The Sound of Silence I. Introduction A. The Scriptures teach that the words of God are wise for salvation and sufficient to equip the man of God for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17) B. The Scriptures inform us that we must do all things by the authority of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17) C. The Scriptures are our resource to learn about God the Creator and the Incarnate Word Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14, 20:30-31) D. And yet there are many things concerning which the Scriptures are entirely silent! E. What are we do to when we do not have explicit words of God? What happens when we are confronted with the sound of silence? F. Let us consider the Scriptures and see what counsel they provide II. Reasons for Silence A. The presence of God's silence is a vexing challenge for many people 1. They would like explicit answers where there are none 2. They may believe that the Scriptures are deficient 3. A large number of disputations in the world of Christendom have been spawned because of a lack of explicit clarity in some Scripture B. But perhaps there are reasons for silence, and by understanding why there is silence, we will understand better! C. Silence is often an indicator of a particular lack of concern D. Silence leading to liberty 1. Many times God is silent because there is a lack of concern about how things are to be accomplished-- there is liberty 2. In many instances specific or exclusive statements would provide hindrances to accomplishing God's purposes 3. All Christians are joined in faith to God in Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-28) yet live in different places at different times! 4. Different languages are spoken, different forms of technology have existed, and so on and so forth 5. In matters of liberty, addressed in passages like Romans 14, it is evident that God's concern rests in the commands He has explicitly given-- in many ways how those commands are accomplished are not of as great concern, provided that we do not violate God's intentions for us in any way in the process (cf. Colossians 3:17) E. Silence leading to exclusion 1. Nevertheless, there are times and instances when God desires for us to do certain things in certain ways 2. God has reasons for having us do some things in certain ways, and we ought to respect that! 3. When God specifies, for instance, the voice as instrument (Ephesians 5:19), or the first day of the week for the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7), we need to heed the word of God! 4. We should understand that in such circumstances other practices are excluded because God has specified what He wants done in the way He wants it done! 5. In these instances, God has not really been silent-- He has told us what He wants us to do, and since He expects us to be grown up in the faith (cf. Hebrews 5:12-6:4), He does not feel the need to explicitly condemn all other alternatives-- nor could He, since people are good at being "inventors of evil" (Romans 1:30) 6. Thus it is enough that God has told us what to do in such circumstances (Romans 14:23, Hebrews 11:1)-- silence regarding any other "alternative" means they are excluded! F. When God is silent, it is always good to wonder why He is silent 1. It can become very easy for people to tread where God has been silent 2. Do we ever wonder why God has not addressed a particular matter? 3. Is it perhaps because God has addressed the matter in a way different than what we are expecting (or demanding)? 4. Is it because the matter we are considering has not entered the mind of God for some reason or another? 5. Is it because we would like to "innovate" where God has already established a standard? 6. Is it because we are trying to plumb the depths of the "secret things" of God which we really cannot understand (cf. Deuteronomy 29:29, Isaiah 55:8-9)? 7. We need to be honest with ourselves when we consider matters where God has been silent, and not be guilty of just assuming or presuming that God would agree with our own view! III. Instruction by Principle, Example A. We see all too often how people abuse Scripture, both in terms of what is said and of what is not said, in order to justify themselves B. Some people have come to the conclusion that whatever is not condemned is justified, and are willing to justify whatever they can ascertain is not explicitly commanded-- or will "re-interpret" Scripture to justify what actually is condemned 1. Instrumental music-- since it's not explicitly condemned, many feel that God has provided liberty 2. Homosexuality-- some have attempted to make distinctions between "promiscuous homosexuals" and "homosexuals in committed relationships" and then seek to have passages condemn the former but not the latter 3. Many other examples abound C. Such does not truly respect the way God desires to instruct us D. God has not set up the Scriptures to be a mere rule book 1. The Bible does speak of rules (Galatians 5:19-23, 1 John 2:3-5, 3:4) 2. We are to respect those rules, abhor the evil, cling to the good (Romans 12:9) 3. But the Bible does not exhaustively list what we are to do and what we are not to do 4. In fact, such a view is contrary to Scripture (cf. 2 Corinthians 3) E. This is not comfort for the antinomian (or to the legalist)-- instead, God would have us learn not just by direct statement but also by principle and example F. We are not called to be Bible lawyers or judges but disciples of Christ! 1. John 1:18, 14:5-10, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Colossians 2:1-10, Hebrews 1:3, 1 John 2:3-6 2. In Jesus we have a living, breathing, and functioning Model for life! 3. Romans 8:29: God's intention for us to become conformed to the image of the Son! G. God's silence, therefore, often really is not silence! 1. While the Scriptures are God's revealed words (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21), God has also revealed Himself in the Son (Hebrews 1:1-3) 2. If the Scriptures are silent about a given matter, but it is something entirely inconsistent with the life and character of Jesus, there can be no justification for it! H. What we learn from the life and example of Jesus can often be established as Biblical principles for life 1. The "Golden Rule"-- Luke 6:31 2. Love all men, including enemies-- Matthew 5:44-48, Romans 12:18-21 3. Whatever is not of faith is sin-- Romans 14:23 4. Many more could be established! 5. Therefore, if the Scriptures are silent about a given matter, but its spirit and intent violates these principles, it cannot be done in good conscience in the faith! I. We cannot just use Scripture on the basis of explicit teachings-- we must also understand the Person and Character of Jesus and the principles which God teaches us so that we can live as followers of God, not lawyers schooled in the Bible IV. Conclusion A. Yes, God has been silent about many matters B. But that silence is not due to neglect or deficiency-- there are reasons behind silence C. We must respect the reasons for silence 1. A lack of concern leading to liberty/flexibility in accomplishing God's purposes 2. Specification of the way God intends for things to be done 3. A knowledge of God's intentions through the life and work of Jesus Christ, the principles of life God has established 4. A recognition that perhaps God has addressed the issue in another way in another place, or that we are going beyond our place in what we expect? D. If indeed God has been silent about something, we need to respect that silence and not fall into the trap of imposing our own views into God's silence! E. Let us heed the sounds of God's silence, and understand how we are to live through the Incarnate Word Jesus Christ and the revealed Word of God! F. Invitation/songbook