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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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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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