"Where The Bible Is Silent, We Are Silent"
One of the great slogans of the restoration movement of the 19th century was, "Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where the Bible is silent, we are silent." It was, and still is a great slogan, for it sets forth the idea of respecting the word of God for what it says as well as respecting the silence of the scriptures. This slogan has a scriptural basis. Paul said, "that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written." (1 Cor. 4:6) Peter said, "if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God." (1 Peter 4:11) And, John said, "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9)
More than once recently, I have been asked by our preachers, "Would you preach on 'Institutionalism' and 'Centralized Control'?" After an answer in the affirmative, they replied, "I would not, for the Bible does not mention either, so I just preach the gospel of Christ, and leave these other topics alone." On the surface, that sounds fine, but let us, on second thought, analyze this attitude.
Would you preach against the Missionary Society and against instrumental music in the worship? If you answer "Yes," then I ask, "Why? Where do the scriptures mention either?" Would you preach against gambling? If so, what scripture which mentions it would you use? Would you preach against mixed bathing? If so, where does the scripture condemn it by name?
Twice, in the past two years, I have been asked by deacons (not of the congregation where I preached) "What is wrong with a Missionary Society anyway?" Brethren, where did such an attitude develop in the church of Christ? Did it not develop as a result of some not respecting the silence of the scriptures in the matters of some organizations which are no part of the church which are among us? Does it not all come of an attitude which is slowly, but surely, creeping into the church today? If so, what will be the final outcome of that attitude?
And, if we are to use the slogan, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak, and where the scriptures are silent, we are silent," then let us be silent in matters of starting something in the church of the Lord of which the scriptures say nothing. The scripture condemns by its silence just as much as by its commands.