𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮: 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮: 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡

Introduction

The words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you”, affirm a sacred pattern of reception and transmission—a divine deposit passed from Christ to the apostles and then to the Church. This statement reflects not only Paul’s apostolic authority but also the method by which early Christian teaching was preserved, interpreted, and practiced. Yet, as church history progressed, this divinely inspired pattern was disrupted by various factors—doctrinal control, illiteracy, suppression of the Scriptures, and later, individualistic interpretations. The outcome was theological confusion, heresy, and widespread denominational fragmentation. This article seeks to trace the historical development of this disruption while affirming the need to return to a biblical balance between Spirit and Word, as taught and practiced by the apostles.

I. The Apostolic Model: Receiving and Delivering the Word

Paul’s phrase in 1 Corinthians 11:23 is both historical and theological. It refers to the oral tradition and teaching ministry of the apostles, which was rooted in the direct instruction of the risen Christ (cf. Galatians 1:11–12). The early church understood doctrine not as an evolving theological system, but as a deposit of faith (cf. 2 Timothy 1:13–14) to be faithfully handed down.

The transmission of Christian teaching in the New Testament involved:

• Public reading of Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13)
• Authoritative apostolic instruction (Acts 2:42)
• Local teaching within the church community, not detached individual study (Titus 1:9)

The early Christian communities were built on the unity of Word and Spirit, with doctrine taught in context, in community, and under accountability.

II. Medieval Catholicism: Restriction of Scripture and Rise of Heresies

During the early centuries, Scripture was revered and read in churches, but as Latin became a language of the elite and literacy declined, access to Scripture was limited. By the medieval period, the Catholic Church increasingly restricted lay access to the Bible, citing concerns about misinterpretation. While this move was partially motivated by a desire to preserve orthodoxy, it ironically led to the very theological decay it sought to prevent.

The Catholic Church feared heresy, yet the lack of access to the Bible and theological training among the laity created a dangerous gap. Without clear knowledge of the Scriptures, superstitions, corrupt practices, and false teachings found fertile ground. Rather than reform the system by returning to biblical teaching, the Church responded by further centralizing interpretation and forbidding unauthorized translations, reinforcing a growing divide between clergy and lay believers.

III. The Reformers and the Reaction: Opening the Scriptures Anew

Movements like the Waldensians, Albigensians, and later the Protestant Reformers (e.g., Martin Luther, William Tyndale) saw the desperate need to return the Scriptures to the people. These groups believed that Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) was the true authority, not ecclesiastical tradition or papal decree.

However, the reaction of the Church was to restrict private interpretation and limit translations to Latin. The fear was that individuals interpreting the Bible without theological training would fall into error, and indeed, some unorthodox teachings arose in this environment. But at its heart, the reformers’ cry was a biblical one: “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 119:105). They wanted the people of God to be taught by the Word of God, rightly handled.

IV. The Protestant Legacy and the Rise of Denominations

While the Reformers succeeded in liberating Scripture, their movement had unintended consequences. As the authority of tradition was replaced with the right of private interpretation, doctrinal unity began to erode. Without a centralized interpretive authority, multiple views emerged on baptism, sacraments, church governance, eschatology, and the Holy Spirit.

From the Lutherans and Reformed, to the Anabaptists, to later Wesleyans, Baptists, and finally Pentecostals, each tradition emphasized certain aspects of biblical teaching while often downplaying others:

• Some emphasized Scriptural Word but minimized the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
• Others, like the Pentecostals, emphasized the gifts and power of the Spirit, but sometimes at the expense of robust biblical theology.

As a result, the modern church has splintered into thousands of denominations, each holding partial truths but often missing the apostolic balance of Word and Spirit.

V. Individualism and the Danger of Subjective Interpretation

One of the unintended results of post-Reformation freedom has been the rise of individualism in biblical interpretation. Without proper community, training, or accountability, many believers today interpret the Bible subjectively, often reading personal experience or cultural ideas into the text.

This was the very thing the Catholic Church once feared—untrained laity misinterpreting Scripture. But the answer is not to withhold Scripture, nor is it to leave interpretation entirely to individual whims. The answer lies in recovering the apostolic method: communal instruction, faithful transmission, and Spirit-guided understanding rooted in the canon of Scripture.

VI. Returning to Apostolic Balance: Word and Spirit Together

The church today needs to return to the apostolic model: a faithful reception of the Word of God, rightly taught, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This model rejects both:

• The clericalism that hoards the Word from the people, and
• The individualism that treats the Bible as a private codebook.

Instead, we must embrace:

• Scripture-centered teaching, grounded in apostolic doctrine
• Spirit-led interpretation, not disconnected from the local church
• The unity of Word and Spirit, not one over the other

The apostles never separated the doctrinal teaching of the gospel from the experiential power of the Spirit. As Paul told Timothy, “Guard the good deposit… with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” (2 Timothy 1:14).

Conclusion

The phrase “I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you” encapsulates a sacred trust—one that has too often been disrupted by restriction, distortion, or fragmentation. Church history shows us both the dangers of suppression and the dangers of hyper-individualism. But the answer is not to swing between extremes. It is to recover a New Testament vision of Scripture—taught, interpreted, and lived in the Spirit and in the church.

In a time when truth is often personalized and fractured, may we return to the apostolic pattern: receiving from the Lord and faithfully delivering it to the next generation—neither editing it nor exalting ourselves over it. Only then will the Church walk again in unity, power, and truth.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…” (Colossians 3:16)

P.S

A Short Narration on the Waldensians and Albigensians: Their Origins, Teachings, and Impact on the Church

During the medieval period, long before the Protestant Reformation, two significant reform movements emerged in Europe that challenged the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church: the Waldensians and the Albigensians (also known as Cathars). Though differing in theology, both movements reflected a growing unrest with the corruption and worldliness within the Church and a yearning for a return to apostolic purity.

The Waldensians: Apostolic Simplicity and the Authority of Scripture

The Waldensians trace their origins to the late 12th century, founded by Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant from Lyon, France. Around 1173, Waldo underwent a radical spiritual transformation, renounced his wealth, and began preaching a simple gospel message modeled after the life of Christ and the apostles. His followers, often called "The Poor of Lyon," emphasized poverty, lay preaching, and the authority of Scripture in the vernacular.

Their main teachings included:

• Rejection of clerical wealth and corruption
• Upholding Scripture as the ultimate authority
• Encouragement of Bible reading in the common language
• Denial of certain Catholic doctrines such as purgatory and the veneration of saints

The Catholic Church condemned them at the Third Lateran Council (1179), and they were declared heretical. Despite persecution, the Waldensians survived through underground networks and later merged with the Protestant Reformation, especially the Reformed churches in Switzerland and Italy.

The Albigensians: Dualism and Radical Rejection of the Material World

The Albigensians, or Cathars, were most active in Southern France during the 12th and 13th centuries, especially around the city of Albi. Their teachings were influenced by earlier Gnostic and Manichaean beliefs. The Cathars held to a radical dualism: a belief in two equal and opposing spiritual forces—a good God of the spiritual realm and an evil god of the material world.

Key beliefs included:

• The physical world is inherently evil
• Jesus did not truly become flesh (denying the incarnation)
• Rejection of sacraments, the cross, and the Catholic hierarchy
• Advocated a pure lifestyle among the “Perfecti” (their spiritual elite)

The Catholic Church responded with severe force. Pope Innocent III launched the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229), a brutal military campaign to eliminate the movement. Later, the Inquisition was established to root out remaining Cathars, leading to the near-total extinction of the sect by the 14th century.

Impact on the Church

Both movements played pivotal roles in exposing the spiritual and moral failings of the medieval Church. The Waldensians, in particular, are remembered as forerunners of the Reformation, advocating for vernacular Scripture, moral reform, and lay involvement in ministry. The Church’s harsh response, especially toward the Albigensians, also revealed the dangers of unrestrained institutional power and sowed seeds of reformist thought that would blossom in later centuries.

In sum, while the Albigensians faded, the Waldensians endured, leaving a lasting legacy on biblical literacy, church reform, and the call to return to the apostolic faith

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• Hollenweger, Walter J. The Pentecostals: The Charismatic Movement in the Churches. SCM Press, 1972.

• Kelly, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines. HarperCollins, 1978.

• Mathison, Keith A. The Shape of Sola Scriptura. Canon Press, 2001.

• McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.

• Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Reformation of the Bible/The Bible of the Reformation. Yale University Press, 1996.

• Shelley, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Thomas Nelson, 2013.

• Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. Eerdmans, 1997.

• The Holy Bible, ESV. Crossway, 2011. (1 Corinthians 11:23; 2 Timothy 1:13–14; Colossians 3:16)
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