PATTERN THEOLOGY

When God gave men responsibilities in ancient times, he gave a pattern they were to follow in complying with his wishes. Otherwise, how would they know what to do to please him? What if God had simply said to Noah: "Because of the wickedness on the earth, I am planning to send a flood to destroy all who are not obedient to my will. I want you to build an ark to save those who are faithful to my command?" Noah probably would not have known any more about building an ark that would survive the flood waters than I would. That means that he and his family would not have survived. God knew he would have to provide the pattern for the building of the ark and that is exactly what he did.

I am sure you are familiar with the pattern God gave to Noah. He said: "Make an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall you make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which you shall make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, and the breadth of it shall be fifty cubits, and the height of it shall be thirty cubits. A window shall you make to the ark, and in a cubit shall you finish it above; and the door of the ark shall you set in the side thereof; with the lower, second and third stories shall you make it" (Gen. 6:14-16). Incidentally, most Bible scholars believe a cubit in ancient times was approximately eighteen inches. That means the ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.

If Noah had been like some modern theologians and preachers, he would have found ways to improve the ark, at least, in his judgment. Do you remember what the divine record says about Noah? "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Gen. 6:22). In the great chapter on the heroes of faith, the author of Hebrews said concerning Noah: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Heb. 11:7). What does God want us to learn from Noah's example? If we want to please God, we must have the attitude Jesus expressed in a discussion with some of his fellow Jews: "He who sent me is with me; the Father has not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29). And how do we know what pleases God? We know because he tells us.

The book of Leviticus provides God's instructions concerning the offering of animal sacrifices. "And the Lord called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, you shall bring an offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord" (Lev. 1:1-3). Do you get the impression that God gave a pattern the Israelites had to honor?

What could possibly be wrong with offering cattle that were diseased or cripple? After all, would it not be better to offer the lame and the sick rather than let them go to waste? The prophet Malachi gives us God's answer. God accused the Israelites of polluting his altar. The people blatantly asked: "Wherein have we polluted thine altar?" God explained: "In that you say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is that not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is that not evil? Offer it now unto your governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person, says the Lord of hosts? .... And you have brought that which was torn, and the lame and the sick" (Mal. 1:7-8, 13). Since the Israelites ignored the divine pattern, God could not accept their offerings.

Time will not allow me to outline the extensive instructions the Lord gave Moses for the construction of the tabernacle. God told Moses to speak to the children of Israel and ask them to bring gold, silver, brass, blue and purple and fine linen and goats' hair and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins and many other items (Ex. 25:1-8). Please listen to verse 9. "According to all that I show you, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall you make them." He even gave them a pattern for making candlesticks for the tabernacle. "And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord showed Moses, so he made the candlestick" (Num. 8:4). God commanded Moses: "And look that you make them after their pattern, which was shown you in the mount" (Ex. 25:40). The author of Hebrews had these patterns in mind when he wrote: "For if he (Christ) were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God, when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, see, says he, that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mount" (Heb. 8:4-5).

There is much more in the Old Testament that should help us to understand that when God gives a pattern he expects his children to follow it. For example, why did God execute Nadab and Abihu? They offered fire that was unauthorized (Lev. 10:1-2). In very simple language, they ignored God's pattern for offering sacrifices. Why did God punish Korah, Dathan, Abiram and people who were sympathetic to them? They challenged God's pattern for the priesthood. They said, in effect, the men from the tribe of Reuben are just as holy as the men from the tribe of Levi (Num. 16:1-4). Is there a lesson for us in these stories from the Old Testament? Were they written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world have come (1 Cor. 10:11)?

You cannot overlook the foolish and fatal mistakes some of the Israelites made. Would it surprise you that some modern preachers and theologians are making the same mistakes? They even go so far as to deny that the New Testament has any patterns. Several months ago, a preacher in Middle Tennessee delivered a sermon on the topic, "Baptism and Christian Unity." Among the many foolish statements he made in his sermon, none is more unscriptural and irrational than this: "Beware of pattern theology" (p. 6). Incidentally, pattern theology was not invented by churches of Christ or any other church. God himse1f has given patterns for the New Testament church.

Before I take time to examine some of the patterns in the New Testament, I must do a simple word study. The Greek word translated "pattern" comes into English in our word "type." The Greek word appears sixteen times in the New Testament. It is translated "print" (John 20:25), "figure" (Rom. 5:14), "manner" (Acts 23:25), "example" (1 Tim. 4: 12) and "pattern." Paul urged young men: "In all things showing yourself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing integrity, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he who is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you" (Tit. 2:7-8). I have already read Hebrews 8:5, but I shall read it again. The priests of the Mosaic covenant "serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, says he, that you make all things according to the pattern shown to you in the mount." Is the author of Hebrews teaching that God has given patterns for the church of our Lord? If he has not, what is the point the divinely inspired author of Hebrews wants us to understand?

Every reasonable person knows that some items in the work and worship of the church are left to our discretion. For example, where in the New Testament do you find a passage that tells Christians they must meet in a building? The Bible specifically authorizes Christians to meet to worship God, but it does not specify whether we are to meet in a building, out in the forests, down by the riverside or somewhere else. The Bible does not tell us what kind of songbook to use or even if we are to use one. Christians must meet on the Lord's Day for worship. But the Bible does not provide the time of day we are to meet. The church where I worship owns a van and a bus. I have not found an example in the New Testament of any church that did that in apostolic times. I am not familiar with any first century churches that owned a buggy or a chariot or a wagon. These and many other items are simple ways of carrying out the Bible's instructions for the work and worship of the church.

So are there patterns the church most honor if we want to have God's approval? Matthew, Mark and Luke describe what happened when our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. I shall read Matthew's account. As Jesus and his apostles were participating in the Passover meal, "Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, All of you drink of it: for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Mt. 26:26-29).

When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, was he giving a pattern he expected his disciples to follow through the ages? We are almost two thousand years this side of the occasion Matthew, Mark and Luke describe. We live in an entirely different environment. Would it be permissible in the twenty-first century for churches to serve a steak sandwich and a glass of soft drink instead of the bread and the fruit of the vine? If Jesus did not mean eating the bread and drinking the fruit of the vine constituted a pattern, how could anyone oppose serving whatever pleases us on the Lord's Table? Would it violate the teaching of scripture if we were to add a third element to the Lord's Supper? There is at least one religious group in the United States that adds a third element. Is there any possible way adding a third element can be justified scripturally?

Did the Apostle Paul understand that Christ had given a pattern when he established the Lord's Supper? Paul told the Corinthians: "For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come" (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

We know Paul was not present when Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. But what Paul taught the Corinthians about the sacred feast he had learned from the Lord himself (1 Cor. 11:23). Did Paul understand that Christ had given a pattern for observing the Lord's Supper? Or was it purely incidental that Paul relayed to the Corinthians exactly what Matthew, Mark and Luke teach about the Lord's Supper? Was Paul not concerned that Christians should beware of pattern theology? Even if you think modern Christians should beware of pattern theology, there is no way you can deny that Paul followed the pattern Jesus established in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Tragically, there are people in our postmodern culture who are not sure about anything the Bible teaches. In many cases, they like to make their own rules and regulations. But if we want to have the Lord's approval, we must have scriptural authority for what we preach and practice in religion. Is that what Paul meant when he wrote: "Whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Col. 3:17)? In case you think that only churches of Christ believe we must have scriptural authority for the work and worship of the church, let me assure you that is not true. For many years Dr. John L. Girardeau, a Calvinist, taught at Columbia Theological Seminary in Columbia, SC. His students asked him why he opposed instrumental music in public worship. In response to the students' questions, Dr. Girardeau wrote an outstanding book, Instrumental Music in the Public Worship (Fayetteville, TN: International Gospel Hour, n. d., a reprint). The opening paragraph in Dr. Girardeau's book sets the tone for the arguments he makes against using mechanical instruments in worship. "Attention, at the outset, is invoked to the consideration which serves to establish the following controlling principle: A divine warrant is necessary for every element of doctrine, government and worship in the church; that is, whatsoever in these spheres is not commanded in the Scriptures, either expressly or by good and necessary consequence from their statements, is forbidden" (p. 15).

According to Dr. Girardeau, the principle that should control every element of doctrine, government and worship in the church must be what he called "a divine warrant," that is, we must have biblical authority for whatever we believe and practice. Dr. Girardeau wrote the book on instrumental music more than 120 years ago. Have the scriptures changed in the years between the time he wrote the book and today? Absolutely not! But there have been changes in attitudes within various religious groups. I have time to give you just one example. A few months ago, Dr. John MacArthur wrote an excellent book with the title, The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception (Nashville: Nelson, 2007). A portion of Dr. MacArthur's book is devoted to an exposition of the so-called "Emerging Church movement." According to Dr. MacArthur, many of the Emerging Church leaders accept uncertainty as the new truth (p. 16). Within the Emerging Church movement, "Certainty is overrated. Assurance is arrogant. Better keep changing you mind and keep you theology in a state of flux" (p. 22).

I ask you to contrast the attitudes of many postmodernists with the words of the Apostle John. In his first epistle, the Apostle John uses some form of the word "know" over and over. Please listen to these verses. "And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.... We know that whosoever is born of God does not sin; but he who is begotten of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in sin. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him who is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" (1 John 5:15, 18-20). The Apostle John used the expression, "we know," six times in these four verses. Five of those times the verb means "we have come to know and we still know; we have full knowledge."

If the Apostle John could know the great truths he outlined, can we not also know them? For example, John affirms: "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us and understanding" (1 John 5:20). John uses a different word for "know" in the following verses, but he assures us we can know. "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him" (1 John 2:3-5).

I have devoted considerable time in establishing the fact that human beings can know. We cannot know all there is to know; only God can do that. But we can know the plan of salvation, the Lord's instructions about worshipping him and the moral values God has revealed in his word. That means, very simply, that we can know that God has given a pattern for the work and worship of the church. We can also know that God expects us to honor the patterns he has given. We must have the mind of Christ to do always those things that please God (John 8:29).

I have a question for you to consider. If modern believing non-Christians want to have their sins forgiven and to be added to the Lord's church, must they follow the Holy Spirit's pattern the Apostle Peter enunciated on the day of Pentecost? Peter commanded the believing Jews: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Did the Jews obey the Holy Spirit's pattern for having their sins remitted? "Then they who gladly received his word were baptized, and the same there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). Must alien sinners follow the same pattern today if they want their sins forgiven?

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334