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Commands govern nearly every aspect of human life, whether those commands are issued from
parents to children, from governments to citizens, or from God to humankind. Commands are
given by one that has authority, and as people living under that authority, we are obligated
to live by those commands, whether they come from our parents, our government, or our God.
Commands come in two forms — generic and specific commands. Generic commands are considered generic for one simple reason. They do not specify any correct way of doing the thing commanded. Specific commands specify the correct action that must be taken to fulfill the command. When a certain action is specified, every other action is prohibited by that specification. This principle is clearly seen in every aspect of human life where commands are issued from people in authority to those under that authority. For example, when dining at a restaurant, you instruct (command) the server to bring you a soft drink. "Bring me a soft drink" is a generic command. The server can fulfill the command in any way he sees fit. He could bring you a Pepsi, a Dr. Pepper, or any other soft drink and fulfill that command. However, you may wish to order a specific kind of soft drink. "Bring me a Sprite" is a command that is specific in nature. By sayng you want a Sprite, you have specified exactly what kind of soft drink you want. The only way the server can fulfill that command is by bringing the exact thing that was specified — a Sprite. If he brought you a Dr. Pepper or a Diet Sprite, the server would not have fulfilled the command. Furthermore, we understand that in specifying the exact thing desired, everything else is prohibited. As the one ordering a Sprite, you do not have to say, "Bring me a Sprite, but not a Coke, nor a Dr. Pepper" and name every other soft drink served at that restaurant. Can you imagine the confusion if every person giving a specific command had to say what he wanted and then state everything that he did not want? The principle is also true when applied to the Bible. For example, Jesus gave His Apostles both generic and specific commands. In Matthew 28:19-20 ASV Jesus told His Apostles "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." This statement by Jesus has both generic and specific commands. First, Jesus tells His Apostles to "Go." This is a command that is generic in nature. Jesus did not tell His Apostles how to go, just to go. The Apostles could have fulfilled this command any way in which they saw fit. They could have walked, ridden a horse or donkey, or sailed in a ship. Jesus then told them exactly what they were to do as they went. Jesus said, "Make disciples of all the nations." This is a specific command. Jesus specifies exactly what he wants his Apostles to do when they "Go." He specifies that they are to "make disciples." This prohibits everything else. Would they have fulfilled Jesus' commands if they went and made Jewish proselytes of all the nations? What if they made hunting club members of all the nations or any other such thing? By specifying "disciples" Jesus prohibits everything else. Furthermore, Jesus told His Apostles to teach them "to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you." This is another specific command. The Apostles were to "make disciples" by "teaching" to "all nations" everything Jesus had taught them. If the Apostles were to teach "all nations" Greek Philosophy, they would not have fulfilled Jesus' commands, for He specified His own teaching, thereby prohibiting, everything else. When Jesus initiated the Lord's Supper in Matthew 26:26ff, He took both unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine and gave it to His Apostles. Paul likewise instructs Christians on what is to be used and when it is to be done in the book of First Corinthians. We see the specified ingredients in the Lord's Supper and understand that what is specified is what is commanded; what is specified prohibits everything else. When both Jesus and Paul specified that unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine be used in the Lord's Supper, everything else was prohibited. We cannot use peanut butter crackers and Dr. Pepper in the Lord's Supper because the specified prohibits anything else that can possibly be eaten. To make the claim "They did not say not to use peanut butter crackers and Dr. Pepper" is to refuse to see the logic behind specific commands that we apply to every aspect of our physical lives. If we understand this principle in our physical lives, why does it suddenly not apply to our spiritual lives? If you were to order a pepperoni pizza from a pizza store, only to have it arrive with anchovies on it as well, would you just accept the pizza and pay for it even though the pizza store had not obeyed the command? Furthermore, how would you feel if you tried to return the pizza and the store employees said "You did not say not to put anchovies on your pizza! You will accept that pizza and like it because we made it for you in a sincere way." Every single one of us would be outraged with that store and never go back. Yet people daily tell God, "You did not say not to do it this way and you will accept this because of my sincerity!" We will not accept bad pizza from a pizza store that does not follow our commands, yet we expect God to accept anything we wish to give him, without following his commands! This ought not to be! The Apostle Paul states in Second Thessalonians 3:6 ASV, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us." Paul commands Christians to follow in the traditions of the Apostles. Paul delivered the tradition that we follow in worship to God in song. Paul states in Ephesians 5:19 ASV, "speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord." This command from God is specific in nature. First, God tells us to "Speak one to another." We see that our voices are to be used in this part of worship. Are we to speak anything we wish? No, because we are given another specific command; "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." These three things are specified, thereby limiting everything else. We are prohibited from singing patriotic songs, cartoon songs, or any other such song in worship. God then gives us more detail, "singing and making melody." Again, God specifies singing. The generic command is to "make melody." The phrase "making melody" means to "cause to vibrate by touching, to twang," (Thayer) and to "twitch or twang, that is, to play" (Strong). Immediately following this generic command to "make melody" is a specific command on how that is to be done. God specifically commands that the instrument to be played is "the heart." When God specified "with your hearts" he prohibited everything else that could be "caused to vibrate" or "twitched and twanged." The specific command to "make melody with your heart" prohibits making melody with anything else. Some people claim that singing "a cappella" is simply a church of Christ tradition. They are correct. It is a tradition handed down from the Apostle Paul to all Christians from God himself. God has specified, and we must therefore do that which is specified in order to be pleasing to him. Who can add to God's specific command and then tell God, "You will be both pleased and 'glorified' by my addition to your authorized, specified commands?" Let us not "hold fast the traditions of men" thereby "leave(ing) the commandment of God" as Jesus condemned in Mark 7:7-8 ASV. Let us never "reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition" (Mark 7:9 ASV). Let us always "hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2 ASV) so we will always be pleasing to God. Jesus once asked in Mark 11:30 ASV, "The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me." I ask the following question, "Instrumental music in Christian worship, is it from heaven, or from men? Answer me." |