FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES.COM

FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES

November 3, 2000                                                                                                     

Revised: November 16, 2002 & Jarnuary  8, 2003                                                              

TEACHING AS THEIR DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN

There are many religious doctrines being taught today as the teachings of Christ and/or the very Word of God by religious leaders based on humanly devised principles and their own deductions, inferences, and/or implications. It should be obvious to all, that such doctrines are not, in fact, the teachings of Christ and/or the very Word of God. Can it not be said that all such doctrines are, in fact, the precepts of men?

Webster's Universities Dictionary Unabridged defines doctrine, "in a general sense, as whatever is taught; hence, a principle or position in any science or department of knowledge; whatever is laid down as true by an instructor or master; as, the doctrines of the gospel; the doctrines of Plato. -A doctrine rests on the authority of the individual by whom it is framed." And Webster's Universities Dictionary Unabridged defines, precept, "in a general sense, as any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action."

Some modern religious leaders teach, for instance, as divine truth for all ages, a particular method of determining from Bible accounts what God would be pleased for all the followers of Christ to do and to not to do. They say that all of which is intended by God and by Jesus to be authoritative rules to be obeyed by Christians today are found in three forms in the Bible: 1. Commands, 2. Examples, and 3. Necessary Inferences.

Regarding 1. Commands. There are those who disregard the clear teaching of commands in the original language of the New Testament in the imperative mood, and they teach, on their own authority, that certain statements have the force of commands even though they are not, in fact, commandments to be obeyed. And, of course they tell us, on their own authority, which statements that are not commandments to be obeyed have the force of commandments to be obeyed. And they tell us, again on their own authority, which statements that are, in fact, commandments to be obeyed, but have no force at all, according to their doctrine, as commandments to be obeyed by Christians. There are also religious leaders teaching, as commandments to be obeyed, articles of a Law of Exclusion that exists only in their own minds. They teach that Christians everywhere are obliged to obey the articles of their Law of Exclusion which, in general, prohibits the practice by Christians of anything not specified in the New Testament from Acts 2:38 through and including the Book of Revelation. Their so-called Law of Exclusion is not found in the New Testament teachings of Christ or the Apostles. And, when we recognize that their Law of Exclusion is, in fact, one of the precepts of men, we realize that their Law of Exclusion by its own terms, excludes their Law of Exclusion. As they teach as their doctrines the precepts of men, it doesn't seem to bother them, at all, that their views on commands are nowhere to be found in the New Testament, they just teach them, anyway, representing them to be the doctrine of Christ, regardless of the fact that Jesus did not so teach.

Regarding 2. Examples. They determine which examples (events in the lives of New Testament Christians) are binding on us today and which examples are not. They even go so far as to provide us with their rules to go by in order to determine the examples that fit into their pattern of authority. Their rules, they strongly suggest, will help us determine if the example is incidental, or does it seem to have a purpose in the context or is it limited because of cultural considerations. As they teach as their doctrines the precepts of men, it doesn't seem to bother them, at all, that their views regarding examples are nowhere to be found in the New Testament. They just teach them, anyway, representing them to be the doctrine of Christ, regardless of the fact that Jesus did not so teach.

Regarding 3. Necessary Inferences. These inferences are unstated conclusions that, in the view of certain religious leaders, necessarily follow when the Bible does not state something directly. They select the inferences that are to be regarded as necessary as opposed to arbitrary inferences. They, even provide us with their rules to go by. In their view, the violation by Christians today of their precepts, based on what they insist are unstated conclusions that they regard to be necessary inferences as opposed to arbitrary inferences, is the violation of God's law. And, of course, they are quick to provide us with many such conclusions that are not found in the New Testament, but in their view have the force of commandments that one must obey to be pleasing to God. As they teach as their doctrines the precepts of men, it doesn't seem to bother them, at all, that their views regarding necessary inferences are nowhere to be found in the New Testament. They just teach them, anyway, as the doctrine of Christ, regardless of the fact that Jesus did not so teach.

Regarding the practice of seeking to establish their own authority by the religious leaders of his day, the Apostle Paul said: "BRETHREN, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:1-3 NASB). They were teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.

The mental process of deriving a new judgment from certain religious premises or assumptions and then teaching the new judgment as the Word of God or the teaching of Jesus is the fountain of much of the religious error taught and practiced today. These devil-inspired false doctrines are exceedingly harmful to those who teach them and exceedingly harmful to those who believe the false doctrines. They undermine the clear teachings of the Word of God and the clear teachings of Jesus. These false doctrines, taught as truth, are directly responsible for the fact that untold millions of people have not accepted Christ and are not, today, Christians. Regarding the similar practice of certain religious leaders of His day, Jesus said: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves" (Matthew 23:15 NASB). And Jesus said: "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you saying, this people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me, but in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matthew 15: 7-9 NASB).

Let us encourage our leaders, our teachers, and our preachers to abandon the practice of teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men and from this time forward teach as their doctrines the precepts of Christ. Let us encourage our leaders, our teachers, and our preachers to believe that the writers of the New Testament had the good sense to select the appropriate words of the original language to express all of which is intended by God and Jesus to be authoritative rules to be obeyed by Christians for all ages; and, that the words of the writers of the New Testament convey the very ideas, doctrines, commands, precepts and/or concepts that they are intended to convey. Let us encourage our leaders, our teachers and our preachers to believe them, teach them, and preach them.

Why FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES? Because, JESUS SAID:

Is this a serious issue or what? Abide in the doctrine of Christ, not the precepts of men. The teachings of Christ are found in the New Testament Scriptures, not in the teachings of religious leaders based on their own deductions, inferences, and/or implications. Keep the commandments of Christ, not the precepts of men. The commandments of Christ are found in the New Testament Scriptures, not in the teachings of religious leaders based on their own deductions, inferences, and/or implications. "And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us" (I John 3:24 NASB). Serious issue? You bet your life it is.

Tragically, many unsuspecting persons have fallen prey to enticing rhetoric and have been converted to a faulty hermeneutic and not to Christ Jesus. They are blindly following the blind guides. "And He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them: A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can be? Will they not both fall into a pit" (Luke 6:39 NASB)? We can no longer sit idly by and let it happen.

Let us, then, encourage our leaders, our teachers, and our preachers to reject the doctrines that are mistakenly taught as the word of God and/or the doctrine of Christ, based on the precepts of men, however they are framed or disguised, as having any authority, whatsoever, over Christians in religious matters.

Jim Davis

E-mail: jamesdavis@focusonthescriptures.com

————————

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE™,  © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

© 2000, 2002, 2003 by James S. Davis. All rights reserved.