I. Origin

Every standard must be originated by someone. We here ask who is the originator of these various standards? What is their source?

A. The Bible Came from God.

Its origin is Divine. It is a message from God to man.

John 16:13; [14:26] - Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the apostles into all truth. As these men spoke and wrote, the teachings they revealed were not human in origin, but were the very will of God.

1 Corinthians 14:37 - The things Paul wrote were the commandment of the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God.

When we follow the Bible, we are following God's will for man, not human ideas.

[1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Ephesians 3:3-5; John 16:13; Matthew 10:19,20; Galatians 1:8-12; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Luke 10:16]

B. Other Standards Came from Men.

They are human in origin. The writers were not inspired or guided by the Holy Spirit. Generally they do not even claim such. Nevertheless, denominations recognize these writings as authority - rule or law - which the group uses in determining what it should or should not teach and practice.

Examples

Methodist Discipline, p. v:

Traditionally United Methodists have not only been happy to be guided by the Discipline as a book of church law, but they have also usually regarded it with a certain degree of reverence... -- 1973 edition

Nazarene Manual, p. 27:

...we, the ministers and lay members of the Church of the Nazarene ... do hereby ordain, adopt, and set forth as the fundamental law or constitution of the Church of the Nazarene the Articles of Faith, the General Rules, and the Articles of Organization and Government here following... - 1972 Edition.

Page 44 tells how this Constitution may be repealed or amended by 2/3 vote.
Presbyterian Book Of Confessions, section 9.04:

The United Presbyterian Church ... is guided by the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds from the time of the early church; the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Second Helvetic Confession from the era of the Reformation; the Westminster Confession and Shorter Catechism from the seventeenth century; and the Theological Declaration of Barmen from the twentieth century" - 1967 edition

Note that they claim these creeds are founded on the Old and New Testaments; but they are not the Old and New Testaments - they are man-made creeds in addition to the Bible.

Roman Catholic Catechism

Page 9: Do we get from the Bible alone all our knowledge and certainty about what God has told us? No, there is also Sacred Tradition ... What is tradition? The Word of God handed on to us by the Apostles in their preaching and by their successors in the Church to the present day...
Page 51: Did God intend that the Bible alone should be the guide to salvation? No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood, and because the Bible does not have everything God taught.

Page 56 - Does Jesus require us to follow the Pope in matters of religion? Yes, because obedience and loyalty to the Pope are among the chief requirements of Our Lord's plan for unity in His church - A Catechism for Adults, 1975 edition.

Many other examples could be cited. Sometimes members of these groups will affirm that they do not recognize these writings as authority. Nevertheless, the denomination they are a member of does recognize and follow them. These are human standards in addition to the Bible. Men wrote them and men can change them.

What is God's attitude toward such human authority in religion?

Human authority has never been acceptable to God in spiritual matters.

Isaiah 55:8,9 - Our ways are not God's ways. His ways are higher than ours as Heaven is higher than earth. Men by our own wisdom are not able to know what pleases God. We cannot invent doctrine and expect Him to be pleased.

Jeremiah 10:23 - It is not in man that walks to direct His path.

Matthew 15:9,13 - For this reason, Jesus forbids our following man-made teachings. It makes our service to God vain. Such doctrines will be rooted up, and those who follow teachers of these doctrines will fall into the ditch (v13,14).

[Galatians 1:8,9; 2 John 9-11; Colossians 3:17; Proverbs 14:12; 3:5,6; Revelation 22:18,19; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 Peter 4:11]
Jesus is the only law-giver for His church.

Matthew 28:18-20 - He had all authority in heaven and on earth, so men should observe all things He commands.

Ephesians 1:22,23 - He is head over all things to His church. What is left for men to rule or make laws over? [James 4:12]

The fundamental error of all man-made religious authority is that it puts man in the place of God. It says that men are wise enough to make rules about how to serve God, whereas God says men do not have this wisdom. Only God has the right to make religious laws, and those laws have all been made and revealed in the Bible.

People who respect the authority of Jesus will not make or follow laws other than those He has revealed. To follow man-made laws is to show lack of respect for Jesus!