James Street Church of Christ

Various slogans have been employed by people in the past representing the idea of relying upon the truth of the Bible, not only generally, but in the very words we use when discussing religious matters.

 For example, "Speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent," refers to the philosophical position that we require of men only what the Bible requires, and leave as a matter of option those things the Bible leaves optional. This position is certainly upheld by the Bible itself. When Jesus projected into the then-near future of how it would be Peter who would reveal the terms of entrance into His Kingdom, the Lord said,

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

What Jesus was referring to was the miraculous inspiration bestowed upon the apostles to flawlessly deliver the words revealed to them, accurately representing what had been declared from the Throne of Heaven. The literal rendering of the Greek words used in this verse is, "...and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall [already] be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall [already] be loosed in heaven."

It is through the pens of the apostles and prophets of the First Century that the knowledge they miraculously received has come to us today.  Looking retrospectively at how people did not know the Divine aim, or scheme for the redemption of mankind, and referring to it as a "mystery", Paul wrote:

"How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)" (Ephesians 3:3, 4)

The knowledge given to Paul is made known to us when we read his writings. As "ambassadors" (2Corinthinas 5:20) for Christ, the King, the apostles made known to us how true worshipers may worship God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). This worship is revealed by them as containing five particular worshipful acts: 

1.) Praying (cf. 1Timothy 2:1-3)

2.) Singing (cf. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

3.) Partaking of the Lord's Supper (cf. 1Corinthians 11:23 - 26; Acts 20:7))

4.) Contributing financially toward the work of the church (cf. 1Corinthians 16:1, 2)

5.) Preaching God's Word (cf. Acts 20:7;  2Timothy 4:1, 2)

They made known to us how to receive the "forgiveness of sins" (cf. Acts 2:38 ), the "newness of life' (cf. Romans 6:4), the "answer of a good conscience before God" (2Peter 3:21), and entrance into the body of Christ (cf. Acts 2:47; Galatians 3:27; 1Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:22, 23), which is the church (Colossians 1:18 ), of which there is but one (Ephesians 4:4).

They have revealed to us the structure of each individual congregation, having qualified elders (1Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) properly appointed in a plural number (cf. Acts 14:23), and having the "rule"among the congregation where they attend (cf. 1Peter :1-4; Hebrews 13:7 & 17). The deacons, preachers, and teachers among them all have their particular work as appointed by, and subordinated to, the leadership of the elders - of which work, we shall not now endeavor to detail here. 

They made known to us the superiority of the spiritual over the physical (cf. Galatians 6:8; 1Timothy 4:8 ), the end of the authority in the Law of Moses (cf. Hebrews [the entire book]; Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 3:14); and yet, the value of learning from the Old Testament (cf. Romans 15:4; 1Corinthians 10:6-11).

It is an unfortunate circumstance that, as time passes, a language still in use by a society tends to grow, develop, and change with each successive generation. The English language has been greatly influenced by biblical terms and phrases, but over time people have removed so much from its context, that they have cause the words and phrases to mean something entirely different than what the Bible originally said. This is why slogans pleading for a standard upon which believers may have unity have been used, such as, "Call Bible things by Bible names, and do Bible things in Bible ways."

This is another philosophical position that is upheld by the Bible. God, who is not subject to the limitations of time, foresaw Man's tendency to lose track of the meaning of words in a living language, and by means of unrevealed providence, He engraved the words of scripture into a language that is no longer in use (i.e. a dead language), and preserved it through the ages (cf. Matthew 24:35).

The "common" Greek used in the First Century, when the original manuscripts were penned, is highly specific in its meaning, and highly accurate in its expression. This is why, when determining the truth of the matter, we refer back to the original language to get the most accurate sense. For reasons of brevity, we will not here take the space to explain in detail, but we believe the King James Version/ translation of the Bible is the most reliable English version available. Comparison study, and a thorough examination, however, cannot be replaced by one translation; a translation is the work of human beings, and is therefore subject to mistakes and inaccuracies.

Endeavoring to preserve the truth of God's word in the minds of honest individuals, we insist that we put away colloquial expressions, and accommodative words or phrases that might be in popular use in favor of God's intended meaning for those words as He used them in the scriptures. This is obedience to the command given through Peter:

"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (1Peter 4:11)

In conclusion, let it be said that this short article cannot begin to represent all of our stances on every subject. We are happy to respond to specific questions, but this was intended to show something different. When we take a stand, reproving a doctrine, rebuking a person, it is not a conflict of individual personalities. We are not saying it of our own authority. It's the Bible, not me.

-Scott Klaft