by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
If you believe in principle, then you accept implication and inference.<\/p>\n
A principle is a fundamental truth from which other laws or behaviors are derived. Upon understanding a principle, we recognize a variety of applications that derive from it. Yet the applications themselves might be unstated and we must figure out the specifics. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of the mature who have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Discernment is the ability to see a principle for what it is and make the proper applications from it. Mature people don’t need everything spelled out. They can grasp a principle and make applications appropriately. That is, they are able to draw conclusions from the principles about what’s right or wrong. To do such requires the ability to infer from what the principles imply.<\/p>\n
It is not uncommon, in discussions about authority, to see the concept of “necessary inference” taken to task. Yet the same ones who will take it to task may also speak of principles guiding their behavior. They don’t realize that they are sawing off the legs upon which they wish to walk. There is no living by principle if inferences have no binding power at all, for proper applications of any principle will necessarily involve those pesky inferences. Try stating a principle without making any specific, implied applications and see how that goes over. The principle would just be an empty idea with no real-world application.<\/p>\n
Many precepts are stated in a way that leaves us to work through the proper applications. For example, we are told, “love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful<\/em>” (Luke 6:35-36). Yet how is all of this to be carried out? We can define love and mercy the way we wish (subjective and self-willed), or we can dig further into Scripture and see exactly how God showed love and mercy. Then, we can see how to make applications in our own age. All of this requires inferring from then to now and from God’s actions to ours. Without inference, there is no application.<\/p>\n Once again we see the inescapable principles of authority. What God has told us, shown us, and implied are on every page. We cannot rightly say, “Only commands are binding,” for even then we will have crippled our abilities to make modern applications of those commands (again, try applying an ancient command to a modern context without inferring anything about how that command should be contextualized).<\/p>\n Without a doubt, inferences can be unnecessary and result in an abuse of a text. However, the fact that abuse can take place does not invalidate the point. Such just drives home the need to be careful in drawing conclusions and making applications. The interpretation of Scripture needs to be attended by good reason and great care for context. That is why this particular subject is important. If we care about principle, we’ll care about proper reasoning from the principle to the applications.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer If you believe in principle, then you accept implication and inference. A principle is a fundamental truth from which other laws or behaviors are derived. Upon understanding a principle, we recognize a variety of applications that derive from it. Yet the applications themselves might be unstated and we must figure out the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[78,529],"class_list":["post-39756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-authority","tag-hermeneutics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39099,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/reasoning-from-scripture\/","url_meta":{"origin":39756,"position":0},"title":"Reasoning from Scripture","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer No reasoning takes place without drawing conclusions from implications. Just try it. Statements and examples often come with the expectation that we draw further conclusions. The point of reasoning and discerning is that we are capable of taking what is explicitly given, then reasoning to conclusions that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91242,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-this-action-wise\/","url_meta":{"origin":39756,"position":1},"title":"Is This Action Wise?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Answering the question, \"Is an action right or wrong?\" may tell us what to think, and there is a place for this. \"Is the action wise?\" However, it teaches us how to think, and this is something emphasized in Scripture. Scripture, then, is not about some checklist\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58822,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-presbyterian-preacher-and-a-divine-principle\/","url_meta":{"origin":39756,"position":2},"title":"A Presbyterian Preacher and a Divine Principle","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 7, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by James W. Adams via\u00a0Gospel Guardian, August 31, 1950 The Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest sects of protestant Christendom and occupies a most honorable position among her sister denominations. In our day, she is noted for being one of the most austere, the coldest, and the most tenacious\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-difference-between-principle-and-standard-and-how-does-this-apply-to-modesty\/","url_meta":{"origin":39756,"position":3},"title":"What is the difference between principle and standard and how does this apply to modesty?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Could you\u00a0explain\u00a0the following for me, please? Basically, I would like for you to tell me what the difference between a \"principle\" and a \"standard\" is and give me your take on a sermon. The preacher is basically saying that Christians can't use the Old Testament to bind standards of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43794,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-basics-of-communication-tell-show-imply\/","url_meta":{"origin":39756,"position":4},"title":"The Basics of Communication: Tell, Show, Imply","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer We need to get past the constant criticism of CENI (Command, Example, Necessary Inference). The problem with CENI is not that it is a failed hermeneutic. The problem is that we have clouded the terminology so much that we have forgotten what basic communication is all about.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23259,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-about-this-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":39756,"position":5},"title":"What About This Man?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer This isn\u2019t a parable, but it is a principle to be understood with multiple applications. After Jesus resurrected and met with His disciples, He specifically talked with Peter. Three times (probably mirroring the three times Peter denied Him), Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. Three times\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/finger-pointing-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}