“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .”
The word “devoted,” in this passage means that the disciples persevered in staying close to and persisting in the study and application of the Scriptures. There is a sense of loyalty here by the disciples of Jesus and their deep desire to embrace tightly the living and active word of God as though their lives depended on it. In fact, their lives did depend on the Scriptures for life and godliness.
When we read Acts 2:42-47, it gives a clear picture of the practices of the early Church. It’s not only descriptive of the early Church, but prescriptive for today’s Church as well. It’s interesting that these four practices: the teaching of Scripture, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers, are all nouns indicating that this was the essence or substance of their lives that were consistently lived out in their daily lives. In other words, the very character of Christ was being formed in them, by the Spirit of God, to be lived out in the power of His Spirit at work in them, as a witness to the world for the glory of God.
This seems to be a vivid display of what it means to be the Church, versus what we do as the Church. Both are crucial to the life and witness of the believer; it’s not either or.
Devoted to the Apostles’ teaching
So why was there a devotion to the Scriptures in the early Church, and why should we as followers of Christ be devoted to the Scriptures today?
Ultimately it was because they had an unwavering conviction that what was taught by the apostles was the truth of God: (see 1 Timothy 3:16) Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, how to live life as a witness of Christ, salvation, the exaltation of Christ, the Old Testament Scriptures, and certainly the teachings of Christ. As they were taught this by the apostles, their witness increased even in the midst of persecution, imprisonment, social isolation, ridicule, and martyrdom. The teaching of God’s ways and His word were their comfort in trials, and their strong defense among the false teachings and doctrines of heretics.
As these teachings were passed down in the writing of the gospel accounts, and the books and letters that comprise the New Testament (which was canonized by no later than A.D. 376, but there is sufficient evidence that the 27 books of the NT were listed and used by the early church fathers, like Origen, as the canon of Scripture), they were rightly taught as the inspired Word of God.
And so for us, we have the canon of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, written down for us that are still, and will always be, the inspired, inerrant, authoritative word of God. There are no longer apostles or prophets as there were in the apostolic era of Jesus’s day when he appointed the twelve, and birthed the New Testament church by the power of His Spirit. But God now speaks to us through His Son, and His revealed word by His Spirit, so that we might walk in the light of His truth.
God’s word is God’s word, which is reason enough to be devoted to, and long for, the Scriptures. In Psalm 119, the longest Psalm written, David’s devotion to God and His law is without question. Listen to what David says and how he exalts the word of God: “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.” “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day . . . I hope in your word . . . I trust in your word . . . how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth . . . I rejoice at your word. I think you get the point.
And the reasons why David is devoted to the law of God, God’s word, are seemingly countless. Here are just a few reasons David gives in Psalm 119: when we guard our life by His word, when we seek God in His word, when we store up God’s word, learn God’s word, declare God’s word, delight in God’s word, meditate on God’s word, fix our eyes on God’s word, and remember God’s word we are able to keep our way blameless; His word gives us life; His word opens our eyes to the ways of God; His word is our counselor; His word strengthens us; His word gives understanding; His word gives direction; His word is our good; His word comforts us; His word helps us persevere in affliction; His word corrects us; His word guards us against error; His word is firmly fixed; His word guides me; His word gives us peace.
The apostles taught this, as well as what they had been taught by Christ and observed in the life of Jesus. The four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John give us an explicit account of the life of Jesus, and more than sufficient for our understanding of our need to confess sin, repent, and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sin. Although explicit in its message, it was not exhaustive in its scope of all that Jesus did. As John writes in closing out his gospel, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25
It is this to which the disciples were devoted as the apostles taught. And it is in the word of God, the Scriptures, that we are exhorted to, as Paul did with Timothy when he wrote in 1 Timothy, “ . . . you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed . . . command and teach these things . . . Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching . . . Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.”
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul writes, “You, however, have followed my teaching . . . continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Then Paul gives the reason why we need to be devoted to the Scriptures, when he writes to Timothy and says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
So, we should be devoted to the teaching of the Scriptures because they are the Word of God.
And, we should be devoted to the Scriptures because they teach us God’s ways and how to live in the everyday moments of this very broken world.
In Psalm 119, David writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” God’s word sheds light on where to step and how to navigate this life we live. And we desperately need that because the path we walk in this world is more often littered with landmines than it is lollipops. Our path in this life leads us through the valleys of the shadow of death, but God shepherds us by His word and the abiding presence of His Spirit. And as we follow His ways and delight in His word, He provides for our real needs, not just felt needs; He leads us beside the quiet waters of His word when the world feels like a raging sea; He makes us lie down in the green pastures of His word to rest even when we walk through desert moments; He restores our weary and wounded soul with the healing salve of His word; He reminds us of His nearness with the rod and staff of His word so that we don’t have to fear any evil; He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies where we feast on the goodness of His word and the sustenance He gives.
That’s why we should be devoted to the Scriptures.
Lastly, we should be devoted to the teaching of Scriptures because the alternative will lead us wandering like without a shepherd. Sadly, many churches find themselves drifting from the truth because they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie that Satan peddles through a godless culture that has abandoned God’s word and His ways.
When believers in Christ are devoted to the unadulterated, never-changing, absolute true word of God, there will be no question as to where we stand regarding sin, be it issues of gender, sexuality, abortion, false doctrine, or anything else that raises itself up against the standard of God’s word.
And that’s what we need, the truth of Scriptures that are taught within the Church and lived out as a people with a peculiar identity, not avoiding the world but living differently than the world as we live in this world. As we devote ourselves to the reading and application of Scripture, know that there will be opposition because of the stark contrast to what the world believes and how the world lives.
In his book, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church, Michael Kruger speaks to the opposition of believers by those in the world: “Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia, writes to Emperor Trajan expressing his concern about how much Christianity had spread: ‘For the matter seemed to me well worth referring to you--especially considering the numbers endangered. Persons of all ranks and ages, and of both sexes are, and will be, involved in the prosecution. For this contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread through the villages and rural districts.’”
As Rome began to notice and take seriously the spread of this Jesus movement, the believers made every effort to show that they were ordinary citizens yet without compromising the gospel of Christ. However, Roman historians such as Suetonius and Tacitus spoke harshly about and against Christians, making everyday life difficult. But it was their devotion to Christ and the teaching of the Scriptures that strengthened their resolve to live and, for many, to die for Christ.
It’s when we, too, take seriously our devotion to Christ, the teaching of His word, and a Spirit-filled life, that we will be the witnesses we are called to be as God’s people, His Church. That is why we must rediscover His design for His Church by being devoted to His Word and His ways.
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