Determining God’s Will - 5
Specifics and Generics: Their Relationship
Royce P. Bell
Please see the previous articles for background material. If you do not have copies of
the articles, please ask someone where they can be found.
Last week, we began the discussion about the relationship between specific authority
and generic authority. For the purposes of our study, the following definitions apply:
Specific authority - that which is done by some specific statement of the Divine will,
either by direct command, approved example [an example of God’s people doing
something with apostolic approval], or necessary inference.
Generic authority – as stated last week, "if God has told us what to do (by
commands or statements, approved examples or necessary inferences), then we have a
limitless number of options, generic options, on how to do it. In these, only common
sense, good judgment and principles that make for peace regulate us."
However, it seemed like we got "off" of generics and back "onto"
specifics, in last week’s article. Well, that was intentioned in order to lay the
groundwork of illustrating how generics are related to specifics. As written last week,
consider what God has specified concerning music in worship, as seen in Colossians 3:16:
- The word of Christ is the source from which these things are done.
It is not because we
are talented, or because we like a particular form of musical expression, nor even that
others feel the need to be entertained. This shows a specific of motivation.
- In doing what this scripture tells us to do, we teach and admonish one another with
heavenly wisdom (from the word of Christ within).
Again, it is not just teaching something
for teaching-sake, else we might teach basket weaving or mathematics. Rather, we are to
teach what the wisdom of the word of God dwelling within us teaches; we must be
"preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ"
(see Acts 20:31). This shows a specific of subject.
- We teach this specific, spiritual subject matter with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Nothing is said about Glenn Miller’s great swing tune, "In the Mood," or
the Beatles #1 hit, "Yesterday." The word of God dwelling within us bursts forth
in songs of a spiritual nature, as "a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit
of lips that give thanks to His name " (Hebrews 13:15) Surely we can see that
"You Ain’t Nothing But A Hound Dog" does not fit this specific of subject,
which just gives further weight to the specific of subject in #2, above.
- When the word of Christ richly dwells within us, motivating our spiritual songs by which
we are mutually instructed and admonished, we burst forth in singing (the "fruit of
lips that give thanks" in Hebrews 13:15).
We are told nothing about a praise band,
with drums, guitars and harmonicas; rather, we are given specific information on what we
are to do that pleases God. We are to sing. This shows a specific of action.
Where Are The Generics?
Believe it or not, the generics are within the specifics. In other words, what God has
specified requires generic options in their performance. We cannot do something
specifically that is not done with generics. Every statement of specific authority
involves optional ways in which it is applied. In fact, there is no such thing a generic
authority when God has not specifically spoken.
Let’s see how this works out with the above-cited specifics, following the
numbering scheme as given for simplicity:
- Specific – The Word of Christ is the source from which all worship flows.
- Generic – We may "obtain" the word of Christ in several different ways,
by preaching, personal reading, or private instruction (and, perhaps other ways). God has
not specified how we are to get it; He has simply specified that our worship is motivated
by Christ’s word acting in our hearts. In order to act generically, we must first
know what is specified.
- Related conclusion – We are not authorized to act just because somebody is
talented or because we are "moved" to do so. If the instruction has not come
from the word of God, our action – however authorized it may seem to be – is
without Divine authority.
- Specific - We are to teach, in song, what the wisdom of the word of God dwelling within
us teaches us. This just simply means that the word of God, specifically, is what we
teach.
- Generic – We may teach each subject in the word of God in an individual order or
we may put them together into an orderly arrangement that teaches a more comprehensive
conclusion. For example: The word of God teaches that we are to sing about Jesus. We may
sing about His birth, or His early life, or His personal ministry, or His death, or His
resurrection. Or we may sing about several of them at the same time.
- Related conclusion – We are not authorized to sing about basket-weaving or
mathematics, for the word of Christ has defined the subjects we are to sing about.
- Specific - We teach, in song, the specific, spiritual subject matter with psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs.
- Generic – We may sing fast songs, or slow songs, or loud songs, or soft songs, or
songs in unison, or songs in harmony. As long as we are doing what God told us to do,
singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, we are acting with authority. Furthermore,
because there may be many different authorized songs (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs)
that some have not memorized, we may use some collection of those songs (or songbook) to
facilitate our singing together.
- Related conclusion – We are not authorized to sing secular or patriotic songs
(unless they may take on some patriotic meaning that is grounded in their spiritual
content).
- Specific - The word of Christ within us causes us to burst forth in singing (the
"fruit of lips that give thanks" in Hebrews 13:15) and making melody in our
hearts.
- Generic – The word of God tells us that the melody of the heart bursts forth in
the singing of our lips (or actually, out of or through our lips. In this sense,
"lips" is a figure of speech, standing for our hearts, voice box, mouth, tongue,
lips and any other part of our bodies that is integral to making the sounds of praise that
proceed from within). Some of us may sing soprano, or others may sing alto. Still others
may sing the tenor or bass parts. These are not matters God has specified. Furthermore, we
may utilize aids in our singing that do not change the nature of what we are doing. For
example: If we are to sing in the correct key signature (eg. Eb, C, or Bb), we may use
some tools to get us on key (such as a pitch pipe), so long as it does not make us do
something other than or in addition to singing.
- Related conclusion – We are not authorized to do something in addition to what God
has instructed us to do. He has told us to sing, a specific form of making music. He has
not told us to accompany our singing with another specific form of making music. Remember,
the melody we sing is a melody within the heart, not one that is pounded out on a keyboard
or strings (or drumheads and cymbals, for that matter).
One Important Point
Too often, there is agreement that we are to act with Divine authority (according to
command, example or necessary inference), but no understanding of how generic options are
seen and expressed. Remember the following, from last week’s article:
"The other sense in which God is silent relates to those matters about which God
has spoken specifically (seen in what is commanded or stated, exemplified, or necessarily
inferred), but has not regulated how we are to do those things. This is a very important
part of determining God’s will."
We must be careful to NOT regulate what God has not regulated. Just because something
is not familiar does not mean it is not authorized. And, here’s the key principle to
remember: Our obligation is to do, exactly and everything that God has commanded,
exemplified, or necessarily implied. We do not act with Divine authority when we pick and
choose what we want to do out of what God has specified.
Next week, we will see how violations of this key principle have left some churches on
the borderline of apostasy. More later…