world combined. It is to be exalted in our lives to the position that God gave it in the Bible.

God exalted the church. We ought to keep it that way. Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). If you do not love the church, I can tell you the reason why. It is because you have not placed your treasure there. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The church must be exalted!

Isaiah continued his prophecy saying, “. . . all nations shall flow unto it.” The church is universal in its nature. The Law of Moses was for the Jew and Jew alone. But the gospel of Christ was universal – “all nations shall flow unto it.” Under the law of Moses, the Gentile was separated from God and without hope (Eph. 2:12). But God’s eternal purpose for the church was to include the Gentile as -well as the Jew. What God has provided for the Jew under the gospel of Christ, He has provided for the Gentile. Many people think that God has something for the Jew when this life is over that He does not have for the Gentile. Such is not the case. In Ephesians 3:6 Paul said, “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.” What God has provided for the Jew, He has also provided for the Gentile. Everything past, present, and future is available to the Jew and to the Gentile alike. In Christ, the Gentile is a fellow heir of the promise God made to Abraham in the past. He is a fellow member of the body of Christ in the present. He is a fellow partaker of the promise of eternal life in the future. The Gentile will receive the same reward as the Jew. Therefore, Jesus commanded, “Go ye into an the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The Church is responsible for carrying the gospel into every nook and cranny of the earth. Any man in any comer of the globe is subject to the same terms of the gospel as you and I. It is our responsibility, as members of the church, to carry that gospel into all the world. Are we doing that? We read in Colossians 1:23 that in Paul’s day, the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven. They had no radios or televisions. They had no printing presses or news papers. They had no cars or planes. But they did the work God gave them. And we shall stand and give account unto God if we fail in the meeting of our responsibility.

Isaiah continued his prophecy saying, “Many people shall go and say, Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He shall teach us of His ways . . . . ” The church was to be a taught or instructed church. No man can become a member of the church of the Lord except he first is taught the will of the Lord. Under the law of Moses, a man was born into a covenant relationship with God by his physical birth. Then, he was taught to “know the Lord” (Heb. 8:9-11). Under the New Covenant, the gospel, a man is first taught to “know the Lord,” and then by the “new birth” he is able to enter into a covenant relationship with God (John 6:44,45). It was through the teaching of the apostles on Pentecost that the church was established. No man can become a child of God today except he first is taught the will of God.

Isaiah continues, “. . . and we will walk in his paths.” The church is an obedient church. It is not enough to be taught the will of God. Man must obey the will of God to become a child of God. On the day of Pentecost, after the apostles had taught those Jews, the Jews rendered obedience to the Gospel of Christ (Acts 2:37-41). Learning God’s will was not enough. God’s will had to be obeyed (Matt. 7:21-27; Jas. 1: 19-22). The church is made up of an obedient membership.

Isaiah continued his prophecy, “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into prunning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” The church is peaceful in nature. Before the death of Christ, the law of Moses stood as a wall of separation between the Jew and the Gentile. But Jesus died in order to make peace between the nations. Paul declared in Ephesians 2:13-16,

But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses in His death, and took it out of the way by nailing it to His cross (Col. 2:13). In place of that low, Christ established a new man, the church, in which both Jew and Gentile could be reconciled to God and live forever at peace with God. In Romans 5:1 Paul said, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” A man does only one thing when he obeys the gospel of Christ; he makes peace with God. When a man obeys the gospel of Christ, he is no longer an enemy of God, but makes peace with God. No man can live at peace with God outside the church. It is only in the church that the peace of God which passeth all understanding can be made available unto man. In Romans 14:17 Paul wrote, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” There can be no peace without happiness. There can be no happiness without righteousness. When the righteousness of God fills the lives of men and women, they will be happy, and when happy, they will live at peace with god and with their fellow man. The church is presented in nature.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 6, pp. 169-170
March 15, 1984

By Bill Cavender

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in” Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:16-17).

If a person is “in Christ” he is a “new creature” (“creation”). Such a one – male or female, Jew or Gentile, black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated – has become a child of God “by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. . . ” (Gal. 3:26-29). When baptized into Jesus Christ, we should know that “our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:3-7). Being baptized into Christ, being cleansed from the guilt of sin with the washing of water by the word and being washed from our sins in His own blood, this “new creation” of God, God’s newborn child, is “in Christ” where are a spiritual blessings granted by the bountiful Father to His saved and redeemed children (Rom. 6:35; Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 1:5; 1 Peter 2:1-2; Eph. 1:3-14). All such baptized believers, blood-bought and blood-cleansed children of God, should remember that “ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph. 4:21-24, ASV).

Jesus Christ our Savior, the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Isa. 9:6-7), is Lord and Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (Acts 2:36; 1 Tim. 6:11-16; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). He is the King over His spiritual kingdom which is the church of Christ, every citizen thereof being one who is “born again” to enter into that heavenly kingdom (John 18:33-38; 3:3-8; Matt. 16:18-19; 1 Pet. 1:22-25; Col. 1: 13-14). Christ came in the flesh (Heb. 10:5; Luke 24:39), yet “now henceforth know we him no more.” The apostle would never again look for Christ (the Messiah) as an earthly, fleshly monarch, ruling on an earthly throne in Jerusalem. He had looked for such a Messiah prior to becoming a Christian. Never again would Paul expect to see Jesus Christ as a man in a fleshly body, dying again for the sins of the world. Jesus died “once for all, when he offered up himself,” and “so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation” (Heb. 7:27; 9:23-28, ASV). Christ died one time as a sacrifice for the sins of guilty men and women (Matt. 20:28; Heb. 13; 2 Cor. 5:21), but never again will He do that. Christ now has a “glorious body” (“the body of his glory”-ASV), and, at His coming, the faithful saints of God will bear the image of the heavenly and will have a body fitted for and pertaining to the glorified state of life in heaven (1 Cor. 15:42-49; Phil. 3:20-21). When He comes, we shall see Him as He is if we purify ourselves, even as He is pure (Matt. 5:8; 1 John 3:1-3).

Just as we know Christ no more after the flesh, so do we cease looking at matter of this world from a fleshly, human perspective. We realize that God is no respecter of persons, that all are sinners, and all may be saved only through God’s gospel (Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 2:11; 10:12; 1:16-17; 11:32; 3:23). Although we are to love all human beings and try to bring them to Jesus and salvation, yet we are not to be awed by or overly influenced by any man’s wealth, rank, office, birth, name, achievements or advantages. We are to continually study and learn God’s word and will, and to try to see all matters as God tells us He looks at them. All matters of the flesh and all things pertaining to them are always to be viewed by the Christian from a spiritual and eternal standpoint, not from the fleshly and temporal (2 Cor. 4:16-5:11).

We who have obeyed the gospel of our Lord are to cease to live after the flesh. Paul said, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye five after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom. 8:12-13). He further says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:12-14).

All things spiritual, revealed to us and taught by God to us in the New Testament, are new to us. The old, devilish, sinful, carnal things of the flesh and spirit of the unredeemed are dead, passed away. No man should know the true Christian anymore after the flesh, in doctrine and practice, in word and deed, in attitude and spirit. As Christ will never again appear in a fleshly body as a man, as He can never be a human, fleshly monarch reigning on an earthly throne over an earthly kingdom, as He can never again be an offering and sacrifice for sin, so the “new creation” of God, God’s child, can never again live a corrupt and sinful life if he is to be saved and forever in heaven.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 6, pp. 163-164
March 15, 1984

By Hoyt Houchen

Question: There are many who say that the only teachings of Christ that are binding are those that were repeated by the apostles after the day of Pentecost. Would you please answer this in Guardian of Truth?

Reply: There is no scriptural basis whatsoever for this position. It is a mere assumption.

Whatever the reason for this view, it ignores much of what Jesus taught during His personal ministry while on earth. Anything that Jesus taught, if not repeated by an apostle after the day of Pentecost, would not be binding but would be relegated to nothing more than a historical account. For example, the specific teaching of Christ on divorce and remarriage (Matt. 5:32; 19:9; Mk. 10: 11, 12; Lk. 16:18) was not repeated by any apostle after the day of Pentecost. According to the position under review, this instruction of Jesus would not be binding upon anyone today.

The four gospels are more than just historical records. They reveal the teaching of Jesus, much of which was preparatory for future conduct in the church that was soon to be established. A case in point is the procedure, outlined by Jesus, to be taken by one who is personally offended (Matt. 18:15-17). If the first steps fail, the offended brother is to take the matter before the church (Greek ekkiesid, same word used by Jesus in Matt. 16:18). The word “church” here does not refer to the Jewish synagogue which was in existence at the time of this instruction. W.E. Vine states that the Greek word ekkiesia “has two applications to companies of Christians, (1) to the whole company of which Christ said, ‘I will build my church,’ Matt. 16:18, and which is described as ‘the church which is His Body,’ Eph. 1:22; 5:23, (b) in the singular number (e.g. Matt. 18:17, R.V. marg., ‘congregation’), to a company consisting of professed believers, e.g., Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:13; 1 Thess. 1: 1; 2 Thess. 1: 1; 1 Tim. 3:5, and in the plural, with references to churches in a district” (Expository Dictionary of N. T. Words, Vol. 1, p. 84). It is the local church (an assembly of Christians that came into existence later) that Jesus was referring to in this passage. This was preparatory teaching. It was not repeated by any apostle after the day of Pentecost. If it had to be, in order for it to be binding, then we have no instructions as to how we are to deal with personal offense. (Note also the teaching of your Lord relating to this matter in Matt. 5:23,24.) It is just as binding as anything else that Jesus taught.

The Sermon on the Mount pointed to the kingdom, the church. “The whole of the Sermon on the Mount was therefore prospective and contemplative of the new covenant, the new dispensation and the new kingdom, from Pentecost to the end of time” (Foy E. Wallace, Jr., The Sermon on the Mount and the Civil State, p. 11). Of the beatitudes, this same author says: “Each beatitude states a gospel principle, a preview of the kingdom, and it is impossible to ignore Pentecost as the time foretold in these precepts, the immediate prospect of which accentuated the teaching” (Ibid., p. 12). It is absurd to suppose that if all the beatitudes are not repeated by an apostle after the day of Pentecost they are not binding.

Jesus, during His personal ministry while on earth, was preparing His apostles for the work that they would perform after His ascension. He promised them the Holy Spirit who would teach them and guide them into all truth (Jn. 14:26; 16:13). Jesus taught them and then they would be instructed further after His departure. What He taught them was binding and did not have to be repeated by one of them later for it to be binding. If what Jesus had taught could only be binding if repeated later by an apostle, the teaching of Jesus would be subjected to the apostles. The only sense that this would make is nonsense. Furthermore, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “all (emphasis mine, H.H.) authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” Is it to be supposed that the authority of Jesus is limited, and not binding, until some apostle repeated later what He said? Who can believe it?

The apostles were the ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). Ali qmbassador is one who acts in an official capacity for another and is “an authorized representative or messenger” (Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 28). Christ’s chosen ambassadors (the apostles) were acting in His behalf. This means that what Jesus had taught, they were authorized to teach. And, what Jesus taught did not have to later be approved or repeated by an apostle or anyone else.

Exalted pre-eminence was bestowed upon Jesus at His transfiguration. In this scene the characters present were Moses, Elijah, Jesus and three apostles Peter, James and John. Like a drama, the stage is set, the curtain is rolled back and God’s index finger is pointed at Jesus. “Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5). These words stamp God’s approval upon Jesus. Hear ye him. Peter, an apostle, later attested to the scene of the transfiguration and wrote: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there was borne such a voice to him by the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: and this voice we ourselves heard borne out of heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount” (2 Pet. 1: 16-18). Since Jesus was given all authority (Matt. 28:18) and honor and glory were bestowed upon Him by God the Father, how can anyone suppose that His teaching would have to be repeated by an apostle before it could be binding? A doctrine that so subjects our Lord’s teaching to an apostle’s approval cannot be true.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7: 10, “But unto the married I give charge, yea not I, but the Lord.” Jesus had spoken on this matter from His own lips. Although Paul did not repeat all that Jesus said (fornication the exception for divorce and remarriage), he nevertheless regarded it as authoritative. Paul did not have to repeat the Lord’s detailed teaching on the subject of marriage in order for it to be binding. In verse 12, Paul wrote, “But to the rest say 1, not the Lord . . . .” As an inspired apostle, Paul is writing something which is not recorded from the Lord’s own lips. This is an example where the Holy Spirit was to give further teaching to the apostles after the Lord’s ascension (Jn. 14:26; 16:13 etc.). This is not a contrast between the teaching of Paul as an apostle and Paul as a private individual. He was not claiming apostolic authority in some things he wrote and only expressing his personal opinion about others. All that Paul wrote were the commandments of the Lord (1 Cor. 14:37).

The position that only the teaching of Jesus that was repeated by an apostle’ after the day of Pentecost is binding is contrary to Scripture. What Jesus taught for future conduct was already bound in heaven and did not have to be repeated by an apostle. The apostles were both ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) and witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8). What they repeated from Christ did not bind it; it simply attested to what was already bound.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 6, pp. 164-165
March 15, 1984