WHERE DOES THE BIBLE SAY I CAN’T?
By Timothy Glover
This is a common response made to defend one’s practice. According to the logic, it is implied that we can do whatever we desire as long as the Bible does not tell us we cannot do it. Have you ever stopped to think of how huge the Bible would need to be if God chose that manner of revelation? One sure advantage would be that you could hardly miss it. Of course, what is more important to realize is that authority is not established by silence. God authorizes only when he speaks. He authorizes nothing by his silence.
Let’s illustrate this by an Old Testament example found in Leviticus 10:1-2. Here, Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, had offered “strange” fire or unauthorized fire when they took their censors. Verse two says about their action that God had not commanded them to do this. God never said anything about the particular fire they used. He never stated anything for or against it. If they were like many today, they would have argued with God, “Well, you did not tell us we could not use it” or “when did you ever tell us that we must not use this fire.” Of course, they did not have much time to argue as God consumed them with fire from heaven. We are fortunate that God does not deal with humans in this same manner today. Then again, if he did, it would not take us long to understand that God authorizes when he speaks and authorizes nothing by his silence.
Rather than here people argue, “Well, no where in the Bible does God tell us we can’t,” it would be pleasant to hear it said, “Where does God say we can?” The issue is over what they Bible says rather than what it doesn’t say.
Something very revealing to me is that religious division surrounds issues about which the Bible is silent. The Bible teaches that baptism is an immersion (Col 2:12, Romans 6:1-4). Philip and the Eunuch went down into the water (Acts 8) and John was baptizing at a place in the Jordan because there was much water there. The truth is that no one argues that baptism is not a burial. The Bible calls it a burial. Yet, many sprinkle or pour and call it baptism. Thus, we are divided over what is not said. Will we seek to do only that for which he have authority, or will we do whatever we desire as long as God does not specifically forbid it?
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