Musick-al note # 303
In 1 Corinthians 12:4-31, the apostle Paul refers to the work of the church in the First Century before the Word governing the Church was completely written. God had given to the apostles the baptism of the Holy Spirit which enabled them to have all the gifts of the Spirit such as are named in 1 Corinthians 12. The apostles were able to transmit these gifts of the Holy Spirit to others through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17-18; 1 Tim. 4:14), however those could not transmit the same gifts to others (Acts 8:12-18). These gifts of the Holy Spirit were ended when the fullness of the Revelation came (1 Cor. 13:8-10). Various gifts were given to guide the church until the complete Revelation was finished.
Following Jesus, the church today must rely on the Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) to know God and His son Jesus (John 20:30-31). These words have come to us through the years and we recognize them as scriptures inspired by and given by the Lord. The apostle Peter revealed this truth when he wrote that Paul’s writings were scriptures to be considered true as other older writings were (2 Peter 3:15-16). Thus we must give careful attention to all these words (Hebrews 2:1-4) so in believing and obeying them we show that we believe Jesus and follow His will.
Jesus said that scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), we dare not change or nullify His Word by our human reasoning and decisions. We do not have the authority to nullify the scripture by substituting hidden meanings given by men without regard to the obvious and plain language of scripture. Let us then study the Word and handle it carefully that we can be approved to God when we stand before Him in Judgment.
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 