~If you will read Acts 8:27-39 and 2 Corinthians 3:3 and 1 Corinthians 13, you will find a glimpse of what I meant by “Biblical Christianity”. Biblical Christianity did indeed reference back to the writings of the prophets in what we now know as the Old Testament and its many prophecies about the Messiah~
Biblical Christianity also emphasized “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” The apostles didn’t need a “translation” of what we call the Bible to have the gospel written in their hearts, and they showed that in their lives every day by how they lived, and taught the saints to live that same way, to be a “living epistle” by their actions and conversation.
In context:
Acts 8:27 And rising up, he went. And behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch, of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge over all her treasures, had come to Jerusalem to adore. 28 And he was returning, sitting in his chariot, and reading Isaias the prophet. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip: Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip running thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he said:* Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest?**
31 Who said:
And how can I, unless some man shew me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 And the place of the scripture which he was reading was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb without voice before his shearer, so openeth he not his mouth. 33 In humility his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare, for his life shall be taken from the earth? 34 And the eunuch answering Philip, said: I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet speak this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip, opening his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water; and the eunuch said: See, here is water: what doth hinder me from being baptized? 37 And Philip said:
If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answering, said: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch: and he baptized him.*
Obviously, they were persnickety about who they Baptized, even then. They didn’t Baptize
anyone unless they were truly ready to be Baptized, after being diligently taught the
full meaning of it all. Philip knew the
correct interpretation of those prophecies, so he explained how they applied to Jesus. After learning the truth, the eunuch was ready to be Baptized because he was
sure that Philip was right.
*2 Corinthians 3:1
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need (as some do) epistles of commendation to you, or from you? 2 You are our epistle, written in our hearts, which is known and read by all men: 3 Being manifested, that you are the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, and written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart. 4 And such confidence we have, through Christ, towards God. 5
Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves:
but our sufficiency is from God.
6
Who also hath made us fit ministers of the new testament, not in the letter, but in the spirit. For the letter killeth, but the spirit quickeneth.*
Paul was telling them that they were straying from what they had already been taught because they were acting like the Pharisees, and paying more attention to the
literal words while not understanding the true meaning behind those words. They were very much like Bible-thumpers today, that pride themselves in knowing many Bible passages by heart, but they’re completely clueless about it’s true interpretation because they depend on their own
intellect to interpret it, instead of seeing and understanding it with their heart, and living it. Doesn’t that sound familiar to you?
*1 Corinthians 1:11 For it hath been signified unto me, my brethren, of you, by them that are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith: I indeed am of Paul; and I am of Apollo; and I am of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul then crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I give God thanks, that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Caius; 15 Lest any should say that you were baptized in my name.
16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanus; besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel:
not in wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void. 18
For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness; but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God.*
In this passage he was reiterating that it didn’t matter which of the Disciples or Apostles was teaching them, because they were
all teaching them the same Word of God, Jesus Christ, as
they had been taught
by Him. They were all part of the
one body, the
one and
only Church of Jesus Christ, that was established by Him. As long as they listened to what they had been taught by any of them, they would remain in the Grace of God and would always be on sure footing, because
their teachings were built upon the Rock of Christ.
