The Law of Exclusion

It has been rightly observed that the Bible reveals to humanity certain concepts, which are not expressly quantified in specific terms, but are manifestly present in the Scriptures, nonetheless. Some call these the “unwritten laws” of God.

They are no less important than any of God’s other laws, and an understanding of them is essential to living a faithful Christian life and to a sound interpretation of the Bible. Among them is what some call, “The Law of Exclusion,” to which I would like us to give some thought today.

The Law of Exclusion is a simple concept: “When God specifically commands us to do something, every other possible action is automatically excluded.”

We make use of this law in our everyday lives. For example, when a wife makes a shopping list for her husband, she simply writes down a list of items that she wants him to buy at the store. She does not have to list all of the items in the store that she does not want him to buy. It is understood that, when she lists the items she wants, every other item is automatically excluded. We all understand this concept and we make use of it every day. Is it not reasonable to conclude that God understands the same concept and makes use of it in the Bible?

There are quite a few examples of the Law of Exclusion in action, in the Scriptures.

One is seen in the account of the construction of Noah’s ark. In Genesis 6:14-16, the Lord said to Noah, “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.”

Noah was given some very specific commands about how he was to build the ark. For instance, he was commanded to make it with “gopher wood.” No one knows exactly what kind of wood gopher wood is, but Noah knew, and the Lord did not have to tell him about the kinds of wood He did not want him to use.

Another example of the Law of Exclusion in action is seen in the account of the fatal blunder committed by Nadab and Abihu. In Leviticus 10:1-2, the text says, “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”

These two men died because they offered incense to God, using a source of fire, “which he commanded them not.” In the Law of Moses, God had specified where He wanted the fire used to offer the incense to come from. In doing so, He automatically excluded every other source of fire – making these other sources illegal, under Old Testament law. Nadab and Abihu died, not because they did something God had commanded them not to do, but because they had done something God had not authorized them to do.

Under the Law of Christ, the Law of Exclusion still applies.

In passages like Ephesians 5:19, God has specified that Christians must sing, as a part of the worship they offer Him. Playing mechanical instruments of music is automatically excluded by the Lord, since their use is not listed in the command to sing. Yet, in most denominational churches, such instruments are used to accompany the singing that is done.

Some say, “Well, the Bible doesn’t say not to use it.” But, according to the Law of Exclusion, the Lord does not have to list all of the things He does not want us to do in our worship. He simply tells us what He wants and everything else is automatically excluded.

God’s unwritten laws exist for our benefit.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.”

On some level, this passage bears reference to the Law of Exclusion. We may not be able to point to a book, chapter and verse where it is stated directly, but we may rest assured that it exists, and that it has a direct bearing upon how we perceive the Lord’s commandments.

Let us all learn the Law of Exclusion and make application of it when we read the Bible.