◄ Faith Fundamentals ►

For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:11-12

Twelve Apostles

Matthias was the man that replaced Judas Iscariot to become Christ’s 12th apostle. All these disciples including Matthias, were eye-witnesses of Christ’s life and death. They all were with Him the entire time that Jesus travelled in Judea and the Galilee.

Personally Taught

They witnessed His works, and they listened to the gracious words that He spoke. They observed His signs and were eye-witnesses to His many miracles and healings. They were personally taught as they sat at His feet – and they loved Him as their Master.

Bold Witnesses

They ate, slept, and walked with Him. They worshipped Him as their Lord and God. They were shocked by His death, amazed at His resurrection and saw His ascension. They became bold witnesses of Christ.. proclaiming Him risen; ascended and glorified.

Personal Witnesses

These disciples knew Jesus as a Man and they were personal witnesses of all He did. These apostles knew Christ as God incarnate and worshiped Him as Saviour and Lord. They listened to the sermon on the Mount as Jesus taught of His coming kingdom. They were party to His discourses, warning of a coming time of tribulation and trouble.

Infallible Proofs

They were there in the agony at Gethsemane and witnessed Christ’s cruel treatment. They saw the blood-stained cross.. visited the empty tomb – touched His risen body: and they saw many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3

Eye Witnesses

These men were eyewitnesses of all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day that He was taken up to heaven. He ascended after He had given instructions, through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen, and they were to carry the good news to those in Jerusalem – in Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost ends of the earth.

Undisclosed Doctrine

They were to face difficulties and death as they proclaimed abroad the Good News. A number were to write epistles that would become part of God’s Holy Scripture, but none were to unfold the yet undisclosed doctrine to the coming Christian Church.

Essential Doctrines

Paul alone was specifically called on to disclose the essential doctrines of salvation – a responsibility reserved for Saul of Tarsus, God’s chosen apostle to the gentiles – Paul.

Body of Christ

None of the weighty doctrines for the body of Christ were unfolded to these twelve. Oh, they saw many infallible proofs of His resurrection for forty days..  as He spoke of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Salvation Essentials

The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were indeed taught to the Lord’s apostles,  but the essentials of salvation, sanctification, and glorification came through Paul. The teaching of the fundamentals of our faith was fulfilled through God’s chosen vessel, the apostle Paul.

Church-Age Truth

The mysteries of the Church as the body and bride of Jesus Christ came from Paul. The necessity of grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone were all from Paul’s pen. The task of unveiling many church-age mysteries were also entrusted to this apostle.

Unrevealed Truths

Moses was the man for Israel, who revealed God’s commandments to His people. The twelve apostles were the men that were taught the truths of the kingdom of God. Paul was the person for the Church – who unfolded many unrevealed truths to us.

The Apostle Paul

The main fundamentals of our faith were given to us by the apostle Paul. The main essentials of church-age doctrine have been delivered to us by Paul. The following quote from a great expositor of scripture stated the following:

Declarer and Revealer

“Paul is the declarer and revealer of the gospel to us. Take Romans to Philemon out of the Bible, and you are bereft of Christian doctrine. For instance, if you were to take Paul’s Epistles out of the Bible, you cannot find anything about the Church - the Body of Christ, for no other apostle mentions the Body of Christ.”

Great Mysteries

“You cannot find one of the great mysteries, such as the Rapture of the Church (1 Thess. 4 and 1 Cor. 15) or the mystery of the present hardening of Israel (Rom. 11) in the Old Testament, the four Gospels, or from Hebrews through to Revelation; for no other apostle speaks of any of those mysteries.”

Union with Christ

“Paul alone reveals them. You cannot find the exact meaning of any of the great doctrines, such as propitiation, reconciliation, justification, identification, redemption, sanctification, except in Paul’s Epistles. You cannot find what is perhaps the most tremendous fact of every real Christian life, that of his personal union with the Lord in glory. Paul is the great, divinely chosen opener to us of truth – for this age.”

God-Breathed Scripture

All scripture is God-breathed. All Scripture is inspired by God and all Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. All scripture can be used to correct us when wrong – and teach us to do what’s right.

For Us or To Us

All scripture is written FOR us – but not all is written TO us. Let us take to heart the main essentials of Paul’s’ teachings. Let us follow carefully the faith fundamentals in Paul’s epistles.

Received Through Revelation

For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11-12