1. “GOD REIGNS” - AUTHORITY
Gal 1:10 ~ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Luke 6:46 ~ "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?
2 Cor 5:9 ~ Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
“GOD REIGNS” - AUTHORITY

2. “GOD REIGNS” - AUTHORITY
“Where is the authority for …”
Seeking information & understanding
Against being concerned about Biblical authority
We use principles of “authority” every day!
General & specific directions
What we “know” in life we often fail to apply to the most important issue of life; our relationship to God!

3. “GOD REIGNS” - AUTHORITY
“Take out the trash.”
Without any further statements it implies that we can choose how to do that.
There is no need to specify every single action to make our will known and there is some freedom in carrying out the command.
We understand how this works … until we get to Scripture.

4. “GOD REIGNS” - AUTHORITY
General and Specific commands (authority).
“Go buy some bread”
Go – walk, ride, drive
Buy – cash, debit card
Bread – wheat, white, sourdough, rye
Communication has occurred!
Context considered!
We know how it works!

5. KINDS OF AUTHORITY GENERAL (generic) - inclusive
Includes > any method or means to accomplish a requirement; includes all that is necessary to carry it out.
SPECIFIC (restricts) - exclusive
Excludes > everything not particularly specified
When God has “specified” His choice, man is left with no options other than to follow God’s way.

6. GENERAL Includes anything necessary to fulfill the requirement.
“Go” – Mark 16:15
Walk, ride, camel, ship
“Preach the gospel” – Mark 16:15
Gospel is specified (not English, Math)
General: Public, private, class, TV, materials, facilities

7. GENERAL Includes anything necessary to fulfill the requirement.
“Baptize” – Mark 16:16
Specified: immersion & water; Acts 8:36, 10:38; Rom. 6:4
General: River, pond, ocean, pool, baptistry
“Assemble” – Heb. 10:25; Cor 5,11,16; Acts 14:27
General: House, rent/ own building, insurance, restrooms, water fountain, etc.
Misuse: To ignore the specific reasons for assembling of disciples in providing a place.

8. SPECIFIC Excludes everything not particularly specified.
Living Creatures
Human / Animals
Male – Female / dogs, cats, horses
Tom, Bill – Cindy, Sue
Collie, Shepherd
Persian, Siamese
Arabian, Appaloosa
The more specific a statement, the more it excludes others of the same category.

9. SPECIFIC Excludes everything not particularly specified.
“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood”, Gen. 6:14
Specific: Ark, Gopherwood
Excludes: Raft, Oak
Leadership / Work: Num. 1:49-51
Specific: “Levites” – excluded all others
Priests – family of Aaron: Num
2 Chron 26:18 ~ And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron,…”

10. SPECIFIC Excludes everything not particularly specified.
“Sing” – Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16
More “specific” than “make music” – excludes instrumental music.
Another “specific” – psalms, hymns, spiritual songs
General qualities: Soprano, Bass, written or memorized, song book, song leader, pitch

11. SPECIFIC Excludes everything not particularly specified.
“Lord’s Supper” – Matt. 26:17, Cor. 11:23-28
Specific elements: unleavened bread, fruit of the vine – excludes everything else
General qualities: container – one or many
“cup” in Matt. 26:27,28 refers to the content not the container

12. EXTREMES
To be accepted a practice must be specifically authorized.
For anything to be wrong it must be specifically condemned.

13. CONCLUSIONS
We must have authority for all that we do in our service and work to the Lord.
In recognizing these principles, we are not making arbitrary rules. We are simply pointing out how communication operates in everyday usage, then making the same application to understanding the Bible.

14. CONCLUSIONS If we love the Lord, we will keep His will, John 14:15.
His will is expressed through language, and language means something purposeful.
It is because we love the Lord that we want to listen carefully to how He has communicated His will to us.