Ask a Pastor Column

Why haven’t any new books of the Bible been written? God hasn’t said anything new in 2000 years?

A:  God has certainly said and done a great deal in the last 2000 years. We simply need to distinguish between the direction God gives to individuals and the authoritative and binding direction delivered once for all believers. Many Christians have experienced situations where they heard ‘a still small voice’ which has offered teaching, comfort and guidance in their lives. The Bible teaches that when a person believes in Christ Jesus, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), who acts as a comforter and guide upon life’s journey to guide us and speak with us (John 14:16, 26).

       All this is very different from the revelation God gave us in Scripture. God took more than 1,500 years communicating His will to the nation of Israel, which was preserved for us in the Old Testament. Then Jesus tasked His Apostles with the job of carrying the message of the gospel throughout the world through discipleship and the church. After the disciples died, the Church carefully sifted and collected their teachings so the teaching and beliefs of Christ and the Apostles could be preserved. This collection of teachings we possess as the Bible’s New Testament.

This revelation could be delivered much more easily during the time in which God’s work was localized to the land of Israel. As the church spread across the globe the focus shifted from receiving God’s word to preserving, translating, and sharing it. Because the authority of the New Testament was grounded in Christ and the Apostles, their departure from the earth brought the writing of authoritative Scriptures to an end. We see this in the writings of first century Church leaders, who appealed back to the teaching of Christ and the Apostles in their letters rather than claiming the direct authority that we see Paul and Peter utilizing.

­————

Let us know what you think of the ask a pastor articles! If you’ve found them helpful in any way, been blessed by an article, or have any thoughts on how we could make it better, let us know by sending an email to askapastor [email protected] or by mail to Formoso Church; P.O. Box 66; Formoso, Kansas 66942. And, as always, feel free to send us your Bible questions!