Expediency Vs. Addition
Expediency helps us carry out the action that is authorized in a more efficient way. An addition causes us to do something besides the authorized action.
To make sure we are not doing something in addition to the authorized action, we can ask ourselves some simple questions:
- Is what I am doing an aid in carrying out the authorized action?
- By doing this, am I now doing a separate action in addition to the authorized statement?
For example: The New Testament authorizes singing to God "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" (Ephesians 5:19). "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16) Using a song book would be an aid to carry out the authorized action. It does not create a separate action. When I use a song book I am still singing. Playing an instrument with the singing is an addition, because now I am doing two actions: 1) singing, which is authorized, and 2) playing, which is unauthorized. Even if it is used as an aid to singing, it still creates an extra, unauthorized action.
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