There are basically two different forms of communication, oral and written. The apostles used both in exercising their "power of attorney" to present Christ's Word. The oral form of communicating God's Word is by far the earliest form used by the apostles and dates back to their first commission to "preach" (Matt. 10; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16). For the first few years, apostolic preaching held a place of high importance. Since oral communication is so important, and Christ authorized His apostles to use it, we should understand the New Testament concept of it.
In the New Testament there are many references to the apostles' oral form of communication. Luke wrote that the "things which are most surely believed" were "delivered . . . unto us [Luke and his contemporaries] which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word" (Luke 1:1-4). Many of these eyewitnesses and ministers may have told Luke about Jesus' life, teachings, death, and resurrection.
The Book of Acts contains many examples of oral communication within the apostolic church. The first instance is Peter's Pentecost sermon, when he "lifted up his voice, and said to them. . . be this known unto you, and hearken to my words" (Acts 2:14; cf. 2:22, 40). Another is Luke's record of the early church's prayer asking God to "grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus." God answered their prayer, and they spoke "the word of God with boldness" (4:29-31).
Miracles often accompanied the apostles, as was the case when they were miraculously released from prison. They were told to go to the temple and "speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20). Later the twelve apostles addressed the other disciples about how they did not want to give up preaching "the word of God and serve tables." They wanted helpers so they could devote themselves "to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." The result was that "the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly" (6:2-7).
There are many other references to the apostles' oral communications: "They that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word" (Acts 8:4); "they had testified and preached the word of the Lord. . . . preached the gospel" (8:25); "received the word of God" (11:1); "the word of God grew and multiplied" (12:24); "came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God" (cf. 13:44); "that the word of God should first have been spoken to you" (13:46); "teaching and preaching the word of the Lord" (15:35); "the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them" (16:10); "they spake unto him the word of the Lord" (16:32); "teaching the word of God among them" (18:11); "mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed" (19:20), et al. These Scriptures show that apostles knew that they were preaching the Word of God to the people. This important means of spreading the Word continued throughout the apostolic age.
There are also references to the oral form of communication in the Epistles. Paul spent a year and a half in Corinth, "teaching the word of God" (Acts 18:11). This was effective oral teaching because in a later letter to this church he wrote, "I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you" (I Cor. 11:2). Paul wrote to the Christians at Thessalonica, "Stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle" (II Thess. 2:15). Jude also wrote that when he was eager "to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Paul taught by the spoken word, and the faith Jude wrote of being delivered to the saints is probably a reference to the spoken word also.
From chapter 1 of Authority of Scripture, © copyright 2000 by Leland M. Haines, Northville, MI.
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