The Word of God according to Jesus and Apostles(PDF)

The Word of God according to Jesus and Apostles

What exactly is the Word of God?

Is the answer you have been given to this question really what the Bible teaches?

When it comes to understanding the Word of God, are we truly following what God has spoken—or are we following religious traditions that have been passed down to us for generations?

Many Christians understand the Bible through their church teachings, traditions, sermons, and religious interpretations. But when we stop and examine how Jesus Christ and His apostles understood the Word of God, we may be forced to reconsider many things we have always believed.

What Scriptures did Jesus read?

Which Scriptures did He quote?

What Scriptures did He base His teachings upon?

Which Scriptures did Jesus use to correct false teachings?

What Scriptures did the apostles use as the foundation for their teaching?

At that time, the New Testament had not yet been written. The sacred Scriptures available to Jesus and the apostles—the Law, the Prophets, and the other writings—were the Scriptures we know today as the Old Testament.

Then why did the apostles later write the Gospels, letters, and other writings?

What was their purpose?

Did they cancel what God had previously spoken? Or did they explain more clearly how God’s promises, His Law, and the words of the Prophets were being fulfilled?

This book explores these important questions in depth.

Was the Law Really Abolished?

Many Christians today are taught:

“The Law has been abolished.”

“We are under grace.”

“We no longer need commandments.”

“Jesus changed the Law.”

But what did Jesus Himself say?

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.”

— Matthew 5:17

So what was the real purpose of God’s Law?

Was it merely a collection of outdated rules from ancient times?

Or does it reveal God’s standard of righteousness, show us what sin is, and teach us how God wants human beings to live?

David did not consider God’s Law a burden. He said:

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

— Psalm 119:97

Then what is the true relationship between Law and Grace?

The Law reveals sin. Grace reveals God’s forgiveness and His way of salvation. Grace is not permission to continue living in sin. Paul clearly asked:

“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

“Certainly not!”

— Romans 6:1–2

But have we understood these things correctly?

Tradition or the Word of God?

Where did our beliefs come from?

From the Bible?

From church tradition?

From what we were taught from childhood?

A teaching does not become true simply because it has been believed for generations.

Nor does a teaching become the Word of God simply because many people believe it.

Truth is not determined by popularity.

That is why this book invites you on a challenging but honest journey:

Is what you believe really found in the Scriptures?

Why Was This Book Written?

This book is not written to attack anyone.

It is not written to insult any church.

It is not written to create unnecessary religious arguments.

It is written to seek the truth.

If we say that something is a commandment of God—is it truly a commandment of God?

If we say that God abolished something—where is the Scriptural evidence?

If we say that Jesus changed something—where did He say so?

What is the foundation of our faith?

This book does not simply want to give you ready-made answers. It encourages you to examine the Scriptures for yourself and discover the truth.

Open Your Bible and Read

As you read this book, do not immediately accept something simply because it agrees with what you already believe.

Likewise, do not reject something simply because it is different from what you have been taught.

Open your Bible.

Read the verses.

Examine the context.

Compare Scripture with Scripture.

Ask questions.

Think carefully.

Examine the evidence.

Above all, ask this one question:

“What is God really saying?”

That question is more important than:

“What does my church teach?”

It is more important than:

“What does my denomination teach?”

It is more important than:

“What have I always believed?”

Because in the end, we will not stand before our religious traditions—we will stand before God.

A Call to Return to the Word of God

The message of this book is very simple:

Return to the Word of God.

Read it.

Study it.

Examine it.

Understand it.

Believe it.

Obey it.

Teach it to others.

Jesus said:

“If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples.”

— John 8:31

Therefore, let us examine the Law.

Let us listen to the words of the Prophets.

Let us carefully study the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Let us understand the writings of the apostles in their proper context.

Let us allow the Word of God to correct our thinking whenever necessary.

Because the purpose is not merely to know more.

The purpose is to know the truth and live according to it.

The purpose is to walk with God.