NOTE: All comments in brackets [ ] or in parentheses ( ) as well as highlighted text (bolded and/or in blue) are from the author of this study.
Bible quotations are in maroon.
This is a topic which has been mentioned here and there in the studies posted on this site but which I had never completely explained or put all the relevant elements together in the same study. This study endeavors to do that and it should make it easier for you to understand how it is that the ministry can be a source of truth but not the only one although it does have basic, foundational truth which all true Christians need to master to become able students of their Bible as we will see.
Truth Held by the Ministry
The original disciples who became apostles were taught directly by Christ a number of truths which Paul calls the foundation (1Cor 3:10). Paul’s conversion occurred after that of the disciples but he was also personally trained by Christ as the other apostles were (Gal 1:15-16; 1Co 9:1; ). The apostles were given truth directly by Christ that was to be transmitted to all newcomers to the faith from generation to generation. All newcomers to God’s Church are babes-in-Christ whose first task is to learn and master these foundational truths that the ministry is responsible for teaching them. These foundational truths need to be mastered through a process of attentive, careful and sustained study requiring that the babes-in-Christ prove all things taught them with their Bible which is the only sure criterion of truth. They cannot rely on any man not even the ministry.
Isa 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Paul told Christians in the congregations he had raised up that they were only to follow him as he followed Christ.
1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
How would they know if Paul was following Christ? By checking Paul’s teachings against their Bible like the Bereans did.
Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Although Paul was an apostle, he taught that he was not to be taken at his word; those listening to him had to check out his teachings with their Bible.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Even the apostles who personally were with Christ for some 3 1/2 years knew and taught that they did not have the authority to impose their teachings on those who heard them.
2Co 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
Every man must prove them for himself to his satisfaction with his Bible and if the Bible agrees with the teachings of the apostles and, the ministry today, they are to follow them; if not, they are not to do so. Why? Because salvation depends on what individuals choose to believe as there is no power in the universe that can force the to believe something against their will.
Why?
Because of the absolute free moral agency God gave man.
God commands man to choose life or death and leaves him entirely free to choose one or the other with no power in the universe, except God Himself, being able to force him to choose contrary to his will. However, God will not force man to choose good instead of evil because, and this is of the greatest importance, in order for man to be a being of
C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R. In order for a man to be able to freely and self-willingly choose good or evil after coming to the knowledge of the truth, it is necessary that he be fully free to choose one or the other. If a stronger power could impose its will upon men, they would not be free to choose and they could not be held responsible for the good or bad choices that they make. They would simply be the choices of the stronger power working its will through them and God could not have commanded men to choose.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
God will not force man to choose life but He urges him to choose life; however, should man choose death, God will respect his decision even though it is unto eternal death. Salvation is an informed and individual decision and not a matter of belonging to the right group, having trust in the right man or believing what everybody else around you believes.
Once newcomers to the faith have mastered the foundational truths of God’s Church they are no longer babes-in-Christ but have become spiritually mature Christians who are drawn from the breast and weaned from the milk, (Isa 28:9). The maturing of new converts to spiritual adulthood is one of the main reason for the existence of God’s Church.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Spiritual maturity is what makes it possible for Christians to learn the strong meat (Heb 5:12-13) of the Bible through their personal Bible studies. (2Tim 2:15).
Isa 28:9 Whom shall he [God] teach knowledge? and whom shall he [God] make to understand doctrine? them [babes-in-Christ] that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. [They have become spiritually mature Christians that God can teach.]
The milk of the Word are the foundational truths given the apostles by Christ and that all must master to become spiritually mature Christians able to seek out, find and understand the strong meat of the Word as they engage in a careful and life long study of the Scriptures.
What is the skill level of a Christian who has failed to master the foundational truth of God’s Church (which Paul calls the “milk of the word”) to explore the Scriptures so as to get growth in knowledge and understanding? Paul tells us in Heb 5:12-13.
Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
These Christians of Paul’s days had not made the effort to learn and keep fresh in their minds the foundational truths of God’s Church. They were back to having to have the basics taught them all over again. As a result, they could not study the Scriptures and discover the strong meat that it contains which is spiritual truth Christ did not give the apostles and which individual Christians can find through personal study of their Bible. When studying their Bible Christians enter into a conversation with Christ and only spiritually mature Christians can have a conversation with Christ. It is not possible to have adult conversations with babes.
Isa 28:9 Whom shall he [God] teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
It is only once becoming mature Christians that an adult-to-adult conversation can occur with Christ who can then give them new knowledge and understanding from the pages of the Bible.
Paul, urged Timothei to study.
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
What was he to study and why?
He was to keep on studying His Bible using the foundational truth given him by Paul who received them directly from Christ and which provides him with the means to study the Bible on his own and to get the correct and intended meaning out of it. A workman or student of the Bible who need not be ashamed because he is “rightly dividing” i.e., correctly understanding, the word of truth.
God’s command to Christians of all ages is to have growth in knowledge and understanding throughout their Christian lives.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
The individual Christian is primarily responsible for his own salvation. His salvation does not depend upon following the right man; being part of the right organization or; believing what the majority believes. The ministry, when there is a true one, is there to teach the foundational truth given by Christ to the apostles . These truths were to be transmitted in an unbroken chain from generation to generation of Christians but because of persecution coming upon the Church, much of these foundational truths were lost and had to be restored to the Church by one that would come in the power and spirit of Elijah to do so as prophesied by Christ.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
The “all things” that were to be restored to the Church are the foundational truth given directly from the mouth of Christ to the apostles. A thorough knowledge of these truths makes it possible for Christians to gain more knowledge and understanding as they study their Bible and in this way build on the foundation of truth given the Church.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
These new truths come directly from the Bible and not through the ministry or other men. They are the result of God conversing with individual Christians as they study their Bible.
God’s truth is spiritual i.e., it requires for men to understand it, that God’s Spirit be added to their human spirit. God’s Spirit makes it possible for them to understand in their spiritual intent, the foundational truths taught new converts by the ministry.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
All throughout their lives, the faithful are essentially taught by God as it is the spirit being called the Word that is in them (John 14:17 and see Who or What is the Holy Spirit?) giving them understanding of God’s spiritual truth contained in the Holy Bible some of which they learnt while babes-in-Christ and others which they will learn after becoming spiritually mature Christians.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
The unconverted read the same words but come to very different understandings as to what they mean. We only have to consider what the churches of this world believe it means to be born again; what and who is God, what is faith, etc. to realize how true this is.
Being a Christian is a life of growth that begins with our being taught the basics of God’s truth as a first and necessary step. We are not to remain at the same level of knowledge and understanding going over and over the same knowledge and never growing. Mastering the foundational truths of God’s Church will enable us to go into the Bible on our own and through personal studies of the Scriptures enter into a conversation with God who will open our minds to different things that were always there but which we had not seen before because we didn’t yet have the required spiritual maturity.
Salvation is an individual process between God and the faithfuls not between God and the faithful through the ministry. Ministers also have to work on their salvation in the very same way as the non-ordained members of the Church. They must develop and maintain a relationship with God who is as much their teacher as He is for the lay members.
On Individual Members Receiving New Truth
It was taught in God’s Church when its human head was Mr. Armstrong, that all knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures flow into the Church through the Pastor General as God only works through one man at a time. The main reason provided was that this was to prevent creating confusion and that God is not the author of confusion. So it would seem only wise and prudent to have all new truth be verified by the Pastor General who will decide whether it is valid or not.
Mr. Armstrong as God’s end-time Elijah who restored all things was certainly the source of truth when it came to restoring the fundamental truths given by Christ to the apostles and which got lost because of the great persecution that came upon God’s Church shortly following its foundation. But, these foundational truths are not all the truth than can be learned from the Bible. And the manner in which these other truths enter the Church is not through the Pastor General or the ministry though they can at times be the originators of new understandings of the Scriptures. The way growth occurs from the fundamental truths restored to God’s Church also occurs by individual members as a result of their personal Bible studies..
In the following paragraphs we will examine together how things were done in the First Century Church as given us by God through the writings of Paul.
If we turn to 1Co 14: 29-40 we find the principal Scriptures where it is stated that members of God’s Church could and would discuss their individual findings in the Bible with other members of God’s Church when they came together on the annual and weekly Sabbaths or in Bible study sessions.
1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
The problem as we will see as we go through 1Co 14: 26-40 was not that they were discussing their Bible findings among themselves when they gathered; it was how they were doing it that was the problem. Everyone was quite eager to speak about what they were finding in their studies of the Bible and everyone wanted to talk at once but Paul tells them that everything they do must serve to build up, help others in the congregation who don’t have the same understanding and if they are all trying to talk over one another, no one hearing them will understand much of what they are saying,
1Co 14:29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
At this point is it necessary to explain what is a prophet. A prophet is simply a messenger from God or someone who when he speaks is speaking God’s truth as indicated in Joel 2:28.
Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
God’s words sometimes are about future events but most of the time it is simply God speaking through the mouths of the converted as they discuss His truth among themselves. The Christian is then prophesying in the sense of Joel 2:28 “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” They have received God’s Spirit and are speaking God’s truth to other converted individuals and sometimes but rarely, to their unconverted friends and family. Baal, one of the pagan gods of the Old Testament also had men speaking on his behalf and the Bible also refers to them as being prophets (2 King 10:19). Called out individuals and converted individuals when they are speaking to others the truth of God they are being prophets. A prophet is a man speaking the truth of his God to others.
In the instance of 1Co 14, Paul says that non-ordained members of God’s Church through their studies and prayers can and will uncover truth, knowledge and understanding that effectively build on the foundation of truth (see 1Co 3:10-15 and Do Christians have to Grow in Knowledge? & scroll down to the following Heading: “What About Today?“) taught them by the ministry.
1Co 14:30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
Members bringing this information to the whole congregation are then speaking to others truth they have received from God and are thus prophets and in 1Cor 14:31 this is what God through Paul calls them.
1Co 14:31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
One who prophesy is a prophet and, as previously stated, a prophet is not always and exclusively someone whose message from God is about events that are to occur in the near or far future.
It was expected that members would be given truth not part of the foundational truth taught them and it was understood that they could and would share their findings with their individual congregations whenever they assembled. The purpose of sharing with other truly converted Christians was for members to test the validity of their findings through discussions with others using Scriptural references (not personal opinion) to confirm or invalidate their findings. BUT, and this was Paul’s concern, they were not all to speak at once creating confusion and making it hard or impossible for others to understand what they were saying and be comforted when some new insight into the Scriptures was being confirmed.
1Co 14:31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
1Co 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
1Co 14:32 explains, clarifies and supports all that has been said so far and that is that those who receive new understanding of the Scriptures should verify their findings with other members of the Church in their local congregations: “the spirit of the prophets” those who have received new understanding, are subject to the prophets i.e., the other members of their local congregations to prove out, using the Scriptures, or invalidate the members’ new knowledge and understanding.
1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Everything must be done in order and all must believe the same things and all new knowledge and understanding has to be validated using the Scriptures in discussion with the whole congregation when it assembles.
1Co 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
The woman was created for man and not man for the woman; he is the head and she is the helpmeet, an authority structure established by God.
1Co 14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
Another word of caution from Paul to the members regarding prophesying. A very important warning and which is for those who are given new knowledge and understanding not to start thinking that they are the only ones who receive truth from God and that this gives them a special status in the Church or makes leaders out of them.
1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
And here is the critical factor that all in the Church have to remember and that is that the teachings of Paul are directly from Christ. They are those things Paul learnt directly from Christ as the other apostles did and they are not subject to discussion or debate by the congregation using the Scriptures as individual members findings are.
1Co 14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
But if any man does not have any new knowledge to give to the congregation this is not a problem; he does not have to make something up; let him be ignorant until such time as he does receive some new truth from God as he studies the Scriptures and prays.
1Co 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, [seek earnestly to speak the truth of God to others in the congregation whether it be existing or new truth] and forbid not to speak with tongues. [as long as there is someone in the congregation that can interpret so that the others will understand what is being said; as all things must be done in order as God is not the author of confusion.]
1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
The source of truth and doctrine in the Church is not the Pastor General, not the ministry, not other non-ordained members but God through the Bible. Once some new discovery in knowledge and understanding has been demonstrated to be Biblically sound then it is to be adopted by the Church regardless of who in the Church found it. The Bible is the criterion not the ministry and all true members of God’s Church can through their studies uncover new and Scripturally-valid truth.
Building on the Foundation
What is being said in 1Cor 14 follows from what Paul said in 1Cor 3:10-15.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
God through Paul tells us that once the foundation has been mastered, individual members are to build on it i.e., add truth to it as they study and grown in knowledge and understanding as God commands all true Christian to do all through their lives. In the Book of Proverbs God through Solomon tells His sons that they are to grow in wisdom which is in knowledge and understanding of His truth. They are not to continuously study the same things over and over again and never actually study the Bible.
Mr. Armstrong restored the foundational truths but Christians have to use this foundation as a means to go into the Bible and build onto it by adding to it truth fully supported by the Bible.
A Christian’s life is to be one of continuous growth in knowledge and understanding all through their lives.
Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Pro16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
In Conclusion
The history of the true Church reveals that for most of its existence over the centuries, it has been small and invisible to the world. When it was noticed by the world, it was often persecuted and had to flee for its life. It has also often not been well organized with a fully functioning ministry composed of pastors, elders, and deacons as was the case for the First Century Church under the leadership of Peter assisted by the other apostles.
Early on in the existence of God’s Church persecution set in forcing the Church to flee into the wilderness i.e., away from the great population centers where the great false church that had arisen shortly after the foundation of God’s Church, held sway over the civil authorities which it used to persecute all those who held on to beliefs other than theirs.
Despite these persecutions, God’s Church has continued to exist without interruption up to our days and will continue to exist without interruption until the time of the 3rd Resurrection. It was never to die out.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
In recent history, many of us has seen the dissolution of the Worldwide Church of God after the death of its Pastor General, Herbert W. Armstrong. For a time this Church existed as a well organized corporate entity with a fully functioning ministry with congregations all over the world assisting through their tithes, offerings and prayers, the work of God’s end-time apostle who was raised up for the purpose of preaching the Gospel to the world before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord as prophesied in the book of Malachi.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
Since the destruction of the Worldwide Church of God, God’s Church has gone back to being small and invisible to the world as it has been for most of its existence. Church members are by themselves spread out all over the world and for the greatest part do not know each other and even when they do, there is often reluctance, in many cases very great reluctance, to engage in Christian fellowship. When engineers meet with other engineers they talk about engineering, when architects meet other architects they talk about architecture, when true Christians meet other true Christians, they talk about the weather, how well my garden grows, the latest hockey game, etc. etc. etc. They will not discuss spiritual matters.
This brings us back to the main topic of this study and which is that the ministry even when there is one, is not the source of truth. If it were, then it would be impossible for true Christians who now find themselves without a true ministry of the Church of God to be able to continue on having growth in knowledge and understanding which they need to have to remain live spiritual embryo that can become glorified spirit beings.
The source of truth is God’s Holy Bible and the way men come to have access to the truth is through God the Father calling them and revealing to them truth which they had always before rejected but which now they realize they had been wrong in doing so. God the Father gives them, in ways which differ from individual to individual, enough truth for them to be brought to the point where they clearly realize that they have to make a decision. The alternative is now very clear, they are standing at the crossroads and they must decide which way they will go. God has set before them as He did for Israel a clear choice.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Making the decision to submit to God and live a life of obedience to Him to the best of our abilities will lead to life. Refusing to change our lives to bring them in agreement as much as possible with the requirements of God’ law after having been given to know the truth, leads to death.
If the decision is made unto life, then the newly spiritually-begotten son of God becomes the responsibility of Christ who from the beginning has been the Word or God the Father’s Spokesman.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Christ reassured His disciples (and this applies to true Christians across the ages) before His crucifixion that He would always be with them and that He had to go so the Comforter could come.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he [Christ] dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I [Christ]will come to you.
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Christ and the Father will be in them, with Christ as God’s Spokesman or the Word being the God being that will work in their minds in the same way that Satan works in the minds of the children of disobedience.
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Christ’s actions will be unto life while those of Satan are unto death.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Christ is the Holy Spirit that dwells in the truly converted and as God the Father’s Spokesman, He is the means whereby Christians can grow in the knowledge and understanding of the truth all through their natural lives as they study their Bible.
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
In Old Testament times, God spoke to Israel through the prophets He sent them. Since the First Coming of Christ, we have been in the “last days” where God the Father speaks to true Christians through His Son.
Christ is God’s Spokesman to God the Father’s spiritually-begotten sons and the One who teaches them all things.
Joh 4:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, [“Spirit” it should read] whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Christ, returned to His glorified state after His resurrection by God the Father, is the spirit that works in the minds of the truly converted revealing to them truth as they study their Bible.
As God’s Spokesman, the Word which became Christ is the spirit that inspired the prophets and who personally taught the apostles who wrote under inspiration the Old Testament (the prophets) and the New Testament (the apostles). Therefore, the Old and the New Testaments though written by several different people over the centuries are in fact God’s message to mankind given it through Christ who inspired men to put these things in writing. The Bible is Christ in writing and God’s means of communicating with mankind for whom spirit beings are totally unknowable as men physical senses limits them to only knowing the physical and the material.
Since the foundation of God’s New Testament Spirit-begotten Church on the day of Pentecost, God through Christ in writing, the Holy Bible along with the in-dwelling presence of God’s Spirit in truly converted Christians are the means used by God to speak to and teach true Christians.
The ministry, when there is a true one in existence, is there only as helpers of the joy of true Christians. Their joy is knowing God’s spiritual truth and having the hope of salvation.
2Co 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
This is a critical point to understand, the ministry does not have the authority nor the ability to impose on their congregations what it is they are to believe.
WHY?
Because each member of God’s Church stands or is found acceptable by God, based on what he has freely and self-willingly chosen to believe when given to know the truth. No man can force another man to believe something contrary to what he has chosen to believe. No man can be taught against his will; he cannot be made to believe something he has chosen not to believe.
This is why the role of the ministry can only be as helpers to those who have accepted the same truth as the one they teach. Ministers are but men and have had to personally and freely believe God’s truth when it was given for them to know it just like any other man. They have no more special powers or insight into the truth than non-ordained members. They learnt the truth in the same way they did. This is why Paul says the following:
1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? [God uses men to teach the converted but the converted believe and understand what is taught them as the Lord or God gives to every man to understand the truth. The converted understand what is taught them by the working of God’s Holy Spirit in them; not due to the excellence of the teachings received from the ministry.]
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. [That is to say, the increase in understanding.]
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. [God’s spiritual truth is by revelation from God; it is not by the works of men.]
1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: [they are the same] and every man [whether in the ministry or a non-ordained member] shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. [In other words, they will be rewarded according to their labour or works of obedience to God as is the case for all true Christians.]
1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. [The ministers when true to their mission are co-workers with God; they plant and they water but the growth in understanding of God’s spiritual truth is from God only. Individual Christians are God’s husbandry i.e., God is the one really doing the cultivation and nurturing and it is God building up their understanding of the truth; He is the One doing the building.]
Christians are saved through faith which is an unmerited and unearned gift from God. God the Father imputes Christ’s perfect, holy, righteous character to those whom He calls and who follow and endure in their calling.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Christians are God the Father’s workmanship created in Christ i.e., through Christ. Men do not come to know and believe the truth as a result of the works of any man; it is possible only through God.
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Hopefully, the explanations and Scriptures quoted in this study have made it possible for you to understand how it is that God works with each Christian to give him knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures as he studies his Bible. Differently from what I would say most of us have believed, the ministry is not the source nor the criterion of truth for Christians. The source and the criterion is God the Father through Christ who opens up the minds of Christians to correctly understand the truth contained in the Bible as they spend time in carefully and attentively studying it.
Individual Christians as a result of their personal studies of the Bible can and do receive understanding of God’s truth which is not part of the foundational truth given by Christ to the apostles and which may be new to the congregations and the ministry in their area. In order to prevent confusion, those having received new understanding are expected to discuss them in an orderly fashion with the congregation when it assembles and, using the Scriptures as their criterion, the congregation is to determine the validity of the new finding. If found to be valid i.e., it does not contradict or negate any Scriptures of the Bible and it does not undo any of the foundational truth given the Church by Christ then it is to be accepted.
As time goes by, certain findings may need to be revisited as more understanding of the Scriptures is achieved. Correcting errors in understanding as they are uncovered is one of the identifying characteristic of God’s true Church. The churches of this world’s understanding of the Bible never changes no matter how evident it may become over the years that certain of their beliefs are clearly erroneous.
Salvation is a process that is principally between God and the individual through the Holy Spirit making it possible for the truly converted to study their Bible and discover new truth with the ministry being helpers of their faith when there is one in existence.
God's Spiritual Nation 