I have always believed Jesus was the Word made flesh. Therefore what He said as well as what He did had significant meaning. Ditto,for those to whom He spoke and what He said to specific groups. Likewise with the location of where He said or did what He said or did.I believed that all those factors were to be considered in whatever meanings we gave to our individual interpretations of scripture.
Given that the passages you cited in your post were all spoken to the Apostles only,I believe it was to them He gave the promises,we so often seem to take for granted were meant for us. That is one of the reasons I am Catholic and when I pray I ask the Holy Spirit to conform my mind to the mind of the Church.Always aware that one of the twelve betrayed Him.
I also give God the attribute of a God of order and believe that scripture builds on what came before.Do any of you have any comments,I can't find threads that have discussed this particular issue.Thanks
You show that Scripture is often a mirror. Those who think there's a natural hierarchy see one in the text, as you point out. Those who see a radical egalitarianism do take those things as written for and about every believer.
Of course, the very existence of letters written from Apostles to the common believers in the Church negates the idea of egalitarianism in the early Church.
And the very same people who deny that Apostolic authority was handed down upon the death of the Apostles, read all of the Apostolic privleges as being handed down to all.
Interesting.
SD
"...when I pray I ask the Holy Spirit to conform my mind to the mind of the Church."
I know this will shock you but I must question why you don't ask Him to conform your mind to His mind?
Hi, Saradippity, ... you said ...Given that the passages you cited in your post were all spoken to the Apostles only,I believe it was to them He gave the promises,we so often seem to take for granted were meant for us.
Granted, ... the scripture passages provided in post #371 are from teachings JESUS gave directly to His apostles, ... so, ... you may be correct, ... it may be true that these teachings were only meant for them (the Apostles) and not for the Church as a whole.
However, in another of my posts, further on in the thread (#375), Paul writes to the Christians at Rome the following words ...
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:So, here we have evidence of the same operation of the Holy Spirit that JESUS promises to His apostles ... that the Holy Spirit will communicate truth, in this case, to Christians in general, as well as the apostles of the former case.
Finally, my posts #378 and #380 quote James' teaching to the Church ...
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.This passage of scripture admonishes its listeners (members of the Church) to seek wisdom from GOD, and that GOD, so besought, will grant His wisdom liberally to the asker.
Now you might ask ... why would God not urge us to seek His wisdom from the church ?
Well, after all, it is GOD's wisdom. He knows it better than anyone else could.
The Church, ... for all its importance in the plan of GOD, ... is fallible, ... for it is composed, at every level, within and without, by fallible men and women. Try as they might, they cannot guarantee to you that they are presenting to you the full uncompromised truth of GOD. They might come very close. But, to be sure of the truth of GOD, we are to ask GOD.
And GOD promises to answer, through His written Word and by the Holy Spirit. In fact, GOD urges us to come boldly before His throne, that we may receive what He has for us.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.