How was God’s government administered in the New Testament? Some say it was different from what is revealed in the Old Testament. Is there a difference?
Throughout the Old Testament, God always worked through one man who was directly under the one who became Jesus Christ. The examples of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David and many others thoroughly prove this. But what about the New Testament? Did Christ come and establish a new form of government, and in so doing, do away with the government of the Old Testament? Why did Christ ordain 12 apostles? Why not just one?
The question of how God’s government operates should be extremely important to us because it has so much to do with the soon-coming Kingdom of God. The Kingdom, after all, will be made up of God’s Family which will administer God’s government.
On May 2, 1974, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote a letter to members and co-workers of the Worldwide Church of God. In it, he said, “As we progress through the Bible on the question of government, theprinciple of government, from the top down, is consistent. But the application, or details of structurediffers, and varies to adapt to the time, conditions and facilities. The revolters from God’s Work confuse structural form with principle of government, which is always from the top (God) down. They are not the same.”
Many people confuse the structural form of government, which can change, with the principle of government, which never changes. With that in mind, let’s look more closely at Church government in the New Testament.
Peter—the Chief Apostle
After Jesus overcame Satan in the decisive battle in the wilderness (Matthew 4), He chose 12 disciples. They were eyewitnesses to the Messiah and His Work. They were right there with Him. One of the main things they preached in the first century was that Jesus had come and gone and was resurrected. They saw it all happen.
In the Old Testament, Moses was commanded by God to select 12 men, one from each tribe, to go and spy out the land of Canaan to see whether it was good or bad. They also were to bring back an eyewitness report.
Twelve is also used throughout the Bible to depict an organizational beginning. So after Jesus overcame Satan, He immediately began to organize what would later be the New Testament Church government.
Now notice how He dealt specifically with Peter, one of the original 12. “And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas [in Greek, Peter], which is by interpretation, A stone” (John 1:42).
The Greek word for Peter is petros and simply means “rock.” There is symbolism in Peter’s name. But first, let it be made clear that Jesus did not somehow “fade away” into nonexistence and give all authority of the Church to Peter, as many churches in this world believe.
In Matthew 16:18, we read, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The rock spoken of here in the Greek is not petros, but petra, which means large, massive rock, or rocky fortress. The “rock” here is referring to Jesus Christ (notice 1 Corinthians 10:4).
Christ is the Head of the Church, as is plainly stated in Ephesians 2:20: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Christ is the chief corner stone of the pyramidal form of government in God’s Church. It is a government formed like a pyramid, from the top down. Peter himself plainly stated that in 1 Peter 2:6-8. Many other scriptures in the New Testament establish God’s government from the top down.
Simon’s name was changed to Peter because it symbolized the foundation of the Church. Notice Mark 3:14, 16: “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach…. And Simon he surnamed Peter.”
Here is what Mr. Armstrong wrote in Mystery of the Ages: “A surname is, according to Webster, ‘an added name derived from occupation.’ The surname Peter had for centuries been a surname ortitle, designating a religious leader, head or headquarters. Peter was the first and chief apostle.”
Christ names His leaders what they are! And among the original 12 apostles, Peter was chief. Of course he didn’t go around abusing his authority and firing people left and right. But he was given authority over the others. There wasn’t a 12-member doctrinal team that decided doctrine in the first century. Mr. Armstrong wrote, “So, at the very beginning of His earthly ministry, preparing the foundation for the Church, Jesus Christ chose His chief human apostle and the other original 11” (page 221).
We already read Matthew 16:18 where Christ said “thou art Peter.” The very next verse makes it even clearer that Peter was given chief authority. “And I will give unto thee [Christ is still addressing Peter] the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou [again, Peter] shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (verse 19). This is an important verse because all the other apostles were standing there, and yet Christ was specifically addressing Peter. Why didn’t He say this to all of them? As chief apostle, Peter was given the authority to “bind” and “loose.” Christ made this statement to no other apostle!
Difference Between Old and New Testaments
Let’s briefly look at the difference between the governments of the Old and New Testaments. They were only different in their structural form, as Mr. Armstrong wrote in the member letter quoted above. But the principle of government from the top down is the same in both cases.
In the Old Testament, God chose one man at a time who served directly under Him. This was because Israel was one nation in one location. Due to the conditions and facilities at that time, this was all that was necessary to administer the principle of government from the top down.
Now what about the New Testament? Mr. Armstrong wrote in the member letter, “But in the first century of the Gospel Work in the New Testament, God was sending the Gospel into many countries, over wide areas. So He organized His Work into two principal divisions, or areas—Israel and Gentiles. They were widely separated geographically. Communication was virtually nil, except by personal contact. Transportation was by foot, horse or muleback, or by camel or elephant, or sailboat.”
For this reason, God chose 12 apostles instead of just one. This enabled the brethren to be reached on a much more regular basis. But still, as we have already seen, Peter was chief of these original 12.
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