All Christian groups uphold the Bible as God’s Word, but not all view the Bible the same way, nor do they all agree on interpretation or a biblical foundation for their practices. Such was the religious culture of the early 19th century. Many of our movement’s leaders sought a more biblically based foundation for the church because they experienced so many religious practices that weren’t based on scripture yet were treated as if God had commanded them.
    From this came the slogan “Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where the scriptures are silent, we are silent.” This was meant to do three things in the church. First, that the Bible alone would be our rule of faith. Two, that practices which aren’t prescribed in the Bible become matters of opinion and not binding on believers. Three, that Christians could agree on what the Bible mandated but also be free to add to their own ways of expressing their faith without adding that burden on others.
    This high view of the Bible as the authoritative Word of God allowed for unity on the essentials, but freedom of opinions where the scriptures were not clear (more on this in September). The clear teaching of Jesus and the Apostles became our foundation for the church (see Ephesians 2:20) and continues to guide those who faithfully hold the Bible as God’s inspired message to mankind. Thus we unashamedly hold to the “faith once delivered” (Jude 3).

Denis Whittet