Category: Authority

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.

Sadly to say, we have far too many of brethren who are in the complacency and apathy stages. They are becoming more and more dependent upon their “teachers” and “leaders”, many of whom are most adept at deception, and they are well on the road to the bondage of embracing false teaching and sinful practices. Passivism can and will lead those being deceived into the judgment of God unprepared to give account for their souls!

Until we learn to speak where the bible speaks and remain silent where it is silent, we will continue to see methods of denying those in error the correction that may save their souls. All the while, we will be surrounded by gospel/doctrine distinctionists crying, “Peace, peace” in the midst of undeniable conflict.

Let us preach the word with courage and forthrightness. Then let us preach it again and again. We must not draw back in fear when dangers threaten the faith of God’s people and the integrity of the word of God. Modernism is not going away anytime soon – it will continue to deceive men along with post-modernism, paganism, atheism, liberalism, and other philosophies of human wisdom. Satan will never rest – this is a war to the end. Yet, victory is assured the faithful if they faint not (Galatians 6:9)!

When we bind where God has not, we are not truly respecting the authority of the word. No one objects to anyone practicing what their personal conviction demands. It is another matter to bind that on others as a matter of faith.

If you ever get to the point where you are looking for a specific prohibition against something you want to do, it probably does not exist. Be content to seek out only what the Lord has revealed. We have enough to do in His service without dreaming up some new idea.

Expediency is a necessary part of our work in the Lord. It must be lawful and beneficial. When it violates either of these, it is sinful. We must exercise great care in justifying our actions based on expediency lest, in our zeal, we dishonor God while trying to honor Him.

By establishing beliefs and practices through explicit command, approved example and necessary inference, we can clearly show that God approves of our practices and therefore promote unity.

All authority resides in Christ. We cannot change that (Galatians 1:6-9), add to that (Revelation 22:18-19) or in any way alter what He has said. It is simply up to us to submit to that authority and be content. May God bless us all to that end.

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!

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.

Just as it takes work to study and properly understand a subject in school, it takes work to study and properly understand Bible subjects as well. There is no shortcut that negates the need for diligence. If we are to unite in the proper understanding of God’s word, it will require a diligent effort in discerning His truth from the revealed word. It does not just suddenly come to us from a spaceship or a frog.

Divine authority can be established by both Expressed Command, and Approved Example. This is both logical, and can be easily shown in the New Testament.

The real question, then, deals with what Paul meant by the word “assemblies.” For, wherever these “assemblies” occur, women may not speak, but there is no prohibition from women speaking outside of these “assemblies.” Thus, I shall attempt to define this “assembly,” using only the context of 1 Corinthians.

We understand the need of the child to heed carefully and completely the instructions of his father. Do we not owe the same to our Father in Heaven? When you go through the scriptures, and come to an expressed command of God, don’t try to “interpret” it, or rationalize a way to avoid compliance… Obey it!

Imagine that-Methodists eventually may forsake a common Protestant practice and actually break bread as those non-Methodist, New Testament disciples did (Acts 20:7)! What’s more, the “weekly practice” would not only “fit the practice of Methodist founder, John Wesley,” but it also would “fit the practice” of the church of Christ’s founder, Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42; 20:7).