The Supreme Court

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     Any communication whether divine or human, must be interpreted to be understood. The constitution of the United States creates a series of courts, culminated by a Supreme Court as the court of final appeals, and empowers these to be the authoritative interpreters of the intent and meaning of the law. What court can sit in judgment to determine the meaning of the revealed will of God and enforce sanctions upon those who do not concur in the ruling and refuse on the basis of conscience to subject themselves to it? Perhaps no other question in the long, and sometimes sordid, history of Christendom has been fraught with graver consequences than this. We propose to approach it by setting forth a number of propositions in sequence to which we invite the attention of our readers.

1. It is impossible to transfer an idea directly from one mind to another without a medium of communication recognized and accepted by both.
2. The most common and effective means of communication utilized by man consists of language.
3. Language employs words as the symbols of ideas, and all words act as bridges upon which ideas cross from one mind to another.
4. Words may be either spoken or written. The first medium makes use of certain sounds and the second of certain characters to which definite values are attached.
5. The receiving mind must accept and evaluate the language of the conveying mind and honestly weigh it to deduce from it exactly that which the other seeks to convey. This is interpretation.
   Revelation of God
6. Revelation is the uncovering of the thoughts in the divine mind and the making of them available to the thought processes of the human mind. Interpretation is the application of those processes to the communication in an attempt to determine what is meant. Revelation is what God said; interpretation is what we think he meant by what he said.

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7. Since the word of God was to be of universal application and benefit, and not limited to scholastics or philosophers, it was revealed in the common language of universal currency in its day.
8. Our problem of interpretation is augmented by our remoteness in time, place and circumstance from its original presentation.
9. Since the message was conveyed in the language of the day and its connotation was the same as that involved in the common affairs of life, the word of God must be interpreted by the same rules as govern the interpretation and understanding of any other literature of that day and place.
10. The deductions from the sacred writings made under such conditions and circumstances may fairly be called the doctrine of divine revelation. Interpretation of Scripture
11. For all practical purposes it is not the constitution but the interpretation placed upon it which becomes the functioning and governing law. Men will act in accordance with what they determine is implied in the law.
12. A careful study of the divine revelation will demonstrate that God has authorized no official interpreter or official interpretation of that revelation.
13. The nature of the church must be correctly understood or we will use the body to defeat the purpose of the head. We believe that there are at least three false concepts of the nature of the church which have helped to thwart the divine plan of the ages. These are as follows:
         (A) The church is a monolithic structure with a universal authoritarian head who is recognized as the official interpreter of the will of God.
         (B) The church is a guardian of orthodoxy with traditional views and interpretations expressed in a written or unwritten creed recognized as the norm or pattern and identified with the one faith. This sets up an official interpretation. In the episcopal form enforcement is upon a diocesan level through bishops. In the congregational form, elders or other local officials are invested with authority to interpret, define and decree what shall be recognized as the official doctrines or dogmas and no dissent or appeal from their decision can be made.
         (C) The church is purely a social agency with interest primarily directed toward alleviation of physical or temporal distress, and the changing of climate and environment. Under such arrangement the revelation from God is interpreted pragmatically, that is, whatever works to achieve the desired end, or seems to do so, is considered to be the will of God for the age. Whereas the first two abrogate freedom, the third advocates license in interpretation.
14. We hold that the church is an organism and not an organization, and that it is not composed of sects, denominations or parties, but of individuals who are joined by the Holy Spirit unto Christ as the head. These comprise a unit or unity because they are joined to the head. Their unity is found in him. But they are born into the relationship as individuals, they continue to be responsible and will eventually be judged as individuals. No one can impose his interpretation upon others. The supreme court is the individual conscience, enlightened by an honest and unprejudiced investigation of the truth. For this reason, and to ensure justice, we will be judged by the law with which we judge others. This provides

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    a restraint against all undue stringency.
15. By the same token anarchy will be avoided because each person is restricted in exercise of liberty by the conscience of his brother (I Corinthians 8:7-13; Romans 14:7-20). No one can be coerced into doing a thing as God's will further than he can see and understand it to be God's will. This holds forth no hope for those who deliberately rebel against God's will, but it provides for men to continue in the fellowship while they seek to grow in grace and knowledge of the truth.