Church of Christ - Gospel for Today

The scriptures reveal that the word of God is perfect, always and forever.
The word “perfect” implies completion; something that is finished with
nothing lacking. The Word of God is affirmed to be perfect by its writers,
yet there are many today who feel that additional revelation by inspired
people or additional commentary by church leaders is needed in addition to
the clear teachings of the Bible. In reply to this, we will let the word of God
defend itself.

David wrote these words of praise in 2 Samuel 22:31-33:
As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a
shield to all who trust in Him. "For who is God, except the LORD? And who
is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes
my way perfect.

Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16,17:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Here we have it from David that the word of God “makes my way perfect”
and from Paul that the word of God equips us to every good work. We don’
t need new revelation or oral tradition to show us how to live or in order to
perform every work that God would want us to perform. Think about it this
way, if the word of God tells us how to perform EVERY good work, then
anything added above and beyond the word of God must be a BAD work!

The apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth about something perfect
that was on the way, 1 Corinthians 13:9,10:
For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect
has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

What is “that which is perfect”? We’ll let scripture interpret scripture and
turn to James for the answer, James 1:25:
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is
not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in
what he does. (emphasis mine)

The word “perfect” simply means “complete.” We now have the completed
New Testament, the law of liberty which James refers to as perfect! In the
early church doctrinal matters and matters of faith were taught orally by the
mouths of the apostles and others with the gift to do so, yet Paul states that
this was imperfect and would be done away with. James then tells us that
the law of liberty, the N.T. is perfect. Going back to oral tradition or relying
on new prophecies is taking a step backward and calling incomplete what
god has called perfect. (See also this article)

There are yet others who would say that the word of God WAS perfect for
those alive at the time it was written, but new interpretations and
modifications are needed from time to time to keep the word of God up to
date and applicable to new generations and social trends. Yet the word of
God claims it is applicable always, for ever and throughout all generations!

Psalm 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your
righteous judgments endures forever.

Deuteronomy 5:29 'Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would
fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with
them and with their children forever!

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that
men should fear before Him.

These are a few O.T. examples that tell us that not just part but the
ENTIRETY of God’s word is true, that we should ALWAYS keep his
commandments and that what God sets forth shall be forever, not to be
added to or taken from!

The N.T. also states these facts.

1 Peter 1:23-25 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but
incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the
grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the
LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was
preached to you.

Peters message? Man’s word withers and fades while God’s lives and
abides forever!

John also has something to say about the word of God. John refers to
Jesus as being the word… in john 1:1 he writes “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Later in verse
14 he takes away any doubt as to whom he refers. “And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” We of course realize that
“the only begotten of the Father” refers to Jesus. (See John 3:16)

The Hebrew writer then tells us in Hebrews 13:8 that “Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday, today, and forever.”

John says that Jesus IS the word, so interpreting scripture in light of other
scripture we can safely say from looking at Hebrews 13:8 that the word is
the same yesterday, today, and forever!!! God knew doubters would arise
and told us in His word that it IS perfect and will be perfect FOREVER!

If these scriptures have not convinced you, let us look at the example of
Jesus and the apostles. Realize that when Jesus and the apostles were
here on the earth, some of the old testament scriptures were nearly 2000
years old already! Today some of us doubt the new testament can hold up
because it is roughly 2000 years old…. Did Jesus and the apostles feel this
way about the ancient scriptures of the old testament? Let’s see…

Peter trusted even the earliest words of Genesis to be factual and true. 1
Peter 3:5-7 “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God
the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the
water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same
word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men.” Peter here relies on the accuracy of ancient
texts without any doubt in His mind of their truth and accuracy! He believed
God when he stated His word was true always and forever!

Notice again, that if anyone had the right to come up with something new or
different regarding religion, it would have been Jesus, yet notice when
Jesus came up against the Devil He didn’t use new words but relied on the
truth and power of words previously penned… Jesus could think of nothing
more powerful to use against the great tempter than the three little words
“IT IS WRITTEN” (Matthew 4:1-11)

In fact, Jesus never used oral traditions of the Jews to defend the truth,
although there was plenty in existence. Instead He condemned such
tradition. Note His words in Mark 7:7-13:
“And in vain they worship Me, Teaching [as] doctrines the commandments
of men.' "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition
of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things
you do." He said to them, "[All too] well you reject the commandment of
God, that you may keep your tradition. "For Moses said, 'Honor your
father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be
put to death.' "But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother,
"Whatever profit you might have received from me [is] Corban" -- ' (that is, a
gift [to God),] "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his
mother, "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which
you have handed down. And many such things you do."

In these verses Jesus flatly condemns oral tradition and states that it takes
away from and gets in the way of following the word of God… Why should
we assume that oral tradition in Christianity would be any better or any
more acceptable to God than the oral tradition of the Jews?

Some have counted that Jesus quoted scripture more than 100 times just in
what we have recorded of his teachings! Throughout the gospels we notice
Jesus making statements like: “Have you not read…” or “Did you never
read in the scriptures…” (Mt. 12:3, Mt. 21:42)

It is obvious that the writers of the N.T. and Jesus himself trusted the word
of God and quoted from it liberally, are the things that were good enough
for Jesus not good enough for us?

The psalmist felt that the words of God were good enough not just for his
contemporaries, but for ALL generations:

Psalm 100 . Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the
LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the
LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are
His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth
endures to all generations.

The psalmist puts this issue into very simple terms… Gods truth doesn’t
need to be revamped for the baby boomers and again for “Generation X” It
doesn’t need to be changed one way for Americans and another way for
Russians and so on. It is God’s truth regardless of time or place and needs
no help from man.

In conclusion, we note that a reluctance to simply accept God’s word and
submit to it is nothing new. The prophet Jeremiah ran into such resistance:

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask
for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find
rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

Such stubbornness from that generation and this generation as well will be
accountable at the judgment. We have been told time and time again that
god’s word needs no changes… in fact one of the very last warnings God
gave us in the revelation is this:

“ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that
are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life,
from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Rev
22:18,19)

God has delivered to us a perfect revelation. Men do not wish to change or
reinterpret the word of God for the betterment of mankind, but in order to
let slide doctrine they don’t care for and/or to allow things foreign to the
word of God into the church, such as people preaching in capacities where
they should not and fellowshipping homosexuals, and other known
deviants. If they were concerned with actually doing the will of God, they
would submit to the word he has delivered to us and affirmed to be perfect
and timeless. "If you love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15) Let us
ask for and follow the old paths, for the Gospel as originally delivered and
recorded IS the Gospel for today!