Question
here is no evidence that we are commanded to teach in a classroom setting. Why do the Churches of Christ practice this tradition when they have no biblical authority? Other than the command to Go Teach and preach the word there is no reason for it especially in the light that it cost so much to build classrooms. Please give me scripture for the authority to build and use classrooms in the local church.
Answer
It may surprise you to know that not all congregations of churches of Christ believe in classrooms, though most do.
You are correct that there is a command to teach, but no command to teach in a classroom setting. Naturally, the same can be said for a building for worship. There is a command to assemble together (Heb. 10:25), and this requires a place to meet, but there is no mention in Scripture of the church owning or building a structure in which to meet for worship. When a command is specific, or when clear examples are given in the way in which a command was carried out, these commands and examples must be followed if one wishes to be sure he is following God’s pattern. The reason for this is obvious: If we do what the apostles did in the way they did it, then we know that practice to be correct. This is what the apostle John meant in 1 John 1:1-4 when he wrote that the apostles had fellowship with Christ, and if we follow the apostles’ writings, we can have fellowship with them (and hence, with Christ). In 2 John 9, he writes, “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”
But what if something is not specific enough to follow? The command to assemble in Heb. 10:25 does have an example in Acts 20:7-8, but the example lacks enough information for us to develop a pattern. They met in an “upper room,” but it can not be insisted that we also meet only in “upper rooms” because (among other things) the place of worship is irrelevant (e.g., John 4:19-24). Furthermore, we do not know what provisions were made by the church to meet there. Did they rent the room? Did they own the room? Was it the in the house of a member? History tells us that the early church owned no buildings, but is history infallible? And even if it is true, do we know why they didn’t own buildings? Was it “unscriptural” or was it because their property was subject to seizure by the government (as is specifically stated in Hebrews 10:34)?
You are correct in noting that the Scriptures do command us to teach and preach (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-17; Luke 24:46-47, etc.). We know WHAT to teach (the gospel), so anything more or less than that is unscriptural (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 John 9, plus the examples in the book of Acts). But nothing is said of how to teach or how to “go into all the world.” Radio programs? Newspaper ads? Classrooms? Revival meetings? Mouth to mouth only? Airplane? Automobile? Horseback or “camelback” only? There is a pattern to show that each congregation carried out their own local work and the only way congregations sent outside their own localities was to send support to an individual evangelist (2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15) or to send to other needy Christians (Acts 11:27-30; 1 Cor. 16:1: collections “for the brethren” or “for the saints”), but beyond that, the Scriptures do not give any specific information regarding the carrying out of the local work.
Your mention of money spent (and maybe wasted) is an important consideration. Funds spent by the church should relate to the work of the church, but there may be more than one right way to do things. This is the principle of expedience (profitable, helpful, beneficial) found in passages such as 1 Cor. 6:12 and 10:23. Just because something is permissible does not mean it is the best thing to do. Just because a decision is not the best one, does not make it an unscriptural one. This is where the question of classrooms lies. It is a matter of judgment. If one congregation decides to build a building without classrooms, that is their judgment, and they are within the bounds of Scripture. But so is a congregation which decides to build with classrooms, if they are able. Suppose a congregation wanted to purchase an already existing building. Suppose they found only one that suited their purpose and it already had classrooms? Should they instead build a new structure without classrooms even if it would cost more?
Understanding the authority of Scripture is important if we are to be good stewards of Christ’s trust. If we loose where God has not loosed, we are no less guilty than if we bind where He has not bound. In either case, we may be guilty of presumption.
By Doug Focht
