Author: Cox, Stan

For the edification of the brethren, the preaching of the gospel is needed in our worship assemblies. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). May we all be blessed by the faithful proclamation of truth.

Prayer, offered confidently by a saint, can accomplish wonders. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). As we engage in worship to the Almighty God in heaven, may we all “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16), petitioning God in faith.

Men have long subordinated the directives of God to their own will and desires. Simply put, mechanical instruments exist in modern worship because men want them there, not because God authorized them.

Quantifying the collective worship of the local church is a rather simple thing to do. One need only read the New Testament and find out exactly what acts of worship the Christians of that time engaged in. If we are able to establish what God commanded the disciples to do, or to establish examples of them engaging in worship that was endorsed by God, we can then know what is constituted in God’s divine directives for congregational worship.

We are living in a time where the value or worth of an act of worship is determined experientially. That is, if the worshipper has a positive experience in the worship, it is determined to be valid. Such a standard is by nature subjective, and leads to widely divergent types of worship.

God does not want men to establish new and innovative types of worship that are more entertainment than true devotion. He is not seeking “dramatizations”, “Interpretive dances”, “Concerts”, “Choirs”, or “Passion Plays.” Rather, he desires the singing of Songs, Prayer, Sacrificial Giving, the Memorial of His Son’s death in the Communion, and the Edification of His people through the Preaching of the word.

As we begin our seventh year, we ask that you continue to read and profit from the materials available to you in Watchman. May God Bless you in your studies.

Each apostasy had as its core a rejection of the authority of God’s word. Had there been a fidelity to the principles established in the New Testament, such innovations and changes would not have occurred. This is an important lesson to us today. Brethren, unless we understand the nature of biblical authority and apply it to all aspects of our lives, we are in danger of suffering the same fate.

It is our policy that if an article in the magazine is responded to, the response and a rejoinder will be published in the magazine, completing the exchange. This policy has been followed consistently in the past, and we see no compelling reason to change.

Silence does not give consent. Silence prohibits! We can’t know what God’s will for us is, unless God reveals that to us (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9-13). To assume that God would be pleased is to presume to know God’s mind beyond revelation. This no one can do, and it is an indication of great arrogance to claim such an ability.

It can rightly be said that every apostasy which has taken place since the establishment of the church had its genesis either in a misunderstanding of, or rejection of, the principles of divine authority.

If it is that you are constrained by conscience to continue to use these archaisms, fine. “Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves” (Romans 14:22). However, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). Therefore, “…Let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Romans 14:13).

Expediency involves the right of choice which exists within the realm of generic authority. It is not liberty to do as you will!

By remembering God’s attitude toward sin, perhaps man will be motivated to live righteously before Him. “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.” (Revelation 2:2).

As Christians, we must recognize that God expects us to live holy before him. If we recognize the exacting standards found in the old covenant, it will help us to understand what He requires of us today.

God desires that we be holy and righteous in our life. When he called us, (remember, sanctify basically means to consecrate or set apart), he did not intend for us to live as does the world. The calling of God is of a higher order and requires moral, ethical and doctrinal purity.

Because God is holy, we must also be holy. To conduct ourselves in a manner less than that prescribed by the nature of God is to treat Him with contempt. His nature and treatment of man demands a commensurate respect and obeisance on our part. The Old Testament shows this in Israel’s fear and respect for Jehovah, and in God’s response when they rebelled. He expects no less from His children today.

It is right to point out the inconsistencies in a man’s argument. It is right to name those who poison the minds of the brethren with their error, (as did Paul). It is right to contend publicly with public error and sin. It is not always pleasant, but it is right. In contrast, it is never right to impugn the motive of any man. It is not right to falsely accuse, and attribute positions which have not been argued. Anger is inappropriate, as is hatred, pride and arrogance.

A study of authority reveals that it can be categorized in two ways, Generic authority, and Specific authority. By Generic we mean “general, opposite to specific” (Webster’s). So, Generic authority is inclusive. It includes all the methods or ways in which the thing authorized may be accomplished. In contrast, by Specific we mean “precisely formulated or restricted; specifying or explicit” (Websters). So, Specific authority is exclusive. It only includes that which is expressly stated or specified.

God expects us to use reason as we study and interpret his word. However, it must be noted that the inferences we make from scripture must be necessary! The implication has to actually be there. We are not free to “freelance” and take wild leaps of intuition and speculation in the name of inference. Remember, you can only infer something if it is implied. Otherwise it is presumptuous. And, we must never be presumptuous with the Almighty God of Heaven.