GENERAL AND SPECIFIC AUTHORITY
1. For the past few Sunday mornings we have explored the subject of authority.
2. We have found that the Bible has examples that we are to follow.
3. Other parts of the Bible tell us to follow commands.
4. There are even passages where we are to infer conclusions.
5. Today we are ready to further our understanding of authority.
6. In order to advance our knowledge of authority we need to be familiar with 2 more terms.
7. There is “general” (generic) authority. There is also “specific” authority.
8. These forms of authority are something that we use in our daily lives.
9. Perhaps a family member has said to use, “go to the store and buy some food.”
10. This is a general command.
11. We have been told buy food but we have not been instructed to buy specific food items.
12. The command to buy groceries could be restated.
13. It could be put into the form of a grocery list.
14. We could be told, “Go to the store and buy the things on this list--bread, eggs, flour, milk, etc.”
15. In our world we have commands, inferences, and examples.
16. In these commands, inferences, and examples, there are general and specific instructions.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE BIBLE WE FIND THAT IT CONTAINS INSTRUCTIONS THAT ARE BOTH GENERAL AND SPECIFIC.
A. This is evident from the Old Testament.
B. One of the best passages to describe specific and general authority is Ex. 12.
C. The Hebrew people were in Egyptian bondage.
D. God said He would bring one more plague upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians (11:1).
E. God
said that He would go through
F. At
this time the first born in
G. The
death toll would be so great they would be a “great cry” throughout
2. Let’s look at the material in Ex. 12:1-6. READ.
A. These 6 verses contain several commands.
B. Some of the commands are general; others are specific.
C. Let’s first look at the specific commands.
D. A specific time period is given in verse 3.
E. God specified the “10th day of a certain month.
F. The people needed to use this day for this action and no other day.
G. This was the time that God authorized for this practice so using other days was wrong.
H. On this day the people were to take a “lamb” (verse 3).
I. This was a specific command.
J. God would not accept a calf or a pig. It had to be a lamb.
K. Other specific commands are found in verse 5.
L. The lambs had to be free from blemish.
M. They needed to be “males” that were a “year old.”
N. The lamb needed to be “kept.”
3. These were some of the specific commands about the Passover Feast.
4. Let’s now turn to the general commands.
5. The 6th verse says that lamb was to be “killed.”
A. How was the lamb to be killed?
B. God didn’t specify a method.
C. The people might have slit its throat.
D. They could have clubbed it to death.
E. Killing the lamb was a general command.
F. The time for killing the lamb, however, was not general.
G. God said it needed to be at “even” (verse 6).
H. The type of animal was also not general.
6. After the lamb was killed the animal’s blood needed to be put on the house.
A. Verse 7. READ.
B. This verse also contains specific and general commands.
C. A specific command is found in the type of blood that was to be used (the lamb’s).
D. A specific command is also found in the placement of the blood:
E. “the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses.”
F. It was to be in the houses where the people “ate.”
G. These were specific commands that had to be obeyed.
H. The commands also had a generic (general) part to them.
I. How was the blood to be put on the houses?
J. Could the people use their fingers to put the blood on the posts?
K. Were they permitted to use a brush?
L. God did not specify how the blood was to be put on the door.
7. THE OLD TESTAMENT CONTAINS MANY EXAMPLES, INFERENCES, AND COMMANDS THAT HAVE GENERAL AND SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS.
A. The same is true in the New Testament.
B. We
are commanded to seek first God’s kingdom (Mt.
C. This command is specific.
D. God has given us life’s first priority.
E. He has specified the thing we are to seek after.
F. He has told us what priority the kingdom must have in our lives.
G. Has He told us how to seek the kingdom?
H. No. The method of seeking the kingdom is general.
I. This means that, at least to some degree, this is up to us.
J. We may fulfill the general part of this command by taking intensive Bible courses.
K. We may dedicate some or all of our lives to being a missionary.
L. We may seek first God’s kingdom by being a Bible class teacher.
M. We may serve in some other capacity—elder, deacon, active worker in local congregation.
N. We may work in some other type of support or helper role.
8. In passage after passage we have general and specific authority.
A. The Bible obligates us to forgive others.
B. Forgiveness is one way to show that the Bible uses commands, inferences, and examples.
C. We have an example of forgiveness – Jesus on the cross.
D. We have an inference regarding forgiveness.
E. Jesus said, “As we forgive others so we will be given.”
F. We infer from this statement that if we do not forgive we will not be forgiven.
G. On the other hand, if we do forgive others we can access God’s forgiveness.
H. We also have a command. We are specifically told to forgive people.
I. The command to forgive is generic.
J. How are we to forgive people?
K. Are we to go to someone and say, “I forgive you?”
L. Can we forgive someone by dealing with the matter in our own hearts?
M. Could we write someone a letter to achieve forgiveness?
N. Would it be permissible to call someone using the telephone or use e-mail?
O. Since the method has not been stated we may choose how we deal with forgiveness.
9. In Jas. 4:7 the inspired writer said to resist the devil.
10. This is a command.
11. We have Bible examples of people resisting Satan.
12. Jesus once said to Peter, “Get thee behind me Satan.”
13. We may draw inferences about the devil.
14. Satan is after God’s people. If we are children of God we may infer that he is after us.
15. Jas. 4:7 specifically commands us to resist the devil.
16. This is an obligation that we are to fulfill.
17. How are we to meet this task?
A. Are we to spend more time in prayer or study?
B. Should we spend more time with fellow Christians?
C. Should we memorize God’s word?
D. God did not specifically tell us how to “flee” from Satan.
E. This part of the command is generic; we choose how to best fulfill it.
18. The principle of generic and specific authority applies to many of the things Christians do.
A. God has told His people to go teach the gospel to the unsaved.
B. There are a lot of things that Christians could teach people.
C. Some in the world need to be taught hygiene. Others could profit from learning English.
D. When it comes to teaching a message to all people God was specific.
I). He said “teach the gospel.”
E. We have a command to teach a specific message.
F. We have examples of people who taught the gospel.
G. Inference also shows that we are to teach the gospel.
H. The Bible says that people who do not know God or do not obey the gospel will be lost.
I. We infer from this that every person needs to know about the Lord so we must teach them.
J. The scope of our teaching is very clear (specific): all people (nations).
K. The command to teach is also generic.
L. How are we to teach all people? God didn’t say.
M. He has left the method up to us.
N. We may therefore use the internet, e-mail, surface mail, or go in person.
O. We can use a Bible correspondence course, a television program, or a radio show.
19. General and specific authority partly explains why we have vocal music in our worship.
A. Col. 3:16 and Eph. 5:19 tell God’s people to sing.
B. Singing is a specific type of music.
C. If God had said “make music,” that would have been a generic (general) command.
D. This would have given us the freedom to make music any way we like.
E. God specifically said “sing.”
F. We have no right to undo this specific command.
G. What if God had commanded us to “sing” but said nothing else?
H. If He had only said “sing” we could sing what we want.
I. We would be entitled to sing country, rock and roll, or contemporary music.
J. God made the command even more specific.
K. He said, sing “songs, hymns, and spiritual songs.”
L. God specified the type of music (singing) and the types of songs we are to sign.
M. This is where the command stopped.
N. God did not specify how many songs we must sing.
O. Neither did he state whether or not we must sing each stanza of a song.
P. These are items that have been left up to us.
20. We use general and specific authority each day of our lives.
21. This same type of authority is in the Bible.
22. We believe you are here because you love God and you want to do what is right.
23. We do what is right by becoming a Christian and by continuing to follow God’s word.