Thread: The Ordinances
View Single Post
  #4  
Old 07-04-2009, 01:59 AM
Biblestudent's Avatar
Biblestudent Biblestudent is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Philippines
Posts: 662
Default

Brother, here's what I see:

1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

1 Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

1. By context, in the same chapter, it seems that it would be a stretch to make 1 Corinthians 11:2 to refer to Acts 15:20. The nearer context to 1 Corinthians 11:2 is 1 Corinthians 11:23.

2. We can also notice the parallelism between the two verses:

1 Corinthians 11:2...keep the ordinances, AS I DELIVERED THEM TO YOU
1 Corinthians 11:23 FOR I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD THAT WHICH ALSO I DELIVERED UNTO YOU, That the Lord Jesus ...
took bread


3. Not only that, in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is talking about the ordinances which he RECEIVED OF THE LORD and that which he himself DELIVERED to the church.

The Acts 15 letters were received from the Jewish apostles, and it was not delivered BY Paul but BY the Twelve through Paul.

4. The context can not be ignored. Concerning Acts 21 and Acts 15, it's very important to note WHO is speaking.

Acts 21:25 writings were NOT the ordinances received by Paul from the Lord. They were were "written" especially by James and all the elders present who said "we have written and concluded that the Gentiles observe certain things".

Acts 21:18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him,...
25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

Acts 15:13, 19, 20 make it clear that its James who made this "sentence" with his Jewish "brethren".

Acts 15:13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

These were written to the Gentiles, but, this were not the "ordinances" which Paul "received of the Lord" and "delivered" to the church.

Furthermore, Matthew 26 Lord's Supper was delivered by Jesus TO THE TWELVE and will be observed by Kingdom believers AS THE TWELVE DELIVERED IT TO THEM.

Paul is emphasizing in 1 Corinthians 11 that the ORDINANCES that he RECEIVED OF THE LORD (by the direct revelation, and not after men) and DELIVERED TO THE CHURCH are to be observed AS HE (PAUL) DELIVERED IT, and not as Christ (before the cross) or the Twelve delivered it.

5. Also, Acts 15 and Acts 21 mentions no "ORDINANCE" whatsoever.