Prophets and Apostles not Perfect
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:42 am
Prophets and apostles are foreordained by God to be our spiritual leaders. However, having said that, they are subject to to same human weaknesses that we are. As being as a rule more spiritually advanced than the rest of us are, and certainly than I am, and that is the reason God chose them in the first place, we should be able to look at their lives, actions, and words with trusting confidence. However, unfortunately, this is not always the case. Balaam did not live up to his calling as a prophet because of his lust for riches, and eventually fell from grace. Nathan, although a good man and prophet made a human error when he told king David to build a temple to the Lord while he was certainly not under the influence of the Spirit, and the Lord had to correct Him later. Jonah was angry with the Lord because he could not understand why the Lord decreed the destruction of Niniveh and then revoked His decree. Of course, we all know the story of the apostle Judas. Have we had some apostasy and some misstatements after the restoration? Of course, we have. The question I would put forth now is this. Should we constantly point to these and focus on these to the point of obsession and neglect of our own spiritual growth, or should we try as best we can to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling?"