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The religious world largely ignores Biblical authority because men choose
to live by the philosophy of human reason instead of what the Bible says.
But what we do in religion must be authorized by the Bible or it is sin.
Each thing we do in religious faith and practice must have Christ’s
authority behind it.
Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks unto God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:17). To do a thing “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” means that he has authorized us to do that thing. We cannot simply pick out a practice that suits us and say, “this is in the name of Christ.” no one can act “in the name of the State” without authority from that state. One might say he is acting in the name of the state, but unless the state has authorized that person to act, his action is in vain and without authority. Even so, unless Christ has authorized what we preach and practice we are not acting in his name - even though we claim to do so. Jesus has all authority, (Matthew 28:18), and the Hebrew writer begins with the inspired assertion that God has “spoken unto us by his Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2). God has spoken and his final word has been revealed through Christ. For one’s religion to be right, his preaching and practice must be ordered by the word of Christ that’s revealed in the New Testament. To do otherwise brings God’s wrath upon us. But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9). The above scripture makes it very plain that we dare not tamper with God’s word which is revealed to us. But both Catholics and Protestants are guilty of violating this plain New Testament precept. Catholicism relies upon oral tradition from the pope and councils of bishops in addition to the Bible, and the Protestant world is bound by humanly-written creeds in addition to the Bible. By adding their own teachings, whether oral or written, the Catholic and Protestant worlds have perverted the gospel of Christ. Paul said the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation.” (Romans 1:16). But when that power is perverted by men’s doctrines it becomes powerless. Water is God’s power for quenching thirst, but salt added to water perverts its power and renders it useless for that which God intended. That’s exactly what human reason -- whether expressed in the philosophies of agnosticism and atheism or the oral and written traditions of Catholics and Protestants -- does to the gospel of Christ. Religious authority is expressed in one of two ways. One of those is wrong and the other is right. The wrong way is to make the silence of the scriptures the standard for faith and practice. That’s the philosophy that says, “we can do anything in religion, so long as God didn’t say not to do it.” Two men in the Old Testament lost their lives because they did something which God hadn’t specifically forbidden. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out a fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. (Leviticus 10:1-5). Nadab and Abihu were authorized to offer incense in the tabernacle because they were the sons of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. Their offering had to be done “in the name of God” or by His authority. But the scripture says they offered strange fire which “God commanded them not.” They obtained the fire for their censers from a source other than that which God had authorized. He had commanded the fire for censers to be taken from the altar of incense which stood before the veil in the tabernacle. They evidently reasoned that fire was fire and its source was unimportant. That is true, according to human reasoning. The fire they used would burn the incense as efficiently as the fire from the altar. The principle involved, however, is one of obedience to God’s expressed command. As a result of following their own reasoning, they were killed. They may have been honest, but sincerity isn’t the standard in religion. They may have reasoned that "God didn't say not to use fire from another source," but the lesson involved is that when God specifies a certain thing, that excludes all else. When he specifically commanded fire from a certain source, that excluded fire from any other source. These men are examples of modern thinkers today who believe they can do anything human wisdom dictates in preaching and practice, so long as it isn't specifically forbidden. That attitude is a direct violation of Colossians 3:17 and 1 Peter 4:11. While Nadab and Abihu lived by what God didn't say, we have an example of a man who lived by what God did say and saved his family from destruction. His name is Noah. In Genesis 6, God instructed Noah to build the ark. Specific instructions regarding its construction were given in Genesis 6:14-16. God specified a certain kind of wood -- "gopher wood" -- and gave the dimensions by which Noah was to construct the ark, and verse 22 says, "Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him, so did he." Noah could have reasoned -- and rightly so -- that "God didn't say not to use pine or oak in the ark." God never mentioned those kinds of wood. But Noah understood a fundamental principle that we sorely need to learn today. When God specifies a certain thing, that excludes everything else. God didn't have to say, "Don't use oak or pine." His specification of gopher wood excluded all other kinds. The religious world needs this lesson today. It needs to understand that the silence of the Bible authorizes nothing. Man must live by what God has said, not by what He didn't say. A sadly divided religious world today wears the names of men, saying they do so "in the name of Christ." But those names aren't authorized in the Bible. Where does the New Testament indicate that God accepts any name but Christian? Where is Biblical authority for wearing names like "Baptist," or "Methodist," or "Presbyterian," or Catholic," or "Holiness?" Search the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and you won't find any of those name applied to Christ's followers. They originated in the creeds and traditions of men. The only authorized name in which God can be glorified is that of Christian (1 Peter 4:15-16). We invite you to stand upon the word of God with us. Reject all human names and practices which aren't authorized in the Bible and become only a Christian and a Christian only. Believe in the Lord (John 8:24), repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), confess Christ as God's Son (Romans 10:10; Acts 8:37) and be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. Then worship with us as we follow the authority of the Bible and the Bible only. |