The Voice and Presence of Christ in His People

Consider John Owen's teaching on the voice of Christ in his apostles: "The epistles of the apostles are no less Christ's sermons than that which he delivered on the mount" (vol. 5, Works, p. 59).

I wonder: Do you agree with this? Do you believe this? I do. And I believe I've got scriptural reason to do so. And by due and necessary consequence, I'll even go a little further.

Consider two texts:

"The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Lk. 10:16).

And,

"He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near" (Eph. 2:17).

Now, ask yourself just two questions:

First, considering that first clause in Lk. 10:16, ask yourself if our Christology and ecclesiology can really hear a text like this aright? You know, head and body theology, Christology and ecclesiology organically and vitally connected, as in like not separated by 200 pages in a systematic theology, as in the body not being decapitated. We are Christ's body, his presence, including his mouth. In the first instance, this has reference to the apostles, but it goes beyond them as well, as the apostolic Word is spoken by believers, and especially his appointed spokesmen.

Second, ask yourself who the "you" refers to in Eph. 2:17. Presumably, the Ephesians, right? And they never saw or heard Jesus in the days of his flesh. They never saw him with bodily eyes or heard his actual unique voice. But nevertheless they heard his voice (see Eph. 4:21—in Greek if you can—they heard him, not about him). Jesus himself preached to the Ephesians in his Spirit-indwelt ministers.

Now recall Acts 1:1, where Luke says that in his first volume, the Gospel according to Luke, he dealt with "all that Jesus began to do and teach." What does this imply about what Acts records and bears witness to? Well, naturally, that Acts testifies to all that Jesus continued to do and teach—by his indwelling Spirit, through his apostles.

Have you heard his voice? He still speaks. Let us hear him.