A: A text in Jeremiah will help us to understand this.
In the record of the calling of the prophet, we read:
Jeremiah 1:9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
Jeremiah was only a man, yet he was clothed with wonderful power. As strong language was used concerning him as was spoken to Peter. Now how was he to root out kingdoms, and to pull down and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant them? Simply by the word of the Lord which he should speak. A prophet is simply the mouth-piece of God.
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on them, they began to speak, with tongues, Acts 2:4 ...as the Spirit gave them utterance. We have before quoted the statement of Paul, that in making known the gospel, he spoke.
1 Corinthians 2:13 ...not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. The same word of God, which was given to Jeremiah was committed to the apostles.
1 Peter 1:24 All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away;
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
Jeremiah was only a man, yet he was clothed with wonderful power. As strong language was used concerning him as was spoken to Peter. Now how was he to root out kingdoms, and to pull down and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant them? Simply by the word of the Lord which he should speak. A prophet is simply the mouth-piece of God.
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on them, they began to speak, with tongues, Acts 2:4 ...as the Spirit gave them utterance. We have before quoted the statement of Paul, that in making known the gospel, he spoke.
1 Corinthians 2:13 ...not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. The same word of God, which was given to Jeremiah was committed to the apostles.
1 Peter 1:24 All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away;
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever. Then he adds:
25 And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Therefore just as Jeremiah, as the spokesman for God, could tear.jpg)
down and build up nations, so the apostles, with the words of Christ in their mouths, could bind and loose, according to the will of heaven.
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The acts of men in such cases were not the acts of men, but of God. Men were simply the mouth-pieces of His righteous decrees."
E.J. Waggoner
E.J. Waggoner