Who Made A Law?
One of the slickest tricks our liberal brethren have pulled on us in the fight on institutionalism is their charge that we have made a law where God made none. They talk just like they are serious about the matter, and many of them may be. And some of their followers are so dense that they have swallowed that charge. Thus we are guilty of a sin against God in this matter, according to them.
In the first place, we have made no law. We believe exactly what the Bible says on every question before us. We believe Christians have duties and obligations, and we believe they must do these duties and meet these responsibilities. We also believe and teach that when either an individual Christian or a church is given a task to perform and there are no instruction as to HOW to do it, the individual or the church may use any METHOD it chooses, so long as the method is scriptural (lawful) and expedient. We have never sought to bind any method on any Christian or church. Nor have we ever sought to use any method they may choose. We have said no church has a right to engage in any work not assigned it by the head of the church. And we have said no church may turn the oversight of any of its assigned work over to any other organization.
But there has been some binding where God has not bound. There has been some loosing where God has not loosed. And there has been some making of laws which God has not made and some breaking of laws which God did make. But, who is guilty of these things?
Every congregation that has had, or is now having, anything to do with any kind of sponsoring church arrangement is making a law where God made none and is breaking one of God's positive laws. They are binding where God has not bound and they are loosing where God has not loosed.
Every congregation that is now making, or has ever made, contributions to human societies, either in the field of benevolence, evangelism, or edification, is making a law where God made none and is breaking one of God's positive laws. They are binding where God has not bound and they are loosing where God has not loosed.
Churches engage in sponsoring church work and in contributing to human societies for any purpose whatsoever are guilty of going beyond the doctrine of Christ and thus they have not God. 2 John 9.
Any church that ever assumed a work and appealed for funds to carry out the task, then and there made a law where God made none and bound where God did not bind and loosed where God had not loosed. They went on and did not abide in the doctrine of Christ and were thus guilty of engaging in an evil deed. 2 John 11.
These brethren can scream their heads off about how we are making laws where God made none, but the fact remains that they are the guilty ones. I repeat, we bind nothing, we only recognize what GOD has bound. And we loose nothing, we only recognize what GOD has loosed. We make no laws, we only recognize the laws our God has made.
It is neither lawful nor expedient for churches to contribute to human societies. Therefore it is sinful for them to do so. It is neither lawful nor expedient for churches to engage in any sort of sponsoring church arrangements. Therefore it is a sin for them to do so.
Yes, some laws have been made alright. But we didn't make them - the liberals did! Yes, some loosing has been done alright. But we didn't do it -the liberals did.
Our brethren are engaged in many "wonderful works." But, with all of the human machinery they have put together, their works are works of iniquity! I hope and pray they will come back to the word of God.
-Box 5950 Longview, Texas 75601