Misunderstandings regarding Bible authority are the single most cause of the division that we see in churches today. The problem is brought about by the fact that there are those who insist on either following or establishing human precepts and practices where there is no Biblical authorization for such. When a practice is not included in what God has authorized, there are those who persist in pursuing such things even if not authorized. Why? They will tell you, " because it is a good thing", or "the Bible doesn't’t say not to"
In other words they would replace Godly wisdom with that of their own. Yet, the Bible tells us that man is not wise enough to direct his own life. (Jer. 10:23). Consequently, it behoovers the student who desires to sincerely study the truth to consider the ways and methods that God employs to reveal His will. God’s authority today is conveyed to us through the New Testament. The Old Testament is no longer binding on us. We will discuss this in more depth when we study the Old and New Testaments in later Lessons.
If we want to know how to study the Bible, then we need to understand the ways that God uses to teach us. First we need to understand that there are two kind of divine authority: General and Specific:.
Specific Authority: When God wants us to do something in a particular way, He will specify in exact words what it is that He wants us to do. For example, Noah was told to build the Ark out of Gopher wood. This ruled out use of any other material. When God specifically wants us to do something He does this in three basic ways to communicate to us what He wants us to do:
Direct Commands: Direct commands are nothing more than specific statements that command one to carry out the stated instructions. "Do this in memory of Me" ( Lk.22:19 ) is a direct command from our Lord to observe the partaking of the Lord's Supper in His memory.
Examples: Sometimes God uses illustrations or examples instead of direct commands. For example, we are told that the early Christians assembled to worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) (Acts 20:7). This is an example for us to do the same.
Necessary inferences: Necessary inferences are based on logical conclusions and common sense. We are told "to sing and make melody in our hearts" (Col. 3:16) Therefore we are free to use song books to guide us in singing the words. However, the passage does not give us authority to employ musical instruments. This is not a necessary inference. Rather it is a violation of God's command to "make melody in your hearts"
General Authority: When God wants man to be able to choose freely from alternative ways, He uses more general or broader instructions to convey His will to us. We are then free to make any choice that lies within the instructions. For example, when the Apostles were told to "go preach" (Matt. 10:6,7). The instructions were clearly meant to preach the Gospel. The method of transportation (going) was not specified, nor was the way that they would convey the Gospel. Thus they were free to utilize any means of transportation, to go wherever they needed to, and to preach to as many or as few as they wanted to. The only restriction was they obey the instructions "to go preach" Back to Top
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