Some members of the Lord’s Church struggle to understand a Christian’s relationship with the government. The government “is God’s minister for good.” Christians are “subject to the governing authorities.” Government’s authority was appointed by God. Christians are directed not to resist their authority. To resist government is to resist God (Rom. 13:1-5). Yet, Peter and the Apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The Apostles said that to the local ...
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By David Watts Jr. Some Background For generations, brethren have correctly demanded authority for all that we do. We have correctly followed the pattern of Acts 15 when the brethren and apostles came together to consider the question of circumcision for Gentiles. We demand direct statements from Scripture, approved examples, and necessary conclusions. We have also argued correctly that we do not act out of the silence of the Scriptures. Rather, we are to “prove ...
Read MoreDuring the Roman Empire Christians had to decide if God was first in their lives (Mk. 12:30). Should they attend worship services knowing if they did, they could ultimately die? Knowing the risk if they got caught, would God permit a reprieve to His command for assembling (Heb. 10:25). After all, once a new emperor took office the madness would end. They only needed to hide for a few months or in the worst case, ...
Read MoreIn the madness that has developed over concerns for the coronavirus, many churches have closed their doors opting for services conducted over the internet. For the purposes of this article, we will call the streaming of services over the internet “virtual worship services.” At issue is whether virtual worship services are authorized in scripture. Hebrews 10:25 commands the assembling of ourselves together. Can that assembling be done virtually over the internet? Is my physical presence ...
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