Title: Those Closer to Salvation than the Apostles
Contents
Apostles are the mouths that preach the gospel among the members of the body of Christ and the feet that cross the mountains to preach it. It is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good news, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7) It is the same as testifying again, “How can they preach unless they have been sent, as it is written, Beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Romans 10:15).
Why did he testify, “Beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news,” instead of saying, “Beautiful are the mouths of those who preach the good news” in the above testimony? This may be because the members of Christ's followers are the feet, not the mouth.
If there is only a mouth and no feet, it is like saying “yes” with only the mouth and no actions. Therefore, although faith is precious, faith without works is dead in itself.
This is because the gospel of salvation is not only with the mouth, but when the feet of suffering over the mountains are with us, the remaining sufferings of Christ are filled in his body, the church. For this reason, if the mouth and feet are witnesses of the gospel, but the hand that works with love in this gospel does not appear, this gospel will eventually become a disgraceful gospel without works.
He said, “I am convinced of better things for you and things closer to salvation.” And again, “God is not unrighteous, and through your works and the love you have shown for his name, he has served the saints, and he does not forget that he is still serving them.” The evidence proves that we have served the saints with deeds and the love shown for his name, and that it is still more precious to serve.
The love shown for his name, that is, the name of Christ, is to serve the saints. To serve the saints is to keep the new commandments, and to keep the new commandments is to love the Lord Jesus.
It is written, “Brethren, we make known to you the grace that God has bestowed upon the churches of Macedonia, that in the midst of many trials of tribulation, their overflowing joy and extreme poverty caused them to abound in abundance.
I testify that they not only do what they can, but also voluntarily beyond their ability, earnestly asking us for this grace and participation in the service of the saints. gave
For this reason we persuaded Titus to carry out this grace as it began among you. But let this grace also abound as you abound in faith, speech, knowledge, all earnestness, and all these things that love us.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-7) It is the same thing.
The gospel is preached with the mouth and feet, but love is expressed with the heart and hands. Therefore, the mouth and feet are precious among the members of Christ, but the heart and hands are more precious. This is like the seed is precious, but the fruit is more precious than the seed. Therefore, the Bible testifies, “Who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1).
If only “who has believed our report?”, this faith will eventually become fruitless. Therefore, faith must always be followed by “to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
But when you look at your mouth and feet, your heart and hands look more precious, and when you see your heart and hands, your mouth and feet look more precious. For this reason, the Bible says, “There is one body, and it has many members, and as the body has many members, yet it is one body, so is Christ. made you drink one Spirit
The body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, "I am not a hand, so out of the body," it is not because of this that it is not attached to the body. If the whole body is an eye, where is it to hear, and if the whole body is to hear, where is it to smell?
But now God has put each of the members in the body as He wanted them to be, and if they are all one member, where is the body? Now there are many members, but one body. say no or can't
Not only this, but the seemingly weaker members of the body are rather valuable, and we clothe them with more precious things in the body, which we value less. He even gave honor to the members that were lacking, so that there was no division in the body, but the members looked after one another together. One, ye are the body of Christ, and each part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
Therefore, in the church, the apostle is the first, but in God, the love of serving the saints is the first. “Therefore, there will always be these three: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13) Amen, thank you Lord.