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 An online correspondence course In the previous lesson we began a study of the nature of sin. We listed four kinds of sin -- sins of immorality, sins of omission, sins of brotherly offense, and sins of disobedience to God. We now examine the last of these. Actually, all sin is disobedience to God. If one is immoral, he has disobeyed God; if he fails to do good, he has transgressed the will of the father. However, by sins of disobedience to God we refer to those things which may be morally acceptable but are wrong religiously. Not all divine commands concern moral principles. SOME OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES. The Old Testament abounds in examples of people who disobeyed God in matters not involving morality and who were severely punished for so doing. Paul says of Old Testament incidents, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." (1 Cor. 10:11.) Therefore, we ought to examine these cases carefully. When Jehovah destroyed the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the only family delivered was that of Lot, nephew of Abraham. God instructed Lot, "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." (Gen. 19:17.) As they left these towns upon which God rained fire and brimstone, Lot's wife apparently could not restrain her curiosity and she looked back. Immediately she became a pillar of salt. There was nothing immoral in her action, but she paid with her life because she disobeyed God. In 1 Kings 13 we are told of a young prophet sent by God to King Jeroboam of Israel to warn against his idolatry. He was instructed, "Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest." (1 Kings 13:9.) The king attempted to persuade the young man to go home with him, but he refused. Later, however, the prophet was deceived by an older prophet whose invitation to dinner he accepted. After leaving his host, the young prophet was slain by a lion because he had disobeyed God. He had done nothing morally wrong in eating with the old man, but for his transgression he surrendered his life. Still another example is that of Uzzah. When the tabernacle was built, the Levites (who cared for it) were forbidden to touch the ark of the covenant which resided in the Most Holy Place. Later, the ark was taken by the enemies of Israel, the Philistines, who kept it until they realized that it brought them only bad fortune. It was then returned to Israel where it was kept for a time in the house of Abinadab. King David then determined to move the ark once more, and it was placed upon a new cart drawn by oxen. As it went down the road it began to tip and Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, put forth his hand to steady it. Immediately, God struck him dead. (2 Sam. 6:6, 7.) Had Uzzah done anything morally wrong? He had not. Indeed we may reason that his intentions were the best as he did not wish the ark to fall from the cart. Morally it was not wrong for Uzzab to steady the ark, but he sinned because God forbade this action. NEW TESTAMENT WARNINGS. The danger of disobeying divine commands is clearly shown in apostolic warnings. Paul wrote the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:6-8.) This curse is directed against the one preaching a perverted gospel. We can pervert the gospel by adding to it or taking from it. If we do not speak where the scriptures speak, we have perverted the gospel; if we are not silent where they are silent, we have also perverted it. John warns, "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9 -- A.S.V.) Whenever we add to what is clearly taught, we have "gone onward" and have spoken where God has not spoken. WHERE THE BIBLE IS SILENT. The religious world is more divided over what the Bible does not say than what it does say. Since the scriptures forbid us to go beyond what is written in religious matters, we should not speak when the Bible is silent. A rule relating to obedience to God may be expressed thusly: God's commands must be obeyed without alteration. Where the method of obedience has not been stipulated, we may rely on our own judgment, but we should do nothing to alter the nature of the divine command. Numerous biblical examples illustrate this principle. When Jehovah determined to destroy the world by water, he purposed to save the good man Noah and his family. He told Noah to build an ark and gave the specifications including the size and number of stories. He instructed him to build the ark out of gopher wood. (Gen. 6:14.) This command had both positive and negative implications. Positively, Noah was to use gopher wood. But negatively, he was forbidden to use a substitute such as oak, hickory, or maple. True, God did not say, "Don't use oak, hickory, or maple." But Noah knew that when God told him what to use it was wrong to put anything in its place. We know that Noah did not use any other kind of wood because it is said to him, "Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him; so did he." (Gen. 6:22.) Of course, God did not specify every last detail. No doubt Noah used tools in his building, although these were not named. This was incidental. In using tools he was simply carrying out the command to build the ark out of gopher wood. On the other hand, had he substituted another kind of wood he would have changed the divine injunction. A similar example is that of Naaman, the leper, captain of the Syrian army. The prophet Elisha told him that if he wished to be cured of his leprosy he should dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. At first Naaman reasoned, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean?" (2 Kings 5:12.) Now, Elisha had not told Naaman not to dip himself in those rivers, but had he done so he could not have expected his leprosy to be cured since he would have been altering the prophet's command. The command not only said, "Dip yourself seven times in the Jordan," but by implication also said, "Do not dip yourself in any other river in order to be cured." Jesus said in the Great Commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15.) In the command the apostles were told to preach. They were also told what to preach, namely, the gospel. Jesus didn't say in so many words, "Don't preach politics or economics." But as we read the scriptures we find the apostles preaching exactly what Christ had told them to proclaim -- the gospel. Why did they not preach politics? Jesus didn't specifically say not to. But they knew that in being told what to preach they were also forbidden to preach a different message. The command included the gospel and excluded politics. On the other hand, there are many incidentals to preaching the gospel. Shall one preach on the street corner, in a church building, or over the radio? This is left to human judgment. If we use radio or television we are employing the devices as a means of carrying out the command. If we preach politics instead we have changed the nature of the command. Consider baptism. In the scriptures immersion is clearly specified as the action. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death." (Romans 6:4.) Paul didnŐt say, "Don't sprinkle." He didn't have to. When he stated that baptism is a burial he ruled out sprinkling and pouring as substitutes. But whether one should be buried in baptism in running water or still, hot water or cold, is left strictly up to us. In either case we simpy carry out the Lord's command, but if we substitute sprinkling for a burial we alter the command. The same principle applies to the Lord's supper. In that memorial feast Jesus gave his disciples the bread, emblematic of his body, and the fruit of the vine, representative of his blood. He specified the elements of the supper as bread and fruit of the vine. Should we substitute chicken for the bread, or orange juice for the fruit of the vine we would alter the Lord's command, though he did not say in so many words, "Do not do that." When the early Christians assembled to worship God they sang praises to him. Of this singing Paul said, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Eph. 5:19.) Paul instructed Christians as to the kind of songs that they were to sing -- psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. While he didn't say, "DonŐt sing love songs or patriotic songs in praise to God," we should be able to understand that these songs are excluded from worship because the kind of songs has been specified. On the same principle that we have been considering, the kind of music to be used in worship of God is also stated. In Colossians 3:16 we are told, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." The music commanded is singing or vocal music. All other New Testatment scriptures relating to the subject teach the same thing. While instrumental music in worship (there can be no objection to its use for personal entertainment) is not forbidden in so many words, it is excluded on the same basis that preaching politics or partaking of orange juice in the Lord's supper are excluded. The command has been given and we are not at liberty to change it by substituting something else for what the Lord has instructed. To add instrumental music to our singing is to alter the command itself. Had the scriptures simply said, "Make music," then it would have been left to human judgment to determine the kind of music to be used. Since we are told to sing, the kind of music is specified. There are incidentals in the command to sing. Any song requires a tune. We are not told whether that tune shall be written or memorized. In using a hymn book as an aid to singing we have not changed the command to sing as the only kind of music we make as we sing with a hymn book is vocal. In conclusion let us observe that if there is a question as to whether God will accept our actions, it is better to be safe than risk disobeying God. The following passages tell how God punished some individual or individuals for disobedience. In the first blank (A) write the name of the disobedient person(s). In the second blank (B) write the sin committed. In the third blank (C) write the punishment administered by God. The first one is done correctly: 1. 2 Samuel 6:1-7. (A) Uzzah (B) He touched the ark (C) He was struck dead. 2. Leviticus 10:1,2. (A) ____________________ (B) ____________________ (C) ____________________ 3. 1 Samuel 15:1-23. (A) ____________________ (B) ____________________ (C) ____________________ 4. Genesis 19:17-26. (A) ____________________ (B) ____________________ (C) ____________________ 5. 1 Kings 13:1-26. (A) ____________________ (B) ____________________ (C) ____________________ Choose the correct letter: 1. A preacher carries out the command to preach the gospel when he preaches about: (a) the resurrection of Christ; (b) who will win the next election; (c) the minimum wage law. 2. The teaching that baptism is a burial is fulfilled when one: (a) has water sprinkled on him; (b) has water poured on him; (c) is immersed in water. 3. The elements of the Lord's supper are changed if: (a) a plate is used for the bread; (b) cake and coffee are substituted; (c) individual cups are used to contain the fruit of the vine. 4. The command that songs of worship should be psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is altered if we sing: (a) "Rock of Ages"; (b) "The Old Rugged Cross"; (c) "My Old Kentucky Home." 5. The command to sing in worship is obeyed without alteration if: (a) we use instrumental music entirely; (b) we both sing and use instrumental music; (c) we use a hymn book to give us the tune. True or false:
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