Sunday, July 7, 2013 am
HOW TO ESTABLISH
AUTHORITY
But that certainly
is not the whole of understanding authority.
Having established the true source of authority, we also need to
understand HOW to establish authority.
Many will agree that the word of God is our standard, but are the
principles we need to apply to ensure that we rightly divide the word of
truth? Absolutely!
In every aspect of
life we need authority for what we do – whether it be our jobs, our
family, or even living as citizens within our community.
But how do we determine what we can and cannot do?
There are rules that we need to consider in establishing
authority. Last week we
discussed the authority one has to drive because he has a license and a
licensed vehicle. But does
that mean that he can do whatever he wants to do?
Certainly not! There are rules he must abide by.
How does he determine these rules?
There are traffic laws he needs to learn and obey (commands).
He needs to learn how to drive which usually involves someone
else teaching him the right way (approved example).
He can also observe what others do (legally) and reach good
conclusions that will make him safe and legal.
Let’s also apply these things to a study of God’s word.
a.
There are basically 3
legitimate ways to establish authority to do something. They are how we
get information in any context.
You can apply it to driving as mentioned above, your job, etc.
IT is HOW communication occurs!
b.
Command or precept
– reference to a specific statement that either calls for something to
be done or avoided, or declares a fact plainly.
While not without its questions, this is the most direct and
easily understood and applied way to establish authority.
MOST of scripture is commands
The 10 “commandments” is an example – 10 “you shall” and “you shall not”
statements.
Heb. 10:25 - In scripture
we are told to NOT forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
That is a command that we must follow.
Acts 2:38 – the command to
“repent and let everyone of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins…”
instructs what we need to do to be saved.
Eph. 4:31 says, “Let
all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from
you, with all malice.”
This tells us we need to NOT engage in those activities.
1 Cor. 11:23-26 recounts
the commands of Jesus to His apostles (and disciples) to partake of the
Lord’s Supper. Paul is
writing to the church at Corinth about how this is to be properly done.
From this passage (and others) we find that we ARE to partake of
the Lord’s Supper.
c.
Approved Example – sometimes we find examples in scriptures of things done which were
approved either by Jesus or the apostles.
These give us directive, usually about HOW to accomplish a
command.
For example:
Acts 20:7, reads, “Now on
the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued
his message until midnight.”
In this passage we find an example of WHEN the disciples came
together to break bread.
From the context we find that Paul was in Troas having sailed there from
Philippi (vs. 6). He even
waited 7 days to meet with the saints there.
This is the ONLY example we have of WHEN the Lord’s Supper is to
be taken. It is an APPROVED
APOSTOLIC example. This is
why we partake of the Lord’s Supper only on Sunday (the first day of the
week).
WE have many other examples of approved conduct that we can learn from
and apply to our lives. In
1 Cor. 11:1 Paul said, “Imitate
me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
Christ is our EXAMPLE.
We learn from Him and follow Him.
We also follow the example of His apostles, as they acted with
the Lord’s approval.
NOTE: Not all examples are approved and not all examples are applicable
to us. The context helps us
understand what is and what is not.
d.
Necessary Inference
– means that while you do not have a specific command or even an
example, you can look at a text and reach an unavoidable conclusion.
For example: Acts 20:7 again
speaks of the first day of the week partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
But which first day of the week.
Can we choose to partake monthly or yearly or seasonally?
Or do we need to partake every first day of the week? While not
specified, the context seems to indicate it was something done
regularly. Note Paul waited
7 days and partook with them.
We also know that from 1 Cor. 16:1-2 that on the first day of the
week they were to take up a collection (again the only example with a
specified time). Clearly,
they did this weekly. When
we consider that EVERY week has a “first day of the week” and there is
no indication it was a particular “first day” (to the exclusion of
others) we necessarily conclude that we ought to come together to
“break bread” EVERY first day of the week.
We actually use necessary inference more than we realize.
We need necessary inference because much of the Bible is principles.
Even though it was written some 2000 years ago, its principles
are timeless. When the Bible
was written there were no computers, cars, telephones, etc.
No movie screens, televisions, etc.
Even though these are not specifically mentioned, what we DO have
in scripture can help us reach conclusions as to how to use each of
these and other things as well.
NOTE: AS I understand it, necessary inference deals with HOW to carry
out something that has been commanded. IN other words it is based upon
command or example. For
example – the necessary conclusion of every first day of the week would
be meaningless without a command and examples to partake of the Lord’s
Supper.
e.
Acts 15
– an appeal to CENI. In
Jerusalem, there was contention between some of the Jews and Gentiles
who had been converted.
There were some who traveled to Antioch and demanded that Gentiles had
to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to become Christians (vs.
5). There was a discussion
about the issue as a result of this.
When you examine the discourse you find what sources of authority
they appealed to:
i.
VS. 6-11 - Peter
recalled how he had been sent by God to the house of Cornelius to preach
the gospel (see Acts 10). He
noted that Cornelius and his household had received the Holy Spirit just
as the Jews did on Pentecost.
In fact he said that He, “made
no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”
He noted that God had NOT imposed circumcision, NOR the keeping
of the Law of Moses on them.
Here we have an approved example
of Gentiles being saved without circumcision.
Furthermore, Peter even argues, “Now
therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the
disciples which neither our fathers not we were able to bear?” (vs.
10)
He reached a
necessary inference saying, “BUT we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall
be saved in the same manner as they.” (11)
ii.
VS. 12 – Paul and
Barnabas, “Then all the multitude
kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many
miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.”
Again you have an
approved example as Paul and Barnabas had been preaching to
Gentiles many of whom obeyed the gospel.
There was no mention or need for circumcision.
In fact, as you study their preaching on Cyprus and in Asia
Minor, it is not there (Acts 13-14). NOTE
that miracles and wonders were done – had God NOT approved of their
message they would not be able to do these things.
Therefore their message
necessarily inferred that
circumcision was not necessary.
iii.
Vs. 13-21 – James then
speaks noting that the actions of Peter were actually prophesied about
in the Old Testament. He
quotes Amos 9:11-12. It is a
text indicating that after captivity the tabernacle of David would be
rebuilt, “So that the rest of
mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My
name, Says the LORD WHO DOES ALL THESE THINGS’”
James quotes the word of God (a direct precept) a passage that said there would be a day when
Gentiles would have access to “the tabernacle of David.”
In that text there was no mention of them keeping the Law of
Moses.
Putting all the fact together, James
necessarily concludes, “Therefore
I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are
turning to God,
but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from
sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.”
(Acts 15:19-20)
iv.
So we can see in this
account HOW to determine whether or not we should do something.
It involves commands and precepts, approved examples and
necessary inference or conclusion.
Sometimes preachers in churches of Christ are accused (often by
their own brethren) of inventing the pattern for establishing authority.
We did not! WE have
seen that this is how the apostles established authority!
IF no one EVER used the
expression CENI, it would not change that such is the reality of how
authority is established!
f. Some today want to dismiss CENI as the way we establish authority. Their motives may be different, but usually it has something to do with broadening the scope of what one can and cannot do. So I issue this challenge: Present your argument – but do so WITHOUT showing me a command, showing me by example or causing me to necessarily infer your conclusion!
And there you have it!
The scriptures teach authority.
This has been a very broad examination of this subject.
But it is important.
Our understanding of authority will determine how we organize and work
as the Lord’s church, how we worship God, the way we conduct ourselves
in society and have a direct bearing on our respect for God’s word.
May all that we do truly be, “as the oracles of God.”