The Bible teaches us that we need to have authority for all that we do. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3;17). Jesus spoke of some who did things in His name, yet were guilty of lawlessness (Mt. 7:21-23). One who is guilty of lawlessness is one who engages in a practice that had not been authorized by God. Some who practice lawlessness believe they are doing good, such as the ones Jesus talked about. So instead of arrogantly claiming that we have a right to do something, we must take an honest look at the Scriptures and see if the practice in question really has been authorized by God in His word. I believe it would be good to take time to see whether or not this work, the Plain Bible Teaching website, is authorized.
First, an overview of this work. I own, operate, and maintain this website (plainbibleteaching.com). This work is done solely by me. I pay for the domain name and web hosting from my own money without financial contributions from others. This site is where I post articles that I have written. From time to time, I post articles that have been written by others. Some of these have been sent to me for the purpose of being posted on the site. Some have been posted after I requested permission from the author. These men are connected to the site only to the extent that they have material posted here. They do not help run the site. So, do the Scriptures provide authority for this work as it has been described?
Jesus told His apostles, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mk. 16:15). The message is specified (the gospel) and we have no right to preach anything else. But the command to go was generic. They could go in various ways (walk, ride, sail, etc.). Similarly, they had liberty to use different mediums of communication – “by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Th. 2:15). We may use different mediums of communication today to spread the gospel message (bulletins, tracts, radio, television, the internet). Through the generic authority to preach (2 Tim. 4:2), I have the authority to use the internet to make my writings available. I am permitted to do this using my own resources, just as Paul labored in order to be able to preach the gospel without being paid for his teaching (Acts 20:34).
Does the fact that I sometimes post articles from others change the nature of the work? In short, no. Regardless of whether I post one article or one hundred articles by others, the fact that the site is owned, operated, and maintained solely by me does not change. One may choose to send me or allow me to post an article they have written, but that choice is for them to make. Two men who are working as individuals may choose to preach along side one another, or they may choose to separate and preach apart, just as Paul and Barnabas did (Acts 15:36-41). They worked together as individuals, not as a part of some collective organization which they had formed.
On this site, I have a section devoted to the topic of human organizations engaging in spiritual works. In this section I have compiled several articles written by men on both sides of this issue. I have written a few articles in which I show that there is no Bible authority for Christians to establish an organization (collectivity is a word that some like to use) separate from the local church through which to engage in the works of evangelism and edification. Some may wonder if I am being hypocritical and practicing essentially the very thing I have written against. Since there are some articles here that have not been written by me, some could say that since there is more than one person involved, then it is no different than a non-church religious collective. I do not know that anyone has said this about Plain Bible Teaching. But I do know that it has been said about similar websites, so it could just be a matter of time.
However, such a comparison would not be accurate. What I do in posting articles on my website is not the same thing as when, say, an organization sponsors their lectureship. A more accurate comparison would be with an organization sponsoring a lectureship and a local church hosting a gospel meeting. Both of these are works done by a collective body. Whether the local church or organization uses its own members as speakers or invites men from the outside, that does not change the fact that the lectureship/gospel meeting is the work of the body. And remember that God has specified the organization we are to use to do this work. That organization is the local church (1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 4:11-16). When God has specified something, everything else is excluded (Heb. 7:14).
This website is owned, operated, and maintained by me, an individual. Plain Bible Teaching has no board of directors, officers, or members who have pooled their resources. It is not a collective body and therefore not the same as an organization that hosts a Bible lectureship. Whether I write all my own articles or post articles from others, that does not change the fact that this website is the work of an individual. To liken this to the institutions of our brethren is making a false comparison.
Based on what the Scriptures teach, what am I authorized to do regarding this site? First, I can use this site to spread the gospel under the generic authority to preach the gospel (Mt. 16:15; 2 Tim. 4:2). Second, I may post materials that have been authored by others just as Paul and Barnabas chose to preach along side one another, and were able to do so without forming a collectivity. Third, I can use my own resources to fund this site as Paul worked to be able to present the gospel without charge (Acts 20:34; 1 Th. 2:9). Fourth, I have the right to accept financial contributions, should I choose to do so (Lk. 10:7). Some might be surprised that I would say that, given that I have questioned the authority for non-church religious collectives. But the issue there is not over contributions, but the fact that it is a different organization than what God specified. Regarding contributions to an individual teacher, Paul wrote, “the one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him” (Gal. 6:6).
Let us not be afraid to question what we have accepted and practiced in the past. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5). Let us strive to do all things by the authority of Christ.
