Thematic Studies In Bible Basics Lesson 1 - Bible Study Guides

First Principles Of The Oracles Of God
Lesson 6
The Importance Of Biblical Authority
Having a solid understanding on Biblical authority is important for 2 main reasons.
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Knowing how to define, understand, and properly apply Biblical authority allows one to be
well-equipped in dealing with unbelievers, or with brethren who want to take the Lord’s
church with them down the road of apostasy.
If one does not understand Biblical authority, he is like the one described in Eph. 4:14, a child
who will be “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;…” No matter what the issue is, it is to be
decided by the “pattern” God left us, the Scripture. If we do not understand the principles of
Biblical authority as it pertains to the issue, we will not be able to defend God’s “pattern” and are
likely to be swept away oursevles in the apostasy.
Knowing how to define, understand, and properly apply Biblical authority allows the people
of God to retain their distinctiveness in a world full of sin, and to serve God in work and
worship in the way He has ordained.
Jesus Himself prayed that His disciples would not become like the world (Jn. 17:14-17). The
apostle Paul instructed saints to not conform their thinking to worldly standards, but to make up
their minds to serve God according to the gospel (Rom. 12:1-2). God has always told His
people that they were going to be different than everybody else (Ex. 19:5-6; 1 Pet. 2:9-10). In
order to please God in this way, we must understand the principles of Biblical authority. It is
hypocrisy to address Jesus as “Lord” when we don’t follow the “pattern” (Lk. 6:46).
To illustrate this, consider the following survey conducted among institutional churches of Christ:
Surveyors: Mr. Robert Oglesby, Jr. and Mr. Carley Dodd
Sponsor: Abilene Christian University
Population: 530 teens, ages 11-19 who attend churches of Christ
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� 16% think there is little difference between the church of Christ & denominations
� 90% think instrumental music is acceptable in worship
� 69% believe Christians can dress, talk, etc. like the world
� 69% believe church membership doesn’t matter as long as you love God
Do we think that just because we are of the “conservative,” non-institutional church of Christ that
we are immune from such a mindset that threatens our existence as God’s distinct people? This
is why it is imperative we know the “old paths, where the good way is” (Jer. 6:16; 2 Pet. 3:1-2).
This is why our young people need to be constantly exposed to plain Bible teaching so that
when they face issues that will threaten the Lord’s body, they’ll know the “pattern.”
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