We have freedom only to correctly understand and interpret Scripture II Pet 1:19-21. Scripture is more black and white than you portray.
You said nothing in this article. You herald the need to correctly apply Scripture and yet you expounded not a single verse. You state the obvious, no man has the right to impose standards that are not in Scripture. Yet, standards should be based on God’s word which produces conviction (Rom 10:17). It seems like you are paranoid of legalism, maybe you followed “rules” that were not real convictions to you. This article tends more toward explaining away having biblical standards that a person does not see fit to apply, than toward encouraging people to be less and less like the wicked world.
“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” I Jn 5:19
Maybe you think it is your “service to the body of Christ” to critique the practices of God’s churches (I Thess 2:14). Who set you up as an authority to critique the biblical standards of holiness practiced in God’s churches?
I am not trying to be unkind, but this is my question.
Instead of crticism why not use your blog to expound verses of Scripture, here are a few to start with:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
II Cor 7:1
For there are certain men crept in unawares…turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness…
Jude 4
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
James 3:1

Just checking, and eagerly awaiting your next post!

Thanks for commenting. I have a few thoughts in response for you to consider.

First, be sure to read the article I link to in my post. (Also, know that the guy writing that article does not like Christian Contemporary Music all that much personally, but he is making a point about what Scripture does and does not address concerning music.)

Second, it seems from your comments that when a believer matures to the level that they have a different take on “personal matters” (which happen to be standards based on Biblical principles which the church enforces) they then must decide to leave the church since they now hold standards contradictory to the ones upheld and enforced by the church. That is what it appears like to me.

Third, the problem with your reasoning is that Scripture teaches the new believers should not only be dependent on authorities for help but they should also personally be led and guided by the Spirit. Scripture seems to make it very clear that spiritual authorities derrive their authority from Scripture–how true they remain to Scripture is the measure of how legitimate their authority should be and how binding it should be for their followers.

Lastly, my main point again is not so much to state that certain standards are inferior, but rather that all standards are simply specific applications of Biblical principles which are not explicitly taught in Scripture. The principles are there, and if God wanted us all to have identical standards (same music, identical dress standards, etc.) He would have made it explicit from Scripture. Instead he has left it up to us with the Spirit and our own conscience to flesh out exactly how we apply the principles in our life. For me to demand that everyone has my same standards and enforce this as such in my church is to communicate the false message that these standards are demanded from the Bible for everyone’s adherence, when in fact they are not.

Fundamentalists often look down on those who do not hold to their own applications of Biblical principles (specifically in the realm of personal and ecclesiastical separation). They equate those people as not believing in those same Biblical principles. In doing this they are doing disservice to the body of Christ as a whole, and setting themselves up quite like the Pharisees, to police others to hold to their own exact interpretive applications on things the Bible does not explicitly require and teach. This is my main point. Yes, authority figures should help guide newer and less mature believers in how they apply principles, but to set down hard and fast rules which are not found in Scripture is not the method that should be used. If you set down rules, at least make it explicit that these rules are our own attempts to apply the principles and do not make it sound as if they are dogmatically Biblical.

God Bless,

Bob Hayton

Christianity is the same way. Spiritually we all start as children, we don’t have the brain power or biblical understanding to make all decisions right away. We need direction, guidance and people who love us to mold us into the best possible christian we can be. God uses the authority of those around us to do it. And at some point, we mature, see the standards given to us when we were kids and say I get that now. Now those same “personal matters” that our spiritual authorities instructed us in are now ours to decide what to do with. But until maturity would you let your child do anything? Sounds self-destructive on the part of the child. Afterall, foolishness abounds in the heart of a child.

I don’t think there is anything wrond with standards. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a church enforcing standards that are based on biblical principles. It gives the “child” a way they can grow, keeps the “foolishness” from manifesting in their heart and keeps them focused on the doctrine at hand.

Do you personally think that you would have such an expansive knowledge (which I’ve always admired even back at FBC, you know that) of the Bible, if you weren’t given those same standards as a kid?