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There is a lack of genuine concern for Bible authority in the religious world today. False teaching on the authoritative nature of the Scriptures is still being planted in the hearts of men. That much fruit abounds, is indicative of the pervasiveness of this false doctrine. It is evident that even some liberal brethren within the body of Christ continue to search in the wrong places (i.e. the new hermeneutics, situation ethics, and the no pattern concept) for authority for such things as instrumental music, fellowship halls, kitchens, and gymnasiums. Let us examine the word of God together to understand how Bible authority is established.
In Colossians 3:17, we read,
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.This passage simply teaches that everything that we say and do on this earth must be done in accordance with His will,
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).Certainly, it is not wrong to question the authority of many things done in the Lord's church. However, we must be careful so as not to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) to the extreme.
Authority is determined in three ways. The first of these is given in the form of commandments. They are either general or specific. Commands which are of a general nature give a person the freedom to decide how it will be fulfilled, provided that the method used is not sinful. For example, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus says,
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.The word "go" is a general command. Therefore, one is authorized to travel by foot, sea, automobile, etc.
Specific commands are limited and prohibitive in nature. In Genesis 6:14, we read,
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.In this passage, God told Noah specifically to build an ark out of "gopher wood." Gopher is a type of wood much like cedar, pine, and oak. God's silence prohibited Noah from using every other type of wood. Noah was obedient to God's commandments. The Scriptures say,
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he (Genesis 6:22).
Now we turn to Moses, who violated God's specific command to speak to the rock. The Scripture says,
Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them, (Numbers 20:8-12).
Another way of establishing Bible authority is by the use of necessary inference. This is determined when no other conclusion can be made about the text. For instance, in Acts 20:7, we read,
upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread.The only necessary inference that can be drawn from this statement is that the disciples (the church) assembled as a unified body every Sunday in order to partake of the Lord's Supper.
Approved example is the last method that is used to establish Bible authority. It is approved in the sense that the people were righteous before God. However, we must use caution in order to avoid the misapplication of these examples. For instance, there are some things which only Christians as individuals can do. A Christian may follow the example of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1) who sold some property in order to give toward the collection of needy saints. It would be a violation of this passage to teach that no difference exists between individual and church benevolence, and therefore, what the individual can do, provided that it is not sinful, the church also is authorized to perform. A careful examination of 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 will show that every Christian should be ready to give each Lord's day as he as been prospered during the week.
If we truly are God's people, then we ought to have a genuine concern about how we establish authority. Let us remember the words of Christ who said,
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord , Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, (Matthew 7:21).Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
As is natural in an election year, many Christians have been spending much time attempting to determine exactly what the nature of their role should be with our government. I would like to examine what the Scriptures say both generally and specifically about how a Christian should deal with his government.
Perhaps the most important idea presented in the Scriptures that should guide our position toward our government is that this world is not our permanent home, and that, as John says in 1 John 2:15-16:
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
We must realize that the government which presides over our country is not permanent, and is of the world.
Jesus, our guide in all things, in Matthew 22:15-21 has this to say about the government:
Then the Pharisees went and counseled together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. "Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"
But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax."
And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
They said to Him, "Caesar's."
Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."
It is significant to notice that Jesus never desired to wield any political control, even to the point of fleeing from localities where people wanted to make Him a king (John 6:15). He was not interested in political things, but spiritual; and this is His lesson in Matthew 22:21. The message is similar to that of John, that there is a division between the things of the current authority on Earth (Caesar) from the things of the utmost authority (God), and that the Christian would be wise to remember that the two are to be kept separate.
There are two other notable Scriptures relating to the specific relationship between the Christian, the first one being Romans 13:1-7:
Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
Paul here makes many important points that we must consider. First, the government is ordained by God, and that it would not exist without His consent. We are to respect authorities; rebellion would be sinful to the true Christian. In summary, we must obey the government in any and all matters which do not stand in the way of the Word of God, taxes included. Those who are in authority are to be respected; have we forgotten this command?
So, the Christian is to respect the government that governs over him so long as the government does not force him to do that which is wrong. This was a relatively easy task throughout most of the history of those who follow Christ: from the Caesars of Rome to the Kings of England, governing authorities have been mostly monarchial, with the populace not having much impact on who the rulers are. In 1776, however, in the new land of America, those former Englishmen who lived there revolted against the English government and were ultimately successful. They established a different form of government in this country which was not seen elsewhere: a republic based upon the will of the people. Now more questions arise for the Christian: should I be involved with the government? If so, to what extent?
Thankfully, Paul has shed some more light on this subject. He wrote to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 2:1-2:
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
We are to pray for our government, so that we may live a quiet, unhindered life! There is no provision in the Bible for a democratic form of government; it can be reasoned from these verses, however, that the Christian is fully justified to vote his vote so that his life may continue in tranquility. It is important to notice what this verse does not say: it does not make any provisions for conscience. It matters not how we feel about certain issues. Here, and in Romans 13, we are to respect and obey the government in all things that do not cause us to violate our commitment to God. This means, essentially, that until the government mandates that we must have abortions, or that we must take drugs, or that we must gamble, or that we must accept homosexuals into our assembly, or whatever other issue, we have no right as Christians to cry out against our government. We may not agree with the government's opinion of abortion, or gambling, or homosexuality, but as long as we can lead a tranquil and quiet life, we have no right to legislate our morality. We, as Christians, are to remember that this world is not our home, and that we need not be involved in worldly issues that may be a stumbling block in our relationship with God.
The Christian has a specific relationship with his government by the Scriptures. We must continue to obey the laws of our government as long as we are not forced to act contrary to our will. We have the right, and we definitely must pray, that we may be able to continue to lead a quiet and tranquil life. It is good to remember that Paul wrote to Timothy while Nero ruled over the Roman Empire; and no matter how much one may find the activities of Clinton immoral and disgusting, Clinton cannot hold a match to the gross immoralities of Nero, a man who killed his own mother and thousands of Romans while living a most decadent life. Yet Paul did not cry out against the government; Paul did not protest those immoralities. He lived within that government, and obeyed Caesar when it did not compromise the will of God. We may find much to dislike about our country and the government which presides over it, but we must always remember Paul as our example: if he could live in the world of Nero without protesting that government, so too can we live in our country, respecting and obeying our government, while striving to lead a quiet and tranquil life.
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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