Why don't we wash feet (and do other things the bible commands)?

Here are three questions to ponder:

1. Why do we regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:23-25) but not foot washings (John 13:14)?


2. Why don’t all the women at PCF cover their heads (1 Cor 11:10) and remain silent (1 Cor 14:34)?


3. When was the last time we greeted one another with a holy kiss (Rom 16:16, 1 Cor 16:20, Cor 13:12, 1 Thes 5:6)?

That’s five commands from the scriptures, and by my count PCF obeys one of them. That’s not a very good percentage!

My point is not that we should be doing these things, but rather that we need to understand how to determine which biblical commands apply to us today.

D.A. Carson has laid out six principles to guide us in figuring this out:

1. As conscientiously as possible, seek the balance of Scripture, and avoid succumbing to historical and theological disjunctions.


2. Recognize that the antithetical nature of certain parts of the Bible, not least some of Jesus’ preaching, is a rhetorical device, not an absolute. The context must decide where this is the case.


3. Be cautious about absolutizing what is said or commanded only once.


4. Carefully examine the biblical rationale for any saying or command.


5. Carefully observe that the formal universality of proverbs and of proverbial sayings is only rarely an absolute universality. If proverbs are treated as statutes or case law, major interpretive and pastoral errors will inevitably ensue.


6. The application of some themes and subjects must be handled with special care, not only because of their intrinsic complexity, but also because of essential shifts in social structures between Biblical times and our own day.

I’d encourage you to follow the link and read the entire article.

Posted by David Fenton on Feb 18, 11:00 PM