The seed of error is born from the rejection of a need for authority. When men choose to establish worship upon their own feelings and notions while rejecting the word of God - apostasy begins. Eve disobeyed God because the devil gave her reason to question the authority of God. The law of God was simple to understand: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16,17). A small child can understand these instructions. When the devil came to the woman, the first thing he said was: "Has God indeed said?" (Genesis 3:1).
The worship of God has always been challenged with these words and when men answer the question as Eve did, error begins. The children of Israel knew it was wrong to bow down to idols as the Law plainly taught but teachings as commandments the doctrines of men, they became worshippers of the creature rather than the Creator. The warning given by Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 shows how men would turn from the authority of God to their own desires: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."
Jesus believed in the authority of the word of God. The tempter came to Jesus and sought to destroy him as he did Eve in the garden with the three elements of temptation: "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Notice how Jesus dealt with each temptation - "It is written" (Matthew 4:4,7,10). It mattered not what Jesus thought nor what Jesus would say but only what the Father had established in His word. His condemnation of the religious world in His day was taken from the prophet Isaiah: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:8,9).
Our worship and service to God can only be based upon the authority of the word of God. We may proclaim that "we preach the word" but when we allow the doctrines of men to creep in among us and declare those things not found within the word of God, we stand in jeopardy of the same condemnation given to those Jews in Jesus time.
In churches throughout the country, women are leading in prayer and taking a more public role in the worship. Because the teachings of men have so long directed the affairs of man in worship to God, nothing is seen wrong with this kind of activity. What would Jesus say to such things? He would begin by saying, "It Is Written Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression" (1 Corinthians 14:34; 11:3 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14).
Bible authority means that what we have given ourselves to do is to follow only - ONLY - what is found in the word of God. If it cannot be established with a "thus saith the Lord" then the 'saith' will not be of the Lord but of men. When men begin to envelop themselves with the pride of life they begin to teach doctrine contrary to the will of God. Stand fast on the word of God and the word of God alone!
~In Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 3/7/99.