Unlike plans of men that have flaws in them, the gospel message of salvation was and is a plan of perfect crafting. God didn’t leave anything to chance or to the bungling of men who could thwart his goal for saving the world. Extreme care, if those are the right words to describe his work, shows in every facet of his doing. In Ephesians 1:3-6 Paul wrote: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.  Verse four tells us that God had a plan before he made the world to save the world through Jesus Christ. Verse five indicates that he predetermined to make his creation his children by adoption through his son, setting the requirements for that adoption through obedience to the gospel.

Peter also wrote in1 Pet 1:20-21: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.  The words are similar, but the meaning is the same. God delivered the same message through these two men called apostles. Though speaking with different words, the words showed perfect harmony in the message.

Jesus chose the apostles carefully with one exception, Judas who betrayed him. But that was part of the plan of God and then on the Damascus Road, Jesus confronted Paul and Paul became an apostle. Each of the remaining eleven men and then Paul, who became the twelfth apostle, were all trustworthy individuals. Jesus left nothing to chance or to untrustworthy servants.

In Acts 8:17-21, Luke recorded the following about the Holy Spirit being imparted the Samarians: Then laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. 18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Simon was a magician, an illusionist who practiced slight of hand. He knew that what he did was nothing but fakery, so when he saw real power he wanted it, offering to buy it from Phillip, John and Peter.

What is the lesson to be learned from Luke’s account of Simon? One lesson is that Simon wasn’t trustworthy and he would have used the Holy Spirit for personal gain. Acts  8:9-11 reveals the real Simon: But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. He had set himself up falsely as a man who could accomplish great things through fooling the people with magic. Two, it is apparent that Peter, Phillip, and John were honorable men, but they were given an opportunity to make some money by selling the power. They were tempted by Simon to do that which was wrong, but they showed their honor when they rebuked Simon. Three, that the power of God was not up for sale to anyone, and it shows that only those whom God had chosen could be entrusted with such great power. Again, this shows the great care with which God laid out and implemented the plan of salvation.

Those men whom Jesus chose to deliver the gospel preached it to three distinct groups of people, the Jews on Pentecost, the Gentiles beginning with Cornelius, and the Samaritans. In each case, with the exception of the Samaritans who had to have hands laid on them to receive the Spirit, the Holy Spirit fell on those that heard the gospel. The Spirit was a sign that the message was from God.  

 Paul writes in I Corinthians 12:28 on the subject of who has what  abilities relative to the working of the plan of God: And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Three groups of people are set forth; first apostles whom Jesus chose; two, prophets who became so by becoming Christians and the laying on of hands; and third, teachers of the word. In each of the instances in scripture, the passing of the Holy Spirit to others was through the apostles with no record of those receiving the spirit being able to pass it on to anyone else. Miracles, healings, and tongues, (foreign language) were used to show that God had power and was among the people through the power of the word.  

Paul continues in the verses of 1 Corinthians 12:29-31: Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. After writing that he launches into chapter 13, in which he tells us that all the aforementioned will disappear and that which remains is found in 1 Corinthians 13:13:  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (properly translated love). That is what was left when the apostolic period was over and it ended when the John died after writing Revelation while in exile on the Island of Patmos.

But in all that Paul, the other apostles, and what the other writers wrote, not one word can be found to support apostolic succession.  Jesus chose the twelve; the men chosen carefully guarded who received the power and what kind.  God left nothing to chance that his power would be misused and abused. The apostles were men who were given the responsibility to spread the gospel message.

Christians today have the responsibility to spread the message so that others may receive the word by faith. Scripture tells us that we walk by faith and not by site, II Corinthians 5:7. Apostolic succession implies that there is a need for human proof of the gospel apart from the content of the Bible. It also implies that those who would presume to be apostles would be able to perform the miracles that the original twelve had the power to perform. Such is not the case and can’t be supported by any part of the Bible. God left nothing to chance and guided all parts of the delivery of the message by carefully selecting those called apostles, who would reveal the plan. The plan is revealed and now there is no need for apostles.

© 01-13-2003 DEC

Revised 03-02-2008

                                   Next Lesson The Holy Spirit