The Lord did place a soul into our care and keeping since we all have souls. Many of us are even granted the overseeing role for others' souls for at least a short time in our lives. Parent's are given brand new little souls to oversee as they grow up, husbands are handed their wives souls. We actually see instructions given on that one...
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV
Ephesians five does not speak specifically about the care and keeping of souls but it does speak of how we should act. The heading of that entire book is called walk in love. It even goes so far as to tell us:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV
These are instructions to believers. They tell us how to live, how to love. Yet they show us something else too. If one were to see every single person they encountered as a soul and if one had the only copy of the Scriptures...
What would you look for in another person if you knew you had to leave behind those very souls and you could not leave your copy of the Scriptures with them?
That was exactly what the Apostles were doing. 2 Peter 3 gives us some insight into the very fact that these men weren't just giving the new covenant Scriptures...they were the only version of them. They were literally walking, talking, living, breathing Bibles.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles (verses 1-2)
Pay careful attention the very last part of the above verse..."the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles". These men were giving the very commandments of God. Peter has this to say of Paul:
...just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (verses 15-16)
Paul's words were the Scriptures. The Apostles were giving the commandments of God. What then were they to do when their time in a certain place came to an end and they had to move on? What would you do if you had the only copy of the New Testament in existence and you had to take it with you when you left somewhere? What would you do if there were people there begging you to share more of those Scriptures?
The Apostles left people to stand in their place. They assigned men to oversee the very Scriptures they were doing their best to share with all the believers. This is another one of those places where my mind struggles to really be able to envision such a scenario. I simply cannot imagine life where the Scriptures are hard to attain much less where they do not exist. And because of that I struggle to picture how very desperate the believers must have been to keep the Apostles with them.
These new believers in a brand new covenant had only the Apostles as their Scriptures. They also had only the Apostles as their examples of what new covenant believers were and should be. I am guessing they were thirsty for knowledge and understanding, going to the Apostles begging them for more and more. They were asking questions, seeking understanding.
I recall those early days of regeneration when my soul was so very thirsty for Scripture. I knew very little of the Truth in Scripture and I simply could not get enough of it. I wanted more, more, more. I lived and breathed it every single day. Each day was but a new chance to learn more of the Scriptures.
But I was also filled with questions I had no answers too. What is this new thing. How does this work? Why me? Why not them? How do we get this version of how salvation works into the hearts and minds of people?
I did not understand then that they do not want this version. I didn't realize just how hard it would be to show anyone that salvation does not come of their own will but of Christ.
But these new covenant believers were being given these brand new Scriptures, these new revelations of God, fresh, for the very first time. Not just new to them but new to the whole world. They were seeing a miracle in the making.
And their miracles were about to leave them.
The Apostles had seen these thirsty souls for themselves. They had taught them, instructed them, held their hands, cried over them, prayed for them. They knew well what they were leaving behind. And they held no delusions that everyone that was professing a belief were actually of the elect.
In his letters to Timothy, Paul wrote:
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
15 You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 2 Timothy 1: 13-15
There he says that ALL who were in Asia turned from me. He even listed some by name. He knew that not all that professed a belief were truly of the elect. We see another example of this in his writing to Timothy:
Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
15Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.
16At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 2 Timothy 4:14-16
Not only do we see that everyone that had stood with Paul deserted him but we see that he did not hold it against them. In another verse he tells Timothy:
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.2 Timothy 2:24-26
Paul held no ill feelings toward those that did not stay in their faith. He did not wish them ill or refer to them as demons. We might be inclined to say that Paul is speaking of those still in the faith but that did not stand by Paul in his imprisonment. Even if that is the case we see in 2 Timothy 1:15 that he named two men by name. Why? What is the importance of these two men? He had to know them to give their names. Had they walked in his midst? Had they been men he thought to be believers? Regardless of whether or not Paul was speaking of those that simply did not stand by him or of those that left their christian professions behind, Paul
said...God may perhaps grant them repentance...and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil.
Yet he let these same people mingle in the midst of the elect. He gave them the same instruction he gave to those he believed to be truly elect. It was very much a mingling of believers of all levels of faith. The Apostles did not single out the elect from the professing believers but let them all come together as those that are in the faith. Paul even goes so far as to say:
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19
The Lord knows who are His seems to be their general consensus and they appeared to be inclined to let all who profess Christ come together as if they belonged to Christ, giving them the same instructions and warnings.
It was these very groups that the Apostles had essentially taken under their wing, holding their hands, ushering them into Christ we might say, and it was these groups of believers that they must leave behind. Knowing they were leaving them without instruction, without the new covenant Scriptures, what did the Apostles do? They appointed overseers.
Paul gives us an insight into what he was and what these overseers were and how they were appointed:
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
13though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
17 To the King of ages,immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
19 holding faith and a good conscience. 1 Timothy 1:12-19
Verse 18 especially shows us what Timothy is. Paul says, 'this charge I entrust to you'. Paul was handing the Scriptures into the care of Timothy, trusting that he was what he believed him to be. Timothy was chosen to be an overseer of Scripture in Paul's absence, he was appointed to this task not by God or Christ but by Paul.
This appointing of overseers was not done without standards or guidelines. They knew that they could not leave just anyone to stand in their place. These overseers had to know the new covenant Scriptures, they had to be the elect if at all possible but the Apostles were appointing men based on their own fallen human observations and they could only do the best they could. So they had standards in place. Paul laid those standards out:
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?
6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
9 They musthold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
12Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.
13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.1 Timothy 3:1-18
Even with those standards in place Paul did not leave the assigning of overseers only to those he and the other Apostles set in place. He knew the Scriptures must be handed out, so to speak, given into the hands of people he may never meet, kept throughout the ages, entrusted to people and spread to all. These people being entrusted with the new covenant Scriptures could not all be hand picked by the Apostles, there was no way to be certain that everyone entrusted with them was truly of the elect so all they could do was go by what they saw in people and put standards into place. Paul gave further instructions on who should handle Scripture and how it was to be handed into their guardianship:
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:1-2
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:14-15
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.2 Timothy 2:22-26
What other options did they have? The Apostles were mere men, bound by time and place. They had no idea how long they would receive divine revelation, no idea if they could remember tomorrow what they said today, no idea how long they would live. They were mortal men with a divine assignment that was subject to the will of God.
And so the Word of God was preserved through other mortal men, men that appeared to be sincere in their faith and had the ability to understand and remember the Scriptures as the Apostles were teaching them. They had to be upstanding, trustworthy men, not men that others could not respect. Who wants to listen to a known liar or a man that had children with many women? Who wanted to listen to someone tell them how to live when that same someone was a drunkard that did not support his family? And so standards were in place.
How much more upstanding must a man holding the very Scriptures in his hands be than those instructing on earthly things. In Hebrews we read:
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:17 ESV
These overseers were tasked with keeping watch over the souls of the believers. How did they keep watch over souls? By giving them the Scriptures that could be found nowhere else. When the Apostles time came to move on and leave groups of believers behind they entrusted this task to overseers, men that were chosen from among the believers, men that were believed to be regenerate, men that were not new to the faith but were deeper into it, they had stood the test of time and learning of the Scriptures and could be entrusted with the very souls of the believers being left without the very men that were the equivalent of the Bible.
That was what an overseer was. That was what they did. And there were rules for who could be an overseer.
Preachers today try to claim that same role. They say they guard their 'flock' or they 'save' souls. I ask...whose flock is it? The preachers? Or Christ's? Who saves souls? Mortal man? Or God?
This guarding of souls was an astronomical undertaking, the greatest of tasks, the most wonderful yet horrible thing anyone could ever do. Can you even begin to imagine the responsibility on the Apostles shoulders, knowing that they were giving the very word of God? And can you imagine being tasked as an overseer of believers when there were no Bibles to look to?
Today we have the Scriptures in our hands in the form of books we call the Bible. We can look things up, read and study for ourselves. We need no overseers because we have the very word of God at our fingertips. The Scriptures are now the guardian's of our souls. The Scriptures were the guardian's of souls in the first century too but those very Scriptures came in a different form. The Apostles were the Scriptures. And the men they appointed in their places were the overseers or guardians left to stand in their places.
After much study of the Scriptures, after approaching Scripture and trying to remove all traces of the teachings of men that I have absorbed through the very fact that I have lived, I can only see the picture I have painted above. I can't see preachers as we know them anywhere in Scripture. I can't see entrusting men with the teaching and giving of Scripture as we have it today. I see men that had the only version of the New Testament that there was.
And in seeing that I can't help but see that these preachers, teachers, elders, and overseers spoken of in Scripture looked nothing like the preachers and elders we have today.
No comments:
Post a Comment