We who believe are called upon to keep the faith like the Apostles of Christ. The beloved Apostle Paul tells us of his responsibility placed on him by Christ to keep the faith: 1 Timothy 1:11-12
According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. …for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.
1 Thessalonians 2:3-5
For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
Recognizing he was put in trust with the gospel, Apostle Paul lived a life that did not hinder the flow of the gospel(1Cor 9:12), he accepted the responsibility to be a voice of the gospel- he must preach it (1Cor 9:16). He mustn’t keep quiet no matter what, just like the other Apostles (Act 4:20). He mustn’t corrupt or pervert it, not for anything in the world. So long Apostle Paul was committed to keeping the faith which was committed into his hand, God was committed to keeping his soul which he had committed into His hands (2Tim 1:12).
The Apostles of Jesus kept the faith intact and handed it down to our generation. We too must keep it intact, unadulterated, unmodified. The Apostles did not alter the gospel, not for their own selfish interests or the wishful lusts of a mixed multitude church. Not in fear of the government, or in love for worldly approval. As they received it from their Lord, so they handed it down. As they learnt from Christ, so they taught. They were faithful to their Lord and his ordinances — they dared not alter what they did not institute. Are we wiser than they were? No. We must be keepers of the faith not editors of it. We dare not Lord it over our Master’s will.
The above I think blessed Apostle Paul meant when he said, ” I have kept the faith…. ” The same is required of us today who are true disciples of the Master. We must keep the faith faithfully. We can’t emend Jesus for the Church, nor edit him for the world. We can’t make Jesus fit into the world, he has never fitted in. We can’t create a Jesus of our own fancy, or a twenty-first century Jesus. We must tread the old path of the crucified life and preach the old gospel of eternal salvation in the manner the Apostles did. It was Jesus as received, that the apostles handed down:
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; –Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:3)
And it is Jesus (i.e the gospel) as we received it from the Apostles that we are expected to practice and hand down to the next generation. The faith has been once and for all delivered (Jude 1:3); no new version. It must remain the New Covenant; no modern covenant.
Excerpt from The Faithful Christian. Download here https://royalflockofchrist.data.blog/book-library-2/
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