God Has Spoken: Essays on Bible Authority

By Stan Cox

The theme that runs throughout GOD HAS SPOKEN relates the importance of establishing authority from God for our actions both individually, and collectively as the Lord’s church. There are essays that explain why the Bible is authoritative, that discuss how to establish authority from scripture, and that apply those principles to our daily walk.

The essays are of varying length, but each one can be easily read and digested in just a few minutes time. They are being shared in the hope they will assist in the reader in their understanding of the sublime word of God, and its application in their lives.

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387550852

Stan Cox

Stan Cox began his career in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For twenty years Cox was the Lead Scientist at The Land Institute, where he currently serves as a research scholar in Ecosphere Studies.  Cox is the author of The Green New Deal and Beyond: Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can; Any Way You Slice It: The Past, Present, and Future of Rationing, Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer) and Sick Planet: Corporate Food and Medicine. His writing about the economic and political roots of the global ecological crisis have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Baltimore Sun, Denver Post, Kansas City Star, Arizona Republic, The New Republic, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Salon, and Dissent, and in local publications spanning forty-three U.S. states. In 2012, The Atlantic named Cox their “Readers' Choice Brave Thinker” for his critique of air conditioning.

Book preview

Foreword

Early in Jesus’ ministry He praised the faith of a centurion saying, Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Matthew 8:10) What elicited such a statement from the Lord? The man’s understanding of authority (cf. Matthew 8:8-9). It is significant that Jesus considers great faith to be that which comprehends His authority and fully trusts in its implications – But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed (Matthew 8:8).

It seems that in our time some have lost this connection between faith and authority. Some divorce them entirely, claiming God is not concerned with what we do or how we do it if our actions are from sincere faith. Others seem to straddle the fence, wanting to hold onto what they have personally deemed the most important, while compromising on what they deem to be of lesser importance, without the slightest scripture to back up the difference. Even then, there are those who fully acknowledge the importance of Christ’s authority and our submission to it but are inconsistent in their applications due to their failure to understand how authority is properly established according to the scripture. We need to study authority.

In these concise essays on Bible authority, my father, Stan Cox, shows the pervading presence of aspects of authority on virtually every page of scripture. He does so with unmistakable reverence for the eternal word of God, and a proficiency in practical explanation. In this book you will find discussions ranging from fundamental concepts of authority to applications concerning the work, worship, and organization of the church, and for everyday life as an individual Christian. The writer is succinct and to the point, providing clarity in areas that are often overcomplicated.

At the basis of any spiritual consideration, especially that of authority, is the appeal to Holy Scripture (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is with this conviction Stan set out to write this material. It would behoove every reader to have a Bible ready to consult as their primary resource in the reading of this book. The writer is not expressing his opinions, or long held traditions. Rather, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak (2 Corinthians 4:13). I know it is his sincere desire to bring people to faith in Christ and strengthen the faith which already exists in others. It is our duty to search the Scriptures to find out whether these things are so (cf. Acts 17:11) and to pursue them to the fullest extent when we find the authority of God as their source.

Jeremiah Cox

Preface

A lion has roared!

Who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken!

Who can but prophesy?

(Amos 4:8)

Amos’ words expressed both his authority to speak as a prophet of God, and his compulsion to share His words. The Bible consists of God’s words to man. In fact, the entirety of Scripture comes to us by inspiration, … no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). As the Bible is God’s book, authored by the Holy Spirit, it demands and deserves respect.

This volume, GOD HAS SPOKEN, is a compendium of short essays about Bible authority, written between the years 2009 and 2022. Other than the series that begins this volume (Rudimentary Teaching on Authority), the essays are not sequential, and have no specific similarity other than their central theme of authority.

The theme that runs throughout the book relates the importance of establishing authority from God for our actions both individually, and collectively as the Lord’s church. There are essays that explain why the Bible is authoritative, that discuss how to establish authority from scripture, and that apply those principles to our daily walk.

The essays are of varying length, but each one can be easily read and digested in just a few minutes time. I commend them to you in the hope that it will assist in your understanding of the sublime word of God, and its application in your life.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).

The Author

1: Rudimentary Teaching On Authority

In this chapter we will examine how to establish authority from scripture. We will then give some applications as examples of establishing authority.

How to Establish Authority

Commands

The first principle to consider in establishing God’s pattern is a simple one, easily understood. We can know what God requires of us, and the limits He places upon our behavior, by the explicit commands He reveals to us. As one wag said, They are the 10 commandments, not the 10 suggestions!

Put concisely, it is required that any group obeys the explicit instructions God gives particularly to it. In calling for Israel’s obedience, Jehovah said, By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy (Leviticus 10:3).

All men today are amenable to the commands of Jesus Christ. All authority has been given to Him (cf. Matthew 28:18). Jesus said, If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15). He further directed His apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit, who would inspire them, and direct them into all truth (John 16:12-14). So, what the New Testament writers command are the commands of Jesus Himself (cf. 2 Peter 1:19-21).

It is amazing how many claim that Jesus is their Lord, and yet refuse to do what He tells them to do. The concept of Lordship requires of us complete submission. If Jesus said do it, we must obey. If Jesus said don’t do it, we must refrain. When He comes again, He will come in righteousness to punish the disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

How to Establish Authority

Examples

The second principle we affirm is that approved examples give us authority to act. Whenever we find Christians in the New Testament engaging in behavior that is approved by God, we can copy that behavior. We are on safe ground, guaranteed to please Him.

This is both logical and scriptural. It is true because Christians today live under the same covenant as those of the first century (cf. Hebrews 1:1-4; 8:10-13). It is true because God does not show partiality (cf. Acts 10:34). It is true because we are called to emulate other Christians (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1).

The Holy Spirit intends for us to learn from all examples. Paul wrote of Israel’s disobedience, and said, Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them (1 Corinthians 10:6-7a). However, for us to be safe in doing or teaching anything, the examples we follow must be approved by God.

A demonstration: In Acts 20, Paul was in Troas. Verse 7 states, Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. Since the disciples met on Sunday to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we can do the same with God’s approval.

This principle is seldom denied. The problem is not the belief that we are wrong to emulate Christians in the first century, but that we are free to depart from that pattern they create by their actions and teaching. This will be discussed in a later article.

How to Establish Authority

Implication

The third principle we affirm is authority is established through Divine implication. The principle is wrongly under attack as an arbitrary invention of man rather than a God ordained principle.

By Divine implication, we mean truths to be found in God’s word that are not explicitly stated. Instead, they are implicit in the text of scripture. We use our God given ability to reason to infer the truth that is implied.

A simple example of this principle is Jesus’ debate with the Sadducees in Matthew 22. They denied the resurrection. Jesus answered, You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God (29). He then established the truth about the resurrection by appealing to Exodus 3:6. He argued the phrase, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob implied a resurrection. Though Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were physically dead at the time God spoke these words, the words I AM are used rather than I was.

The inference Jesus made? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (32). The text does not explicitly mention the resurrection. Rather, it is implied.

One caveat, the implication must really be there. Our inference must be necessary as we examine the text. It is not acceptable to say that it may be so. We are not to read possibilities into the text. That is eisegesis. Instead, we take out only what is there. That is exegesis, our goal.

We must not deny the validity of a principle used by the Lord Himself as we seek to establish authority.

How to Establish Authority

General Authority

Sometimes when Jesus gives authority through His word, what He commands allows for the exercise of some limited discretion by His disciples. The command is general in nature, allowing choices. A good example of this is the command to sing, as revealed in Ephesians 5:19, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

While the command to sing is specific in that it identifies the type of worship – singing as contrasted to playing; it is general in that choice is given regarding the type of singing. Nowhere in scripture has God identified a specific type of singing (unison, chanting, four-part harmony). So, Christians are given choice in the matter.

Of course, the choice is not unlimited. A style of singing lacking in reverence, causing confusion, or interfering with proper edification would be excluded based on other guidelines given by inspiration regarding acceptable worship.

Continuing the example, other choices we make in singing include the use of song books, projection screens, pitch pipes, an appointed leader, etc. When such choices are made, they aid in the command to sing, and in no way violate the command or parameters set by the Holy Spirit. Such choices merely expedite our fulfilling God’s requirements for us. Please note that such choices must themselves be inherently lawful. They must not violate other principles established in God’s word.

Objections may be raised to an acceptable religious practice because this principle of general authority is not fully understood.

How to Establish Authority

Specific Authority

Sometimes when Jesus gives authority through His word, what He commands is specific in nature. In these instances, no discretion is available to His disciples. It is their place simply to heed and obey His command.

As we demonstrated in our article on the general nature of authority, the principle can be plainly demonstrated in God’s command to sing. In Ephesians 5:19 Paul wrote, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. When it comes to musical worship in the Lord’s church, God specified singing.

The command to sing is in one way generic, allowing various styles and types of singing (unison, chanting, four-part harmony). However, it is specific in identifying the type of worship – singing as contrasted to playing mechanical instruments of music.

The pattern of musical worship in Christian adoration to God is limited to that specific act. New Testament scriptures command us to sing. New Testament examples of worship reveal that Christians sang. The assertion that the commands to sing, and examples of Christians singing could lawfully include the use of mechanical instruments is both illogical and without scriptural basis. It is an addition and as such iniquitous (cf. Matthew 7:21-23).

When adding to God’s specific pattern, innovators are forced to the simplistic cry, It doesn’t say we can’t! They have gone beyond the pattern and rest their hope in God’s acceptance of that willful act. This hope is vain.

Apostasy is the end of those who do not fully understand this simple principle.

How to Establish Authority

Expediency

Expedient is defined as: a means of attaining an end. When choice is granted us by God, we often use the term expedient to designate that choice.

Using Ephesians 5:19 for an example, the Holy Spirit authorizes us to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. The authorization to sing comes with choices or expediencies. We can utilize song books or project the notes and lyrics on a screen. We can get the proper pitch using a pitch pipe. We can appoint a man to start the song and maintain the proper tempo. All these things are choices that expedite, help carry out, the command to sing.

Paul wrote, All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient (1 Corinthians 6:12). Not everything that is allowed (lawful) helps in carrying out God’s commands. However, for something to expedite the carrying out of such commands it must first be lawful!

Expedients are choices allowed within a thing authorized by God. In contrast to the choices mentioned above, a mechanical instrument of music is not an expedient to singing. It is not a choice made to aid in carrying out God’s command to sing. Instead, it is an addition to God’s command, something different.

If song books or four-part harmony are used in carrying out the command, all we do is sing. However, when an instrument is used, we sing and play.

The difference is stark and easily comprehended. For a thing to be expedient it must first be lawful.

How to Establish Authority

God’s Silence

Men seldom fail to recognize the rightness or wrongness of an issue when God has revealed Himself. If God has explicitly condemned an action, they know it to be wrong. They may do it anyway, but they know it is wrong. If God has given a positive commandment, it is understood that man has permission (and is even obligated) to do what has been commanded.

But what if God is silent? Some suggest (for example) that it is acceptable to use mechanical instruments of music in worship because God didn’t say we couldn’t. They contend that where God has not spoken we are free to follow our own opinions. They believe God’s silence is permissive not restrictive.

The problem is the Bible says otherwise. First consider Proverbs 14:12, There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Man’s perceptions and opinions are not dependable. We can’t know God is pleased with our actions unless He says so!

Second, Jesus clearly states that when we go beyond His expressed will, what we do is iniquitous (cf. Matthew 7:21-23). The one who does the will of God is acceptable. As for the other, And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness’ (vs. 23).

There is a slogan that has been associated with God’s people in the last 200 years.

"Speak where the Bible speaks,

and be silent where the Bible is silent."

It is a good slogan because it expresses a scriptural principle. A proper respect for God and His will precludes our acting on our own authority. God’s silence restricts!

Applications of the Pattern

The Eldership

The Holy Spirit directs New Testament Christians to appoint qualified men as overseers in local churches. The authority is established by example (Acts 14:23), and command, (Titus 1:5).

Guidelines are given as to who can be chosen. The qualifications are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. These qualifications include the necessity of the elder being male, being married, having believing children, having the ability to teach, possessing maturity, Bible knowledge and a good reputation. While men may struggle with what these qualifications entail, they are not free to disregard them.

The Bible pattern reveals that in every instance more than one man was appointed in each congregation. (Note the plurality in the verses above). This conflicts with the Pastor system found in the churches of many denominations.

The terms used interchangeably to designate the office indicate the nature of the work. Pastors (poimen) are to shepherd the flock (Acts 20:28). Bishops (episkopos) are the overseers of the church (1 Peter 5:2). Elders (presbuteros) are mature men, responsible for the welfare of the congregation (Hebrews 13:17).

The extent of the elder’s rule is revealed to be the local congregation of which he is a member (1 Peter 5:2). Elders have no authority over any congregation other than their own and over no humanly devised organization or work.

Religious groups today have one man serving as the sole pastor over an entire congregation; or unqualified men and women serving in the office; or men exercising oversight over many congregations; or elders supervising man devised works and organizations. All of these are violations of the Biblical pattern and thus are unacceptable to God.

Applications of the Pattern

Scriptural Worship

When it comes to worshiping God, peculiar views abound. Some believe that everything we do is worship. Others believe that man is free to worship God in any way that suits himself. The Samaritan woman in John 4 thought the worship of her fathers on the mountain was acceptable to God. Jesus told her it wasn’t. You worship what you do not know... (22). Later he told her, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (24). Jesus’ words prefaced a change in worship from that offered by the Jews. No longer are we to offer up animal sacrifices, burn incense, or use mechanical instruments of music. Christian worship is simple, reverential, and wonderfully edifying.

When Christians come together on the Lord’s day, with God’s approval we do the following:

Sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

Pray (1 Corinthians 14:15)

Partake of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-34; Acts 20:7)

Give a portion of our money back to God (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)

Listen to the teaching of the word of God (Acts 20:7)

By following God’s pattern in worship we submit to His will. We acknowledge that we are not free to use our talents in whatever way we desire. We realize that we are not free to innovate and depart from the instructions He has given to us. We are not free to worship as the Jews.

Others pursue innovations that appeal to the flesh or seek to alter in some way the pattern of worship revealed in scripture. Faithful Christians content themselves with worship in spirit and truth.

Applications of the Pattern

Benevolence

The Bible emphasizes the work of benevolence. To be benevolent to another is an expression of love. Jesus taught in Luke 10 the importance of benevolence by recounting a certain Samaritan’s actions. The man encountered an unfortunate traveler who had been mugged and left for dead. He bandaged his wounds, took care of him, and made provision for further care. Jesus instructs us to Go and do likewise (25-37, esp. 37).

James wrote, Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (1:27). Though we must not reward indolence (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:10), Christians are to take advantage of the opportunities available to relieve suffering or want.

God expects benevolence to be accomplished primarily by individuals. He has limited what the church is collectively to do in the practice of benevolence. In every instance where congregational benevolence is practiced it is directed to indigent saints, (for example, those hit by famine in Judea, Acts 11:29-30.  See also "the collection for the saints," 1 Corinthians 16:1-2).

This limitation is clearly affirmed by Paul (1 Timothy 5). Though certain qualified Christian widows were to be cared for by the church, those who had believing children were to be cared for by the children, and do not let the church be burdened (3-16, esp. 16).

The work of benevolence is primarily an individual responsibility. The work of congregational benevolence is limited only to certain needy saints. A failure to recognize and respect this pattern has led to apostasy, division, and sin.

Applications of the Pattern

Church Autonomy

It is common for denominations to have a centralized authority structure and organization. The Catholic Church has a supreme authority figure in the Pope. The Mormon looks ultimately to Salt Lake City for direction. Even Southern Baptists have an annual convention, the expressed purpose of which is …eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the gospel, any law, usage, or custom to the contrary notwithstanding (sbc.net/missionvision.asp).

In this, these and others depart from the New Testament pattern. In scripture each congregation was responsible for its own benevolence, edification and evangelism. There was no hierarchical structure. Each congregation was autonomous. Outside of the authority of Christ Himself and the finished work of the apostles, the highest authority found in New Testament churches was the work of oversight. Here a plurality of qualified men (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) guided, protected, and fed the congregation of which they were a part. "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers…" (1 Peter 5:1-2a).

The word autonomy is commonly defined as self-government. As applied to local congregations this does not mean that every congregation is free to do as it wishes. Rather, autonomy ensures that no outside agent will compel any congregation to depart from Christ’s will (cf. Matthew 28:18).

Man’s compulsion to centralize authority has always led to apostasy. It is unscriptural - an example of men exalting their wisdom above God’s (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:25).

Applications of the Pattern

Marriage

Divorce is common. Though the rate in America has lessened slightly in the last few decades it is estimated that 40-50 percent of all marriages will end in a divorce.

We are not the only ones that suffer from that scourge. In Jesus’ day it was common for Jewish men to divorce their wives. The Pharisees asked Jesus about it in Matthew 19. Note his answer:

Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate (4-6).

This is God’s pattern for marriage: One man, joined to one woman, for life. Those who violate this pattern disobey God. Homosexual marriage is invalidated by Jesus. The common practice of divorcing and remarrying is as well.

This is borne out by Jesus’ statement in verse 9, And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.

You may note the single exception to the rule. One may divorce and remarry if they divorce for the cause of sexual immorality. (The Greek term indicates any type of illicit sexual intercourse). No other reason is acceptable for divorce.

Men commonly violate this pattern. Some couldn't care less about God's pattern. Others offer various rationale to explain why it doesn't apply to them. It does, to all mankind. One man, one woman, for a lifetime. Only one exception. God's pattern for marriage.

2: Important Principles of Authority

Whatever You Do

Paul admonished the Colossians, And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17).

The admonition does not mean that we are to say