The Mission

The Nature of a Prophet’s Inspiration

Paul was an inspired apostle. The truth he taught he had received “by revelation,” yet the Lord did not always directly reveal to him the condition of His people. In this case, those who were interested in the church had told the apostle about the situation, and from divine revelations he had received before he was prepared to judge these developments. Even though the Lord did not give him a new revelation for that special time, those who wanted light from God accepted his message as expressing the mind of Christ. As evils developed, the apostle recognized their significance. God had commissioned him to defend the church. Wasn’t it right for him to notice the reports of the divisions among them? Surely it was, and the reproof he sent was as certainly written under the inspiration of the Spirit of God as were any of his other letters. 4TC 158.3

The apostle did not mention the false teachers who were trying to destroy the fruit of his labor. He wisely decided not to irritate them by such references. He called attention to his own work as “a wise master builder” who had laid the foundation that others had built upon. “We are God’s fellow workers.” He acknowledged that divine power alone had made him able to present the truth in a way that was pleasing to God. Paul had communicated lessons that were to apply at all times, in all places, and under all conditions. 4TC 158.4

One former convert had backslidden so far that his sexual sins violated even the Gentile world’s low standard of morality. The apostle pleaded with the church to put this evil person away from them. “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.” 4TC 159.1

Another serious evil was that church members were filing lawsuits against one another. Christ Himself had given instruction about how to resolve such matters: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church” (Matthew 18:15-17). 4TC 159.2