IF YOU WANT TO GET TECHNICAL ABOUT IT: Examples Are Not Binding
Some believers insist they are merely seeking “Bible authority,” yet their method relies on turning incidental actions in Scripture into universal commands. They preach a system that takes narrative moments and converts them into binding patterns, elevating examples into laws. But if one truly wants to “get technical,” both Scripture and sound reasoning show that this approach collapses under its own weight.
I. The New Testament Speaks in Commands, Not Coded Patterns
The New Testament does not hide its commands; it proclaims them plainly. When the apostles intend to bind something, they use imperative verbs. When they simply report events, they use indicatives.
This distinction is built into the Greek grammar of the Spirit-inspired text. An imperative (ἐντολή, entolē—command, John 14:15) communicates a duty. An indicative states what happened. No responsible interpreter confuses the two. Yet the binding-example approach claims that the form of the narrative (indicative) can carry the force of the imperative. That is linguistically indefensible.
Scripture consistently treats apostolic commands as commands and apostolic actions as actions. Paul says, “I command…not I but the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:10). He distinguishes this from his judgment or example (1 Corinthians 7:12, 25, 40). Luke reports what the church did when circumstances required it (Acts 2:46; Acts 20:7; Acts 21:26), yet never marks these historical details as laws for future generations.
If the Spirit intended examples to be binding, the Spirit would have said so. He never does.
II. Apostolic Flexibility Destroys the Binding-Examples Theory
Those who bind examples must face a devastating dilemma: the apostles themselves did not follow one unchanging pattern.
Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3), yet refused to circumcise Titus (Galatians 2:3–5). He kept Jewish customs among Jews (1 Corinthians 9:20), yet lived freely among Gentiles (1 Corinthians 9:21). He observed certain days at times (Acts 20:16), yet taught others that such observances were optional matters of liberty (Romans 14:5–6; Colossians 2:16–17). He met with believers on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), yet also taught “daily in the marketplace” (Acts 17:17) and “from house to house” (Acts 20:20).
If all examples are binding, every variation becomes a contradiction. No reasonable interpretation can force contradictory examples into universal rules. The apostles themselves moved freely under the guidance of the Spirit, and any theory that denies their Spirit-led freedom collapses immediately.
III. If Examples Are Binding, Then Absurdities Become Law
Those who claim “we must follow the pattern” must explain why they do not follow all patterns. The logic, when consistently applied, demands absurdity.
SYLLOGISM 1:
All apostolic examples are binding.
The apostles traveled, taught, ate, preached, met, and served in dozens of different ways.
Therefore, all Christians must do all these things in all these ways—a practical impossibility.
SYLLOGISM 2:
If an example is binding, then the context is irrelevant.
But every example in Acts is context-driven—persecution, geography, culture, missions, and circumstance.
Therefore, binding examples requires divorcing Scripture from its God-given context.
This is not reverent. It is reckless.
No serious reader would treat any other document this way—not a constitution, not a contract, not a letter, not a piece of literature. Yet some claim the Lord of glory constructed the most important document in human history in a way no reasonable communicator would ever employ.
This dishonors the very God whose Word they claim to defend.
IV. The New Testament Reveals the Real Basis of Authority
The New Testament grounds authority not in examples but in:
Direct commands (ἐντολαί) — John 14:21
Doctrinal teachings — 2 Timothy 3:16–17
Apostolic traditions delivered in words — 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Moral principles — Galatians 5:13–26
The law of love — Romans 13:8–10
Examples illustrate these truths but do not legislate them.
Paul explicitly denies that human inference creates divine obligation: “Who are you to judge another’s servant?” (Romans 14:4). “Let no one judge you…in food, drink, festivals, or days” (Colossians 2:16). “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
If examples were binding, there would be no liberty—only endless chains of deductions.
V. Commands Are Clear Because Christ Is Merciful
The gospel is not a scavenger hunt. It is not a cryptic puzzle. It is not a legal maze built out of narrative clues. When Christ calls His people to obey Him, He speaks with clarity, not obscurity.
The Lord who died for sinners is not the Lord who hides His will behind textual riddles.
He gives commands that are unmistakable.
He gives principles meant to guide every generation.
He gives freedom where He chooses not to command.
Those who trust Him do not treat every example as law; they trust that He has spoken where He intends to bind and remained silent where He intends to free.
A rigid, example-based system is not biblical, not logical, not grammatical, and not consistent with apostolic freedom. It creates burdens the New Testament never created. It mistakes narration for legislation. It elevates human inference above divine command. And it turns the living gospel into a dead code.
If anyone truly wants to “get technical about it,” the case is settled: Examples do not bind. Christ does. BDD
