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Date:         Fri, 4 Sep 1992 15:36:44 -0400
From:         "David J. Moreau" <DMOREAU@DRUNIVAC.BITNET>
Subject:      Ministers and messengers of God

These arguments between Protestants and Catholics boils down to one
major point.  Who has the authority to teach God's words?  First, let
us ask, who will be saved?  According to Romans 10:13,

   "Far whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
    saved."

According to this verse, those who call upon the name of the Lord
(Jesus Christ according to Rom 10:9) will be saved.  But are there
people who will call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who will
not be saved?  Let us read Matt. 7:21,

   "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
    the kingdom of heaven;"

According to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, there are people
(many according to the next verse) who will call upon the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, yet will not be saved.  Does that mean that the
Bible contradicts itself?  No.  Let us allow the Bible to explain
itself.  Who can truly call unto the name of our Lord Jesus Christ?
According to Rom. 10:14,

   "How then shall they call on him whom they have not believed?  and
    how shall they believe in him of whom thay have not heard?..."

According to the Scripture, in order to call upon the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, we must believe first.  But to believe, we must
first hear.  Now many will say, 'Oh, I have heard the Gospel.  I read
the Bible every day.  I truly believe.'  But are these people
correct?  What must we have to hear, and thus believe in Christ?  Let
us consult the Bible in Rom. 10:14-15,

   "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
    and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
    and how shall they hear without a preacher?
   "And how shall they preach, except they be sent?..."

According to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, we must first hear
the Gospel from a preacher whom is sent before we can believe and
call unto Christ.  What about faith?  Can we have faith without
hearing the words of God?  Rom. 10:17,

   "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

So it is the same for faith.  We cannot have faith without hearing
the words of God preached by a commissioned messenger.  Since it is
so important to have a messenger of God, then how can we identify a
true preacher?  How does God commission his messenger?  There are
three ways.
   If we look back to the commissioning of Moses, we can see one way
that messengers are sent.  God calls some face to face.  God actually
spoke to Moses.  But not all were called this way.  When the
Israelites were to enter Canaan, Moses needed a successor, since he
wasn't allowed to enter.  So Joshua was given his authority through a
laying of hands (Deut 34:9).  These are two of the ways that
messengers of God are given their authority.
   But who laid their hands on John the Baptist, or even our Lord
Jesus Christ?  No one.  Where in the Bible does God speak to them and
give them their commissioning?  Nowhere.  So how can they prove their
authority?  Through prophecy.  Prophecy is the third way in which God
commissions his messengers.  John the Baptist shows his authority in
Matt. 3:3.  His authority comes through prophecy.

   So why is this all important?  Because it is imperative to hear
the Gospel from one who is _sent_, otherwise we can not believe, nor
can we have faith.  So who was duly commissioned?  You can argue with
each other, but I will say neither the Catholics nor the Protestants.
The Catholics claim of apostolic succession is false, and the
Protestants have no where to claim authority.  If anyone disagrees
with me, please, as much as possible, send personal E-mail so as not
to clutter up the list.  And if anyone wishes for me to explain
myself, please send personal E-mail, so that those who are not
interested and keep their disk quotas reasonable.

David Moreau
dmoreau@drunivac.drew.edu
       @herne.drew.edu
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia