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SPEAK WHERE THE BIBLE SPEAKS
SPEAK WHERE THE BIBLE SPEAKS
Thomas Campbell (1763-1854) is attributed with the statement, “Speak where the Bible
speaks and remain silent where the Bible is silent.” Perhaps a lesser known statement made by
Campbell was, “Go back to the Bible—Restore the Christianity of the New Testament.” Note
that both statements are a call to recognize the Bible as God’s Word and the foundation on which
our lives are to be built to be pleasing to Him. Sadly, in our world today, we seem to be more
intent on changing God’s word to fit our lifestyles, than changing our lives to fit God’s word.
God has instructed from the beginning the importance of being obedient to His word. He
gave His “law” to Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:16-17), and they promptly chose to twist it to work in
their “favor”. As Moses gave his farewell sermon to the Israelites, he reminded them of God’s
words, “So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not
turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deut. 5:32). Continue through the history of the Israelites
and we read that in a short time they disregarded God’s commands, leading to “...everyone doing
what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Our world today has walked in the same
pathways, doing as each person sees fit.
We are called to remain faithful to God’s word. Jesus taught the necessity of abiding by
His word when he told the parable of the Wise and Foolish Man (Mt. 7:24-27). The emphasis is
not only hearing the words of the Lord, but also doing [obeying] them. And when abiding by His
word we will find ourselves standing firm on the solid rock of our Lord and Savior. The apostle
Paul warns Christians then [and now], “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6, NIV);
“...stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught,…” (2 Thess. 2:15);“What you
heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching,…” (2 Tim. 1:13, NIV). When we hold to
the word of the Lord, not turning to the right or to the left, then we can be assured of the Lord’s
truth (John 17:17) which leads to life everlasting.
To “speak where the Bible speaks” demands a thorough knowledge of His word. The
tendency is to go along with the crowds and allow the word to bend to our personal desires and
feelings. May we re-commit ourselves to knowing God’s word as “God’s word” (1 Thess. 2:13),
allowing His word to lead us through this life (Ps. 119:11), and in so doing guaranteeing our
eternal home with our Lord and Savior. ~Paul Mowrer
