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What We Believe and Why
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1986
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

THE APOSTOLIC MINISTRY CEASED WHEN IT SERVED ITS PURPOSE

I. Remember that the mighty workings of the Apostolic ministry were for the purpose of edifying and unifying the saints and confirming the Word, which was being revealed, to be the Truth:

A. As Heb. 2:3-4 points out, the "signs and wonders, and. divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost" "bore" "witness" that what the worker thereof did and said was of God.

B. "The word" which the Apostolic workers spoke was confirmed "with signs following." Mark 16:20.

C. Such miraculous workings had the effect of assuring the hearts of those who saw them (I Thes. 2:13; 1 Thes. 1:5) and establishing or edifying them, Rom. 1:11-12.

D. So, by the working of the Apostolic ministry, the saints were edified (I Cor. 14:5) and unified I Cor. 12:25.

II. The Holy Bible today serves the same purpose, which the mighty workings of the Apostolic ministry served, during the era when the Bible was being revealed:

A. Those who preach, teach, or in any way testify to the truth today, do not need to perform a miraculous work or exercise either of the gifts of the Spirit to prove or confirm that what they speak is truth or what they do is of God.

B. To the contrary, what men who would communicate the truth today need to do is "Preach the Word" (II Tim. 4:2) which has already been revealed and confirmed to be the truth. Heb. 2:3-4. As long as a man limits himself to declaring what is written in the Bible, he speaks the truth; and the fact that it can be established in Holy Writ is all the proof or confirmation that is needed that it is the Truth.

C. This can be said without contradiction for:

1. God "cannot lie." Titus 1:2.

2. And,Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Matt. 24:35.

3. Thus, as long as one declares to you the Bible, you know he's telling the truth.

D. And, since no more Bible is being written (Rev. 22:18), a miracle, sign or gift of the Spirit to reconfirm what has already been confirmed is useless. Does the Holy Ghost of this universe have to continually reconfirm what has already been confirmed? We say "No," One confirmation is sufficient; but since no more Scripture is eing revealed, those who claim to exercise gifts today must be doing so to reconfirm the Scripture. The truth is that such ones are frauds, for all anyone needs do to determine the truthfulness of what they say is examine it in light of book, chapter and verse of the Bible.

E. Today the Bible itself serves to determine the truth or falsehood of any statement.

F. Furthermore, the body (the church) is unified and edified with the Bible:

1. Col. 2:7 therefore, teaches us to be "rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith as ye have been taught." They were taught the word (II Tim. 4:2) and notice that the word had the effect of building up (edifying) and establishing (unifying) them.

2. Rather than wait for some miracle or gift of the Spirit to unify and edify us, we are told to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. " II Tim. 2:15.

G. So, again we say that the Bible, once completed, serves the same purpose that the Apostolic ministry served in the days before the Bible was completed.

III. It is in view of this truth that those of the Apostolic era looked forward to the coming completion of the Scriptures, and indicated the Apostolic ministry was only to serve until that day arrived:

A. Paul discussed Spiritual gifts in I Cor. 12; and after a long discussion of them, he says in Vs. 31, "Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." Paul was clearly in the business of revealing the Word of God (I Cor. 2). Thus,it seems evident that the more excellent way he was showing was the revealed word of God by which the Lord's work Could be carried on successfully, without the gifts of the Spirit.

B. Paul the Apostle again spoke in Eph. 4:11-14 and indicated that eventually "the unity of the faith" would come, by which the saints could know the knowledge of the Son of God and become "perfect" or mature.

C. Jude spoke of "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints," Vs. 3. It is evident that there was a clear recognition here that the Word would all be completely delivered: that Divine Revelation would not go on indefinitely; but that we'd have the completed Revelation, as we do in the Bible.

D. Whereas, the mighty workings of the Apostolic ministry were for the purpose that men might better believe that which was spoken to be the truth, John mentioned the Written Word, and said as it was given that it would be alone sufficient to cause men to believe. Consider John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe..." And, Thomas saw Jesus resurrected (John 20:26-28), and many miraculous things which he did (Acts 1:2-3), and he believed, John 20:29. But, Jesus said to him, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed," John 20:29. That which is written is sufficient evidence today to cause anyone to believe, and he needs no miracle to convince him.

E. II Tim. 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture (the completed Word) 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 perfect (Notice that the word means mature or complete and is exactly the same word used in Eph. 4:13 and I Cor. 13:10, thus establishing these two passages to refer to the finished or completed word), throughly furnished unto all good works." If the Bible thoroughly or completely furnishes us unto all good works, what possible thing could signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Spirit add to us today?

F. In I Cor. 13:8 after a considerable discussion of Apostolic gifts, Paul says clearly that they shall "cease." The Greek word used here is "pauo" which means literally to stop, quit, come to an end, according to Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament. In the next verse (Vs. 9) Paul speaks of his era as an era in which we know in part, and we prophesy in part." He mentions knowing "in part" again in Vs. 12. There was no completed Bible then, making it impossible for them to be "Throughly furnished" or to be "perfect" or mature. Thus, Paul could say in Vs. 12, "Now we see through a glass, darkly..." Then, in Vs. 10 he refers to the day when the word will be complete, saying, "when that which is perfect is come." (This is not a reference to the second coming of Christ for he is masculine, and never referred to as "that", which is neuter. Furthermore, nowhere in this context is the second coming of Christ under consideration, and to say this is a reference to it is to completely disregard the context.) When that which is complete (the finished Bible) is come, he says, "then that which is in part shall be done away." Vs. 10. The Apostolic ministry was a ministry "in part." All of the truths were not yet assembled into one whole. But, once they were, the ministry "in part" was "done away."

G. Thus, again we conclude that the Apostolic ministry ceased with the completion of the Bible.

IV. Our conclusions then are simple:

A. Once the Bible was completed, the Apostolic ministry had served its purpose. The Bible today serves the purpose the Apostolic ministry once served.

B. Thus, the Apostolic ministry is not needed today. It would serve no purpose.

C. The ministry of gifts was given to the Apostles and no one else. Thus, with the death of the Apostles, which occured about the time the Bible was completed, there was no further ministering of the gifts, thus no one else received them after that time.

D. Consequently, when all those, to whom the Apostles had administered the gifts, died, no one else since has exercised a gift of the Spirit.

E. Thus, those who claim Apostolic power and to have the gifts of the Spirit today are mistaken, for they do not have them.

F. Thus, we conclude that the charismatic renewal is not at all a bonafide scriptural movement.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"