Post by jonathandwhitehead on May 16, 2009 15:12:33 GMT -5
Authority – The ability or strength with which one is endued: Permission or liberty.
Two kinds of Authority:
1. Generic Authority – Including all the methods or ways for doing that, which is authorized.
2. Specific Authority – Precisely formulated or restricted; specifying or explicit.
Generic Authority grants liberty. Example: Tim’s dad gave him $5’s to rent a movie. Tim has the liberty to pick which movie he will decide to rent with his fathers’ money (so long as he abides by the ratings.)
Scriptural example:
Specific Authority specifies. In doing so, the individual is restricted to alternative avenues, which are not specified. Example: Tim’s dad gave him $5’s to rent this movie. Tim does not have the liberty to rent that movie with the money that his fathers gave him.
Scriptural example:
Authority is established through one of three ways:
1. Direct Statement
2. Approved Example
3. Necessary inference.
Explicit and direct commands establish Specific Authority, which restricts and binds, bounds and chains, regulates and restrains the individuals right to establish or decree, create or attach, and install or institute methods foreign to that which was specified.
“Jesus took the bread… I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine…” Matthew 26:26,29
Here, Jesus restricts his approval to those who choose to obey his command and partake of the bread and fruit of the vine until he returns. So then, I ask the question, does one hold the authority to bring Pizza and Root Beer into the Lord’s Supper? Though one may do so, he does not do so in the name of Jesus Christ meaning that Christ has not given him the authority or liberty to do so. In fact, the Apostle Paul condemns him that does so. “And if any man hunger let him eat at home;” (1 Corinthians 11:34)
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:18-19
Those who assemble on the first day of the week, as the scriptures say must sing unanimously. “Speaking to one another (NKJV)” denotes a plurality of individuals in one accord and thus, eliminating solo presentations. “Singing” is more explicitly specified with the word “Speaking” which is to be accomplished with the mouth. Thus, one is bound and restricted to the addition of Mechanical Musical Instruments.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7
and
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
One cannot be walking by faith while playing Mechanical Musical Instruments in the assembly of the saints because the word of God has not commanded one to do so. Those who chose to take up Mechanical Musical Instruments in the assembly of the saints are not worshiping God in the way he has commanded. Thus, their worship is rejected by God just as Cain’s offering was rejected by God.
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…” Hebrews 11:4
Abel offered what God wanted him to offer. Cain chose to worship God the way in which he wanted. After being rejected God said unto Cain:
“Why art thou wrought? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” Genesis 4:6,7
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. Jude 11
Two kinds of Authority:
1. Generic Authority – Including all the methods or ways for doing that, which is authorized.
2. Specific Authority – Precisely formulated or restricted; specifying or explicit.
Generic Authority grants liberty. Example: Tim’s dad gave him $5’s to rent a movie. Tim has the liberty to pick which movie he will decide to rent with his fathers’ money (so long as he abides by the ratings.)
Scriptural example:
Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the earth.”
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the earth.”
- Liberty is given to those who live under the Great Commission as to how and where they might go so long as they are preaching the Gospel.
Specific Authority specifies. In doing so, the individual is restricted to alternative avenues, which are not specified. Example: Tim’s dad gave him $5’s to rent this movie. Tim does not have the liberty to rent that movie with the money that his fathers gave him.
Scriptural example:
Genesis 6:14-16
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark,
and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
And this is the fashion, which thou shalt make it of: the length of the ark shall
Be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits and the
height of it thirty cubits.
A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and
The door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof;
with lower, second and third stories shalt thou make it.”
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark,
and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
And this is the fashion, which thou shalt make it of: the length of the ark shall
Be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits and the
height of it thirty cubits.
A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and
The door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof;
with lower, second and third stories shalt thou make it.”
- Noah did not have the liberty to add an extra window. Nor did he have the liberty to construct it ten feet longer with yellow pine.
- Had Noah chosen to fashion the ark the way in which he thought it should be done, the ark would not have survived.
Authority is established through one of three ways:
1. Direct Statement
2. Approved Example
3. Necessary inference.
- In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus’ first command was to “Go.” This is an example of Generic Authority, which grants liberty to those who are commanded to “Go.”
- Jesus then commands his disciples to “Teach.” Once again, Jesus did not say “How” to teach, whether it is with words or ink, one has the liberty to choose. Thus tracts, flyers, sandwich boards, and sign language are acceptable.
- The command given in Mark 16:15 (additional to the Great Commission) is an example of Specific Authority because we’re told specifically to preach the “gospel.”
- Good works apart from the preaching of the gospel do not constitute as evangelism. Evangelism must always, without exception, include the teaching of the Gospel in some way, form or fashion.
Explicit and direct commands establish Specific Authority, which restricts and binds, bounds and chains, regulates and restrains the individuals right to establish or decree, create or attach, and install or institute methods foreign to that which was specified.
“Jesus took the bread… I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine…” Matthew 26:26,29
Here, Jesus restricts his approval to those who choose to obey his command and partake of the bread and fruit of the vine until he returns. So then, I ask the question, does one hold the authority to bring Pizza and Root Beer into the Lord’s Supper? Though one may do so, he does not do so in the name of Jesus Christ meaning that Christ has not given him the authority or liberty to do so. In fact, the Apostle Paul condemns him that does so. “And if any man hunger let him eat at home;” (1 Corinthians 11:34)
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:18-19
Those who assemble on the first day of the week, as the scriptures say must sing unanimously. “Speaking to one another (NKJV)” denotes a plurality of individuals in one accord and thus, eliminating solo presentations. “Singing” is more explicitly specified with the word “Speaking” which is to be accomplished with the mouth. Thus, one is bound and restricted to the addition of Mechanical Musical Instruments.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7
and
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
One cannot be walking by faith while playing Mechanical Musical Instruments in the assembly of the saints because the word of God has not commanded one to do so. Those who chose to take up Mechanical Musical Instruments in the assembly of the saints are not worshiping God in the way he has commanded. Thus, their worship is rejected by God just as Cain’s offering was rejected by God.
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…” Hebrews 11:4
Abel offered what God wanted him to offer. Cain chose to worship God the way in which he wanted. After being rejected God said unto Cain:
“Why art thou wrought? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” Genesis 4:6,7
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. Jude 11