Speak Where the Bible Speaks

Posted by on May 18, 2008 under Sermons

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“Accept Him Who is Weak”

  • David Lipscomb (1875):
    • “So long as a man really desires to do right, to serve the Lord, to obey his commands, we cannot withdraw from him.”

Declaration and Address

  • Thomas Campbell (1809):
    • Where the Bible is unclear or silent, no disagreement should divide Christians.
    • When Campbell spoke of “being silent where the Bible is silent,” he allowed for strong opinions on what that silence meant.

1832 Union

  • Raccoon John Smith:
    • Silent on the precise positions that Christians might take that are not part of the gospel.
    • Speak where Bible speaks = simply use the words of Scripture.

All Silence is Not Equal

  • Silence permitted the Missionary Society
  • Silence forbade instrumental music in worship

Three-Part Hermeneutic

  • Focus is on what practices the Bible authorizes:
    1. Direct Command,
    2. Approved Example, and
    3. Necessary Inference

Other Considerations

  • Does this practice reflect the nature of God?
  • Is it in line with the biblical story of redemption?
  • Does it build up the church?
  • Does it promote Christian virtue?
  • Is it a “weightier matter”?

Speaking Where the Bible Speaks

  • Black Churches of Christ
  • “I have had to rely upon God, he is the only one I had. The white man didn’t like me because of the color of my skin. The colored man didn’t like me because of my religion. Now, son, who else did I have?” — Marshall Keeble