Unto Them Were Committed the Oracles of God

As I browse many of the things said in the online social media space, a theme among the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox “influencers” is that they gave to us the Bible. Which one of them gave us the Bible is an argument between them, I suppose.

The usual response is something like to the effect that the books were in circulation and accepted long before any councils, the one at Nicaea is mainly the one in mind, I suppose. That is true, and I think that we don’t rightly scale that the length of time between the writing of the New Testament and the Council of Nicaea is roughly the same length of time as the United States of America has been an independent nation.

But I do think that something else should be considered.

In Romans chapter 3, the Apostle Paul continues his indictment began in chapter 2 to bring the Jew to the understand that he is in the same place as the Gentile that he looks down on. As this chapter begins, we read these words:

“What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1–2).

What does this have to do with the subject at hand?

Much every way.

The Scriptures were entrusted for keeping to the children of Israel, and as Paul would probably remember, he and his fellow Israelites were taken to task by Stephen for this:

“Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it” (Acts 7:53).

I think the answer to that argument, “we gave you the Bible”, is simply, “have you kept it?”

As Paul would show of the Jews, having the law and the covenants did not absolve the Jews of their guilt. It heightened it.

“For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision” (Romans 2:25).

Having the Word of God in your possession is not enough. Reading it and studying theology is also not enough. Those of that sacerdotal persuasion love to go to the Epistle of James for their polemic against “sola fide”, and I suppose that could be a subject all of its own, but I wonder what they would do with this, also directed to those same people who were the stewards of the oracles of God:

James 1:22 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

While it could be reasonably argued that these religious institutions did transmit the Bible to the present day, can it be argued that they have kept it?

Do not our Lord’s words to the scribes and Pharisees speak to this:

Mark 7:6–13 — “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.”

“…Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”

While many will argue, “there were Christians for 1500 years before your sola fide and sola scriptura”, that is not a case for these institutions. Many Christians suffered and died under these institutions while they made themselves the gatekeeper of the word of God and did not keep it. And if it were to be argued that men like Tyndale or Luther jumped the gun and “the Church” would have gotten the Scriptures to the common man, the question is “when?”

They kept it alright. They kept it hidden and shrouded in mystery. It was theirs to disseminate as they pleased. Anyone who did without them was anathema.

But to truly keep the word, we must bow to its authority, and not to think ourselves to be an authority over it. Our Bible is God’s direct revelation to mankind and should never be kept from the masses, for in it is the gospel of Christ, that is the power of God unto everyone that believes it.

Bringing this all home, we who are not part of those sacerdotal traditions sometimes get into traditions of our own. It is common among Baptists to boast concerning a succession that goes to “the church that Jesus Christ founded” as well, and that this was outside of the Roman Catholic church. Because of this, they will not identify as Protestant, since they were never Catholic. And this also becomes a source of pride, to where when one is outside of this tradition, he is outside the true stream of Christianity.

But the real issue is not what history you can trace. It is whether you are now keeping the Word of God.

In Paul’s last epistle, he told Timothy this:

2 Timothy 1:13–14 — “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.”

Is boasting that you have the “perfectly preserved and inerrant” Word of God enough, while you are not keeping it? Are you more concerned with Baptist, or even “Grace” orthodoxy, than with trusting and keeping the word of God?

No tradition is any more immune from error and apostasy than the “children of the covenant” (Acts 3:25) were. Or were they which were in Asia¹, who turned away from the Apostle who called them as he says immediately following the command to Timothy that was quoted above.

While it is true that the faith of the church at Rome was spoken of throughout the world at the time that the Apostle Paul wrote to them, did they hold fast to them? Does the current “Church of Rome” hold fast to the form of sound words that was written to the church at Rome? Do we, who call ourselves “Bible Believers²” hold fast?

I began writing this on October 6, which is the day that is remembered that William Tyndale was murdered for making the Word of God and the words of God available to the English-speaking world. We have a treasure in this blessed Book. We can point fingers to others who have not kept it, but better, we need to examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith³ (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The saving gospel that the Lord sent Paul to preach is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes it. Those sound words that are told us in 1 Corinthians 15 explicitly are the beginning and source of faith in the Author and Finisher of Faith.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 — “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures…”

When we believe that gospel we are saved, and as Christ keeps us by His power, we must hold fast to His word to walk properly in the faith. Tradition keeps nothing, for we have it written down and sounded throughout the earth. Now keep it!

End Notes:

1. This is the area of the world out of which Eastern Orthodoxy rose. ↩︎
2. This has come to mean something different than what it should. Some make this mean a position on the King James Version that is not Biblical. ↩︎
3. This is usually looked at as looking into yourself to see if you are saved. It is better understood as examining whether you are walking uprightly, both doctrinally and behaviorally. Walking according to “the faith”. ↩︎