Churches of Christ -- Sermons; Sermons, American -- 20th century
2. The commandment to offer a passover sacrifice may also be used as an
illustration. If God had merely commanded the Jews to offer an animal,
that would have left them free to offer any sort of animal which they
chose. But he specified that they should offer a lamb, which meant
either a sheep or a goat. It was also specified that it should be of the
first year, a male, and without blemish. These details were specified
with the commandment. It would have been a sin for the Jews to have
ignored any of these specifications. In those days the word “lamb” was
understood to mean either a sheep or a goat. The Jews were free to offer
either, but they had to heed the specifications that it be of the first
year, without blemish, and of the male sex.
3. Coming to the New Testament for an illustration, we refer to the
great commission as recorded by Mark in the 16th chapter of his book,
verses 15 and 16: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he
that believeth not shall be damned.”
Here again we have a commandment which is partly generic and partly
specific. The word “go” is generic with respect to the means of travel
to be used. The general form of this commandment leaves one free to
travel by any suitable method. In obeying this commandment one may
travel by rail, by boat, by airplane, by automobile, on foot, on
horseback, or by any other method that is in decency and in order.
I recently held a meeting in Alabama which people attended by
practically every means of transportation. They came by train, by bus,
by automobile, on tractors, in buggies, on horseback, on foot, in
wagons, in trucks—in almost every conceivable way except by airplane or
motorboat. The general commandment to _go_ leaves one free to travel in
any of these ways.
But this same commandment is specific in respect to what shall be taught
after one gets to the place of teaching. It specifies that one shall
preach the _Gospel_. The message that is to be delivered is therefore
specified. It _must_ be the _Gospel_.
4. Matthew’s statement of this same commission says, “Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you.” The commandment to teach is specific
as to the message, but it is generic with reference to the method that
shall be used in the teaching.
According to the general command to teach, the lesson may be either oral
or written. The teacher may be either a man or a woman, and the size of
the class may be whatever circumstances and expediency justify. This
commandment to teach does not specify the number that shall be in the
class, or the sex of the teacher, or whether the lesson shall be an oral
one or a written one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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