How the Bible Authorizes – By Necessary Inference

How The Bible Authorizes
By Direct Statement - By Approved Example - by Necessary Inference

By Necessary Inference

What about those things with which the Bible does not deal directly? How can we know that it is sinful for Christians to smoke cigarettes, or abuse drugs like morphine, when such things did not exist in the first century and are not mentioned in the Bible? In order to know what the will of God is, when there is no direct statement or approved example to settle the matter, we must turn to necessary inference.

Necessary inference is a conclusion that is demanded by the available evidence. For example, there is no verse in the New Testament, which says, “Thou shalt not smoke cigarettes,” but there is a verse which says, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Put that verse together with First Corinthians 6:19-20, and you can argue that smoking is sinful, because it is an addictive habit that destroys the body. The same argument could be applied to the abuse of alcohol, morphine and other drugs.

This is where the application of logic comes into play in our study of the Bible. God is a rational being and He deals with humanity in a rational way (Isaiah 1:18). It may not always be easy to understand the Lord’s logic, because it is so much more complex than man’s (Isaiah 55:8-9). But God, who created the human mind, is perfectly capable of communicating His will to humanity in a way that is logical, straightforward and within the grasp of our understanding (Ephesians 3:4).

The thing about necessary inference is that it is a conclusion which is demanded by the available evidence. It is not a conclusion which is contradicted by the available evidence. That is the kind of logic employed by false teachers (Mark 7:7). Every teaching and practice that is done in the name of religion must have authority from the Bible to back it up (Colossians 3:17). Whether it is a direct statement, an approved example, or necessary inference, there must be Bible authority for what we teach and practice!

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” – Colossians 3:17

 Lies Men Have Told About The Bible

Common people can’t understand the Bible; they need the clergy to explain it to them. (Mark 12:37b) Only part of the Bible is inspired. (2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible is not complete; we need creeds and confessions of faith to supplement it. (2 Peter 1:3) The Bible is not supposed to be a pattern by which we are meant to live our lives. (2 Timothy 1:13) We will not be judged by the words of the Bible. (John 12:48)

What Does the Bible Say?

When it comes to religion, there is no shortage of opinions on the subject. In our community, there are dozens of denominations, each one teaching and practicing different things about salvation, worship and faithful living. Is every denomination right? How can they all come to different conclusions about what is written in the same Word of God? Is it God’s will that there be so much confusion in religion?

The Bible says that God "is not the author of confusion" (1 Corinthians 14:33), so the problem must lie with man. Much of the confusion in the modern religious world stems from a lack of understanding of how the Bible authorizes. If we are going to preach and practice with the authority of the Lord to back us up, then we must learn to ascertain Bible authority (Colossians 3:17). In the final analysis, it is what the Bible says that matters most of all, for it shall be the Word of the Lord that judges us, in the last day (John 12:48).