Part 2: Biblical Authority and Bible Study
When we order a meal in a restaurant our waitperson does not need to know all the things on the menu that we do not want. Should we do this, ordering a meal would become difficult and time consuming. We order what we want, not a long list of everything we do not want!
In our worship of God we do not replace the Holy Communion’s fruit-of-the-vine with chocolate shakes. We know not to do such a thing. It would warp the purpose of this service. It would be offensive to the Father and the Son.
What must we do about other things neither obvious nor simple? Can we organize our churches, hold our worship or live in any way we choose? Does the Word of God, the Bible, give us long lists of things we must not do? After all, there is no scripture telling us that we must not serve chocolate shakes with the communion. We can see that if the Lord needed to tell us everything we must not do, the Bible would be very much longer and vastly complicated.
The Bible tells us what we should do. It does not often tell what we must not do. The Bible is filled with examples that confirm this approach to the truth. The book of Numbers, Chapter 3, verses 2 through 4, tells about two who added to the Word of God: “The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai . . ..” Also we find that when Moses did not follow the instructions of God, he was punished. See Numbers 20, verses 6 through 12.
Moses was told to speak to the rock so that it would pour out water for the Israelites. He disobeyed God’s instructions. Instead he struck the rock with his staff. We might think this a very minor thing, but it brought down God’s wrath. Even though water did gush from the rock, Moses was punished. He was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. While Moses did not exactly do as told, Aaron’s sons added to the worship. Both were punished.
These and many other examples aptly warn us never to add to the Lord’s instructions. Neither should we alter them.
In Matthew, Chapter 7, verses 13 & 14 Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
How wide is this narrow gate? How narrow is the road that leads to life? We do not exactly know. This width is not literal feet and inches. It represents God’s tolerance for our mistakes. These mistakes might well lead to our loss of God’s blessings. There is a great difference between honest mistakes and careless mistakes. Sloppy Bible study is careless. Why should we not follow all of the New Testament precepts as exactly as we can? These directions will be found in the commands of Jesus, the words of the Apostles and many things unspoken but given to us as examples.
Another example is the make up of the Lord’s Supper. Since bread and fruit-of-the-vine are shown in the scriptures, chocolate shakes are out!
We are told many things and these obligate us to do them carefully. We should neither add to them, as did the sons of Aaron, nor should we alter them, as did Moses.
We want to walk the straight and narrow way. Yes, God is forgiving, but why should we test his patience by pushing at the edges of His Way? Why not follow the words of our Lord and His apostles as exactly as we can?
This will call for our careful study of God’s Word. It will also mean that we will have to dismiss many of man’s teachings when they violate the limits of that narrow path. We must address the scriptures anew with an open, humble heart. We will want to do what the Father teaches and only that. Like Aaron’s sons we must not add to the Word and like Moses we must never alter it. The book of 1st John in Chapter 5, verse 3 tells us, "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome . . .."