Expert: John Fields - 11/16/2009

Question
Hi brother Fields,

I have read several of your answers here and am impressed with the answers you have given. I can see you have a deep understanding of God's Word and that you maintain the humility we all should have since we are but mere humans.

My question to you is regarding Bible study. I would like to know your view on what some call CENI and overall what you think of Hermeneutics. I have studied Dungen's book on hermeneutics and have been raised with CENI and the pattern principle. I am 4th generation on both sides of my family to be a faithful member of the Lord's church and am the son of a minister.

I have studied some of what Al Maxie and Olan Hicks have written on divorce and remarriage. I agree with them for the most part about that topic. But overall I see them both as dangerous men in the fact that they reject the pattern principle and CENI. Yet, direct command, approved example, and necessary inference did not come from the mind of man but from the mind of God. It is in God's Word. Jesus used it and so did Paul and the apostles.

I look forward to your response as I know it will be well explained at the very least. I am not seeking a debate nor am I trying to achieve any devious goal. I merely am curious about your views on these matters. As I said, I have read the answers you have given so far and have not found anything I really disagree with overall.

Thank you again for your time. Your brother in Christ, Joe

Answer
Personally, I feel, CENI (Command, Example, and Necessary Inference), is what common sense dictates. God gave His Word to lead us in His absence. We should follow it with the same DEEPLY respectful attitude of fear and trembling as those did who stood at a distance while God was in smoke and fire on the mountain with a loud trumpet blast giving the Ten Commandments. They stood at a distance trembling and fearful that if they continually had to hear God's voice they would die. (Exodus 20:18-19).

Jesus said His Words would judge us (John 12:48). The words of the apostles are to ALSO be considered to be as authoritative as Jesus' own words because they also originate with Him. Jesus let us know in no uncertain terms that the apostles words were HIS words.

John 16:12-14 (12) "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

What we see here is that JESUS had more things to say. He said these things through His Holy Spirit. It was said that when this occurred that the apostles would have ALL of the truth. Jesus said that whatever the apostles would bind on earth would already have been bound in Heaven or whatever they would allow would have already been allowed (Matthew 18:18). This proves that the apostles had Heavenly sanction and authority for leading the church into ALL of the truth.

The question is, how do we determine what the truth is? We try to determine what stays for all time and what God intended for just a limited select group of people. This can be difficult. Are women to have their heads covered? Do we still speak in tongues? Did anyone else have authority to bind and or loose the rules other than the apostles? These are all examples of questions that have to have the appropriate idea concerning the context in order to answer properly.

In observing any Biblical doctrine, we try to do what God tells us to do as we try to determine if it is a law that all should observe, if we should attempt to make it binding on others instead of just ourselves, and if we can in good conscience be in fellowship with certain groups of believers.

This must be practiced with an extremely charitable and cautious outlook. If we try to define all of the applications of the laws and what should be observed or what should not be observed we can run the very real risk, if not careful enough, of becoming modern day Pharisees who are binding what WE SAY the laws are rather than what the laws themselves ACTUALLY ARE.

The safest approach I can tell is to see what the apostles led the early church to do. Since we know the apostles had ALL of the truth delivered to them once and for all (Jude 1:3)and that there is ONE faith (Ephesians 4:4-6) we KNOW the truth is ALL THERE to be found! Finding it can sometimes be as difficult as finding a splinter in a lion's paw, but search for it we must.

Jesus has ALL authority (Matthew 28:18). Look what it says about Jesus authority in Colossians 3:17 "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Whatever we do should be done in HIS Name. In humility we must acknowledge that even with our best efforts we will sometimes get some things wrong. But even so EVERYTHING we do MUST be done in Jesus name. In other words, we should act as though EVERY act we do must have authority for it. Personally I find that our attitude in what we do is AT LEAST as important as the acts themselves. If we are striving with our entire being to do right by His name, to His fame and glory, we will be safe in His care and walking with Him in forgiveness even when we get things wrong due to our humanity. When Jesus said we are to be perfect as God is perfect He was directing what our attitude was to be, not our actions. We cannot achieve perfect works in His name, but we CAN always be striving for improvement towards that goal.

Instead of attempting to bind all of the truth we find perhaps another possibly better approach would be to teach how sensible it is to follow the truth we know is there. I can't prove that instruments in the worship assembly are definitely sinful. But I CAN prove that God has a preference. The apostles discontinued the previously commanded practice of instruments in worship from 2 Chronicles 29:25. Responsible theologians acknowledge that the practice of the early church was using the heart, mind, voice, and nothing else in their singing. Since the previous practice was changed from one which included mechanical instruments to one which did not it seems appropriate to say that God has a preference. Why else would God change what had been done before to something new? When God shows He prefers we do something in a certain way, why would we seek to do it another?

We should not be seeking to do only what we prefer and MAY be allowed but to instead seek out and do what God AT THE VERY LEAST has shown He prefers. His preferences are ALWAYS authorized and allowed. What we prefer may not be at all.

We KNOW that under the DIRECT, DIVINE oversight of the apostles that there were certain things the early church was led or allowed to do with Heavenly approval. We have clear scriptural evidence that shows the early Christians were shown to: sing songs without any instrument other than their hearts (Ephesians 5:19); refer to Sundays as a time called the Lord's Day (Revelation 1:10); take up a collection for the continuing needs of the Saints (local or for group efforts 1 Corinthians 16:1-2); not have women be preachers (1 Corinthians 14:34) or pastors/elders (1 Timothy 3:2); take communion with unity of the Body of Christ (bread) and the Lord's Sacrifice (blood) in mind on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 11:18-20). There are obviously other issues as well.

Singing with instruments, women in leadership, and communion on days other than Sundays are a few of many issues which are being brought in or looked into by many congregations today. Singing with instruments, women in leadership, and communion on days other than Sundays, at best, MIGHT be allowed but singing with the heart, appropriate roles for women, and communion on Sundays are ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY allowed. Why would we ever take areas of solid footing and walk onto possibly if not likely shaky ground?

We must stand for the truth, follow our Spirit led and Word of God groomed conscience, and adequately teach and let be known what we stand for and why we stand for it. After that we must do one of the hardest things we can do, move aside and let others stand or fall. If the doors are slammed shut due to overly harsh dealings on our part, we cannot help those who walk away from the truth later. Unless they are doing something for which there is NO QUESTION about (bringing in a practicing homosexual as minister, or sprinkling as baptism) we can keep the lines of communication open even if we have no agreement with what is being taught or practiced.