Did Jesus and Apostles preach TPM doctrines? – 1

One of the biggest lie of TPM is their claim that they preach the same teachings, which apostles in the first century preached.  Look at below circular circulated by TPM chief pastor. It says on top (with bold letters), “Doctrines of Christ and Apostles, that which we also believe.” The question comes to our minds is that if the apostles preached the same teaching which we hear from TPM pastors mouth (like taking medicine is wrong), then why don’t we find it clearly mentioned in New Testament by apostles themselves? For example, we have clear cut instructions on baptism, gospel, backsliding, idolatry, fornication, murder, strife, adultery, marriage, divorce; communion, lies, etc. Click here for the entire list. But not a single command is there for No medicine. To justify this unbiblical stance, TPM believers assume that all the teachings of apostles which they taught, is not written in the bible. They imagine that apostles used to orally teach few instructions which vanished with their deaths. If you are one such TPM believer, then this article is for you. The aim of the article is to show you how God ensured that his words got written own, and recorded to be handed to future generations

How We Got our Bible?

Bible came into existence when God told his chosen men to write his words in a book, so that it can be read by upcoming generations.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book (H5608 Say’-fer /scroll), and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua….. (Exodus 17:14):

Remember Moses was learned man in Egyptian education. He was raised in palace of Pharaoh. Observe how God had planned to make Moses able to read and write, because he wanted him to write bible books. Hence God raised him in palace so that he could be used to write first five books of bible.

We read that God told Moses to write in a book many times during his lifetime (example Exodus 17:14, 34:27, Numbers 33:2). Moses recorded all words of God which he orally spoke to him privately and publically before all Israelites (Exo 24:4). Think upon it, why is God asking Moses to write it down? It is because God wanted to get it preserved and not to be forgotten. God knew the age of Moses and the age of the people to whom his commands were originally given would not last 100-150 years. So he ensured that his spoken words got written down.

Below is the process of recording and accumulation of bible books as we gather its evidence from all corners of sacred texts.  Carefully observe which methods were used to preserve authenticity of “God breathed words.”  

• Copies handed over to elders: God not only asked Prophet Moses to write his words in a book, but he also asked him to make him copies and distribute it to responsible men (Deut 31:19). We read Moses handed the copy of the law to responsible elders in Israel, priest and Levites.
• To be memorized:  Then God also asked them to be memorized. We read God instructed Joshua and Israelites to memorize and meditate on the scripture(Joshua 1:8, Deut 6:6).
• To be taught to children (Deut 6:7, see also Psalms 78:4-7)
• Photo framing scripture passages on doorposts and gates of houses (Deut 6:8-9)
• To be recited by kings and copy placed in the palace(Deut 17:18)
• Used it in songs to memorize (Deut 31:22)

Joshua:

After the death of Moses, Joshua started recording the words of God (Joshua 8:32, 24:26). Joshua continued to command people to preserve law by remembering it (Joshua 22:5, 23:6). He orally read words of God before all Israelites. It is mentioned that Joshua did not even miss a single word (Joshua 8:35).

Samuel:

After the Death of Prophet Moses and Prophet Joshua, Israel was led by Judges. Samuel was one such judge and a prophet of God. We read that he continued this tradition of writing words of God in a book (1 Sam 10:25).

David:

David wrote many psalms. Not only was he a king but he was a prophet too (Acts 2:30).  He used to meditate upon it (Psalms 1:2, 63:6, 143:5). During David’s time, there were other prophets like Nathan whom God used to speak (2 Sam 12:7). It is believed that they maintained writing God-inspired words and collecting them.  

Solomon:

While the priests and prophets of Israel preserved written laws of God, and also the writings of Prophets Samuel, David had asked his son Solomon to meditate upon it and preserve it (1 Kings 2:3). Solomon wrote Proverbs and other books in the bible (1 Kings 4:32).

Prophets:

After Samuel, there were three main respectable positions in Israel, – Kings, Levites and priests, and the prophets. But from Samuel onwards, it was prophets who took the responsibility of preserving the bible. We read that Samuel started a school of prophets where he had disciples (1 Sam 10:5, 10, 19:18-24). After David and Solomon, God spoke to people through prophets. Many times we read in the book of prophets that God asked them to write his words (Isa 30:8, Jeremiah 30:2, 36:2, Ezekiel 24:2, 37:16, 43:11). To Jeremiah God said,  Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day (Jeremiah 36:2). To Habakkuk God says write (Habakkuk 2:2). We read there were many prophets who were known as disciples of prophets (2 King 2:3, 4:38, Isa 8:18).  So these prophets were the custodian of God-inspired words.  

Thus we find that God ensured that his words were written and preserved without a chance for adulteration. The entire corporate body of Israel, (right from children, common layman Israelites, to the kings, Levites and prophets) all had an oral version in mind and written copy to prevent it’s from getting adulterated so that everyone knew what were God-inspired writings and which was not God-inspired but commentary of men. The present technology of blockchain uses the same logic of making multiple copies so that spurious one can be easily identified since the original copy is with the corporate body of Old Testament church. Therefore we find that when Jesus arrived in New Testament, he clearly distinguished God-inspired scriptures (written, preserved and witnessed by Old Testament church), from the oral and written traditions of Pharisees and Scribes and Jewish Scribes (Matt 15:3).

To be continued….