We’re taking some time these days to look at what is sometimes touted as a method for interpreting the Bible. It’s often called CENI, which refers to commands, examples and necessary inference. What some would advocate is a fairly simple hermeneutic: we look for direct commands, approved examples and make necessary inferences from those. Having done so, we have now ascertained the Lord’s will on any given matter. (Usually this method is coupled with the regulative principle, the idea that anything not expressly sanctioned in the New Testament should be considered as disallowed)

My argument is that CENI is insufficient as a hermeneutic. It is subjectivity masquerading as objectivity. Looking at commands, examples and making inferences is not enough to allow us to establish doctrine. I’ve already looked a bit at commands. Now I want to turn our attention to examples.

The question necessarily becomes: Which examples are approved? Who decides which examples are approved?

Let’s take the book of Acts. We start off with a gathering in an upper room. Did you know that some argue that Christians can only hold their assemblies in upper rooms? I’ve seen churches who built an auditorium on the upper floor, refusing to meet on the ground floor. They note that Jesus established the Lord’s Supper in an upper room, we have the example here and the example in Acts 20 (specified in verse 8). No ground floor meetings are ever specified.

At the gathering, a need is seen to choose a new apostle. This is done democratically, of course, since the Bible advocates democracy consistently throughout its pages. (Sorry… sarcasm slipped in again) Two men are nominated, though we aren’t told how. We are told how the final decision is made. Lots are cast, a very common procedure from Old Testament times. Is that example approved? Should we cast lots to choose leaders?

And so it goes through the book of Acts. The only New Testament model we have for funding the work of the local church is revealed to us in chapters 4 and 5: selling personal property to outsiders. I’ve heard churches criticized for having garage sales to raise money; seems like that’s not all that far from the approved example. Or are those examples not approved? It seems a bit hard to tell.

In the book of Acts, fasting accompanies the choosing of leaders, on several different occasions. Chapter 13 models a group fast, either among the leaders of the church of Antioch or within the whole congregation. I know of congregations that have never had a group fast in their entire history.

Leaders chosen are then recognized by the laying on of hands. Again, many churches shy away from this practice. Somehow that example doesn’t get everyone’s stamp of approval. (I was at a church that was installing deacons, and one of the elders announced, “We’re going to substitute the right hand of fellowship for the laying on of hands.” Really? Now we can do substitutions? What other things can be used in lieu of others?)

Other examples can be looked at, but hopefully you see the point. We have no red letters in our Bibles to distinguish the approved examples from the unapproved ones. What we need is a concise rule as to how to know when an example is approved and when it’s not. It needs to be fairly concise, or we lose the simplicity touted by those who favor CENI, you know, the “you just look for commands and examples and follow them” argument.

If you were going to state the rule for determining when an example is considered to be approved, what would you say?

Photo by Amy Aldworth

Few, if any, Christians choose to disobey God’s commands. Should be an obvious statement, but I hear people say, “They just don’t want to do what God says.” If someone is convinced that a command is universally and eternally applicable, they won’t deliberately disobey it.

The problem is in the determination of the scope and application of commands that we find in the New Testament. That’s where CENI (short for Commands, Examples, Necessary Inferences) fails us. It doesn’t give us any tools to make those determinations. We can say that Paul’s commands about head coverings for women were only applicable to the Corinthian situation, but we need to have some basis for saying that. We can see the stipulations of the letter in Acts 15 as being limited to the first century, but why? On what grounds? Merely chanting “direct commands, approved examples and necessary inferences” doesn’t get us there.

Another twist is the fact that not all commands are expressed as imperatives and not all imperatives are commands. Some real life examples might help on this. If I say, “Come on in, have some coffee,” I haven’t really given you a command. It’s an invitation, expressed with imperatives. “Have a good day!” is not a command. In the same way, if your company’s handbook says, “The employee will not consume caffeine during the course of the day,” that affirmation has the weight of a command. (though the Supreme Court would throw that out as cruel and unusual punishment)

When Paul describes “bishops” to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3, is he giving a command within that description? Is it just for Ephesus or is that for all places? Is it just for the first century or is it for all times?

At times Paul admits that he’s writing his own ideas (1 Corinthians 7:12), while at times he passes on commands directly from God (1 Corinthians 7:10). And at times, he gives conflicting commands for different contexts. To the Corinthians, Paul writes that those who are not married should remain single if possible (1 Corinthians 7). To Timothy, Paul says that younger widows should marry and have children (1 Timothy 5:14).

Back when I posted about starting from zero, someone wrote on my Facebook page: “Silly question. There is no way to start from zero. We have commands from the God we worship regarding how He wants us to worship Him. Who are we to do anything else but follow those commands?” Oh that it were so simple.

I think everyone wants to follow God’s commands, when we are convinced that those commands apply to us. Determining the scope and application of God’s commands goes beyond the capabilities of CENI. We need a more complete hermeneutic.

[From time to time I have to repeat this disclaimer: I don’t believe in salvation by works. I do believe in grace. Read this post if you’re still confused: Created For Good Works]

Photo by Amy Aldworth

Depending on how you count them, there are between 800 and 1000 commands in the New Testament. For the sake of space, I won’t list them all. :-)

I know no one who tries to keep them all. That statement, in and of itself, is enough to doom the use of CENI (commands, examples, necessary inferences) as a hermeneutic. No one tries to keep them all, not even the staunchest advocate of the CENI hermeneutic.

Take this command for example: “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4:13) or this one: “Go south to the road — the desert road — that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (Acts 8:26) These are commands, but we can clearly see they aren’t for us.

Many leave out all commands found in the gospels. Why would we expect Christians to follow the teachings of Christ? No, those teachings were obviously meant for the months leading up to his death. They were recorded by Christians for Christians to read them and know what sort of things they aren’t expected to do. (I’m sorry… is my sarcasm showing?)

Other commands are trickier. In the United States, we’ve deemed the “holy kiss” as something that was for then and not now. (That command is given five times in the New Testament!) Paul’s instructions about widows in 1 Timothy 5 are generally disregarded. Lifting holy hands in prayer? Optional. Praying in Jesus’ name? Obligatory (even if that command is from the gospels!)

I think you get the point. It’s not enough to say, “Here we have a direct command.” Even when we find that command, we have to analyze it in light of who said it, to whom, under what circumstances, etc. To say, “We just do what the Bible says to do” isn’t very helpful.

In a couple of missions classes, we were given a list of commands from the Bible and asked to tell which we felt to be “eternal” commands and which were “temporal” commands (only applicable at that time). After doing that, we were asked to write a short explanation as to the basis on which we make our decisions. It’s an interesting exercise.

Anyway, in looking at the idea of “direct commands, approved examples, and necessary inferences” being a sufficient hermeneutic, my opinion is the concept falls flat right out of the gate. What do you think?

Photo by Amy Aldworth

Most of us in the Restoration Movement are familiar with this formula. It’s often abbreviated CENI. (Though Brad used CEIe yesterday; I may have to get him to explain that one.) It’s the idea that God’s will for Christians is communicated in three ways in the New Testament: direct commands from the Lord for the church (primarily communicated through the apostles), examples from the early church that were not condemned by the apostles (therefore seen as approved), and inferences that are deemed to be necessary.

Originally, CENI was applied, along with the regulative principle, as a means of determining what was and what was not “authorized” worship. (Jay Guin gives an excellent introduction and overview on his blog) It should also be noted that CENI existed in American culture in the 1800s outside of the church; Edward Fudge notes examples of legal cases which call for “express statute, approved precedent or necessary inference.”

At some point, many came to see commands, examples and inferences as a hermeneutic model for interpreting the New Testament. (And, it should be pointed out, most who appeal to this hermeneutic would only be interested in studying the New Testament to know God’s will for Christians. Some would insist on leaving out the gospels, along with the Old Testament) CENI does not work as a hermeneutic. It is insufficient. It needs help from other concepts like context, literary genre, etc.

I want to take some time to analyze CENI as a basis for interpreting Scripture and establishing authority for Christian practices. Lots of people have done this, but I want to go through the exercise for two reasons. One is the fact that there is at this time an active group of insightful commenters; I learn much from the interaction that goes on. The second reason is that my ideas always need testing, and I find the Kitchen to be a wonderful place for critics to examine my half-baked thoughts.

So let the games begin. Tell me about your experiences, both good and bad, with the concept of direct commands, approved examples and necessary inferences.

Photo by Amy Aldworth