This week in our authority class we discussed the subject of the scriptures and its silence. Many topics and details are not discussed in the source of God's authority, the inspired writings of the New Testament. During the Restoration Movement, there were two major divisions in how groups approached this subject. Firstly, there were those that believed that the silence in the Bible gave freedom to do as they pleased (unless strictly forbidden...Martin Luther). The other group felt that the silence gave them no freedom to act on their own (Ulrich Zwingle).
Let's look at a few passages:
1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
When God has been silent on a subject, he intentionally did not reveal His desires because he didn't need to do so. He expects us to obey and follow His revealed commands. To do otherwise would be to assume what God wants, and we know man's wisdom is really merely foolishness.
1 Cor 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God....
There are many things that I see denominations participating in such as burning incense, sprinkling and pouring for baptism, mechanical music in worship to God, missionary societies, church sponsored hospitals and orphan homes, etc. The list is endless in all the devices that mankind comes up with in an effort to worship God in a way that He has not authorized. Next week I will reflect on the one year anniversary of this blog and the impetus of why I started it.
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Be wise as snakes and harmless as lambs. . . be sober and vigilant. . . . Beware of those who appear as sheep but are in reality just a bench of wolves acting out evil and calling it good, even holding hand in hand as they plot against the righteous for their own gain, without His authority they continue day after day as they plot and act. “Fear and intimidation does not bring up a child it brings him down to the grave as terrorism works against humanity.” (Not found in the scriptures.)
1 cor. 2:9 Speaks of what is on ‘the other side’ there are things we don’t need to know. Any speculation is just that. To often we have wasted to much time (our own and others) speculating on those things of God, that were not revealed to us (because we don’t need to know) yet we will all know soon enough). This life is short, our time here is but a fleeting vapor; let us not waste it speculating on those things we haven’t been told. It is at the lest, a waste of time and tangles the mind with needless clutter and often it leads to needless endless debates and arguments as it distracts from the message of the Word of God. 1 cor. 3:19 is one of my favorite verses, sometimes I forget the numbers that I need to find it. I usually wind up reading a lot to find the verse that I recall the meaning of, I have always had difficultly with ‘word for word quote’ and with the location numbers (that were added to the scriptures to helps us ‘be on the same page’ as we read together.
Thank you for allowing us this another opportunity to express our thoughts together in fellowship, in His precious name. And thank you for being so well studied and sober minded, for drawing from the authority and sharing it with us as applicable to our needs here and now on this your earth.
(The other day I wrote ‘bench’ when I intended to say bunch (as in a number of things growing or fastened together, I apologize for not being more careful as I write and for any confusion that I may have caused.)
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