Notes:
Apostolic Foundations
- The most important part of a building is the part you cannot see – the foundations. This is the same with the church.
- The foundations determine the boundaries and the shape of the building. They dictate what can be built on them.
- The main function of apostles is to lay foundations. ‘Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone’ (Eph.2:20).
- The foundations are Jesus, 1 Cor.3:11. The apostles taught the disciples how to be rooted and grounded in Him.
- The 12 disciples were trained by Jesus for 3 years for this ministry. Their teaching came to be known as the apostle’s doctrine, which they were to lay as a foundation for Christians and churches.
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.1:11&12)
- As Jesus taught the disciples for 3 years, so He instructed Paul concerning how the church was to be built.
- As a wise master builder Paul laid the foundations for local churches, 1 Cor.3:10-11.
- He had a tremendous body of truth which he taught in depth and detail in all the churches.
- He referred to this as a ‘form of doctrine’. To the Romans he wrote: ‘You obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered’ (Rom.6:17). These were indispensible truths for believers to be established upon.
- The word translated ‘delivered’ means to be handed over to something or someone.
- Under each covenant God’s people were handed over to the teaching of that covenant.
- When Moses came down from the mountain with the 10 commandments, he not only delivered these to the Israelites, he also delivered the Israelites over to the commandments.
- They were handed over to ‘the form of knowledge and truth in the law’ (Rom.2:20).
- The basis upon which God dealt with the old covenant people, then, was according to law. This was the form or shape of their relationship with Him.
- Referring to this time Paul says, ‘We were kept under guard by the law’ (Gal.3:23).
- But when we hear and believe the gospel we are delivered from the law and handed over to the apostle’s doctrine. Paul said, ‘But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by…’ (Rom.7:6).
- The form of Paul’s doctrine is outlined in the first half of Romans chapter 6. It concerns our baptism into Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
- This is the gospel (see 1 Cor.15:1-4). Not only was Jesus crucified, buried and raised for us; but we also died, and were buried and raised with Him to newness of life.
- In this union with Him we are set free from the form of the old covenant and handed over to the form of the apostolic teaching of the new covenant.
- When we believe the apostle’s doctrine our lives are shaped by it.
- Through union with Christ we experience the finality of His death and the power of His resurrection life. This is the authentic Christian life.
A pattern of sound words
- The form of apostolic doctrine is fashioned by a ‘pattern of sound words’, i.e. key words relating to our life in Christ. Paul instructed Timothy: ‘Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me’ (2 Tim.1:13).
- We have been poured into this mould of sound words.
- Some of Paul’s sound words were: righteousness, in Christ, grace, faith, sons of God, new creation, new covenant, the new man, the love of God, eternal life, etc.
- As we hold fast to these sound words they shape our lives.
- The Greek word for ‘sound’ means healthy. Healthy teaching produces healthy living.
Shaped by the unsound words of the man-made teachings
- If we have not been established on apostolic foundations then we have most likely been shaped by the form of the doctrines of man.
- These are characterized by terminology common to the religious environment from which we have come.
- In contrast to the pattern of sound words which Paul taught, these terms place the emphasis upon self and they are foreign to the new covenant.
- Therefore, they conjure up wrong and misleading ideas regarding the Christian life.
- For example, jargon used in some religious circles include: ‘making a decision or commitment’, ‘paying the price’, ‘pressing in’, ‘breaking through’, ‘4 steps to…’, ‘vision’, ‘on the cutting edge’, ‘sowing seeds to receive a harvest’, ‘revival’, ‘impartation’, ‘deliverance’, ‘breaking curses’, ‘recommitment’, etc.
Paul’s strategy for building the church
- First he would teach this form of core apostolic truths to key people such as Timothy and Titus.
- Then he would instruct them to train local leaders, so they could teach the people in their churches.
- For example, he said to Timothy, ‘The things that you have heard from me among many faithful witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also’ (2 Tim.2:2).
- And he said to Titus, an elder must hold fast ‘the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict’ (Titus 1:9).
- It is clear that those who lead, disciple or influence others should first be established themselves upon apostolic foundations. Otherwise they will be blind leaders of the blind.
- The ability to teach others does not need to be a public, pulpit type of ministry, but elders must be able to train or disciple people on a one-to-one basis in sound apostolic foundations.