In our study of hermeneutics, we have spent a lot of time discussing the need for authority and how to establish it. However, in a study like this, we must make a distinction between what is required and what is permitted. Understanding the message God has revealed in His word is not just about what we must do; it also includes what we may do. What is the difference? And what does it mean for churches and individual Christians? We will consider this in the final part of our study.
Bound: What We Must Do
When Jesus promised to build His church, He spoke to His apostles about their role of binding and loosing:
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).
The apostles’ power to bind and loose was not given to them independently of any higher standard. They were not permitted to make any rules they wanted to. Instead, they would bind and loose whatever had already been bound and loosed “in heaven.” If their teaching were to have any authority, it would originate there.
When Jesus gave His apostles the Great Commission, He told them to teach the disciples to “observe all that I commanded” (Matthew 28:20), and they did this. In his second epistle, Peter explained that “the commandment of the Lord and Savior [was] spoken by your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2). They were teaching God’s people what they were required to do. Notice a few examples:
- The church MUST teach a certain doctrine – This was the gospel that was to be preached in all the world (Mark 16:15). They were not to fail in teaching this, and were not permitted to teach anything else [we discussed this in our lesson on generic and specific authority].
- The church MUST worship a certain way – This includes singing, praying, preaching, observing the Lord’s Supper, and giving (1 Corinthians 14:15, 26; 11:23-26; 16:1-2) [we discussed this in our previous lesson on the New Testament pattern].
- The church MUST be engaged in certain works – These are outlined in the New Testament and include evangelism (1 Timothy 3:15), edification (Ephesians 4:16), and benevolence (1 Corinthians 16:1).*
These have been “bound in heaven,” so the apostles were to bind them upon the church, and we are to follow these instructions today.
Loosed: What We Are Permitted to Do
When the apostles delivered the Lord’s message, it would not just be about what was required, but also what was permitted:
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
This does not include those things which have been bound [previous point]. Those are not optional. When Jesus spoke of things that were “loosed,” He was not referring to things that could be bound. In other words, we cannot make them into a requirement since God never did so.
There are two ways we can look at what we are permitted to do. One is by considering generic authority, and the other is to look at individual liberty.
- Generic authority – This involves options that are available to us to carry out God’s commands [we discussed in the third lesson]. For example, in carrying out the work of evangelism, we may use tracts, the radio, the internet, gospel meetings, door-knocking, and so on. All of these are ways we can carry out our responsibility to evangelize.
- Individual liberty – These are things that I am permitted to do but are not required by God. Brethren may have different opinions on a matter, but God has not required it. Paul discussed this in his letter to the Romans. Some would eat meat, and others would eat only vegetables. Some would observe certain days, and others would observe every day alike. But these were different “opinions,” not divine requirements, because “God accepted” both, regardless of the position they took (Romans 14:1-6). In matters of individual liberty, we must respect the consciences of others (1 Corinthians 8:4-9).**
Causes of Confusion
There are a few ways in which we might misunderstand and, therefore, misapply the teachings of the New Testament.
First, we may loose where God has bound. We do this when we permit something different from what God instructed. This goes against the principle of specific authority. As we discussed earlier in this series, Jesus could not be a priest under the Law of Moses because the law specified that priests were to come from the tribe of Levi (Hebrews 7:11-14). An example of this is the use of instruments of music in our worship. Many churches permit this, but God has not permitted His church to do so. Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16-17). When it comes to the music we use in our worship, we are authorized to sing – that has been bound upon us. We cannot loose God’s instructions and say that we can also do other things (such as use instruments). [This was discussed in more detail in the article about the silence of the Scriptures.]
Second, we may bind where God has loosed. This is when we make additional rules that God never made. We have no right to elevate our words to the same level as God’s. The Pharisees did this, and Jesus condemned them for it: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). Some brethren do this when they require churches to use a single loaf and cup for the Lord’s Supper. However, observing the Lord’s Supper necessarily requires some means of distributing the emblems, even to a group of three thousand as we saw when the church was established (Acts 2:41-42). While a congregation is permitted to use a single loaf and cup to distribute the emblems of the Lord’s Supper, we cannot make this a requirement.***
Third, we might ignore the role of the conscience. God designed our conscience to help protect us from sin. The Hebrew writer described how we can have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). However, this will not work if our conscience has been damaged. Paul spoke of those who had been “seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). If we continue to do what is wrong, even when we know it is wrong, our conscience will eventually become seared, and we will no longer feel guilt for sin. The same thing happens when we do things we believe to be wrong, even if they do not violate God’s law. Paul explained, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Willfully doing what we believe is wrong, even if it may be a matter about which God is indifferent, still sears our conscience, making it easier for us to continue moving further away from the Lord.
However, this is not just something we need to consider for ourselves, but also how this affects our brethren. As we noted earlier, we are to respect the consciences of others, because if we encourage them to do something they believe is wrong, it could ruin them. When Paul wrote about eating meat sacrificed to idols, he affirmed that the idols are nothing; therefore, if we understand this, we can eat meat previously used in sacrifices to idols without sinning (1 Corinthians 8:4-6). However, he explained that “not all men have this knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:7), so they cannot separate the eating of meat from the worship of the idol. But if they are emboldened by our example to eat this meat, they could eat meat they connect with idol worship and be “ruined” (1 Corinthians 8:9-11). Therefore, Paul wrote, “Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:13). Though it may have been a matter of liberty (permitted), they were to refrain from engaging in the practice if it would lead any of their brethren to do something they were not convinced was right.
Fourth, we may fail to distinguish between the individual and the church. Matters of conscience pertain to the individual, not to the church. Individuals have a diversity of opinions (Romans 14:2-3, 5). Churches, on the other hand, are to have uniformity in doctrine and practice. Paul told the brethren in Corinth that he taught the same thing “everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17). Even though the individuals who made up that congregation may have had a variety of opinions on different matters, as a church they were to “all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Individuals have more liberty on matters of opinion than churches do. Churches must avoid any practice that forces some of its members to choose between violating their conscience or leaving the congregation because the church is involved in some work that they cannot conscientiously participate in.
Conclusion
Properly interpreting the Bible means differentiating between what God requires and what He allows. That which has been bound, we must do; it is not optional. That which has been loosed, we may do, but cannot make it a requirement for others. Ultimately, the Lord has all authority, so all that we do must be in harmony with His will. As always, we determine His will by going to the Scriptures and properly interpreting them.
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* For more on the work of the church, see the article, Answering Basic Questions (Part 11): What Is the Work of the Church?
** For more about matters of conscience and opinion, see the article, Understanding Romans 14.
*** For more on the question about requiring a single loaf and cup to be used in the Lord’s Supper, see the article, One Loaf and One Cup.
