“It’s In the Bible” part 1
“Let it be your care to get the approval of God, as a workman who has no cause for shame, giving the true word in the right way.” (2 Tim 2:15 BBE)
Misinterpretation of Scripture can give rise to wrong doctrines. You can prove anything with the Bible, especially the Old Testament. Hence, there are several warnings in the New Testament on how to apply OT texts to contemporary issues.
1 Cor 10:1-12. Verses 11-12 “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (NKJV)
Even the original Apostles learned this precept the hard way.
In the selection of Matthias as the 12th apostle the apostles followed the concept of “It’s in the Bible.”
This is how it happened
The psalmist described the fall of Judas Iscariot in Ps 109.
Verse 8 “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.” Apostle Peter saw the need to replace Judas and decided to act.
Acts 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17 “for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 “beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen
25 “to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”
26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (NKJV)
While the Apostles were busy selecting a replacement for Judas from among those who were Disciples of Christ from the days of John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit was busy looking for a man with the capacity to take the gospel to the Gentiles.
He was searching for a learned detribalized man who could reason with the Epicureans and the heathen with their different gods.
The Holy Spirit was searching for an erudite teacher with sound knowledge of the Law and the Prophets; a courageous Judio-Roman citizen with access to the Roman oligarchy.
In most of his epistles Paul insisted that he was made an Apostle of Jesus Christ not by men but by the will of God
1 Tim 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.
Gal 1:1 – Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).
Between Matthias & Paul who was the 12th Apostle?
To be continued
~Collins #evangelicalfellowshipinstitute.org
