The point has been emphasized that Paul could read his title clear, in his last address to the
elders of the church at Ephesus, because he had not shunned to declare unto them "all the
counsel of God" (Acts 20:26-27). If he had failed to declare the whole counsel, and this
failure had been the cause of the damnation of a soul, he could not have read his title clear.
A very similar Scripture we have in Acts 5:19-20 where our Lord sent an angel
and freed the apostles from imprisonment and commanded them to, "Go, stand and speak in the
temple to the people all the words of this life."
When we study Paul's charge to Timothy, it is easily seen that the solemn and important
charge, made before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and in view of the judgment to come, demands
that we preach or teach "the whole counsel of God," or "all the words of this life."
The charge is to "preach the word." (2 Tim. 4:1-4). No one is meeting the demands of this
charge who preaches more or less than the word teaches. Certainly, "preach the word" means
to preach all of it and not just part of it.
I am sure that a man could preach for months and stay within the lids of the Bible and
not preach a word of "this life" here referred to. You could take some beautiful statement
about some man or woman mentioned in the Bible and preach a sermon on it from the standpoint
of moral quality, and leave the hearers totally ignorant of anything connected with "this
life." The geography of the country, races, and types of people could be discussed, and
nothing said about "the words of this life." So we could go on, ad infinitum,
and you could easily see that a preacher could preach for months and the people learn nothing
of "the words of this life." The important question therefore arises, "What are the words
of this life?"
- The fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God is certainly included.
In fact, it is the vital thing in "the words of this life." John says, "He that hath the
Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:12). He also says,
"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him
that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God,
and eternal life" (1 John 5:18-20).
Now, with this before us, let us think just what the apostles preached when they went and
stood in the temple. The wording of that sermon is not given, but many others are given. What was
the very first thing the apostles undertook to drive home to the hearts of the people in their
every effort to preach anywhere for the first time? Was it not to establish in the hearts of the
people the fact that Jesus Christ had come in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, had lived
among men, showing Himself to be God's Son by the miracles He did, finally died on the cross, but
the third day arose from the dead, commissioned His apostles to go and teach all the nations,
preach the gospel to every creature, with the assurance that he who would believe these facts,
repent of his sins end be baptized would be saved? Is this not what they preached in every single
instance where they entered the towns and cities of that country?
For example, look at the conversion of the 3,000 on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Then study the work done by Philip when he went down to Samaria (Acts 8:5, 12) And in the
same chapter, you have this same Philip preaching unto the Ethiopian eunuch as he rides with him
in a chariot (Acts 8:26-39). You find the same true in Saul's conversion (Acts 9:1-9;
22:16). The same is true in the conversion of Cornelius and his household (Acts 10).
You can find the same in the conversion of Lydia and her household and the jailer and his house
(Acts 16:11-34).
"All the words of this life," you can easily see, includes preaching the
absolute certainty that Jesus is our Saviour and what He says to do to be saved, or come into
possession of the life He promised. Christ says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved" (Mark 16:16). Not in a single instance did the apostles ever lead a man to believe he
was saved until he had believed in Christ as the Messiah, repented of all his sins, and had been
baptized into Him.
We are not preaching "all the words of this life" when we lead people to think
they are saved when they have done less than this. As noted before, John says, "He that hath
the Son hath life." But he also said, in Second John 9, that only those who abide in
the teaching of Christ have Christ. And Paul says, "For ye are all the sons of God, through
faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (Gal.
3:26-27 ASV). Salvation "by faith" includes baptism into Him.
All of this can more clearly be seen by studying Romans 6:1-5; 17-18. Here we are
declared to have become united with the death of Jesus and the power of His resurrection when we
are baptized into Him. This is the baptism of a penitent believer. Baptism is called a "form of
doctrine." "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became
the servants of righteousness."
From all that we have learned, the conclusion is inevitable that when a preacher or
teacher goes into a community and preaches "all the words of this life," he undoubtedly
teaches people that Christ is our only Saviour, and that we appropriate Him by gladly receiving
and obeying from the heart what He says for us to do to be saved. These are the "words of this
life" taught to alien sinners.
- Then, after becoming children of God, we are taught how to hold fast to Jesus. This
is done by continuing steadfastly in the apostles' teaching, in the breaking of bread, in prayers,
and in giving of our means for spreading the gospel (Acts 2:37-42).
In Second Peter 1:5-11 we have a very comprehensive statement of the life we must
live, after being united with Jesus by obeying from the heart the doctrine He teaches aliens to
obey, in order to ultimately pass through the gates into that heavenly home.
It is easily seen that the apostles always gave the people, directly and immediately, those
lessons that they then needed to learn in order to be saved. When they came in contact with a
soul out of Jesus, the first thing was to get him into Christ and saved from past sins. If he
was in Jesus, the point was to encourage him to continue faithfully in Him unto death.
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