How to Establish Religious Authority #11

A. Last week, in this series, we learned that in the Bible there are two kinds of commands that fall
under the Law of God. There are Moral commands that are Religious in nature. #1, They
govern your conduct toward your fellow man---laws that regulate activity between human
beings. #2, There are Religious laws that have to do with your relationship with God. Moral
laws are horizontal---outward toward each other. Religious laws are vertical. They govern
your responsibility and activity to God.
1. Moral laws regulate your social behavior. “Do not murder, Honor your father and mother, do not commit adultery, do not lie,” are given to teach you to honor and respect those who are created in God’s own image and likeness. Do not steal teaches you that what God has given another is not your’s and you have no right to it. Do not covet teaches that you do not harbor in your heart the desire to violate these laws. You are to be honorable, respectful and value those whom God has put on this earth. All of this has one purpose. It builds in you character, honor. Dignity of who you are.
a. We talked about those laws that regulate your worship of God. God gave Israel specific laws
and commandments that regulated and directed their religious practices. They were told
What to Sacrifice, When to Sacrifice, How to Sacrifice and Where that Sacrifice was to be
made. These laws did not relate to conduct between humans. They related to their
worship and personal relationship to God. It was an act to test their faith and to teach them
and condition them how to Honor, Respect and be Obedient to God. You do that by
worshiping God the way He tells you to. What ever God asks, you do, and that is the only
way you can worship Him acceptably. You show contempt and disrespect for God by not
following the laws He has given to regulate your conduct toward each other and toward Him.
(A) In reference to obeying God’s laws, We learned that some of God’s laws are negative
and some are positive. Both are absolutes when it comes to obeying them. They are
what we call imperatives. They make this statement: “You do this or you do not do
this.” Imperatives are absolute. An imperative is either positive or negative. An
imperative is not a suggestion, or an option. It is an absolute command and you only
have two choices. You obey or you don’t obey. You comply or you stand in rebellion.
There are, also, generic laws and specific laws given by God. Generic laws allow
you freedom in how you respond to what God says. Specific laws leave you no such
freedom. You must follow the directive exactly as God has stated or else you stand in
rebellion to God. See your outline from last week for the scripture references and
examples.
(1) We have both Old and New Testament examples of specific and generic commands from God. Old Testament example is Noah commanded by God to build the ark. The story begins in Gen. 6:5?9. Man’s disrespect for and rejection of God had multiplied from the garden to this moment in time. All but 8 people had followed the way of Cain. Vs. 8-9, says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Only one family out of millions still carried the love of God in their hearts. And God will use them to save the seed line that will being salvation.
(1) God speaks to Noah and reveals His plan to save and renew the evil, corrupt human race. Vs. 14-22. God said, “Make an ark.” That would have been a generic imperative command. Noah could have build an ark any way he wanted.
(2) But, God did not give a generic imperative command. He gave a specific imperative command. God said, “Build the Ark out of gopher wood and here are the specific dimensions you must use in building the ark.” God gave an imperative blueprint for building the ark.
(2) Someone says, “But God did not say, “Don’t use pine or cedar wood.” That’s true. But, He did not have to say what not to use. Why did He not have to say what NOT to use? Because He had already said what to use. And that eliminated all wood except gopher wood.

(1) In Biblical interpretation there is a rule called the “Law of Exclusion.” When an imperative is stated, the subject of the imperative cannot be changed. When God told Noah to use Gopher wood that eliminated all wood except Gopher wood. When God stated what the dimensions of the ark would be, that meant that Noah had to build that ark to those precise dimensions. And anything less or more would be different from what God had commanded. And that would be a violation of God’s stated imperative command.
(2) Had Noah deviated from God’s stated command, that Ark would not have gotten off the ground. Noah would have perished in the flood with the rest of the rebellious, evil, disobedient world. When God gives a specific, imperative command it eliminates everything else. We need to understand that and accept it.
(2) In the New Testament, when people asked what to do to have their sins forgiven God stated in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be immersed (To be baptized means to be immersed in water) for the remission of your sins. And you will receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.” That was a specific, imperative command given by God. It states that to have your sins forgiven and receive God’s Holy Spirit so you can have fellowship with God In Jesus, You must be baptized, immersed in water to have your sins forgiven before you can be a Christian and be in Christ. That’s an imperative command. It is absolutely necessary and you cannot change it.
(1) In Gen. 6:5-22, God gave Noah specific, imperative commands about how to be saved from the flood that killed all evil people and saved only the eight righteous souls. In Acts 2:38, God gave the world one last chance to be saved and told the world how to have their sins forgiven and have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Both imperative commands are absolutely necessary and you cannot change that.
(1) The apostle Peter, inseparably, ties these two events together in
1 Pet. 3:20?22, “...Once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight
souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype (a like
figure.) which now saves us ?? baptism (not the removal of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at
the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been
made subject to Him.”
(2) Mark 16:15?16, Jesus gave an imperative command that was to be taught and practiced by all Christians, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.“ Acts 22:16, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” That is a direct, imperative command.
(2) But many denominations refuse to believe that and practice that. Let me read from the same book of practice and doctrine we read from a few weeks ago, “Hiscox Standard Baptist Manual” pg. 83-84, “Regeneration (the forgiveness of sins) is by the Holy Spirit alone, and preceeds (occurs before) Baptism. Baptism, therefore, is an act of obedience....but it possesses no power in itself to remit sin, change the heart, or to sanctify the spirit.” That says, “Baptism is not necessary for forgiveness of sin. Your sins are forgiven before you are baptized.”
(1) That brings up one very important question. Whom will you believe? Whom will you obey? God or man? God’s Word or denominational doctrines?
(2) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 04/20/03 am