Bible Authority l Direct Command or Statement of

Bible Authority l Direct Command or Statement of God l Divinely Approved Example l Necessary Inference General Authority includes Expedients Specific Authority excludes any Substitution Failure to have Bible authority leads to division when innovations are introduced. We must hold fast the pattern of sound words in the Bible! (2 Tim. 1: 13)

Objection: “The Bible doesn’t say not to, so we have liberty to do it. ” Does the Silence of the Scriptures grant permission or set limits?

Romans 15: 4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ”

Moving the Ark of the Covenant. God’s Law Revealed “The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' households, from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. "This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things. "When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles. ” (Numbers 4: 1 -6)

Moving the Ark of the Covenant. God’s Law Revealed "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. ” (Numbers 4: 15)

Moving the Ark of the Covenant. God’s Law Revealed “But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder. ” (Numbers 7: 9)

Moving the Ark of the Covenant. God’s Law Revealed God revealed that the sons of Kohath were to carry the ark on their shoulders through the poles and if you touched the holy object you would die.

The Ark is Placed on a New Cart About 400 years later, the ark was taken by the Philistines. After many of them died, they placed it on a new cart and sent it on its way. (1 Samuel 5; 6: 7) After some were struck down for just looking at it, it was taken to the house of Abindadab and left there for 20 years. (1 Sam. 7: 1 -2)

King David Moves the Ark to Jerusalem “Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader. David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they may meet with us; and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul. " Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. ” (1 Chron. 13: 1 -4) But was it right in the eyes of the Lord?

King David Moves the Ark to Jerusalem “So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriathjearim. David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called. They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets. ” (1 Chron. 13: 5 -8)

Did God’s silence about moving the ark on a new cart give them permission to do it? “God didn’t say not to therefore we can do it. ” Or had God’s silence already given limits on how it was to be transported?

God’s Displeasure “When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. The anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. ” (1 Chron. 13: 9 -10)

God’s Displeasure Why was God displeased? Didn’t Uzza have good intentions in trying to save God’s ark from falling to the ground and being damaged? Was it because of David and the Israelites attitude? (They were all rejoicing when the ark was being moved)

They did not follow God’s Book (pattern) for Transporting the Ark David called the priests & Levites to bring up the ark of the Lord and said to them, “Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance…. the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles thereon, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 15: 13, 15)

When they respected God’s silence (obeyed) they were blessed “So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obededom with joy. Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ” (1 Chronicles 15: 25 -26) No one died when they obeyed the Lord!

Silence of the Old Testament Restricted the Priesthood to Levi “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood …what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. ” (Hebrews 7: 11 -14) Since Moses was silent about priests coming from Judah, it wasn’t lawful for them to come from that tribe.

Adding to God’s Word Violates the Silence of the Scriptures "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. ” (Deuteronomy 4: 1 -2)

Adding to God’s Word Violates the Silence of the Scriptures "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it. ” (Deut. 12: 42)

Adding to God’s Word Violates the Silence of the Scriptures “Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. ” (Proverbs 30: 6)

Adding to God’s Word Violates the Silence of the Scriptures “Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go” (Joshua 1: 7)

Adding to God’s Word Violates the Silence of the Scriptures “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. ” (Revelation 22: 18 -19)

Adding to God’s Word Violates the Silence of the Scriptures prohibits action. It is sinful to change the pattern that God reveals for us to follow. It doesn’t matter how much time goes by, (20 years, 2000 years, etc. ) the silence of the Scriptures does not give us permission to do what we want in the name of Christ. It will judge us in the last day. (John 12: 48)

Adding to the Teaching of Christ is Going Beyond His Authority “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. ” (2 John 1: 9)

Music in Worship The Bible doesn’t say“Thou shalt not play instrumental music” “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5: 19) Singing + Playing = Going Beyond Christ’s Authority (even though it was done in OT)

Days of Creation “The Bible doesn’t say that God couldn’t have created the universe in millions/billions of years. ” “There was evening and there was morning, a first day…second day…third day…fourth day…fifth day…(Gen. 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23) God saw all that he had made and behold, it was very good and there was evening and morning the sixth day” (Gen. 1: 31) Literal 24 hour days + Long Ages = Going beyond Christ’s authority

“That’s in the OT, and we are not under it today. It’s not a matter of salvation” Jesus said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? “ (John 5: 46 -47) If you believe Moses wrote the book of Genesis, you will believe in the words of Jesus. But if you don’t believe in the literal days of creation, how will you believe Him & be saved?

One Cause to Divorce “The Bible doesn’t say “Thou shalt not divorce for other reasons. ” "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery. ” (Matthew 19: 9) Sexual Immorality (Only scriptural reason) + Another Cause = Going beyond Christ’s authority

Who to Baptize The Bible doesn’t say “Thou shalt not baptize babies” “And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly having believed in God with his whole household”. (Acts 16: 34) Adult + Infant = Going beyond Christ’s authority because infants cannot believe.

How to Baptize “The Bible doesn’t say Thou shalt not sprinkle or pour” “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ” (Rom. 6: 4) Immersion + Pouring + Sprinkling = Going beyond Christ’s authority

Membership in a Denomination “The Bible doesn’t say “Thou shalt not be a member of a denomination” “He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body…there is one body” (Ephesians 1: 22 -23; 4: 4) One church + Any Denomination = Going beyond Christ’s authority

Admission that denominations were unlikely in the 1 st century “It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, ” and no differing denominations existed…” (Baptist manual, Ch. IV, p. 22, 1896)

…the baptism of a convert by that very act constituted him a member of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and privileges of full membership. In that sense, ‘baptism was the door into the church. ’ Now, it is different”. Can we presume to act on the silence of the Scriptures because we think it is different today? Who made it different? Man or God?

“…. and while the churches are desirous of receiving members, they are wary and cautious that they do not receive unworthy persons. The churches therefore have candidates come before them, make their statement, give their experience, and then their reception is decided by a vote of the members”. (Baptist manual, Ch. IV, p. 22, 1896) Where did the Lord give authority for a church to vote to receive members?

The Silence of the Scriptures prohibits us from acting without divine approval. "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. (John 12: 48)

Be careful to study, examine, and apply God’s word accurately “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. ” (2 Timothy 2: 15) “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5: 21 -22)