The Apostles' View of Scripture

by Leland M. Haines
        The apostles' view of Scripture can be understood by studying their use of it. They often argued from the Scriptures to prove that Christ was the Messiah. Examples of this are very numerous in the New Testament, especially in Matthew and Acts.
        Matthew, since he wrote to people of Jewish background, frequently turned to the Old Testament Scriptures to interpret Jesus' ministry. Matthew opened his gospel with "the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob . . . ." (Matt. 1:2-16; cf. Luke 3:23-38). Matthew's and Luke's genealogies show they accepted the Old Testament historical records as accurate. These genealogy records do not necessarily include every person in the line of descent, nor are they necessarily the same line back to Adam. About the discrepancies between Matthew and Luke's genealogies, Eusebius wrote, "It was customary in Israel to calculate the names of the generations, either according to nature, or according to the law; according to nature, by succession of legitimate offspring; according to the law, when another raised children to the name of a brother who had died childless." He notes that some in these genealogies tables were natural offspring and some by reputed fathers according to the law, "thus, neither of the gospels has made a false statement, whether calculating in the order of nature, or according to law."
        In summing up the details of how Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, when she was engaged to Joseph, Matthew states, "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matt. 1:22, 23). This reference is to Isaiah 7:14. The Greek term Matthew translated as "virgin" here is equivalent to the Hebrew term almah used by Isaiah. Matthew used the same Greek term used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) to translate the Hebrew term, showing the miraculous conception of Jesus. This miraculous virgin birth was a sign that a Great King was born, the Great King Isaiah wrote about (Isa. 7:14; 9:2?7; 11:1-10).
        When he sought to get rid of this new King, Herod became furious and killed all the boys around two years old and under. This caused much weeping: "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not" (Matt. 2:17, 18; cf. Jer. 31:15).
        When John the Baptist began his ministry, Matthew wrote, "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Matt. 3:3; cf. Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23; Isa. 40:3). Some 700 years earlier, Isaiah prophesied about "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness," and Matthew knew this prophecy found fulfillment in John the Baptist.
        After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus withdrew to Galilee and Capernaum. Matthew wrote this occurred "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordon, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light" (Matt. 4:14-16; cf. Isa. 9:1, 2). These people who did not have the benefit of a Bible heritage now saw a Great Light among them. In emphasizing this, Matthew showed he accepted the small details of Old Testament prophecies.
        After the account of Peter's mother?in?law's healing, Matthew wrote that Jesus healed many others, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17). Jesus throughout His ministry healed the sick, giving proof to the common people that He was the Christ.
        Many that followed Jesus were healed. Matthew interpreted this as fulfilling Isaiah's prophecies: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles" (Matt. 12:18; cf. Isa. 42:1?4). Isaiah wrote about God's Servant who would bring justice to the nations and to the earth, surely a prophecy involving one far greater than any known leader except Jesus.
        Jesus taught by many parables, "and in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive" (Matt. 13:14; cf. Isa. 6:9, 10). This was done so "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 13:35; cf. Psalm 78:2).
        When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He sent two of His disciples to find an ass and a colt for Him to ride into the city. "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass" (Matt. 21:4, 5; cf. Zech. 9:9).
        One of the twelve disciples, Judas, betrayed Jesus into the hands of the chief priest and elders for thirty pieces of silver. Seeing his mistake, Judas returned the money and went and hung himself. The chief priest and elders used the silver to buy a burial plot for the poor. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver . . . for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me" (Matt. 27:9, 10).
        All the apostles then understood the Scriptures concerning Christ. Soon after this, Peter told the apostles the reason Jesus was betrayed: "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus" (Acts 1:16; cf. Luke 22:21, 22; John 13:21-30; Pss. 41:5, 9, 10; 69:25; 109:8). Peter used this quotation referring to traitors in David's time as types that related to Jesus Christ, showing that Peter accepted their Teacher's view of Scripture.
        Luke's writings on the early church touched both Jewish and Gentile people. As mentioned earlier, Peter believed the Holy Spirit spoke through David. Peter's attitude toward the fulfillment of Scripture was the same as Jesus'. In his first evangelistic service, Peter said "that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" was being fulfilled (Acts 2:16-21). He also spoke of David's telling about One that was coming as the Christ and of Christ's resurrection (Acts 2:25-31).
        Such use of Scripture shows that the apostles accepted it as authoritative and true, in every small detail, just as Christ did. Another example of this is found in Galatians 3:16, where Paul wrote, "He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." This whole argument is based on the difference between the singular and the plural of the noun seed.
        Some apostles also used other expressions showing the above viewpoints. Paul wrote to Timothy and warned him of the apostasy to come. Paul told him to continue in what he had learned, the Scriptures, "which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim. 3:15, 16). "All scripture" refers to Scripture in its entirety; every verse is inspired of God. This is the same view Jesus expressed to Satan when He said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:3, 4).
        The word translated into English as "inspired of God" is the Greek term theopneustos. It is a compound word of theo (God) and pneustos (breathed) and ends in tos. In the Greek language words that end in tos and that are compounded with theo are generally passive in meaning. Therefore, this word can be translated "breathed of God." All Scripture is that which was "breathed of God." It has come from God through men guided and infilled by the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:21), as if it was spoken by God. God spoke through men, even though they kept their own human personality. This makes the Scriptures the Word of God. Men can place their confidence in the Scriptures because they were not written by men alone but by men moved by the Holy Spirit.
        When Paul and Peter mentioned Scripture, they generally meant the Old Testament, but they also included the New Testament. Peter spoke about those who are "unlearned and unstable," who twist Paul's epistles "as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (II Peter 3:15, 16). Paul's epistles are thus put in the same category as those earlier writings¾Scripture that Peter had said was written by men moved by the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:21). Paul's epistles are Scripture and were written when he was moved by the Holy Spirit. Paul also recognized New Testament writing as Scripture. In I Timothy 5:18 he writes, "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward." This first quotation is from Deuteronomy 25:4. The second is not from the Old Testament but is a quotation of Jesus' found in Luke 10:7. Both are identified as Scripture.
        The apostles claimed the Old Testament Scripture as Christian Scripture. Twice they expressed that the written Word was the "oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2; Heb. 5:12). The oracles of God "were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4), and they "were written down for our instruction" (I Corinthians 10:11 RSV). The prophets who spoke "were serving not themselves but you" (I Peter 1:12 RSV). Such sacred events as God's reckoning righteousness to believing Abraham were recorded "not for his sake alone, but for ours also" (Rom. 4:23 RSV).
        The apostles' view of Scripture was the same as Christ's. Both gave examples from the Old Testament to show that Christ's redemptive acts fulfilled the Old Testament promises. The Old Testament was used to bring men to Christ, and today it can still be used for the same purpose.
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