Is the silence of God permissive or prohibitive? Are we authorized to act if the word of God says nothing about a given practice, or does God's silence prohibit us from acting? Which approach is correct?
Some argue that we can do anything that God has not specifically forbidden. Others contend that we may practice only that which He specifically authorizes. These two positions are poles apart! The former view opens the door to all manner of human innovations, like infant baptism, instrumental music, synods and councils, societies and institutions, rummage sales and ice cream socials, the sponsoring church arrangement, etc. The latter approach would limit man's conduct to a "Thus saith the Lord."
The watchword of the restoration movement has long been, "We speak where the Bible speaks and we are silent where the Bible is silent." This slogan, which is based on a healthy respect for Bible authority, is an adaptation of Peter's injunction, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God" (1 Peter 4:11).
It doesn't take someone with the wisdom of Solomon to understand what the Scriptures teach on this subject. The Old Testament warned, "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you" (Deuteronomy 4:2). John echoed this same sentiment in the New Testament when he wrote, "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son" (2 John 9).
The prohibitive nature of divine silence is clearly seen in Hebrews 7:14, where the writer shows that Jesus Christ is the mediator of a new covenant. The text says, "For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood."
The Old Testament revealed that the Messiah would serve as a Prophet, Priest and King. God would rise up a prophet like unto Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) and a king like unto David (Jeremiah 23:5-6). The fulfillment of these prophecies was rather straightforward. The Lord, God's great prophet, spoke by divine inspiration as did Moses (Acts 3:22-23). Jesus Christ, the King of kings, descended from the tribe of Judah, as did David (Romans 1:3; Revelation 5:5). However, the Messianic Servant is also pictured as a priest. The fulfillment of this prophecy was more problematic.
The Mosaic covenant specified that priestly service would be performed by the tribe of Levi (Numbers 8:14-18). King Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin, forfeited his right to the throne of Israel when he took it on himself to offer sacrifice to God (1 Samuel 13:5-14). Uzziah, a king of Judah, was cast out of the temple and stricken with leprosy when he presumed to burn incense unto the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). How then could the Messiah be a priest if He arose from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning the priesthood? Jesus could not be a priest according to the Law of Moses, for the silence of God prohibited it! The writer of Hebrews argues this point to prove that if the priesthood is changed, there must of necessity be a change in the law (Hebrews 7:11-17). In other words, the Old covenant has been replaced by a new and better covenant.
The Bible demands that we have positive divine authorization for all that we practice in religion (Colossians 3:17). Bible authority is expressed in three ways: (1) direct statements or commands; (2) approved apostolic examples; and (3) by necessary implication. God's will can be expressed in either general or specific terms. General authority includes all that is necessary to the carrying out of a command. Specific authority excludes everything except that which is precisely authorized. When God has left something general, we dare not demand a specific. When He has specified exactly what He wants done, we dare not generalize. We must learn not to go beyond the things which are written (1 Corinthians 4:6, ASV & NIV). We must stop where the Scriptures stop!
When individuals and congregations engage in practices not authorized by the New Testament, they act without divine authority and are judged as sinners (1 John 3:4). Churches that reject God's law in favor of human traditions risk forfeiting their rights to be lights of the world (Revelation 2:5). Individuals that substitute the will of self for the will of God are in danger of eternal condemnation (Matthew 7:21-23). It is therefore imperative that we respect the silence of Scriptures.
- Christianity Magazine, Sept-Oct 1993