When God Shuts The Door
For years brethren have respected God and His word. Their appeal was that there could be no religious unity until men were content to accept God's authority. This simply meant that we must take the word of God at face value.
"Where the Bible speaks, we speak: and where the Bible is silent, we are silent" was the slogan of the Restoration movement. This was to say nothing more than Peter said in I Peter 4:11: "... speaking as it were oracles of God. Brethren reasoned with denominationalists that we must not only respect what God has said, but what He has not said!
This simple principle would solve all problems relating to the common objection of many when challenged for their Bible authority for such practices as instrumental music, missionary society, infant baptism, church bazaars, etc. They usually said, "God did not say not to" do these things. Brethren were hasty to point out, however, that the silence of the scriptures must be respected. When God tells us what to do religiously, He shuts the door on anything else!
History truly repeats itself. Today the same problems remain, not only with denominationalism, but with brethren. Many fail to see the same principles being repeated over and over again. Brethren have introduced human organizations and arrangements into the work of the church for which there is no authority in God's word.
When challenged for authority, they repeat as did the denominationalists of old, "But God has not said not to!" These brethren need to learn the same lesson which many of them have themselves taught to the sectarians: When God tells us what to do, that eliminates anything else -- God shuts the door! Until these brethren find their human organizations, arrangements, and wisdom in the Bible, they flagrantly flaunt divine authority.
Brethren, when God shuts the door -- don't try to crawl in through the window!
-4807 S.Sawtelle Blvd. Culver City, California