B -- Abide by them by all means, but do not forget that the point is

that the authority for Christ's teaching is the Father that sent Him.  Now

let us look at the Epistles.  Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2:13:

`For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye

received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word

of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God'.

You see by this statement that Paul, Silas and Timothy, acting in their

capacity as `sent ones', claimed the self -same authority for their words as

did Christ Himself.  In 1 Peter 1:25 we read:

`The word of the Lord endureth for ever.

And this is the word which by

the gospel is preached unto you'.

In 2 Peter 1:20,21 Peter speaks of the inspiration of Scripture, and in

2 Peter 3:16 he links Paul's Epistles with `the other Scriptures'.  In 1

Peter 1:11 Peter, speaking of the Old Testament prophets, says that they

spake by `The Spirit of Christ'.  Paul in Romans 15, after having spoken in

verse 8 of the Lord's earthly ministry, goes on to say of himself, `That I

should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles' (verse 16).  In 2

Timothy 1:8 Paul says to Timothy, `Be not thou therefore ashamed of the

testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner'.  Does it not therefore appear

to you that the following facts emerge clearly from these quotations?

The words of Christ and His apostles are not to be considered as

their own, but as the words of Him that sent them.

The testimony of the Epistles is still considered to be the

testimony of Christ, this time as the risen One, and speaking through

those who had been chosen and `sent' by Him.

In each case the authority for the message is that of the

`sender'; in the Gospels Christ is the sent One, in the Epistles the

apostles are the sent ones, (the very word apostle (from apostello)

means a sent one), and Christ still speaks to us, even though in Person

He is now at the right hand of God.

A -- This is certainly a most important aspect of the subject and one

that has never struck me before.  It would appear from what you have pointed

out that whether it be the words of Christ recorded in the Gospels, or the

words of those sent by Him recorded in the Epistles, we are to see that both

go back to God Himself, the `Sender', for their authority.  This, coupled

with the words of John 15:26, `When the Comforter is come, whom I Will Send

unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth', and John 16:13,14 `He

shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you',

certainly makes me feel the need to reconsider my attitude to the Epistles.

B -- Dear friend, if you just regard both Gospels and Epistles as being

of equal authority and of equal inspiration, you will have the key to much

blessing and light.  Remember 2 Timothy 3:16.

A -- What is that?

B -- Well, you search and see for yourself, and ponder it well till we

meet next time.