Questions God Doesn't Answer
The biblical prescriptions for Israelite worship and community life are numerous and detailed. By contrast, the New Testament directions for operating Christian churches are vague and sparse.
We are to meet regularly (Hebrews 10.25), to observe baptism (Matthew 28.19) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11.23-26), to proclaim the Word (2 Timothy 4.2), to be generous and giving, and that elders and deacons are the prescribed church officers (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1). There may be a few more but that’s about as much as I could round up.
Now consider things that AREN’T commanded, questions we may have that go UNANSWERED in Scripture:
…What should be included in a church meeting and what should be the order of service?
…What should music be like and what instruments should (or should not) be used in the church?
…What should we wear (or not wear) to church?
…What kind of bread should we use for communion?
…Must we use wine or can we use grape juice for communion?
…How often should we take communion?
…Who may (and may not) take communion?
…Who may (and may not) be baptized? Believers? Children? Babies?
…Who may (and may not) baptize? Only leaders—or anyone?
…What are the different job descriptions of elders and deacons?
…Do the elders run the church or can church members vote on things?
…Can we add other offices beyond elder and deacon (e.g. treasurer, secretary, etc.) and who decides that—and how?
…Who chooses the leadership?
…Must leaders be ordained?
…How long should sermons be and who may preach them?
…May we use responsive readings?
…May we use written prayers or must they always be spontaneous?
…Who may pray in public—only the leaders or anyone in the church?
…Can we (should we?) have creeds or doctrinal statements?
…Must a church have by-laws?
…May we give altar calls? Must we give altar calls?
…Who may (and may not) be a member of a church—or should we even have formal membership—and who determines that?
…What kind of furniture or art or decoration may we use (or not use) in the church building? Crosses? Flowers? Pulpits? Pews or chairs? A communion table? A sound system?
…Should we even have church buildings?
…How should our church buildings be designed (e.g. may we include a social hall and a gym)?
…What holy days should we (and should we not) celebrate and how? Should there even be “holy days”?
…Must we worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) or must it be Sunday (the Lord’s Day) or can we meet anytime?
…How do we choose and support missionaries?
…Can we develop age-appropriate ministries: nursery, Sunday School, youth group?
…Can we have special children’s ministries (e.g. AWANA, VBS)?
…Are weddings and funerals the concern of the church, and if they are, how are they to be conducted?
…What may (or may not) a church building be used for and who determines that?
…How do church members give to the church—or should they?
…Is there a required level of giving?
…Who determines how offerings given to the church are to be used?
…Can people use credit cards to give? Can they give stocks or properties as gifts? Can they leave money to a church in their will?
…Can a church utilize online giving—or must we pass baskets?
These are just a few of the questions we might ask (and about which I have been asked)!
And we haven’t even touched on questions of biblical interpretation or theology (e.g. views on loss of salvation or the end times) or everyday life (e.g. daily devotions, use of alcohol, dress standards, schooling of children, dating, birth control, and political issues)!
We don’t have clear-cut commands from Scripture on most of these things. Christianity grants more breathing room and requires, not that we follow explicit commands on these matters, but that we create traditions built on biblical principles.
And over the centuries, many different traditions have been built on all these things. Under close scrutiny, though we don’t often think about it, most of the details about what we believe and practice are traditions built upon principle—and designedly so.
We—especially we conservatives—often forget the distinction between God-given law and traditions built on God-given principles/law. We identify the two as the same thing. We resist the notion that truth can update its wardrobe; that if we support such change we are somehow abandoning God’s Word.
I believe—especially for us conservatives—the first thing we need to grasp to balance the polarities of tradition and reform is the distinction between God’s Word and traditions based on the principles of God’s Word. They are indeed two different things and must be treated differently.
We are to meet regularly (Hebrews 10.25), to observe baptism (Matthew 28.19) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11.23-26), to proclaim the Word (2 Timothy 4.2), to be generous and giving, and that elders and deacons are the prescribed church officers (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1). There may be a few more but that’s about as much as I could round up.
Now consider things that AREN’T commanded, questions we may have that go UNANSWERED in Scripture:
…What should be included in a church meeting and what should be the order of service?
…What should music be like and what instruments should (or should not) be used in the church?
…What should we wear (or not wear) to church?
…What kind of bread should we use for communion?
…Must we use wine or can we use grape juice for communion?
…How often should we take communion?
…Who may (and may not) take communion?
…Who may (and may not) be baptized? Believers? Children? Babies?
…Who may (and may not) baptize? Only leaders—or anyone?
…What are the different job descriptions of elders and deacons?
…Do the elders run the church or can church members vote on things?
…Can we add other offices beyond elder and deacon (e.g. treasurer, secretary, etc.) and who decides that—and how?
…Who chooses the leadership?
…Must leaders be ordained?
…How long should sermons be and who may preach them?
…May we use responsive readings?
…May we use written prayers or must they always be spontaneous?
…Who may pray in public—only the leaders or anyone in the church?
…Can we (should we?) have creeds or doctrinal statements?
…Must a church have by-laws?
…May we give altar calls? Must we give altar calls?
…Who may (and may not) be a member of a church—or should we even have formal membership—and who determines that?
…What kind of furniture or art or decoration may we use (or not use) in the church building? Crosses? Flowers? Pulpits? Pews or chairs? A communion table? A sound system?
…Should we even have church buildings?
…How should our church buildings be designed (e.g. may we include a social hall and a gym)?
…What holy days should we (and should we not) celebrate and how? Should there even be “holy days”?
…Must we worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) or must it be Sunday (the Lord’s Day) or can we meet anytime?
…How do we choose and support missionaries?
…Can we develop age-appropriate ministries: nursery, Sunday School, youth group?
…Can we have special children’s ministries (e.g. AWANA, VBS)?
…Are weddings and funerals the concern of the church, and if they are, how are they to be conducted?
…What may (or may not) a church building be used for and who determines that?
…How do church members give to the church—or should they?
…Is there a required level of giving?
…Who determines how offerings given to the church are to be used?
…Can people use credit cards to give? Can they give stocks or properties as gifts? Can they leave money to a church in their will?
…Can a church utilize online giving—or must we pass baskets?
These are just a few of the questions we might ask (and about which I have been asked)!
And we haven’t even touched on questions of biblical interpretation or theology (e.g. views on loss of salvation or the end times) or everyday life (e.g. daily devotions, use of alcohol, dress standards, schooling of children, dating, birth control, and political issues)!
We don’t have clear-cut commands from Scripture on most of these things. Christianity grants more breathing room and requires, not that we follow explicit commands on these matters, but that we create traditions built on biblical principles.
And over the centuries, many different traditions have been built on all these things. Under close scrutiny, though we don’t often think about it, most of the details about what we believe and practice are traditions built upon principle—and designedly so.
We—especially we conservatives—often forget the distinction between God-given law and traditions built on God-given principles/law. We identify the two as the same thing. We resist the notion that truth can update its wardrobe; that if we support such change we are somehow abandoning God’s Word.
I believe—especially for us conservatives—the first thing we need to grasp to balance the polarities of tradition and reform is the distinction between God’s Word and traditions based on the principles of God’s Word. They are indeed two different things and must be treated differently.