Believe His Prophets

Prophets in the New Testament Church

J. Peter Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures has this to say concerning Luke 2:26: BHP 35.8

“lf the spirit of prophecy had departed from Israel since the time of Malachi, according to the opinion of the Jews, the return of this Spirit might be looked upon as one of the tokens of the Messiah’s advent.” BHP 35.9

Without discussing either the opinion of the Jews or the comment by Lange, it is of interest to note that the apostle Luke recognizes that John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, was indeed a prophet (Luke 1:76; 7:28). In Matthew 21:11 and Luke 7:16 it is likewise acknowledged that Jesus Himself was a prophet among men. And when He ascended to heaven He “gave gifts unto men,” “some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:8, 11). BHP 36.1

The objectives of these workers in the church of the early apostolic period were to equip His people for service, to build up the church, to help all to arrive at oneness in faith and in knowledge of the Son of God, to attain to the stature of mature men in Jesus Christ instead of remaining babes in the Christian life, and to cease being carried about with every wind of doctrine, but to hold to the truth through union with Christ (Ephesians 4:12-15). BHP 36.2

Paul admonished the Ephesians that Christians should no longer live as the Gentiles live, but become new men who after God are “created in righteousness and true holiness”—fit for God’s everlasting kingdom and for the society of angels (Ephesians 4:17-24). BHP 36.3

These verses, together with those in 1 Corinthians 14:3, 4, 20, 22, would lead us to the conclusion that prophets are placed in the church by God primarily for the benefit of the church itself. In the Revised Standard Version we read: BHP 36.4

“On the other hand, he who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church…. Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; be babes in evil, but in thinking be mature…. Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.” BHP 37.1

Thus we can emphasize this very important principle: The work of prophets is essentially for the members of the church—for reproof to the erring and for the “upbuilding, encouragement, and comfort” of the believers. The words of counsel and instruction from God through the prophets to the believer are designed to help the spiritually newborn babe to “grow” by his use of “the sincere milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2) “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children” (Ephesians 4:13, 14). BHP 37.2

The chief business of the prophets in the church has been that of guiding the believers in the path that leads to heaven, of pointing out the signposts along the way so that believers could walk and work intelligently. They are not saved by the signposts or by the instruction given or by the deeds performed along the way. There is but one Saviour, for “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” BHP 37.3

It is clear that any man who hears the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who becomes aware of the fact that he is a sinner in need of a Saviour, and who acknowledges Christ as his Saviour, immediately becomes a member of God’s family, a believer. Then, after he believes, and has become “a son of God,” he begins a process of growth in grace by which he becomes an intelligent Christian. BHP 37.4

All of this is in harmony with the passage we read in 2 Timothy 3, which says that all Scripture is given by inspiration, for the purpose of making a man holy and perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. We therefore draw a conclusion that the gift of prophecy is for you and for me. The Testimonies are primarily for those who already believe. It is the gospel that makes believers into “sons of God,” and it is the messages of the prophets that build up the believers into intelligent Christians. BHP 38.1

Therefore, there is no salvation in this historical date or that; there is no eternal destiny at stake in this or that fulfilled or unfulfilled prophecy; there is no salvation in any particular viewpoint of the purely incidental doctrines or theories, or in what Mrs. White herself calls “indefinite, frivolous questions,” “obscure, unimportant points,” “idle sophistries,” things “not essential to our salvation,” “questions not necessary for the perfection of the faith,” and “idle tales.” BHP 38.2

We should establish clearly in our minds the fact that as far as salvation is concerned there is one, and only one, fundamental doctrine—that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour, and Jesus Christ is my Saviour if BHP 38.3

I only believe on Him and receive Him into my heart by faith. BHP 39.1

Surrounding that one great fundamental doctrine of the Christian church are “landmarks,” “way-marks,” “blocks,” “pegs and pins,” which have made us an intelligent Seventh-day Adventist Christian people. These will preserve us as a people only as we clearly understand and live by them, allowing them to mold and fashion our character and to determine every detail in the habits of our daily living. Our ultimate aim is to become fit to live forever in God’s everlasting kingdom, and to this end God has placed His prophets in the church to help in our preparation for an entrance into heaven. BHP 39.2