[Biblemat] <S> Silence of the Scriptures

[Robert Waters]

*Robert Waters to all,*
*This sermon was developed from sermons by **Kyle Pope and Dee Bowman.  If
you would like to have an attachment of the enhanced file and/or the
accompanying Power Point file then write me privately or check my web site
over the next few days.*
*Robert*
*www.TotalHealth.bz <http://www.totalhealth.bz/>*

*                                                 The Silence Of The
Scriptures *

INTRODUCTION:

(Psalms 1)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate
day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are
like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  5 Therefore the ungodly shall
not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly
shall perish.

 I.      The Bible Anticipates All Spiritual Needs.

A.      It is a Divine Book and a Sufficient Book:

II Tim. 3:14-17 - But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned
and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;  15 And
that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.


B. Contains a "Pure" and flawless law:

Prov 30:5,6 - Every word of God {is} pure: he {is} a shield unto them that
put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee,
and thou be found a liar.

 Psa. 19:7 - The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

C..     It is the perfect law of liberty -  James 1:25 But whoso looketh
into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed.


II.      What should our attitude be concerning the things the Scriptures
are silent about?

A.      Do they give us liberty to engage in anything?

B.      What should we do regarding those things in which the Lord says
nothing about?

C.      Want to consider what our Attitude should be concerning The Silence
of The Scripture.

Body
I.       TWO ATTITUDES TOWARD THE SILENCE OF THE SCRIPTURES.

A.      Statement of these attitudes:

1.       Where the Bible is silent, where God has not spoken we are at
liberty to  act as we think best. Thus, silence gives freedom to act.

2.       Where the Bible is silent we must be silent. We can do only those
things which the Lord authorized.

B.      These attitudes were prevalent during the Reformation movement.

1.       MARTIN LUTHER, the great German reformer, felt that the church is
at liberty to do anything not epressly forbidden.
a.   Luther would remove from church services only what the Bible condemned.


2.       HULDREICH  ZWINGLI, the great Swiss reformer, felt that only that
which is expressly authorized should be taught or practiced.
a.  In 1520 he broke with the Catholic Church.
b.   1523 he held a series of debates.
c.   Set forth idea of Justification by Faith.
d.   The Lord's Supper became a memorial. Doctrine of transubstantiation was
completely repudiated.
e.    His view of the Scripture would allow in church services only what the
Bible approved.
f.   Set forth his views in 1525 in a treatise entitled ``A Commentary on
the True and False Religions.''

3.       Luther and Zwingli debated the Lord's Supper at Marburg in 1529

a.       Luther insisted that the actual body and blood of Christ was
present in the elements.

b.       Zwingli contended that the bread and the wine were
``representative'' of the body and blood but that they were not actually
present.

C.      These attitudes were present during the Restoration Movement of the
19th Century.

1.       Walter Scott - *"We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent
where the Bible is silent."*
a.       (Compare to 1 Peter 4:11)
b.       Those who held for this claim felt that the church could do only
that which God authorized.
c.       Later some misinterpreted this expression and began to teach,
``Where the Bible is silent we have liberty, freedom to act.''

2.       Walter Scott - came up with the five steps to Salvation by studying
the Conversions in the Book of Acts.
a.       1827 persuaded by Campbell to attend the annual meeting of the
Mahoning Baptist Association in New Lisbon, Ohio.
b.       Chosen to be a traveling Evangelist for the Western Reserve of
Ohio.
c.   Saw couldn't imitate the procedure of denominational evangelists.
1)      Mourners bench common use, Calvinism had produced a feeling of
Helplessness.
2)      A sinner was told he had to plead with God in Prayer to save him.
3)      Knew was not enough.
4)      Turned to book of Acts and studied the teachings and activity of
first century preachers.
5)      Made careful analysis of each case of conversion.
6)      For the first time saw clearly that there were logical ``steps''
involved in each sinner's conversion.
a)       Faith, repentance, confession and baptism were necessary to
receiving remission of sins.  This he called ``The Gospel Restored''
b)      Tremendous responses were gained, he baptized a thousand people in
the first year.

D.      These attitudes were involved in the division of the
19th Century.

1.       Those who adopted the view "Where the Bible is silent we have
liberty thus freedom to act as we think best became known as (The Christian
Church or Disciples of Christ)"

a.       They accepted Missionary Society, Instruments of Music, even though
neither is authorized in the New Testament.
1)      Later they added State-wide organizations, Choirs, and Women
Preachers on the grounds that the Bible doesn't say not to.

2.       Churches of Christ continued to believe *``Where the Bible is
silent we are silent.'' *
a.       They rejected both the societies and I. M. on the grounds that they
were not Authorized in the Word of God.

E.      In this generation these attitudes are prevalent again.

1.       Many members of the churches of Christ are now accepting the view
of the Christian Church of years past concerning the silence of the
Scriptures.
a.       The cry has gone forth, *``We do many things for which we have no
authority.'' *
1)      They feel the silence of the Scripture permits their doing things
not expressly forbidden.

2.       Still others continue to teach and believe ``Where the Bible is
silent we are to be silent.''
a.       Believing that there must be authority from God before we can teach
or practice a thing.

II.      DOES THE SILENCE OF THE SCRIPTURE AUTHORIZE ANYTHING?

A.      God has revealed himself to man.

1.       All that we know about the will of God is that which He reveals.

1 Cor. 2:9-13 - But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him.  10 But God hath revealed them unto us by
his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God.  11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God.  10 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given
to us of God.  13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.

a.       We cannot know the mind of God by his silence, thus silence does
not authorize anything. b. We cannot know whether God will be pleased with
anything we do unless he has revealed his will on that thing.

Examples:
1)      We know God is pleased when we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
for he has revealed this to us:

John 4:23,24 - But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such
to worship him.  24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth.

2)      We know what God wants the church to do: Preach the word, edify the
Saints and that her needy be cared for. This has been revealed to us Eph.
4:8-12
3)      We do not know if God is pleased when the Church engages in
practices not authorized in the Bible.

2.       And it is presumptuous to conclude that God is pleased with
anything we might propose to do if there is no revelation from Him that
would       indicate it to be true. a.  What men things and wants is not
necessarily what God thinks and wants. b. If we want to receive blessings
from God we are going to have to do things HIS way, rather than what pleases
us.

3.       Scriptures:
Deut. 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall
ye diminish {ought} from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord
your God which I command you.

Deut. 12:32 What thing soever I command you, bserve to do it: thou shalt not
add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Mt. 15:8-9 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth
me with {their} lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do
worship me, teaching {for} doctrines the commandments of men.

Col. 2:22-23 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments
and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will
worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the
satisfying of the flesh.

I Pet. 4:11 If any man speak, {let him speak} as the oracles of God; if any
man minister, {let him do it} as of the ability which God giveth: that God
in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and
dominion for ever and ever.

*Barnes:* As the oracles of God speak; to wit, in accordance with the truth
which God has revealed, and with an impressive sense of the responsibility
of delivering a message from him. The word rendered "oracles" (logia) means,
properly, something "spoken" or "uttered"; then anything uttered by God - a
divine communication - a revelation.

B.      Example of the Silence of the Scripture.

1.       Moses spoke nothing concerning priest coming from the tribe of
Judah.

 Hebrews 7:14 - For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which
tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

a.       Should we conclude that since God was silent about this that
priests from the tribe of Judah would have been acceptable?
1)      If so, (if silence authorizes) Jesus could been a priest on earth,
for he was of that tribe.  BUT….

Hebrews 8:3,4 - Now every high priest is given authority to take to God the
things which are given and to make offerings; so that it is necessary for
this man, like them, to have something for an offering.  If he had been on
earth he would not have been a priest at all, because there are other
priests who make the offerings ordered by the law;
2)      Therefore when God mentioned Levi and not the others they were
prohibited from being priests.

2.       Silence does not give consent! Silence prohibits!
a.        Men often want to do things THEIR way, but…

1)   1 Cor. 4:6 -  We are not to think of men above that which is written.
2)     Why would one think we need to do something that God has not
authorized?

2 Pet. 1:3 - According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath
called us to glory and virtue:

b.    We must act with Authority from Christ doing all in his name.

Col. 3:17 - And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him

*Barnes:* Do it all because he requires and commands it, and with a desire
to honour him. His authority should be the warrant; his glory the aim of all
our actions and words.

c.       Where the scriptures stop, our teaching and practice must stop.

C.      The list of THINGS that are practiced under the guise Silence
Authorizes, is long and the things that could be added are endless.

a.       If God is silent about something, like PRIESTS FROM THE TRIBE OF
JUDAH, it is because it is not what He wants.

b.       Thus where there is no authority we must conclude we should not
act.

CONCLUSION:

1.       We must respect what God has said, but we must also respect what he
has NOT said.

2.       Our attitude toward the silence of the scripture is important.

3        How we view the bounds which Scripture places upon collective
Christian behavior will determine what we do as a church.

a.       If we believe that our conduct is not restricted to only what
Scripture reveals, then we may use wide latitude in deciding congregational
activities.

b.       If instead Scripture itself sets the limits (by what has been
written) for what the church should do, to go beyond these bounds would be
presumptuous, divisive and in rebellion to divine authority.


INVITATION
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