Introduction:
Most Bible believers admit that God teaches directly by means of direct commands and direct statements. We sometimes say: "Commands constitute binding authority"; so, people are expected to obey, and those who do not obey in error.
[Examples: Acts 10:48; Matthew 22:37-39; 1
Corinthians 11:23-25; 14:37; John 14:15,21-24; 15:14; 1 John 2:3,4; 5:3;
Matthew 28:18-20]
But besides direct, explicit statements,
the Bible also teaches by indirect methods. These methods include examples and
"necessary inferences" (or "logical conclusions"). Some
people say we are obligated to follow only commands. They deny that example and
necessary inference are valid, binding ways to determine God's will. They may
even say that using such methods constitutes a man-made creed or a human
tradition. (Some even have a name for this view. They call it a "new hermeneutic.")
The purpose of this study is to examine
whether or not "necessary inference" constitutes a Scriptural method
to learn God's will.
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