Volume 2 	            Lawrence, Kansas            	January 1962	  	       Number 1

"And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." - Matthew 7:28, 29.

It is not difficult to understand the surprise of the people at the nature of Christ's teaching. The scribes admittedly had no authority of their own. With them the only authority was "What is written?" As the custodians of the law, they wrote each copy of the scriptures laboriously by hand, and they knew no higher authority than the law of Moses and the tradition of the elders. These documents were the only court of appeal. But here was a new teacher giving them religious instruction that in numerous cases flatly abrogated the Mosaic law, and flatly repudiated the traditions of the elders. He did this simply on his own authority as the Messiah of God.

This brings us to the fact that man does need an authoritative book for his moral and spiritual guidance. "It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." - Jeremiah 10:23. Man left to his own thoughts or his conscience goes far astray from the path of righteousness. Saul of Tarsus, led by his own conscience, became a bitter persecutor of God's people. - Acts 26:9. Thousands of others have made the same mistake; for a man's judgement of what is right or wrong, is a weak and unstable thing which can give no divine assurance of God's approval. In ancient times God's people went astray when "every man did that which was right in his own eyes." - Judges 17:6. Long ago the Lord said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8, 9. All of this leads us to the inescapable truth that man must have a higher law than himself if he is to obtain the Lord's approval.

The authoritative manner of Christ's teaching was justified by the fact that the God of heaven endorsed Christ as his inspired spokesman. On the Mount of transfiguration God declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him." - Matthew 17:5. This harmonizes with Paul's statement that God "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." - Hebrews 1:2. Thus we see that the Son speaks with the authority of heaven. After Christ's resurrection, he stated to his disciples, "All power (or authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth." - Matthew 28:18. When he ascended unto heaven he was crowned King of kings and Lord of lords, and was seated at the right hand of God, with the authority to rule until the end of time. God gave him "to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all." - Ephesians 1:22.

While on earth Jesus called and ordained twelve men to be his apostles, who
were his ambassadors, to reveal his law unto the world. In John 17:8, in a prayer unto his Father he stated "I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me." And then to make sure that they would give only the truth, he promised them the Holy Spirit as their guide. "But when the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." - John 14:26. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he shall show you things to come." - John 16:13. So, on the great day of Pentecost (Acts 2) that Spirit did come upon them, and "they spake as the Spirit gave them utterance." Thus the Spirit was their infallible guide to direct them in all their teaching and practice. The apostle Paul said, "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." - I Corinthians 2:12, 13.

Thus we learn of the definite, special arrangements which the Lord made to give to man the truth by which he could be saved. That truth, which the Spirit revealed unto the apostles, they wrote it down, and now we have it in the New Testament. All that anyone can know of what God requires of them is what is revealed in this great book. Paul declared "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law". . . - Romans 7:7 "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." - Romans 3:20. "All scripture is given by the inspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." - II Timothy 3:16, 17. Thus, the New Testament, is God's radio, and if we will, with spiritual hearts, tune in on Station Heaven, the voice of Christ will answer every spiritual question, and reveal all necessary truths.