Further Thoughts Related To Authority In Religion - Part Two

Following Jesus Without Denominationalism
Further Thoughts Related To Authority In Religion - Part Two

Another question that often arises when the subject of authority in religion is being discussed: "Are there limitations placed upon how far we may go?" I.e., must we have authority for all that we do in religious matters? To help answer such questions, consider these warnings found in the New Testament. We must not change it’s message! This is especially true in regards to the gospel of Christ! - Ga 1:8-9 "I pray that God will punish anyone who preaches anything different from our message to you! It doesn't matter if that person is one of us or an angel from heaven. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I hope God will punish anyone who preaches anything different from what you have already believed." Even if we claimed a change was authorized by an angelic messenger, we would be accursed! Therefore, the gospel of salvation in Christ must be preserved in every respect!

We must not add or take away from it. We find such a warning at the conclusion of the last book of the Bible - Re 22:18-19 "Here is my warning for everyone who hears the prophecies in this book: If you add anything to them, God will make you suffer all the terrible troubles written in this book. If you take anything away from these prophecies, God will not let you have part in the life-giving tree and in the holy city described in this book." Though primarily applicable to the book of Revelation, this warning is consistent with others pertaining to the revelation of God's will to man - Deu 4:2 "and now he is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded, so don't add anything or take anything away."; Pro 30:5-6 "Everything God says is true-- and it's a shield for all who come to him for safety. Don't change what God has said! He will correct you and show that you are a liar."

We must abide in the doctrine of Christ. Otherwise, we will not have fellowship with the Father and the Son - 2 Jn 9 "Don't keep changing what you were taught about Christ, or else God will no longer be with you. But if you hold firmly to what you were taught, both the Father and the Son will be with you." Is this passage referring to the doctrine "about" Christ, or the doctrine "taught by" Christ (along with His apostles)? As pointed out in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, the question is of little importance for John holds equally to both positions. It is fundamental to the faith to hold to the proper views about Christ - 2 Jn 7 "Many liars have gone out into the world. These deceitful liars are saying that Jesus Christ did not have a truly human body. But they are liars and the enemies of Christ." It is fundamental to the faith to obey the commandments of Christ - 1 Jn 3:24 "If we obey God's commandments, we will stay one in our hearts with him, and he will stay one with us. The Spirit that he has given us is proof that we are one with him." Thus what John says here applies in either case.

We must not allow "traditions of men" to make the "commands of God" of no effect. Jesus charged the Pharisees with "vain" worship for doing this - Mk 7:5-13 "The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?" Jesus replied: You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said, "All of you praise me with your words, but you never really think about me. It is useless for you to worship me, when you teach rules made up by humans." You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God. You won't let those people help their parents. And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things that are just as bad." In view of this warning, we should evaluate our religious practices: Are they based upon "traditions of men", or the "commandments of God"? If "traditions of men", does our keeping them render the "commands of God" of no effect? For example, by keeping the man-made tradition of sprinkling for baptism, the command of God for immersion (Grk. "baptizo") is rendered of no effect.

We must not abuse our liberty in Christ. In Christ we enjoy wonderful freedom, but we must be careful in our use of it - Ga 5:1 "Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.", 13 "My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love." We must be considerate of our brothers' consciences - Ro 14:14-15:3 "The Lord Jesus has made it clear to me that God considers all foods fit to eat. But if you think some foods are unfit to eat, then for you they are not fit. If you are hurting others by the foods you eat, you are not guided by love. Don't let your appetite destroy someone Christ died for. Don't let your right to eat bring shame to Christ. God's kingdom isn't about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ in this way, you will please God and be respected by people. We should try to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith. Don't let your appetite destroy what God has done. All foods are fit to eat, but it is wrong to cause problems for others by what you eat. It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes problems for other followers of the Lord. What you believe about these things should be kept between you and God. You are fortunate, if your actions don't make you have doubts. But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin. If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord's followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves. We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them. Even Christ did not try to please himself. But as the Scriptures say, "The people who insulted you also insulted me."’ We should be willing to forego our liberty rather than let it destroy a brother - 1 Co 8:9-13 "Don't cause problems for someone with a weak conscience, just because you have the right to eat anything. You know all this, and so it doesn't bother you to eat in the temple of an idol. But suppose a person with a weak conscience sees you and decides to eat food that has been offered to idols. Then what you know has destroyed someone Christ died for. When you sin by hurting a follower with a weak conscience, you sin against Christ. So if I hurt one of the Lord's followers by what I eat, I will never eat meat as long as I live." We should not only ask "Is it lawful?", but also "Does it edify?" - 1 Co 10:23-24 "Some of you say, "We can do whatever we want to!" But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful. We should think about others and not about ourselves.", 31-33 "When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God. Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church. I always try to please others instead of myself, in the hope that many of them will be saved." With such "warnings" weighing upon our hearts, we are more likely to approach the Word of God with the humility it deserves as we seek to establish the authority for our service to God.

But one last question related to having the same standard of authority: Will it "guarantee" unity among the followers of Christ? No, because agreeing upon the same will not guarantee unity. There are still other challenges to face. Which commands are binding today? Some commands must be understood to be limited in application. Effort must be made to determine whether a command was intended to be limited or universal in application. Which approved examples are to be considered normative for the church today?. Much of what we learn about the church pertaining to its work and organization is by example, not precept. Effort must be made to determine whether an example should be understood as teaching a binding principle for the church to observe universally. When are necessary implications really necessary implications? People often infer things from the Bible and call their conclusion a "necessary" implication. But it may only be a "possible" implication, not one "necessarily" inferred -- These are some of the questions or challenges faced by every congregation of Christians.

As Christians seek unity, we need more than just the same standard of authority. Barton W. Stone, an effective promoter of Christian unity in the early 1800's, had these insightful words in an article entitled "Christian Union" published in The Christian Messenger (1828): "On no other foundation can the parties ever meet, than on the Bible alone, without note or comment; and in no other name will they ever unite, but in that given to the disciples at Antioch--CHRISTIAN. But should all the professors of Christianity reject all their various creeds and names, and agree to receive the Bible alone, and be called by no other name than Christian, will this unite them? No, we are fully convinced that unless they all possess the spirit of that book and name they are far, very far, from Christian union." (As quoted by J. M. Powell, The Cause We Plead: A Story Of The Restoration Movement, 20th Century Christian, 1987, p. 56). In addition to agreeing on the same standard of authority (i.e., the Word of God), we need the proper spirit to "rightly divide the word of truth" - 2 Ti 2:14-16 "Don't let anyone forget these things. And with God as your witness, you must warn them not to argue about words. These arguments don't help anyone. In fact, they ruin everyone who listens to them. Do your best to win God's approval as a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message. Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God." As Paul told Timothy, the servant of the Lord must carefully apply the Word when seeking to teach others - 2 Ti 2:23-25 "Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble, and God's servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient. Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. Maybe God will lead them to turn to him and learn the truth."

The apostle Paul has more to say on the attitudes necessary to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace", but we will consider those in our next lesson. My purpose in this lesson has been to share some thoughts that I pray will help steer us in the right direction as we "Follow Jesus Without Denominationalism": The Bible teaches us, not only by way of direct commands, but through approved examples and necessary implications. It is helpful to understand the principles of general and specific authority, and when something may be expedient to fulfill things that are authorized. Warnings throughout the scriptures should serve to keep us on the "straight and narrow". But as valuable and needful the same standard of authority may be, simple agreement on what the standard is will not guarantee unity - we need to apply the proper spirit of love, patience and humility as we grow together towards unity in Christ. What is your attitude toward the authority of God's Word? Are you willing to accept the authority of Jesus Christ, as delegated to His apostles? - Mt 28:18-20 "Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world."

Ac 2:36-38 "Everyone in Israel should then know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, even though you put him to death on a cross. When the people heard this, they were very upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Friends, what shall we do?" Peter said, "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit."


God Bless,
Jim Newsted
Shamrock, Tx
The town that turns green for a week every year

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Even though you can't see the air, It doesn't stop you from breathing
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