I have found myself having this discussion a lot lately, so I thought it might be good to share.
The Holy Scriptures – God’s authoritative, sufficient Word – is given for the complete equipping of every saint of every age for every good work.
In this Holy Bible, we find things that are PRESCRIPTIVE for the church and every act of obedience by the believer to walk in Spirit-driven holiness as we are being transformed into the image of Jesus. These would be the things that God through His inspired prophets, scribes, and apostles has instructed and prescribed His creation to follow. These would be principles, commands, examples,etc, some with promise and some with warning. In short, these are the things that God prescribes for us to do.
We also find things that are PERMISSIVE actions demonstrated or illustrated in Scripture. These are not necessarily things that God has commanded of all men, everywhere at all times. Some of these things would not even be God’s design or desire, but in some cases, He allows them…or permits them under certain conditions. However, just because God permits a thing or action does not mean that God has prescribed that thing or action.
Still yet, in the confines of Scripture, we do find many things that God says are PROHIBITED. To act on these is an offense to God’s design, God’s character, and God’s existence. We know these actions to be morally wrong or in disobedience to God’s design.
Today we hear many influencers that confuse, conflagrate, and interchange these three, which is a violation of Scripture itself. With God’s wisdom and discernment, we must know the difference.
Leave a Reply