The Validity and Right Use of Scriptural Implications
James A.E. MacLellan
“Give me
chapter and verse!” That is a statement
that I certainly have used and have heard used numerous of times. It is a good and proper requirement. The Bible, precisely interpreted, becomes our
infallible and authoritative instruction in faith and in life. The question that I’m seeking to answer is
this: “Can Biblical inferences also provide an infallible, authoritative
instruction to our life and faith?” What
I propose in this paper is that the Bible is also a valuable revelation of
principles that when assembled properly do provide Divine guidance. Plainly
speaking, a collection of Biblical truths, held together, can lead us to sound
convictions. Stated in briefer terms, rather that establishing conclusions on
induction,
they can arrive by implication.
In non-moral
decisions this is a recognized manner of discerning wise choices. Often the selection of a place of study for a
university student is the result of bringing several factors or principles
together and arriving at a decision. The
fact that this paper is addressing this topic is not to say that it is
new. In fact, the assumption is that we
all do this all the time whether we categorize it this way or not. The question
is, if we assemble several biblical implications can we understand the
conclusion as authoritative.
The Church
has come to important conclusions solely based on Scriptural implications. For example, there is no one word in the
Bible for Trinity. Yet we arrive at the conclusion of the Trinity by affirming
our God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4 and in that “oneness” there are 3 distinct
personages. There are three persons all called God in different places in the Bible (i.e.,
Father — Galatians 1:1; Son — John 20:28; and Spirit — Acts 5:3-4).
Other topics could also be concluded by just following
through the implications of Scripture.
One that the Church deals with from time to time is the issue of Church
Membership. A careful study of Scripture
(Adding the recognizable distinction of members of Israel to the practice of
the early church through God “adding” to the number (a number that was known
and quantifiable)
to the sad reality that this membership could also include excommunication
leads to only one implication: the visible community of believers is a known,
quantitative, unique, identifiable group, i.e., Members. Another very important
topic that we use the implication of
Scripture to aid a conclusion is the death of a pre-born or young child, or the
death of someone without the faculties to adequately understand the
Gospel. Most evangelicals embrace the
realties of God’s mercy, the necessity of accountability, etc. to believe that
people in that condition must be recipients of saving grace. (John MacArthur
has written a comforting book on this: ‘Safe in the Arms of God’ and he solely
uses the implications of Scripture to conclude that babies or those without the
faculties or abilities to understand the Gospel are destined for glory.)
One can argue that even Jesus used the tools of implication
in His teaching. In Matthew 22:31–32
(ESV) we read:
“31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said
to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
He is not God of the dead, but of the living.””
Jesus is
referring these men (who disbelieve in the resurrection but believe the Mosaic
Law) back to Exodus 3:6 where God is talking to Moses from the burning
bush. It was not God’s purpose to
discuss resurrection truths with Moses, but when God says to Moses that He is
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jesus picks up the implication of that and argues to these Jewish leaders: Is God the
God of the living or the dead? Therefore, there must be life after death! My
point is that Jesus is employing implication
to present His argument. “The
Apostle Paul also derives theological principles by use of such reasoning when he
uses the Mosaic prohibition of muzzling oxen who tread grain to prove that
pastors and missionaries deserve remuneration for their labours (1 Corinthians
9:9, 1 Timothy 5:8)”9.
Here’s another
example: John the Baptist was in prison. He heard about the ministry of Jesus. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you
the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:3 (ESV). Here’s Jesus answer:
“Go and tell
John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and
the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised
up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed
is the one who is not offended by me.” Matthew 11:4–6 (ESV)
Jesus quoted to
this prophet the selected words of Isaiah 26, 29, 35, 53, and 61 all pointing
to the fact that He was the promised Messiah.
Jesus was clearly amassing texts to imply to John that He was the
One. Do you know what Jesus didn’t
say? “The opening of the prison to
those who are bound.” Isaiah 61:1 (ESV.
Would Jesus be leading John toward the implication that he is going to
get out of jail? Is that why Jesus
said, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me”?
As I stated
earlier, this ability to study God’s Word and assemble principles that point to
a conclusion is not new to the Church. The Westminster Confession of Faith contains
an excellent statement on this topic. In
chapter 1, paragraph six, the Westminster divines stated that “The whole
counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s
salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequences
may be deduced from Scripture ...”[i]
[Emphasis mine] That is a tremendously important phrase: the good and necessary
consequences deduced from Scripture.
It neither
nullifies nor demeans Holy Scripture to study it with due care and prayerful
diligence and identify “good and necessary consequences” derived by implication. But at the same time it should be done with
caution. The warning that seems
appropriate is summed up in something we all know “it is possible to read
anything into the Scriptural text.” That
may be an overstatement, but it contains truth.
A liberal pastor once quoted to me this text: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is
from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7, ESV). He then
said, “Anyone who loves is a Christian.”
Let me suggest some cautionary
principles to follow when arriving at an implied conclusion from the Bible.
1. What is
your heart motivation? There is a
subtle and deadly difference between studying Scripture and accumulating
principles simply to arrive at a conclusion you have already pre-determined
(That is called “proof-texting”) as opposed to studying Scripture and allowing
the noted texts to point to a conclusion that does not originate with you. Is your motivation pure and
God-centered? The scalpel of the Holy
Spirit is necessary to keep one’s motivations pure. We should ask, “Am I trying to read a
conclusion into the text?” Or, “Am I trying to make the Scripture say what I
want it to say?” Better to be humble and
upon studying diligently noting the multitude of texts that point to an
important implication.
2. Consider
the Law of Non-contradiction. There can be no deduction from Scripture that
is also contradictory to the clear and plain revelation of Scripture. This principle goes without discussion. For example the collection of evidence
pointing to women in ministry (from Deborah to Phoebe) cannot be stated in a
way that contradicts Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy 2:8ff. Therefore, if we assemble some texts that
seem to point to an implied conclusion, that conclusion must be handled in
submission to the rest of Scripture. For
example someone might careful note the multitude of occasions in the Bible
where polygamy is practiced. One cannot
deduce that this is by implication permissible for it contradicts what is plain
and prohibitive.
3. Peer
review
is more than a wise secular notion.
The proliferation of “expert” news and social media prognostications, with absolutely no peer review during the last
seventeen months is a good example of this.
The Bible asserts a principle in Deuteronomy 19:15 that extends
throughout the Canon, that matters should be determined by more than one
person. Practically speaking this means that if a student of God’s Word arrives
at a deduction by implication, that conclusion should be tested by those who
are workmen (women) that rightly handle the Word of God. The early Church (at least for the first 400
years) was known for working out its theology in community. It is wise and prudent to follow their
example. The words of the Sage are relevant: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but
in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14, ESV). In this day when self-publishing abounds,
there is no end to so-called Christian literature totally lacking peer
review. One should count it a red flag
when someone arrives at a conclusion that is new to the history of the Church,
new to highly respected theologians and new to brothers and sisters within the
local, visible Church.
4. Lastly, test
the characteristics expressed in the Westminster Catechism. This may be the most difficult. The authors of the Catechism showed immense
wisdom in authoring the phrase, “good and necessary”. We must learn to decide between “good” and
“necessary” consequences and those that are imaginative and unnecessary. This is
an extreme example, but many years ago a man in my Church exuberantly wanted me
to watch a video that had gotten him very excited. The so-called Bible “teacher” made the
implication that as mankind was originally given dominion over animals, even
naming them, that in the age to come, redeemed people will be restored to a
communicative relationship with birds, animals and fish. The law of “unnecessary” rules. (I actually
used less sophisticated language at the time.)
Paul helps me
in this when he writes about our daily conversations with one another. He
wrote, “Let no corrupting
talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits
the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV). I think
we should show evidence that this implication we have drawn from Scripture is
good and necessary. There can be a fascination with the marginal, a unnecessary
interest in the bizarre. “As I urged you
when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain
persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to
myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the
stewardship from God that is by faith.” (1 Timothy 1:3–4 (ESV))
So I
conclude: The careful, studious, prayerful study of God’s Word that
leads the reader to observe an implication of such study, neither nullifies nor
demeans Holy Scripture when it stands in harmony with the Bible, is clarified
and embellished by inviting healthy critique and it, in fact, leads people to
“good and necessary consequences”. It such cases they can be considered binding
upon the conscience. When done properly,
the end result of sound Biblical implications is just as authoritative as a
“chapter and a verse”.
I have
attempted to develop these thoughts for the benefit of my fellow Elders. To them I encourage to be men of the Word,
familiar with a much as possible. Most
importantly we should know the clear and dogmatic truths contained within. We should also, in time, be able to amass
principles that lead to God-glorifying conclusions. One that is on the table for discussion is in
regard to the Biblical requirement for Members who sin publicly. That entire topic finds it’s conclusion in
the assembly of Biblical principles that all lead to a “good and necessary
consequence”.
Here’s a
test case to be considered. The
Bible gives no specific, (chapter/verse) statement of the age of a child must
be before taking Communion. Could you
arrive at a conclusion based upon a plurality of principles in the
Scripture? Or, here’s another one to
think through: is there a principial order to the events of repentance/belief,
baptism, church membership and participating in the Lord’s Table?
“All Scripture
is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)
[i] “VI.
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory,
man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or
by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which
nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit,
or traditions of men. Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of
the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things
as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning
the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and
societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian
prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be
observed.”
