Of His church, Jesus said, “…and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Yet, there’s a roaring lion out there seeking whom he may devour. We must always be vigilant as Satan wants nothing more than to destroy God’s one true church. Throughout the 2,000-years of our church history, God has provided leadership for whatever job was needed at the time. An instructive and encouraging example occurred when power was transferred after the death of an apostle to his successor.
“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John13:23). John was one of Jesus’ closest human friends, he had been taught personally by Jesus Christ and lived the longest of the original 12 disciples. As the last living apostle, John became the human leader, under Christ, of God's Church. During the latter part of the first century, the church among the Greeks was headquartered at Ephesus, in Asia Minor. All was not well. False teachers had risen; the Babylonian Mystery religion had adopted Christ's name; heresies had crept in and John expended much of his energy in fighting against the pollution of the original faith. But there was more.
God revealed to John a basic truth that was unrealized by all the rest. The return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth were not to occur immediately. Not until God inspired John to write the book of Revelation did God clearly show that there was much work still to do. In fact, the church was to continue through seven successive eras (Rev. 2 and 3). John himself, regardless of mounting deception and brethren who had lost their first love, continued to faithfully teach the way of life Jesus had committed to him. Tradition has it that John, aged and infirm, had to be carried into church services and that he always gave the same sermon (1John 5:3). Apparently, his listeners grew tired of hearing the same thing repeatedly. Does this sound familiar? Towards the end of his ministry, HWA constantly talked about the “two trees.” People grew weary in hearing it then. How many really got it? We need that message today more than ever! There were only two trees—which one are we eating from? The apostle John died around 100 A.D. What was to happen to the church, facing persecution from without and possible erosion from within? God raised up another leader, Polycarp, a disciple of John and the bishop of God's Church at Smyrna—John "passed the baton" (Rev. 2:8-11).
Polycarp had been personally taught by the Apostle John, who had been personally taught by Jesus Christ, and he continued in the footsteps of his predecessor. Polycarp quoted profusely from John—teaching the same message he had been taught—not his own hybrid version. By the middle of the second century, history shows that heresies began to creep into the church—Sunday versus Sabbath, a Sunday resurrection versus God’s Passover and etc. Polycarp and most of the congregations throughout Asia Minor continued to observe just as Christ and the apostles had done. The Quartodeciman Controversy is a well-known historical fact, and we know that Easter was ultimately adopted. However, we must recall another historical fact—under Polycarp, some few in the Church of God in Asia Minor continued to observe the truth! They held fast to the teachings of the apostles! And so, must we! Polycarp, John's student, continued to follow the apostles' teachings and passed them on faithfully to others. He provided spiritual leadership. He gave his life for God’s Work because he knew it was the right thing to do! God had provided an unbroken chain from His Son to an apostle to Polycarp. That same God still rules His church today.
Dead or Alive
What should God’s people do when an apostle dies? Does his death give anyone the right—evangelists, pastors, elders, deacons or members—to add to, change from or delete what he taught (2 Tim. 1:13)? What does the Bible teach us on this subject?
Peter's second letter is an intense and passionate farewell speech. The apostle writes, “Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease” (2 Peter 1:13-15). The epistle cannily declares that it is written shortly before his death. Peter’s purpose is to remind the brethren of the specific things Christ delivered through him—DON'T FORGET! God used this book to address those in the first century, but also to help preserve the church down through to our time today (Matt. 16:17-19)—he tells us: “...we have the prophetic word confirmed…” (2 Peter 1:19).
The truth did not originate with Peter, but with Christ. Thereby, it is Christ who set out to preserve those within His church—following the death of His apostle. How? By sharing a more clear and consistent hold on scripture through the inspiration, which Peter was about to leave them. This is indicated by his statement: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Just as the scriptures were originally written by the action of a single Spirit (Eph. 4:5-6), so they are to be understood in one way, and one way alone. To correctly understand “the faith” requires the gift from the identical same Spirit of God that inspired the written Word in the first place. That unique gift can only come from God’s grace.
God deliberately chooses not to reveal His will to every “Tom, Dick and Harry,” but has chosen to reveal His doctrines in a structured and unified way—through apostles who possess this “more sure word of prophecy” (Eph. 4:11-16)). Take heed, Peter warns us, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Peter 2:1-2). Notice the apt description of these false individuals—they “despise God’s government”—they “speak evil of dignities” (including the apostles themselves)—and it is going to be a common problem (2 Peter 2:2).
Unlike God’s true servants, Balaam was more interested in the “filthy lucre” than in truly following God’s Way. He wanted to give the impression of following God, but he went his own way—the way that seems right to a man—ultimately, he undermined God’s purpose by alluring Israel to sin (Num. 31:14-16). Therefore, we are warned: “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:21) in order to gather a following for themselves—especially off the “coat-tails” of HWA. What is the source of the “commandment” from which they turn—“…the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (2 Peter 3:1-2)?
The twelve apostles were sent by Christ to teach His people. They brought light into the darkness for the first time by properly interpreting the scriptures written by the prophets of old. It’s the same process today. God is the same yesterday, today and forever—He leads His church via His Spirit within an apostle. However, following that apostle’s death, the very same leadership—from the “One” Spirit—must continue unbroken within the Church if it is to remain the true Church of God. 2 Peter teaches us that God’s Government must always uphold the spiritual heritage left by the apostle. It is vital for the human leaders within the church to have the humility to submit to what God has placed over us all. Leadership within the true “body of Christ” is never from any man down, but always from God down. True leaders must lead by placing themselves clearly and decidedly beneath the spiritual heritage left after an apostle’s death. The death of the “one sent” should have absolutely no effect on this aspect. The source does not change!
Peter wrote his second epistle when he was about to die. He grasped that it was imperative for brethren to keep the original truths in mind after he was gone. Especially, in the midst of false teachers. God knew we would need this inspired letter today—and how right God is! We must always remember from whom we learned the truth. To be God’s truth it came from the Father—to His Son—and delivered to a man—an apostle— “one sent” with the truth to His people. It behooves each of us to study this second epistle, as it shows we must uphold that spiritual legacy if we are to remain the true people of God.
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