ATTITUDES TOWARD BIBLE AUTHORITY

1. ATTITUDES TOWARD BIBLE AUTHORITY THE KEY TO WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG AMONG “CHURCHES OF CHRIST”

2. ATTITUDES TOWARD BIBLE AUTHORITY It is sad that not all churches of Christ teach and practice the same things. It is sadder that these different teachings and practices are the result of different attitudes toward Bible authority. Even sadder it is that many do not realize that these different attitudes exist. It matters what attitude one has, because it is possible to have the wrong attitude. But what attitude ought we to have?

3. ATTITUDES TOWARD BIBLE AUTHORITY THE CHANGING ATTITUDES OF ISRAEL TOWARD THE LAW SECTARIANISM AMONG THE JEWS IN THE FIRST CENTURY ATTITITUDES AMONG “CHURCHES OF CHRIST” THE THREE WAYS JESUS ESTABLISHED AUTHORITY

4. THE CHANGING ATTITUDES OF ISRAEL TOWARD THE LAW Initially, they had an attitude that pleased the LORD.

5. Exodus 19:1-2 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.

6. Exodus 19:3-5 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

7. Exodus 19:6-8 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.

8. Deuteronomy 5:23-25 "So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. And you said: 'Surely the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die.

9. Deuteronomy 5:26-28 'For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.' Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me: 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken.'"

10. THE CHANGING ATTITUDES OF ISRAEL TOWARD THE LAW Initially, they had an attitude that pleased the LORD. This was conservative: “tending to preserve established institutions and methods and to resist or oppose any changes in these.” In time, however, they developed an attitude that displeased the LORD.

11. 1 Kings 11:1-2 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites-- from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.

12. 1 Kings 11:3-6 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.

13. 1 Kings 11:7-10 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded.

14. 1 Kings 11:11-13 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

15. 1 Kings 11:26-28 Then Solomon's servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David his father. The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.

16. 1 Kings 11:29-30 Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.

17. 1 Kings 11:31-32 And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),

18. 1 Kings 11:33 because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.

19. 1 Kings 11:34-35 However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes.But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and give it to you--ten tribes.

20. 1 Kings 11:36-38 And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.

21. 1 Kings 12:25-27 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah."

22. 1 Kings 12:28-30 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!" And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.

23. 1 Kings 12:31-32 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made.

24. 1 Kings 12:33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

25. Jeremiah 31:31-32 "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord."

26. THE CHANGING ATTITUDES OF ISRAEL TOWARD THE LAW Initially, they had an attitude that pleased the LORD. This was conservative: “tending to preserve established institutions and methods and to resist or oppose any changes in these.” In time, they developed an attitude that displeased the LORD. This was liberal: “favoring reform or progress.” Obviously, this was a change for the worse!

27. SECTARIANISM AMONG THE JEWS IN THE FIRST CENTURY The Jews were divided into at least two sects.

28. Acts 23:6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!"

29. SECTARIANISM AMONG THE JEWS IN THE FIRST CENTURY The Jews were divided into at least two sects. Both the Sadducees and Pharisees were liberal in their attitude toward the word of God. The Sadducees rejected the resurrection, angels and spirits.

30. Acts 23:7-8 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

31. SECTARIANISM AMONG THE JEWS IN THE FIRST CENTURY The Jews were divided into at least two sects. Both the Sadducees and Pharisees were liberal in their attitude toward the word of God. The Sadducees rejected the resurrection, angels and spirits. The Pharisees elevated human traditions above the commandment of God.

32. Mark 7:1-4 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

33. Mark 7:5-7 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

34. Mark 7:8-10 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'

35. Mark 7:11-13 But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"--' (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."

36. SECTARIANISM AMONG THE JEWS IN THE FIRST CENTURY The Jews were divided into at least two sects. Jesus was neither a Pharisee nor a Sadducee; He was simply a faithful Jew. But this does not mean He was not a liberal or a conservative! He upheld the institutions and methods established by His Father, and opposed those who wanted to reform them. Therefore, He had a conservative attitude toward the authority of God’s word!

37. ATTITITUDES AMONG “CHURCHES OF CHRIST” Churches with a conservative attitude toward Bible authority insist on authority from Christ, whether generic or specific, for all that is taught and practiced, having no desire to go beyond what is written.

38. Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

39. 1 Corinthians 4:6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.

40. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

41. ATTITITUDES AMONG “CHURCHES OF CHRIST” Churches with a conservative attitude toward Bible authority insist on authority from Christ, whether generic or specific, for all that is taught and practiced, having no desire to go beyond what is written. Churches with a liberal attitude toward Bible authority teach and practice what they want, with or without authority from Christ, desiring to reform the work and worship of the church, according to their likes and dislikes.

42. ATTITITUDES AMONG “CHURCHES OF CHRIST” God warns those with a liberal attitude: Anyone who goes beyond Christ’s teaching and does not continue to follow only his teaching does not have God. But whoever continues to follow the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not welcome or accept that person into your house. If you welcome such a person, you share in the evil work. (2 John 9-11, NCV).

43. THE THREE WAYS JESUS ESTABLISHED AUTHORITY Commands of His Father.

44. John 12:48-50 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

45. THE THREE WAYS JESUS ESTABLISHED AUTHORITY Commands of His Father. Examples of His Father.

46. John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner."

47. THE THREE WAYS JESUS ESTABLISHED AUTHORITY Commands of His Father. Examples of His Father. Implications of His Father’s statements.

48. Matthew 22:23-25 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.

49. Matthew 22:26-28 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."

50. Matthew 22:29-38 Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."