FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES
July 03, 2001
Revised January 08, 2003
AUTHORITY AND LIBERTY
(1). Regarding AUTHORITY; Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18 NASB). All means all. "For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living" (Romans 14:9 NASB). Both means both.
"For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him which fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:15-23 NASB). His means His, and, All means all.
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority" (Colossians 2:8-10 NASB). All means all, and, Complete means complete.
Jesus said: "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father" (Matthew 11:27).
It should surprise no one that the early Restoration pioneers, familiar, as they were, with the teachings of the New Testament, were determined, as were the Apostles of Jesus, in the words of Isaac Errett, "to know only Jesus and Him crucified: His cross; His Word; His church; His ordinances; His laws; and, the interests of His Kingdom."
It was June 28, 1804, and Barton W. Stone, together with members of the Springfield Presbytery sitting at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in addition to the other provisions of the Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery, ordained as follows: "We will, that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large, for there is but one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling. We will that our power of making laws for the government of the church, and executing them by delegated authority, forever cease; that the people may have free course to the Bible, and adopt the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." They determined to be Christians only and they were no longer required to submit to the teachings of men. They resolved that they would fully follow the teachings and the commandments of JESUS CHRIST. Subsequently, entire congregations, along with their leaders and elders as well as their Preachers, rejected the doctrines and precepts of men as having any authority, whatsoever, over Christians and many became fully committed to following: (A). The teachings of Jesus to be observed, and, (B). The commandments of Jesus to be obeyed. Following the events of June 28, 1804, the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is the very Word of God, kept on spreading and the number of Christians greatly increased.
Sadly, in 1889, some 85 years later, violating the all authority of Jesus over His church, the concept of disfellowship and outright division was proposed in an Address and Declaration adopted by some of the churches represented at a mass meeting of representatives and members of 16 rural churches of Christ and/or Christian churches held at Sand Creek, Illinois, on August 17th & 18th. Ironically, a meeting of delegates of several congregations, for the purpose stated, was itself not authorized by the New Testament teachings of Jesus or His Apostles. Nevertheless, the Address and Declaration began with a statement setting forth the original ideals of the Restoration Movement, and stated that peace and harmony prevailed so long as these ideals prevailed. The seeds of division and disfellowship were sown in the Restoration Movement with the following comments that expressed their objections to certain acts or practices of other brethren and/or other congregations: "There are those among us who teach and practice things not taught or found in the New Testament. Some of the things which we hereby complain, and against which we protest, are the unlawful methods resorted to in order to raise money or get money for religious purposes, namely, that of the church holding festivals of various kinds, in the house of the Lord or elsewhere, demanding sometimes that each participant shall pay a certain sum as an admittance fee; the select choir to the virtual, if not the real abandonment of congregational singing; likewise the man made society for missionary work, and the one man imported preacher-pastor to take the oversight of the church. These with many other objectionable and unauthorized things are now taught and practiced in many of the congregations, and that to the great grief and mortification of some of the members of said congregations. It is therefore, with the view, if possible, of counteracting the usages and practices that have crept into the churches, that this effort on the part of the congregations hereafter named is made, and now, in closing up this address and declaration, we state that we are impelled from a sense of duty to say, that all that are guilty of teaching, or allowing and practicing the many innovations and corruptions to which we have referred, that after being admonished, and having had sufficient time for reflection, if they do not turn away from such abominations, that we can not and will not regard them as brethren." Prior to the presentation of the Address and Declaration to those assembled, Daniel Sommer, owner and publisher of the religious publication, the Octographic Review, delivered his Address and eleven days later, on August 29, 1889, he wrote in the Octographic Review as follows: "We occupied about an hour and forty minutes and in the afternoon about one hour dealing with the principles upon which we became a mighty people of unity, strength and power, and upon which in many places we have become a compromised and betrayed people. To those approving and those disapproving, certainly the occasion was evidently revolutionary in its character and the meeting at Sand Creek, Shelby county, Illinois held on the 17th and 18th of August, 1889, is destined to pass into history and the influence thereof will doubtless be felt till the close of time." In his Address he clearly and repeatedly affirmed that "whatever man’s inferences, reasonings, suppositions or preferences, yet no one can believe that to be the will of God which is not mentioned with approbation in the Word of God as revealed in the Bible, or rather, revealed to us as the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." Tragically, he follows these comments, repeated in substance over and over again, with his own erroneous supposition, reasoning, inference and deduction that concludes that the fragment of scripture found in Romans 14:10-23 that reads; "and whatever is not of faith is sin" is to be taken out of its context and together with a fragment of scripture, out of its context, found in Romans 10:17 that reads; "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." He insists, that these two fragments of scriptures taken together teach that any thing or action not specifically ordered in the New Testament is condemned by the Word of God. This erroneous concept has been used to confirm a humanly devised principle of Exclusion, which having been taught by some false teachers as the very Word of God, came to be taught by others as The Law of Exclusion, and The Law of Silence, and The Law of Acceptable Acts of Worship and may be credited for the erroneous theological precept referred to as According to the Pattern, and/or, Pattern Theology.
These humanly devised doctrines, traditions of men, have emerged as the reputed basis for condemning, as sinful, any thing or action not specifically ordered in the New Testament. Most, if not all, of those who teach these false doctrines to be the very Word of God, do themselves continue their many practices and/or actions not specifically ordered in the New Testament. According to the way that Daniel Sommer arrived at scriptural authority for his doctrines, one could have the Bible teach whatever doctrine that one might wish. For instance one might say that the New Testament clearly teaches the doctrine of required suicide, because in one place a fragment of scripture clearly teaches that Judas committed suicide when "he went out and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:5); and in another place a fragment of scripture says: "go thou and do likewise" (Luke 10:37). As these two fragments of unrelated different passages of Scripture are not to be taken together to teach that God’s word authorizes suicide, even so, it is a false teaching to take together the two fragments of wholly unrelated different passages of scripture as did Daniel Sommer to create the doctrine that any thing or action not specifically ordered in the New Testament is condemned. The practices that he condemned as sinful in his Address at Sand Creek are as follows: (1). "In the entire book of God there is not one fragment of Testimony in favor of the imported, one-man, preacher-pastor as the feeder and watcher over the flock after it had been gathered and established. -- Concerning the preacher, the testimony is, that his business is to gather a flock, establish it and then move onward, or visit a church, proclaim the truth for a season, forewarn the brethren against all manner of evil and false teachers and move onward." He concluded that for one to believe that a preacher should settle down upon an established congregation and locate himself was utterly impossible because there is not one fragment of testimony to that effect. He said there may be inference and thus opinion or supposition, but there can be no faith, and whatever is not of faith is sin. (2). "The Church is God’s own divinely arranged missionary society." He stated that no one on earth can believe a Missionary Society, to be the divine will, for the simple reason there is not one fragment of testimony to that effect, and the Apostle Paul declared, "Whatever is not of faith is sin." (3). "We are to give with simplicity (Romans 12:8), we should not adopt the complex or complicated way, but the simple, direct way which consists of working and saving till we have something in our pockets for the Lord’s cause and then to put the hand directly into the pocket and hand it out." He condemned various methods being employed to raise money such as providing jugs for the collection of certain funds that are deemed to be for worthwhile purposes as being "outside the domain of faith because it is outside the domain of divine testimony. Whatever is not of faith is sin." (4). "But the music question must not be forgotten. -- No one on earth can possibly believe that playing of any kind is a part of the worship of God through Christ, nor that it SHOULD or even MAY accompany the worship without offending Christ. There may be inferences, opinions, views, notions, suppositions, but there can be no confidence as the word faith signifies. Whatever is not of faith is sin." We must tell it like it is. This is false doctrine.
Those who attribute laws to God that His word does not contain, are teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. The statute book of God applicable to Christians today does not contain the so-called Pattern Theology; or The Law of Silence; or The Law of Exclusion; or The Law of Acceptable Acts of Worship. They are simply nowhere to be found in the New Testament Scriptures either as a Theology to be studied and followed by Christians; or as Laws to be obeyed by Christians. And, they are nowhere to be found in the early Christian writings of those that were taught by the Apostles and/or those writings collectively known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers. The New Testament scriptures do contain (A). The teachings of Jesus to be observed and (B). The commandments of Christ to be obeyed; and they have been around since the early part of the first century. On the other hand, The Law of Silence; and, The Law of Exclusion; and, The Law of Acceptable Acts of Worship; and Pattern Theology were all created by men in the latter part of the 19th century. These laws are, in our day, being represented to be God’s laws to be obeyed by Christians in spite of the fact that they are doctrines that were originated by men and they are the very precepts of men. The authority of Jesus and the words of Jesus, of which God Himself is the author, are not defective, and they should never be substituted for, and they can never be improved upon by such fabricated laws. Jesus said: "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:33 NASB). Is this a serious issue? You bet your eternal life it is.
Under date of Monday March 7, 1825, Alexander Campbell wrote the following: "Human creeds are composed of the inferences of the human understanding speculating upon the revelation of God. Such are all those now extant. The inferences drawn by the human understanding partake of all the defects of that understanding. Thus we often observe two men sincerely exercising their mental powers upon the same words of inspiration, drawing inferences or conclusions, not only diverse, but flatly contradictory. This is the result of a variety of circumstances. The prejudices of education, habits of thinking, modes of reasoning, different degrees of information, the influence of a variety of passions and interests, and, above all, the different degrees of strength of human intellect, all concur in producing this result. The persons themselves are very often unconscious of the operation of all these circumstances, and are, therefore, honestly and sincerely zealous in believing and in maintaing the truth of their respective conclusions. These conclusions, then, are always private property, and can never be placed on a level with the inspired word. Subscription to them, or an acknowledgment of them, can never be rationally required as a bond of union."
Finally, CONCERNING AUTHORITY, OR THAT WHICH IS AUTHORIZED, JESUS is the author and finisher of the Christian religion and in Him Christians are made complete. The teaching of the precepts of men, including inferences, deductions and/or implications, or the traditions of men, as having any authority, whatsoever, over Christians in religious matters is to be rejected, simply, because, ALL AUTHORITY has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. If Jesus said it, Christians are to believe it, and that settles it.
(2). Regarding LIBERTY; "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB). CHRISTIAN LIBERTY was ignored at Sand Creek and is being ignored in our day by the disciples of the Sand Creek doctrine. Christians are to stand fast in the freedom wherewith Christ has made them free. They are to be guided by the teachings of Jesus and not the precepts of men. Those, following in the tradition of Sand Creek; making, ordaining, and establishing standards and laws for the church of Christ, are not able to show from the Word of God, that they possess a delegated power from the Supreme Lawgiver so to do. Their standards and their laws are not the doctrine of Christ; they are not authorized by Jesus or His apostles; they are of no force at all; they are null and void; and they are false doctrines. "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1 NASB).
"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NASB). -- "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB). -- "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father" (Ephesians 5:20 NASB). - And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father" (Colossians 3:17 NASB).
I have heard it mistakenly taught that the expression, in the name of, as used by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17, actually means by the authority of. As a result of substituting the words by the authority of, for, in the name of, the doctrine is taught, as the very word of God, that any thing, action or practice not specifically ordered by Jesus is condemned and therefore sinful. The teaching is, of course, false, and completely absurd. The Apostle Paul could have selected the words, by the authority of, to express the idea he intended to convey. He did not. He used the words that are translated, in the name of, and he said what he meant and meant what he said. His words of Colossians 3:17, in the name of, are the very words, that express the same thought conveyed in Ephesians 5:20: "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father." The Greek word translated name is onoma and that is the word found in the Greek text of Colossians 3:17 and Ephesians 5:20, whereas, the Greek word for authority is exousia and this word is not found in either passage. The words of the New Testament are not defective and they should never be substituted for.
The following comments were contained in a sermon delivered by Alexander Campbell, at Cross Creek, Brooke County, Virginia, on the 1st of September, 1816. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). "The law and the prophets were until John, since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it" (Luke 16:16). -- "Example is a more powerful teacher than precept. Now Jesus Christ has afforded us an example of human perfection never witnessed before. He gave a living form to every moral and religious precept which they never before possessed. In this respect He was the distinguished Prophet, to whom all the inferior prophets referred. In entering on this prophetic office, he taught with a peculiarity unexampled by all His predecessors -- He spake as never man spake. The highest commendation He gave of Moses was that he wrote of Him, and that he was a faithful servant in Christ’s house. From the beginning of His ministry to the end of His life, he claimed the honor of being the only person that could instruct men in the knowledge of God or of His will. He claimed the honor of being the author and finisher of the only perfect form of religion; the Eternal Father attested all His claims and honored all His pretensions. Respecting the ancient rules of life, the law and the prophets, He taught His disciples they had lived their day -- He taught them they were given only for a limited time. The law and the prophets prophesied until John -- then they give place to a greater Prophet, and more glorious law. Malachi, the last of the ancient prophets, informed Israel that they should strictly observe Moses’ law, until a person should come in the spirit and power of Elias. Jesus taught us that John the Baptist was he, and that the law and prophets terminated at His entrance upon His ministry; for since that time the kingdom of God is preached and all men press into it. To attest His character, and to convince the church of His being the great Prophet, to whom all Christians should exclusively hearken as their teacher; to weaken the attachments of His disciples to Moses and the prophets, it pleased God to send down Moses and Elias from heaven; the one the lawgiver, and the other the lawrestorer, to resign their prophetic honors at the feet of the Messiah in presence of select witnesses. ‘Jesus took with him Peter, James and John into a high mountain, and was transfigured before them and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as snow, and behold there appeared Moses and Elias talking with Him.’ Peter, enraptured with these heavenly visitants, proposes erecting three tabernacles -- one for Christ; one for Moses, and one for Elias. But while he was thus proposing to associate Christ, the great Prophet, with Moses and Elias, inferior prophets, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice out of the cloud, an indirect reply to Peter’s motion-- ‘This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him.’ Thus when these ancient and venerable prophets were recalled to heaven, Christ alone is left as the great teacher, to whom, by a commandment from the excellent glory, the throne of the Eternal, we are obliged to hearken. -- The plain language of the whole occurrence was this -- Moses and Elias were excellent men -- they were now glorified in heaven -- they had lived their day -- the limited time they were to flourish as teachers of the will of Heaven was now come to an end, The morning star had arisen -- nay, was almost set, and the Sun of Righteousness was arising with slutiferous rays, let us, then, walk in the noon-day light -- let us hearken to Jesus as the Prophet and Legislator, Priest and King. He shall reign over the ransomed race. We find all things whatsoever the law could not do are accomplished in Him, and by Him -- that in Him all Christians might be perfect and complete -- for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Alexander Campbell was born in Antrim County, Ireland, September 12, 1788, and he died at Bethany, West Virginia, March 4, 1866. He was raised and strictly educated in the Presbyterian faith, and belonged to that party known as Seceders, and brought to this country credentials, certifying that he had been, both in Ireland, in the Presbytery of Market Hill, and in Scotland, in the Presbytery of Glasgow, a member of the Secession Church, in good standing. In his own words he remarked, that his faith in human creeds and confessions of human device was considerably shaken while in Scotland, and "I commenced my career in this country (America) under the conviction that nothing that was not as old as the New Testament, should be made an article of faith, a rule of practice, or a term of communion among Christians. In a word, that the whole of the Christian religion, exhibited in prophecy and type in the Old Testament, was presented in the fullest, clearest, and most perfect manner in the New Testament, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation." It was March 1857, when James Challen, a well known editor and publisher, referred to Alexander Campbell in these words: "Few men are so justly entitled to praise for his labors on behalf of Christianity as Alexander Campbell. -- He believes that a new and unknown nomenclature has been introduced into the teachings and creeds of modern Christianity, which have introduced corresponding ideas, unlike those found in the words of the Spirit; and a return to Apostolic Christianity demands and implies a return to the words and ideas of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. More is comprehended in this than at first may appear. Every system of philosophy, natural, mental, and moral, must have a nomenclature adapted to it, and, without this, its principles cannot be known or developed. The teachings of the sages and learned of the different schools of Greece, found in the copious and flexible language in which they spoke and wrote, a fit and simple medium of communication with their own people, but so soon as it was attempted to introduce their philosophy into Rome, the Latin language was found too barren and rugged to give a full and perfect expression of it. The only hope of success would be either to introduce into the language a new vocabulary, sufficiently copious and exact to develop the new philosophy, or to acquire a knowledge of the Greek tongue, and enter into Grecian schools to seek an intimate acquaintance with it. This, indeed, was done; and some process of a similar kind is indispensable to understand fully the teachings of Christ and His apostles; they must be understood by a thorough acquaintance with the language and idiom of which they spoke, or else by a translation of what they said and wrote, in words which exactly delineate and express their full and entire meaning."
Jesus said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father. And I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21 NASB). Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me" (John 14:23-24 NASB). "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10 NASB). "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15 NASB). Christianity is all about fully following Jesus; abiding in Him as the vine; knowing and keeping His words and His commandments; and always rejecting the precepts of men as having any authority whatsoever over Christians in religious matters. We love Him, because He first loved us. Christians are to remember who they are, to whom they belong, and that the Spirit of Christ is indwelling them. "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9 NASB).
In 1889, Laws not expressed in Scripture were taught as laws to be obeyed and conditions of fellowship. The practice of dividing over that which the scriptures have absolutely nothing to say, and the concept of human inferences, deductions and/or implications as authority and binding law continues even to this day. This has produced over 20 separate divisions in the Body of Christ contrary to the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles. Even though Daniel Sommer’s Address and the crafted Address and Declaration were denounced, immediately, by many scholars, nevertheless, the concept took root and began to spread and the practice continues and its results are evident in 2003 some 114 years later. Daniel Sommer’s Address and Declaration is not to be confused with Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address.
I have, personally, heard it taught, that since there is no specific authority for cushions in church pews, they are to be excluded under the Law of Exclusion. Congregations with cushions in their pews are violating the very word of God, the preacher proclaimed, which according to his view, excludes everything that the scriptures do not specifically order. Astonishingly, along with many other unauthorized things, acts or practices, he allows the church pews even though there is not one fragment of scripture that authorizes church pews or, for that matter, church auditoriums in which the church pews are located. Unfortunately, the influence of Sand Creek is still being felt in 2003. Some of the issues dividing the church in 2003 are: cooking and eating in the church building; supporting Christian orphanages from a local congregation’s treasury; Sunday School classes are taught by some to be sinful because there is not one fragment of scripture specifically ordering Sunday School classes; multiple communion cups are taught by others to be sinful; congregations cooperating in evangelism through sponsoring churches are practicing that which is not specifically ordered by the New Testament and therefore sinful, is a view held by many churches and preachers; the use of instrumental music in worship is condemned by many preachers as sinful; the use of a missionary society, or a benevolent organization for Christian purposes is a practice condemned by many preachers as sinful; the influence of free expression, the charismatic movement, the role of women in the church, and interaction with denominational churches are some of the more recent issues. Sadly, the list of issues over which churches influenced by that which is an outgrowth of the Sand Creek meeting goes on and on. Great effort is made on the part of some zealous individuals to condemn certain things, acts or practices which they say are not authorized and therefore sinful; while they, themselves, ironically, follow their own humanly devised laws, doing many things, acts and/or practices which the scriptures do not specifically order.
In CONCLUSION, let us encourage our religious leaders, our preachers, and our teachers to abandon the practice of teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Let us encourage them to teach the teachings of Jesus to be observed and the commandments of Jesus to be obeyed. There are large numbers of people searching for a church of Jesus Christ where the precepts of men are rejected and the Words of Jesus are fully proclaimed. The Words of Jesus are excellent and true. The Words of Jesus contain clear guidance for living one’s daily life on planet earth. Eternal life in heaven, the best of all living, awaits those who will fully follow the teachings and the commandments of Jesus. For those who love Jesus and obey Him, they will be loved by Jesus and by the Eternal Father. "If a man loves Me," said Jesus, "he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." If we love Jesus we will obey Him; our home will be with Him and the Father, and, we will experience the good life in God’s family now and throughout eternity.
Jim Davis
E-mail jamesdavis@focusonthescriptures.com
|