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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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December 20, 2009
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Contents:
1) Bible Authority -- What Kind? (Julian R. Snell)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
Bible Authority -- What Kind?
by Julian R. Snell
Lack of respect for scriptural authority is at the root of every
problem of major proportion to face God's people. Authority is the
right to command or direct; to authorize a thing is to direct by
authority. In spiritual matters all authority inheres in God.
Authority, legislative, executive and judicial, all, has been given
into the hands of Christ. "All authority hath been given unto me in
heaven and on earth" (Mt. 28:18). Christ is "head over all things to
the church, which is his body" (Eph. 1:22-23). The church, the
spiritual body of Christ, as well as the Christian individual, can act
to the glory of God only by the authority of Christ. He is the head who
controls, the king who reigns by the law which he has legislated.
Christ gave binding and loosing authority only to his apostles. "And I
will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 16:19), is
specifically addressed to Peter. However, a more general statement of
the same dimensions is applicable to all the disciples in Matthew
18:18. That which the apostles bound and loosed by the word of the
Spirit had already been bound in heaven. The finality of this is
accepted when we realize that every obligation and privilege associated
with being a Christian is circumscribed by apostolic teaching. There
can be no going beyond their word in either direction. Proper respect
for the authority of Christ is shown only by submission to apostolic
teaching.
The authority of Christ vested in the apostles is exercised completely
in the New Testament. This furnishes the apostolic pattern which is to
be followed today. Being perfect and complete, the scriptures admit no
change or revision. Acceptance of this basic principle begets
perfection within those who follow the scriptures and insures unity
among them. The admonition, "let us walk by the same rule, let us mind
the same thing" (Phil. 3:16), which was followed successfully in New
Testament times continues to be the divine formula in matters of
dispute today and where followed will produce the same meeting of minds
and unity of practice as it did then. Significantly, questions and
problems during the days of the apostles were settled by an appeal to
them. Acts 15 is a classic illustration of the effectiveness of this
and authorizes no course but this in our own time.
New Testament authority is established in one of three ways. Command or
precept involves a direct statement of instruction or direction.
Approved example involves the practice in the New Testament under
guidance of the apostles as they had received of the Lord. Necessary
inference relates to that which though neither expressly stated nor
specifically exemplified, yet is necessarily implied by the language.
Having made these initial observations we turn our attention to the
assignment of this article "kinds of authority." We immediately take
note that there are two kinds of authority which must be recognized
even after establishing scriptural authority. These are generic and
specific which we propose to consider in that order by defining and
illustrating. Generic means, "general, opposite to specific." Specific
means, "precisely formulated or restricted; specifying or explicit."
Recognition of these two kinds of authority is vital to proper
application of scriptural authority.
Generic or general authority includes anything, method, or means of
execution, that comes within the class or order of the precept, example
or necessary inference. It includes all within the scope and class of
the command necessary to the carrying out of that command. God gives
the authority but the choice as to the how of doing is left open to
man. The action is set out but the how is not spelled out.
Specific authority excludes every thing not particularly specified. God
has made choice and man is left no option. Mark it! General authority
includes; specific authority excludes. As we attempt to illustrate we
trust it will become readily apparent that these distinctions are not
as technical as they may seem.
Jesus commanded, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"
(Mt. 28:19). The command "go" is generic, the choice of how to go must
be made. A number of options might be considered. A man might walk,
ride, fly or take a ship as he goes forth preaching the gospel. God did
not specify the how of going, choice of the options is man's to make.
Within the same context (Mt. 28:19-20) we have the command to "teach."
What is to be taught is certainly specified, the gospel. This excludes
everything else. However, the command to teach is generic and one may
teach in a number of ways. God did not tell how, the choice is
with man respecting the options open to him. We may teach publicly or
privately, use a one on one approach or the class method. Since God did
not specify which, no man has the right to bind a specific method. Some
make the mistake here of trying to make the generic command "teach,"
specific and forbid classes. This is a binding where God has not bound.
The command to assemble is generic. "Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together" (Heb. 10:25) necessitates a place. Where are we to
assemble? Several options are open from which a choice must be made. Is
the place to be in a home, a rented facility or a meeting house bought
and paid for by those who are to utilize the facility? Which is it to
be? Again, God did not specify. He left it to man's judgment to select
the most expedient of the options open to him. Some have argued there
is no authority for the meeting house. Such fails to recognize the
validity of general authority which includes the means or method
necessary to the carrying out of the command. The underlying failure in
the assertion seems to admit only those things specifically authorized.
Such reasoning usually includes water coolers, bathrooms, and the like,
as being accepted facilities but without authority. I conclude that any
facility essential to the command to assemble is authorized. However,
since the assembling is for the purpose of worship and spiritual
edification, only those facilities conducive to this are authorized.
Recreational facilities, fellowship halls and all such are precluded,
along with the use of any existing facilities for such purposes,
because only that which is expedient to the furtherance of the gospel
is so authorized.
We now turn our efforts to specific authority in an attempt to
illustrate and exemplify how specific authority excludes every thing
not particularly specified. The command to Noah to build an ark out of
gopher wood (Gen. 6:14) continues to aptly illustrate. When God
specified the kind of wood, gopher, this excluded every other wood. No
circumstance, no amount of rationalizing on the part of Noah could have
justified the use of pine, walnut, oak, or any other wood. All except
gopher was excluded! When God specified the kind of wood no man had the
right to add or substitute another or in anywise change.
The command to sing, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"
(Eph. 5:19), excludes every other "kind" of music. Instrumental music
is excluded by the fact God specified "sing." Had God said make music,
the generic, man would have been at liberty to choose the kind, whether
instrumental or vocal. However, God specified vocal music, singing, and
no man has the right to grant a liberty which God's authority excludes.
The command to sing does include whatever is necessary to carry out the
order: words, whether in book or from memory, tuning fork or pitch
pipe, leader and the like.
The elements of the Lord's Supper are specified by precept, example and
necessary inference (Mt. 26:17,29; 1 Cor. 11:23-28; Acts 20:7).
Unleavened bread and fruit of the vine excludes every other element.
The first day of the week implies every first day and at the same time
excludes every other day of the week. Yeast bread, milk, meat,
ice cream, or any other element would be without authority, therefore
sinful. The method of distributing the elements of the Lord's
Supper is not specified. Whether one container or one hundred is used
in distributing the fruit of the vine among the worshipers does not
change the element or in any way alter the observance of the
communion. The container is of no significance, it symbolizes and
portrays nothing. The word "cup" is used figuratively in Matthew 26:28
and stands for the content.
God has specified the congregation, local church, (Acts 14:23; Phil.
1:1), as the only organic entity through which collective work and
responsibility is to be accomplished. The specific here excludes any
other organization in doing the work God has assigned the church. There
is nothing larger or smaller than the local congregation by way of
organization in the New Testament. There is nothing else. Any failure
to accept God's arrangement is rebellion against divine authority. This
is precisely what has occurred with respect to the church support of
human institutions in the work of benevolence. There is absolutely no
authority for the benevolent society, orphan home, through which the
church presumes to work. No more so in fact than there was authority
for the missionary society of more than a century ago. In the one we
have envisioned the doing of the work of benevolence, in the other the
work of evangelism, preaching the gospel, and in the both an
organization, an arrangement, outside the realm of that specified.
Obviously the support and endorsement of such is rebellion against the
authority of God.
In the examples of New Testament cooperation the lesson is specific.
Funds were never sent through another congregation but always to the
elders of the needy church (Acts 11:27-30). Those in need had not
by design set up some sort of brotherhood agency and then called for
help. In evangelism, funds were sent to the preacher in need directly
(1 Cor. 11:8; Phil. 4:15-16). The application of this example today
eliminates the sponsoring church arrangement, any shape or form of the
missionary society, and any plan which does not give expression to the
same New Testament practice. Elders in every church is clearly
authorized and required (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). God has specified
their jurisdiction as "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking
the oversight thereof..." (1 Pet. 5:2). Whenever elders become
overseers of anything else but the work of the flock "which is among
you" or the "flock over which the Holy Ghost made them overseers" they
are without authority from God and stand condemned. This very principle
clearly indicts every eldership which has assumed the oversight of a
"brotherhood" project such as Herald of Truth, World Radio, and any
number of schemes and arrangements which presume to activate the church
at large through common administration.
With respect to kinds of authority there are two extremes which must be
recognized and guarded against. One extreme is represented in the
anti-class group of brethren who contend that in order for a thing to
be scriptural it must be specifically authorized. Upon this basis they
reject the class system of teaching failing to recognize that such is
but means and method within the general authority and command to teach.
When one means or method inherent in a general instruction is bound to
the exclusion of all others the result is an extremist or crank. The
other extreme is represented by those sometimes referred to as
"digressives," among the Christian Church who contend that in order for
a thing to be wrong it must be specifically condemned. This
number seems to continue to grow even among us.
In summary we emphasize that for a thing to be authorized there must be
either precept, approved example or necessary inference in the New
Testament. When the authority is general then anything included within
the scope of the thing authorized is permissible. General authority
then includes any means or method required to carry out the command.
But if God specified the kind of method of executing his will then
there is no substitute, no addition is allowed but everything of the
same class or order is excluded. Thus specific authority excludes.
May the Lord help us to recognize the need for abiding in the authority
of the Scriptures and give us the wisdom and courage to apply such
authority to all we teach and practice.
-- Via Searching the Scriptures, August 1978, Volume 19, Number 8
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News & Notes
Let those of us who are Christians continue praying for Eloise Craver
as she is healing from her recent broken hip and surgery for it.
Following her short hospital stay, she then spent a couple weeks in a
rehabilitation hospital and has been progressing well with her recovery.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ
(Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can
be
lost
(Heb.
10:36-39;
Rev.
2:10; 2 Pet.
2:20-22).
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CHURCH OF CHRIST
201 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn), Denham Springs, Louisiana
70726
Sunday services: 9:15 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 4 PM (worship)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
tedwards1109@gmail.com
http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go
Directions:
Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off of I-12. At the end of
the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing
Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas
stations; with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road,
and go less then 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the
right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is very close to
the reception counter.
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