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Scripture Reading:  2 Timothy 1:8-14

The "No Pattern" Theory (1)

Intro.

1.  God deals with men in patterns:  God’s pattern is all God has revealed on a subject – Psa. 119:160 (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

2.  Brethren were once committed to Bible patterns:

  a.  Guy N. Woods (Cogdill-Woods Debate, 26)…

  b.  Reuel Lemmons (One Body, Summer, 1988, 4)…

3.  But now, more & more reject the very concept of Bible patterns:

    -Rubel Shelly & Randall J. Harris, The Second Incarnation.

4.  Fundamental difference in how we view & apply divinely given patterns is central to why God’s people have & are divided (why churches of Christ have/are divided, cf. 1 Cor. 11:19).

5.  If one tries to say the Bible teaches there are no patterns, is the Bible then a pattern for “no patternism”?

I.  IS THERE SUCH A THING AS BIBLE PATTERNS?

  A.  There Were Patterns in the Old Testament.

    1.  Noah followed a pattern to build the ark – Gen. 6:22.
    2.  Moses followed a pattern to build the tabernacle – Exo. 25:8-9, 40; 26:30; 27:8; Heb. 8:5 (Moses followed the pattern, Exo. 40:16).

      -Israel followed the “works of their own hands” vs. God’s pattern – Acts 7:41, 44.

    3.  Nadab & Abihu – Lev. 10:1-2.

    4.  King Saul (1 Sam. 15:3, 8, 22).

    5.  Jeroboam (1 Kgs. 12:28-33).

    6.  Solomon followed a pattern for the temple – 1 Chrn. 28:10-12, 19-20 (29:1).

  B.  There Are Patterns in the New Testament.

    1.  Form (mold, pattern) of doctrine saves sinners – Rom. 6:17-18.

    2.  Pattern of sound words we must “hold fast” – 2 Tim. 1:13.

    3.  Pattern of examples in to follow – Phil. 3:17 (Tit. 2:7-8).

II.  HOW DIVINE PATTERNS ARE REVEALED. 

  A.  How Scriptural Authority is Established.

    1.  Direct command / statement:  “Take, eat” (1 Cor. 11:24-26).  What to do?

    2.  Approved apostolic example:  “Upon the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7).  When to observe the Lord’s Supper?

    3.  Necessary inference:  “Upon the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7; Exo. 20:8).  Frequency of eating?

  B.  Scriptural Authority is Revealed & Applied in Generic & Specific Terms.

III.  WE MUST BE ABLE TO DISCERN DIVINE PATTERNS – Phil. 1:9-11 (Bible authority).

  A.  Pattern will be Revelation from God – Gal. 1:6-10; Col. 3:16-17.

  B.  Pattern will be Apostolic in its Authority – 1 Cor. 14:37; Gal. 1:8; 1 Jno. 4:6 (cf. 1:3-4; 2:19).

  C.  Pattern will be Universal in its Application – Mk. 16:15; 1 Co. 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33.

Conclusion

1.  Part 2:  A closer look at the “pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) on specific topics.

2.  Does all of this really matter?

3.  Yes!  It is a matter of understanding & applying truth in our lives for the salvation of our souls – Eph. 5:17; Col. 3:17; Lk. 6:46; Matt.7:21.

4.  Believe & obey the gospel of Jesus Christ today!

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The “No Pattern” Theory (1)

Quotations

·   Guy N. Woods:

In the Cogdill-Woods debate (Birmingham, 1957), Guy N. Woods agreed with bro. Cogdill when he discussed how to establish scriptural authority:

“With much of brother Cogdill’s speech I am in complete agreement.  In fact I should say that the first half of it was largely a waste of his time.  No one calls in question these matters which he discussed regard­ing the authority of the scriptures (emp., jrp), the all-sufficiency of the church of our Lord in the matter of performing the work which God gave the church to do.  That is not an issue in this debate and will not be.”

-The Cogdill-Woods Debate,

Lufkin: The Gospel Guardian Co., 1958, 26

·   Reuel Lemmons, -One Body, Summer 1988, page 4:

“Restoration assumes patternism.  If there is no pattern to lose there is none to restore.  The very validity of the Restoration principle rests upon the preclusion that God wanted certain things certain ways, and men have ignored what God wanted.  What is it that we are going to restore?  Is it not the restoring of doing Bible things in Bible ways?  It seems to me that if this principle is ignored then we have no real reason for trying to restore anything.

“…Is God a God who deals in patterns?  He did with Noah.  He did with Moses in the building of the tabernacle.  Unless he changes his nature he still deals in patterns with us.  His patterns must be respected.

“We must go to pattern theology for our very concept of the church… Everything we read in the Scriptures enforces the pattern concept…

“If we assume such a thing as pattern theology, or even admit to the existence of patterns, we are forced to accept limitations, for patterns limit.  They restrict to both right and left.  This forces us to accept God’s authority in areas of silence as well as in areas of revelation.”

·   Rubel Shelly & Randall J. Harris, The Second Incarnation:

“But there is no (emp., his) infallible method for interpreting Scripture.  There is no heaven-given system of Bible study.”  (p. 19)

“Thus we reject a rigid ‘pattern theology’ that simply proposes to transplant religious-cultural forms from the Bible to the 20^th or 21^st century.”  (p. 31)

“Our hermeneutic is therefore theological and Christocentric.” (p. 28, emp. his)

“Is the activity or methodology under contemplation consistent with the person and work of Jesus Christ?  If we do this, will the people who see it think we reveal Christ?  Will we be doing what people would expect to see Christ doing in this situation?”  (p. 29)

“This principle (Christocentricity, jrp) has broad consequences for ecclesiology.  It says, for example, that the church need not have either explicit mandate or permission for everything it wishes to do.  The church may confidently ground its activities of compassion and service in the character of its head.”  (p. 29)