According to Wikipedia, the acronym used for the title of this article has reference to “Garbage in, garbage out (abbreviated to GIGO, possibly intended to parallel the phrase first-in, first-out) is a phrase in the field of computer science or information and communication technology. It is used primarily to call attention to the fact that computers will unquestioningly process the most nonsensical of input data (‘garbage in’) and produce nonsensical output (‘garbage out’). It was most popular in the early days of computing, but applies even more today, when powerful computers can spew out mountains of erroneous information in a short time.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_In,_Garbage_Out, emp. theirs).

Those of us who depend on our computers know full well the problem presented by this acronym. Probably, every one of us, at one time or the other has wondered where what had just been “spit” out by our computer came from, as we looked in amazement at what had just happened.  Surely, if we are regular users of a computer, we have found “garbage” hiding away somewhere in our computer, waiting for just the “right moment” to be released on an unsuspecting recipient of an email or other communication.  Although we may not have put the “garbage” in, it came out as if we did. Such events are often embarrassing or problematic due to what has been sent to others indicating it came from us.

Moving from computers to something far more important, many within the Lord’s church are allowing the “garbage” of secular religious “scholarship” to fill their minds as they spend more time reading materials written by denominational “scholars” than they do their Bibles or materials written by men sound in faith.  So often the posted “reading list” of “gospel” preachers reads more like a list of who’s who of the denominational world than anything else. Why should we be surprised as “our” preachers fill their minds with the “dribble” that comes from the pens of such “scholars” that it will not be long until that which goes in, comes out? Recall what Jesus had to say about that which enters the heart of man and soon passed from his lips, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.” (Matthew 15:18). Remember, it is from the heart that the “issues of life” come (Proverbs 4:23).

Preachers are being turned away from the “power” of the “gospel” (Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12) as they read materials that leave the impression that somehow, some way, a new and better way must be found to reach the lost. The “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16) just isn’t enough for them anymore. According to these modern day scholars, it takes the “gospel” plus something else to reach the masses.  They say that the simple assemblies for the specific purpose of worshipping God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) must be “tweaked” to make them appealing to postmodern man.  All kinds of antics are being seen in the assembly that, if possible, would cause brethren of years gone by to “role over in their graves” if they knew what was happening!  Mechanical instruments, special group singing, the “lifting of holy hands,” so-called “praise teams,” “baby dedications,” and many other “innovations” are “popping up” all over the brotherhood, while no one seems to be concerned about where the Biblical authority for such practices is found, or if it is found at all.  Never mind what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians concerning the need to establish a proper scriptural foundation for what we do (Colossians 3:17).  

Pulpits are being filled by men who no longer believe that the Bible is the inspired, plenary, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Instead, a modernistic approach is being taken which suggests that the Bible needs to be looked at as being nothing more than a historical document filled with contradictions, written by men no more inspired than we are.  

The “virgin birth” of Jesus has long been set aside by those who see the Bible this way. Surely, they would argue, that we could not believe in the “archaic theory” that Jesus could have somehow been conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit.  Never mind, that the Bible states this to be true (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23), since after all, it is nothing more than a book of fables much like Aesop’s Fables.

Strange it is that as some of “our” congregations are being “fed” the “garbage” that is being cast away by some denominational folk, many of them have determined to examine exactly what the New Testament actually authorizes.  Over the years, as we have noted a “shift to the left” on the use of mechanical instruments of music” in the worship of God, a number of denominational writers have sat down to see just what is what when it comes to this issue. One such writer, John Price, a preacher in the “Reformed Baptist Church” came to an interesting conclusion:

                        We bring all of this together – the theological arguments from the                                                            Scripture concerning the regulative principle, the abundant historical                                                       evidence of the rejection of musical instruments by the church, and                                                   the testimony of their harmful effects upon gospel worship – and we                                                  ask the reader: what other conclusion can we come to than that                                                                   musical instruments should have no place in Christian worship?                                                         (Price, John, 2005, p. 233)

The Lord’s church is having as one piece of “garbage” after another dumped upon it for consumption. We are being told that there is no Biblical authority for taking the Lord’s Supper only on the “first day of the week,” regardless of the example of the early church doing just that (Acts 20:7). We’re hearing that we have been too restrictive when it comes to the public role of women in the assembly of the church, although the New Testament is quite clear (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:11; Titus 2:15).  Many are clamoring for a “new hermeneutic” without ever telling us why we need one, and what it would be if we had it!

Needless to say, a large number of other items could be added to this list, but before long the article will be too long to read.  So, to bring this to a conclusion, it is time we get our noses back into God’s inspired Word and ask not what do the “scholars” say but, rather, what does God say! His Word, and His Word alone, will be the standard that will be faced on that day when all humanity will be judged on what we have done in our body, “whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

REFERENCES

Price, John (2005), Old Light On New Worship (Avinger, TX: Simpson Publishing Company).