PART ONE: OUR
MOTHER
Chap. 3: Our ONE True Mother: Toward a Biblical Doctrine of Unity in Christ’s Church
Let me begin this chapter
with a short story of my own search for my “mother”. My wife Margaret and
I wanted me to go to Westminster Theological Seminary when I believed God had
called me to be a minister of his Church after reading the extremely helpful
and convicting book ‘No Place for Truth; Or, Whatever Happened to Evangelical
Theology’ by David F. Wells. We sought the pastor-elders at the local PCA
(Presbyterian Church in
After a couple years of
teaching in the Church, and testing me to see if I was perhaps called by God,
the elders at Smyrna PCA encouraged me to come under the care of the North
Georgia Presbytery (PCA) in order to be discipled and nurtured in my faith
while I was a seminarian.
When I arrived at
Westminster Theological Seminary, I was glad to be part of a long tradition of
biblical faithfulness to Christ and His Church. I obtained a job at the
bookstore and late one night had an interesting, yet troubling conversation
with a new friend who I will call Dave (that wasn’t his name, although I know a
lot of Daves!). Dave told me that although he had come to
This sounded appealing to
me, but I had come to Westminster Theological Seminary to be a teacher or
pastor in Evangelical, Bible-believing churches, how could I meet a person such
as this in my first week of studies- - and be so interested and attracted in
what he said about his communion? I realized he was right when he said:
“Charles, look around you at all the splits and divisions even within just one
Protestant or Evangelical communion, surely this reveals that this is not what
God desires for His One Church!?” What Dave told and described to me, and
what I realized (very painfully as I listened to him), was that this is what I
had desired for a long time in my Christian journey, especially as someone who
was saved in an independent, Evangelical Bible Church that did not think of
itself as connected to the larger Church.
I had experienced as new
Christian, well-meaning pastors who had unintentionally deceived me and others
in the congregation because they were not skilled in the word, formally trained
in theology, and some were not even ordained as ministers and were not
accountable to others ministers (cf. 2 Tim. 1:7-10; 2:15). Because I had
experienced this, and because I read in the Bible that we were clearly supposed
to be unified as a Church, I longed to be part of the unified Church of the
past, that was more than invisible, but that had a visible aspect as
well. This was what I confessed in the Apostle’s Creed as being the
“Catholic” Church (but I blushed when saying it too loud!). I desired the
unity that the Bible commanded- -but how?
I never visited with Dave
the Eastern Orthodox Church communion of which he was a part, though what he
described to me was a rich tradition and the ability to trace my generation in
the Church to the early church fathers! What did become of this
conversation was the beginning of prayerfully thinking about this real concern
of being part of the one true and visible Church. Surely, I wondered, I
could be an Evangelical pastor and still be part of the visible Church.
Surely, I thought, I could hold to evangelical doctrines, and yet still be part
of the “Catholic” or universal Church, but “how”!? I knew that the Bible
was clear on seeking unity and believing in one Church, and being one-minded.
During this time at
seminary, I was thankful and grateful to take classes with Dr. William Barker,
Dr. D. Clair Davis, and Dr. D. G. Hart in Church History at
After graduating seminary,
when I did a pastoral intern and study with a godly pastor and mentor, I was
surprised by some of the individualistic mindsets of the people with regard to
Christ’s Church. I had the opportunity of serving in a loving
congregation of saints, but I wasn’t ready for the reaction I received when I
began to speak of the importance of seeking unity in the visible Church, and my
love for her. I saw that there was not a true love and affection for the
visible Church, nor was the ordained ministry as respected as it should be, and
to talk about creeds, confessions, and councils was to introduce something
foreign into Evangelical conversations (more on this in part three). I
realized through this experience and studying the issue, that Evangelical
Christians live in a time of great individualism, and that many of us
(including myself for several years after I became a Christian) are just simply
ignorant of the past, and threatened by any kind of tradition, even if it is
good (“Radical Romish-Reactionism” I reckon!).
Later, as I am now a
pastor of God’s sheep after my ordination, these things have become even more
important for me, particularly as an evangelist and church planter in a local
community. I believe that I am called and charged to establish a local
church by God’s grace, that is part of the “Catholic” Church and to teach
Christians to think of themselves self-consciously as part of a greater
communion of saints. As I have tried to establish a local congregation by
God’s grace and strength, there have many souls refreshed by the refocus on the
visible Church, the emphasis on the ordained office of minister, and the
creeds, confessions, and councils of the Church throughout history, but at the
same time there has also been well-meaning and kind Evangelicals who think I
have taken things a bit too far.
One of my primary goals
and prayers to God is that this study would be used by God to call Evangelical,
Bible-believing Christians back to a biblical doctrine of the visible Church,
that we would no longer forsake our mother, and that we would seek unity
together with all the saints and neither deceive each other as to what we truly
believe, nor be ignorant of the past theologically or historically. The
reason I began writing this was because somewhere deep inside every Evangelical
there is the question of how to seek unity in the one Church; I believe that is
true. In one conversation I had recently, I began speaking of ‘The
Church’ (emphasizing its one-ness), and one Evangelical friend of mine asked
me: “Which one Church are your referring to?” I said: “How many Churches
are there?” And he caught himself, and realized that he had been assuming
disunity rather than unity.
I pray that we can ask God
how to recognize the face of our mother in a local congregation, to make
ourselves formally part of that congregation through membership, and then seek
unity in the one holy catholic and apostolic church, as we seek one-minded-ness
in our understanding of God and the Bible. This is what we will study in
the chapter.
Am I saying that I have
found perfect biblical unity? No! But I am striving as we are commanded to
do. I am not saying that I am perfectly in line with the Christian
Church. I am seeking to be, but we must be students of history and theology to
avoid making the same mistakes of the past. I am seeking to be sanctified
by the truth with other Christians (John 17:17), and when I am not fully lined
up with Christ's Truth in Scripture as it has been understood and interpreted
by Christians for the last 2000 years, I too in my aberration from the truth,
am in need of reflection, or maybe even repentance. This is why it is
important to discuss the issues together as we seek unity together with all the
saints.
A thinking and wise
Christian should think and interpret with the Church as it has articulated and
formulated biblical teaching--not individualistically, because the thinking
Christians knows that his mind and heart can deceive him. The thinking Christian
knows and realizes his mind has been tainted by sin (as much as his will) and
the way to seek truth is together with all the saints (Eph.
“Our One
Mother”: Seeking Unity Together with All the Saints
Because the visible Church
is truly a gift from Christ as an institution, family and school as we studied
in chapter two, how are we to understand this one “mother”, or
Let’s consider a few
passages, and then think about how we can better seek unity by visibly being
members of Christ’s institution, family and school on earth, although made up
of different congregations in differing parts of the world (cf. Rev. 2-3;
13:7). Let us begin with three passages, one from Ephesians 4, then we
will look at Jesus’ prayer for His Church in John 17, then finally we will look
at Philippians 2:
ESV Ephesians 4:1-7: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with
all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3
eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4
There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to the one hope that
belongs to your call- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift
[emphasis mine].
In the above passage, the
Apostle Paul wants to stress the unity of God’s people (Eph. 4:3-5). As
he teaches in other places as well as Ephesians 4, the one Church is the one
Body of Christ. There are not “bodies of Christ”, or “brides of Christ”,
but one body and one bride. There is also one institution, family and
school as well. We as the people of God are the visible Church, the
household of God, and the school of disciples all at the same time. The
Apostle Paul teaches the visible Church at Ephesus in chapter four of his
letter that there is one Church and therefore all Christians at that local congregation
should strive and be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace.
Apostolicity: One
Holy Catholic Apostolic Church
Although Christ’s Church
is one, we nevertheless seek unity at the congregational, local level first and
primarily, but we do so with an eye toward the larger, greater One Church of
Christ as an institution, family or school given by Christ to his people.
How do we do this? Regardless of the name on the sign in front of the Church
building, none of us should be separated historically or theologically from
other congregations of Christ in the
As we learn to confess
(with the Church) the Nicene Creed, we confess one holy catholic apostolic
Church. Apostolicity refers to the apostolic teaching. We
will study further in part two the apostolic office of pastor-elder, but for
now, we want to understand the apostolic teaching of the Bible.
Apostolicity refers to the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that was
written down for God’s people for all time, written or supervised by apostles
called by Christ himself.
Seeking unity begins by
having the correct teaching of the Bible. Understanding “apostolicity”
means striving to understand the Word of God and the interpretation of this
word throughout church history. It is knowing that there is one truth of
Scripture, that is passed on to every generation, and that one truth can be
variously interpreted. So as the one Church we seek unity by
understanding the one Word and seeking to interpret the one Word with the
Church throughout the ages. This prevents Christians from falling into unintentional
relativism, such as “I think it means this…” or “This Scripture means this to
me…” or “I feel that God said this to me in this passage…” Well, did he?
The teaching of apostolicity of the one Church is the biblical teaching and the
interpretation of the Church and all her saints both dead and living.
In other words, in order to seek unity, we must
start with our Bibles, but we must start with our Bibles while interpreting
them with other saints who have interpreted our Bibles before us in history.
We should read and study
the Bible with the one Church throughout the ages. Even though we are
alive at this particular time, and have a certain sign in front of our church
that makes us unique as a congregation of Christ’s saints, we are still part of
the one apostolic Church built on Christ and the prophets, who make up the
cornerstone and solid foundation:
Ephesians 2:18-21: So then
you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God, 20
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole
structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple
in the Lord [emphasis mine].
Earlier in Ephesians, the
Apostle Paul has stressed the oneness of the
Are You “NOBLE” like
the Bereans?
Because of the Biblical
teaching of the one Church, and one foundational teaching of Christ and his
apostles, we are commanded in Scripture to stay in this visible institution,
family and school as disciples, and seek unity together with saints both dead
and living, those who have lived before us, those who live with us in our
present generation, and those who will live after us, by learning the
Scriptures, the Biblical foundation of Christ and his apostles, together with
all the saints. This means that we read and interpret our Bibles together
with those who have lived before us, those who live with us, and those who will
live after us.
Let me illustrate.
If you were part of a noble and respected family of doctors, would you begin
your studies of medicine by yourself individualistically? Would you try
to train to take care of bodies by using medicine of your own making and from
your own mere creative powers? Or would you seek to understand the
doctors in your family who lived before you, as well as those doctors still
alive, and learn from their wisdom concerning medicine and the treatment of the
human body?
It is similar in the one
Church. We are not a long line of doctors (although some of you might
be), but we are those who study “gospel medicine for the soul”. We should
study those faithful men and women who administered this gospel medicine before
we were born, those who are alive today, and seek to pass on our prescriptions
and formulas to the next generation. There has been much wicked poison in
the history of Christ’s Church, and we do not want to be guilty of being
unaware of this doctrinal poison, and unintentionally administering it to the
souls of Christ’s people. The “Bereans” give us a biblical example of
what I speaking about.
We should remember that
this is what made the Bereans “noble” when the Apostle Paul came teaching about
Jesus and his resurrection. When Paul came to teach the Bereans (Acts
17:9ff) what made them truly “noble” was that they were studying their Bibles
“together with all the saints” (Eph.
We are to be
"noble" in the same way. The Church at
The next Scripture we
should consider as we learn the Biblical teaching of the one
ESV John 17:1-11 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven,
and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may
glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to
give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is
eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work
that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own
presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6
"I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the
world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7
Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8
For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them
and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed
that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the
world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10
All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11
And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to
you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that
they may be one, even as we are one [emphasis mine].
We should first remember
that Jesus’ prayers always get answered! As much as we know that God will
present Jesus with one Church, one Bride who will be unspotted by sin and pure
(Eph.
With Whom Do You
Study Your Bibles?
But by seeking unity in
apostolicity, or the apostolic teaching of the Bible, that is in seeking unity
through the one apostolic teaching of Christ found in Scripture, we can seek
unity visibly and publicly before the world. However, we must repent of
seeking unity from the visible Church or individually apart from the
Church, and learn to be humble enough to join a local and faithful
congregation of saints, and to seek unity within the Church with other brothers
and sisters, both in life and in our theological thinking (life and doctrine).
As we join a faithful local congregation of the Church, we then begin our
pursuit of truth and unity with the one greater and larger Church throughout
history, saints both dead and living. This is what the Apostle Paul tells
Pastor Timothy (1 Tim. 4:12-16):
Let no one despise you for
your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in
faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public
reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect
the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders
laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, devote yourself
to them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close
watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you
will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:12-16) [emphasis
mine].
As Pastor, Timothy was to
set believers an example in his life of godliness and in his teaching of
Scripture. He had learned from his mother and grandmother the Word of God,
then learned specifically from the Apostle Paul (read 1 and 2 Timothy on Paul’s
specific instructions, cf. Acts 20:26-32). Notice that even though
Timothy was under the authority of elders and in submission to them, he was to
keep a close watch personally on his life and teaching (vv. 15-16). This
teaches that we learn in submission to elders above us, and that we should
constantly strive to learn about how to live the Christian life (“being
Church”), as well as how to teach Christian doctrine (“doing church”) together
with all the saints both dead and living. I am repeating this because I
do not believed this is as emphasized as it should be today in evangelical
circles. Our call to unity is together with all the saints. Or, if
I can say it in another way, seeking unity requires that we be holy or
sanctified in the truth ourselves (John 17:17), while realizing we are
“catholic”, that is to say universal, or to recognize the one greater Church,
and we are apostolic, in that we strive to better understand the apostolic
teaching and gospel deposited for the Church in God’s Word.
Finally, we will look at
Philippians 2:1-13, and notice again the Apostle Paul’s emphasis on the one
Christ, one Spirit, one Church, and one hope that should encourage us to strive
toward unity:
ESV Philippians 2:1-13 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any
comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having
the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do
nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant
than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own
interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind
among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he
was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the
likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above
every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my
presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and
to work for his good pleasure.
One-Minded-Ness in
the Church
Paul says above in
Philippians 2:2 that we are to literally have the same mind, or we should be on
the same page, having the same love, and he repeats again the “same
mind”. How can we achieve this “same mind” not only in our local
congregations, but in the larger visible
We should understand the
implications from these passages, that to separate individualistically from the
visible institution, family and
Before we study what I
think to be the biblical way of striving for unity and one-minded-ness, let me
first tell a story that illustrates what is not striving for unity.
Remember, all faithful churches talk about unity, but is it biblical unity?
As a local pastor I was recently invited to be part of an “alliance” of churches
in my area. I chose to decline the invitation graciously, even though the
invitation said to me that it was in order to seek unity with other
congregations of Christians. I believe that even though these
well-intentioned, Evangelical pastors were talking about unity, I don’t believe
they were actually achieving a biblical unity because ultimately they
were only discussing what they believed together, and avoiding the subjects
where they disagreed. Be patient with me as I explain to you why I think
this is unbiblical and no unity at all!
When I read the
invitation, I noticed that in their literature for their “alliance of churches”
that they wanted to provide accountability to preachers and pastors all over
the county! I very much appreciated that, because of the sinful nature of
man, there is a great need of accountability for all church leaders.
Under shepherds who are pastor-elders in Christ's church cannot be without
accountability, they must be under authority of Scripture and others submitted
to Scripture (1 Peter 5).
I remember once in the
past over 10 years ago, I asked the pastor of the congregation I attended when
I became a new Christian who was his authority on earth and he said "no
one". I asked him who held him accountable for his teaching and kept
him on a straight course and who had the authority to discipline him if he was
negligent in life and doctrine, yet he said "no one" to all of
these. This is one of the reasons I still ask pastors today when I meet
them to whom do you submit in formal accountability. So, accountability
is important and it is one way of seeking unity. Many within this
"alliance" need accountability and many of the pastors do not have it
(some are Congregationalists without other elders), so this can be very
constructive as method of seeking unity.
But it is just with
regards to unity of mind and thinking specifically, which was why I declined
the invitation. As I stated in the second chapter, one of the reasons I
am a confessional Christian is because I want others in Christ's visible
Church, other congregations and pastors who may differ in their interpretation
and understanding of Scripture to know exactly what I believe and why,
concerning the teaching of the Bible. I hold to the historic expression
of Biblical Christianity found in the Westminster Confession of Faith. I
believe that the Westminster Confession contains the system of doctrine and
truth found in Holy Scripture. Therefore, you or anyone else will always
know where I stand and what I believe. I believe this is seeking unity
within the visible Church. You know that I did not make up what I believe
yesterday, and publicly you can read and study what I believe about what the
Bible teaches. I believe this is being candid and honest before men as
well.
The “alliance” invitation
had a goal to pursue unity based on the Scriptural teaching in Ephesians 4:4-6
(the scripture we discussed above). I appreciated the use of this
scripture, but I was struck by the fact that the scriptural teaching of unity
in Ephesians 4 is preceded by chapters 1-3 that teach specific Christian
doctrine. For instance, Ephesians 1 is clearly a Trinitarian passage
about God the Father’s election from the foundation of the world to be adopted
as sons in Christ Jesus, and it teaches that the Holy Spirit has been given to
us as a down payment of our full glorification that is to come (Eph.
1:1-14).
Now I am not trying to be
nit-picky, but there is a lot of theology in these verses that I know the men
in this alliance disagree about what it means. That is, some
within this alliance desire unity, but they do not discuss their disagreements,
only their agreements, and they interpret the meaning of chapter one
differently. Furthermore, many of the pastors (although they are pastors
who teach Christ’s people), are not aware of the varying interpretations of
this one passage throughout the history of the Church. Why is that
important? Well, more in part three, but for now let me say very simply that in
our interpretation of the meaning of a passage of the Bible, we are either
lining ourselves up close to truth, or further away from truth. I know
this raises a lot of questions and I will try to address these more
specifically in part three, but I must say that the recognition that we truly
interpret correctly or incorrectly with the Church, or apart from the Church,
should at this point at least make us consider the importance of studying our
bibles with the larger church throughout all of history.
With all respect, this is
not seeking unity. One more example: In chapter two of Ephesians, Paul
says we are “dead in trespasses and sins”. How do we interpret the
“deadness” in this passage? Even though Ephesians 4:4-6 is the banner of
this alliance, nevertheless, I do not believe they are truly seeking unity in a
biblical manner because with all humility, they are avoiding some of the
interpretive issues that the people of God in the last 2000 years have thought
were important to discuss and learn together with an eye toward real and true
unity. Additionally, Ephesians 3:18 teaches us to come to know the love
of Christ "together with all the saints". I understand this to be
saints both living and dead. This is why I am confessional, and want to
confess my faith with the Church today as well as in the past.
When we do not
learn, or forget, or disregard the orthodox and sound teachings and
interpretations of the past in the Christian Church today, we disrespect the
work of the Living Holy Spirit of God who helped the Church to articulate these
teachings against error and heresy!
It is not merely in this
one “alliance of churches”, but in many evangelical circles today, that they
confess and hold to a watered down, lowest common denominator theology that has
been formulated in the last 25-50 years (and sometimes less). As I stated
in chapter one, all congregations today who hold to Protestant teachings and
beliefs come from, in one way or another, the Reformation of the 16th
Century. The teaching of the Reformation of the 16th Century were
summarized in the Westminster Confession, and people today depart from the
teaching, uphold it, or are ignorant of it. What is sad is that although
many evangelicals might be truly seeking a confession of their own generation
(from the last 25-50 years), and so they are seeking some unity with Christians
within their own generation, they still fail to confess and seek unity and to
be in line if you will with those congregations that make up the One Church,
who came before them and lived during the last 2000 years.
In some ways, evangelicals
today seem to try "to reinvent confessional wheel". They do not
necessarily intend it, and I am not saying that their intentions are not good,
but they write statements of faith that may or may not be faithful to and in
agreement with historical Christianity (and I speak from experience as one
saved in a charismatic Bible church and who was a member of parachurch
organizations who created a statement of faith theologically and historically
independent of the one confessing Church throughout history).
It seems that some
Evangelicals today seem to be involved in what C. S. Lewis called
"chronological snobbery". What Lewis meant by this term was
that the old was always bad, and the new was always good. So, if someone
was confessional and traditional according to the truth of Scripture, this was
bad because he was "living in the past". However, someone who
was "fresh" and who was not rigid about understanding the past but
was always seeking new ways to understand Scripture and new ways
to fellowship with other Christians for the sake of unity (that
was not always truly unified), was considered good.
For example, even though I
am an Evangelical, Bible-believing Christian, most of the time when I have been
asked to join Para church organizations, such as this “alliance’, and I refuse
it because of being a Confessional Christian, I am considered to be "old
fashioned" at best, or "divisive" at worst. It is
interesting that someone would think that I am being arrogant or divisive, no
matter how nice and respectful I am about it, since I am attempting to confess
with Christians in my own generation, as well as Christians who lived and
learned Christ before me. Yet this example shows just how much "chronological
snobbery" has influenced well-meaning evangelicals today.
Personally, I think those
who are unaware of the past: historically, confessionally, and theologically,
are not only doomed to repeat the bad theological mistakes and errors, but they
are not truly pursuing an understanding of their great
heritage as one family, one body of Christ, one unity! Why
would anyone want to seek a so-called "unity" with those today who
are divisive about the unity in history, confession, and theology that has
already been unified (and has been long before they were ever
born!). Why is unity only seeking those who are united today and not
joining the unity that already exists in the past. Like I said, I think
there is some chronological snobbery going on! We should humbly consider
this together.
My suggestion for any
"alliance of churches" is to consider becoming historically
confessional. Then consider thinking historically and confessionally as
you pursue unity together with all this saints. This is my humble
suggestion. I think it is ultimately what you are seeking to do in
upholding the good teaching of the Bible. There would be no need of
alliances (or any parachurch organizations) if the members of Christ's one
visible Church would seek accountability together by submitting to one
another in Lord as we learn together the Bible, what it teaches, and how it has
been interpreted. If the one institution, family and school would seek
unity in faithful confessions of the past that the Holy Spirit has allowed to
be formulated and tested over time, and by God’s grace this would lead to a
more biblical unity and one-minded-ness!
We can all talk about
accountability and unity, but if we do not have our roots in the past of the
Christian church, I do think this can be easily achieved. I think we need
to have our roots deep in the past and continue to pursue the knowledge of God
in Jesus Christ "together with all the saints".
But the one church is
imperfect, and as Philippians 2:13 says, we depend upon God’s grace and Spirit
to work in us to do that which is good and pleasing. I am not arguing for
perfection, just that our pursuit of unity in the Church would be together with
all the saints both dead and living. I believe unity begins by submitting
to one another, and I believe firmly that this good work is initiated when we
formally join a local congregation of Christ’s people who teach the apostolic
and Biblical teaching, while interpreting the Bible with the one Church in the
past (in all of its different congregations, in all of its biblical truth, as
well as the errors that were made, so we can teach the truth standing on the
shoulders of those before us in the faith, and we can avoid the errors made as
well).
How can we more precisely
seek and strive for unity and one-minded-ness as we are commanded to do? I
believe it starts with formal Church membership and joining a faithful
congregation of saints (we will end this chapter with how to find and determine
a faithful congregation).
Humility or
Pride Revealed in Our Honoring Our Mother
The Church visible is
imperfect until Christ returns, and we will never find a perfect Church here on
this earth (Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 25), but this gives us no
right to sinfully separate as if we were wiser than the Lord Jesus Christ who
established his Church as a gift to His people (in the next chapter we will
study how to find a faithful local congregation)! Although we will
consider the biblical teaching of pastor-elders more fully in part two, for now
let me state firmly as I have tried to establish in our last chapter that the
institution, family and school that Christ has given to us is made up of
pastor-elders-shepherds to watch over and teach the flock of Christ. I do
not think this is disputed, but at this point, I ask you to bear with me as you
consider. Use my principle from earlier. If you can give me one
clear passage where there are no elders teaching and watching over Christ’s
visible people, then you should follow me at least at this point.
I believe that the Bible
teaches that in order to be
As Christians, a
sign of true humility and Christian love is to submit ourselves to
elders/pastors/teachers "in the LORD". The way we submit to
God's ordained leadership shows forth the way we truly submit to Christ's
Lordship in our hearts.
Notice two passages with
regard to elders/pastors/teachers and how true biblical humility is
expressed (1 Peter 5; Hebrews 13):
1 Peter 5:1-11: So I exhort the elders among
you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a
partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the
flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but
willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not
domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And
when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe
yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes
the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt
you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like
a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in
your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by
your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have
suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Peter, an elder submitted
to other elders in the visible Church (even though he is also in the office of
Apostle, and we should remember that pastor-elders come from the apostles
because they build on their foundation and teaching, Eph. 2:20), teaches other
elders what their responsibility to God is, and teaches those who submit to
these elders that this is a sign of true humility (v. 6: "Humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of God..."). We should note for our
Roman Catholic friends that what Peter clearly writes here undermines any
position of supremacy by the Pope. If Peter had had the right of primacy and
was superior to other apostles, pastor-elders, he would have claimed it here,
but Peter joins with the rest in the participation of the same office of
elder/presbyter (presbyter is the Greek word used here, meaning
“elder”). Peter instructs everyone to obey the counsels of the elders
(including the other elders) [Note: one reason I am a Presbyterian, is that I
believe because of the sinful tendencies of man, especially in leadership and
authority roles, that they need to be submitted one to another. Peter as
a “presbyter” reminds all pastor-elders, even though he was a great apostle of
Christ, that we should be submissive in our teaching to one another. This
is not only submitting ourselves to elders who are alive, but also to other
pastor-elders who have faithfully taught before we were born, called or
ordained].
Peter begins by
instructing the elders themselves (vv.1-2), then implied is the shepherding of
the congregation, being examples of Christ and teaching them as Christ has
commanded (vv.3-4), then finally and specifically he speaks to the younger in
the congregation who needs to understand the importance of submitting to these
God-given pastor-elders from a very early age.
Notice if you will, that
if you think of the families in the congregation, Peter was instructing the
elder-shepherds over the fathers and mothers in the individual families to
teach and set them an example, then he was teaching the young not only to be
obedient to father and mother, but also to the elders who are given to watch of
the souls of the people. This teaches us that from a very early age, in
each congregation, we are taught to submit to Christ, by ultimately submitting
to one another in love for Christ (cf. Eph. 5:21ff).
It is important for us to
realize that the text of 1 Peter is not merely saying that the young only
should obey the elders (those in office of elder, and apparently also older in
age), but that the disposition to the office, as well as to person of age, is one
of teachability and humility.
In other words, in the
same way those who are younger in age respect their “elders” or those older
than them, in the same way should we submit to the elders in office
respectfully. In doing so, we show true humility in the Church, and
external humility to Christ himself, because we are rightly honoring those
Christ has called and placed in the ministry to teach and instruct us with the
Words of Christ.
Also notice in two
important passages from Hebrews 13, the importance of submitting to elders:
Hebrews 13:7 Remember
your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of
their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey
your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as
those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with
groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
The Author to the Hebrews
commands all Christians to obey their leaders and submit to them, for they are
called by God to keep watch over the precious souls in the visible
Church. Now some have thought that this just means leaders, perhaps
leaders in the civil sphere of society, and not necessarily pastor-elders, but
what other leaders are there in Christ’s visible Church (context should
determine; all civil leaders are to be obeyed if not opposed to God’s word
(Rom. 13:1-7), but here the context is about the visible people of God, and
more particularly those who “spoke the word of God to you”)? Who else
specially speaks the Word of God to God’s people? Who else is commanded to keep
watch over the souls of the people of God? Who else will have to give an
account, but pastor-elders and teachers? There will be great advantage to
following God's wisdom and will in this manner.
We should be reminded that
we are not to blindly obey our pastors and elders, but only those who teach us
from God’s Word. If they faithfully teach us God’s word, then the above
passages in Hebrews teach us that the people of God should honor and respect
their pastors as Christ’s gift to them only if they teach what Christ has
said in His Word (cf. Eph. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 2:15-16; 2 Tim. 4:4-5).
John Calvin in his
commentary on Hebrews wrote: “…the Apostle [Peter] speaks only of those [pastors/elders]
who faithfully performed their office; for they who have nothing but the title,
nay, who use the title of pastors for the purpose of destroying the Church,
deserve but little reverence and still less confidence. And this also is what
the Apostle plainly sets forth when he says, that they watched for their
souls,- - a duty which is not performed but by those who are faithful rulers,
and are really what they are called.” (Comm. Hebrews 13:17).
I want to remind you the
larger context of these two verses in Hebrews 13 and the implications for our
seeking unity through submission to elders both dead and living. If you
recall, Hebrews 11, commonly known as the “Hall of Faith” teaches us to
remember the faith of our fathers who are long dead, but have kept their eyes
on Christ, the Author and Perfecter of Our common Faith, and who are now for us
a “great cloud of witnesses” to God’s faithfulness (Heb. 12:1-4).
Hebrews chapter 12 is
followed by chapter 13 teaching us to obey our leaders who speak the word of
God, who are called to keep a watch over our soul, and those who will give an
account of their ministry. Notice how the present leaders of the
congregation, along with the present saints who are a part of the local
congregation, are to learn from the faith, practice, and theological teaching
of the “great cloud of witnesses” who came before them, but who are now dead.
This teaches us that each
local congregation should be submitted in life and doctrine one to another, and
especially under the leadership of their pastor-elders so that it will be a joy
to them as they are shepherding them (Heb. 13:17). But the implication
for these pastor-elders and teachers is that they are speaking the word of God,
and watching over the souls of the people, submitted in faith, practice, and
theological teaching to those who went before them as shepherds and faithful
saints, who have long been dead.
In other words, for a
pastor-elder and teacher of a local congregation to seek unity, and be truly
faithful in his call, he must seek to understand his faith, practice and
theological teaching together with all the saints both dead and living.
This is the doctrine of “apostolicity” that we looked at earlier. There
is truly is a great need for better understanding the faith of our fathers who
taught the word of God before us if we are to seek together biblical unity.
We sing in the hymn:
“Faith of our fathers, living still.” Is it really living still?
How do you know? This is a melodic illustration of the doctrine or
biblical teaching of apostolicity. In the one Church, both present
generation as well as all previous generations, we seek to understand the
apostolic, Biblical teaching together. We are taught in Scripture to
learn together and to be in submission to each other as we seek
one-minded-ness, and unity in the one Church!
We should remember as the
people of God, that to disobey our elders (including the elders of pastors and
elders over them) and to make their work for Christ difficult for them when
they are faithfully preaching Christ’s Word and watching over the souls of
Christ’s people, is to sin against our Lord Jesus. Those who are faithful
in upholding and fulfilling their call from Christ by proclaiming the Word of
God as pastor/elder should be obeyed, honored and respected.
If disobedience to these
commands in 1 Peter 5 and Hebrews 13 is clearly sins against ministers in the
ordained office, how much more is it a sin to disregard the visible Church
altogether and her teaching and ordained ministry altogether by not even making
oneself a part of a congregation of saints. To separate from a faithful
visible Church is very dangerous. Let us consider now church membership
and the need for it in our time.
“When the Roll is
Called Up Yonder”: Church Membership and Humility
When people ask me as a
pastor whether church membership is biblical, I try to show them many places in
Scripture including the genealogies where being on the roll of God's people is
an understood reality as we see in the Book of Nehemiah and the Chronicles with
the lists of families. The fact that the question is even raised, is
indicative of our individualistic culture, that sadly has little understanding
of what it means to be part of the covenant community of God throughout history.
Was not membership implied
in the Old Covenant visible Church, or people of God in Ezekiel 13:8-9?
The prophet Ezekiel is prophesying against the leaders of
Therefore thus
says the Lord GOD: "Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying
visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. 9 My
hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying
divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled
in the register of the house of
Another response I
sometimes use when people ask if membership in the church is biblical, I remind
them that we learn also from general revelation in societies how membership in
organizations and institutions is important. When you are born, you are
given a certificate of birth to show your birth, but also to reveal your
citizenship or “membership” in the country of your origin. When you are
married, you are given a certificate of marriage. When you join an
organization of cyclists, gun club, or Harley dudes, you are given a membership
(well, maybe not Harley dudes!). When you become a member of a club, you
are given formal membership in that club. Imagine if I said, I am a
member of Evangelicalism, just a member of the “invisible” church. Where
is would my membership come from? Where would my name be written down for the
world to see? Where is the headquarters for the “invisible” church? How do I resign
my membership if I so desire? In the institution, family and school of
the visible Church, there should also be formal membership to show forth to the
world that the rolls in heaven are concretely and tangibly sealed in black ink
here on the rolls of earth as well.
From Scripture,
general revelation and from the good and necessary deduction from the Bible,
membership in the visible church shows to the world our unity, humility, and
our willingness to be formally accountable and disciplined if found out of line
with the orthodox truths of Scripture and a holy life. Membership in a
local congregation initiates one formally into the visible Church, and allows
for you to formally begin being discipled and striving toward unity and
one-minded-ness. It shows humility because you are willing to have one
correct you if you are out of line in life and doctrine, not merely with the
one congregation, but the one Church as it has taught and interpreted scripture
long before you were ever born!
The truth of the matter
that we should remember today is that no matter how many abuses we find in
the visible Church, no matter how many times we have been unintentionally or
intentionally confused by elders and teachers who were supposed to be
preaching and teaching the Word of God, we are to seek to find a true visible
Church. We should not take it upon ourselves to start anew,
individualistically, by separating from the visible Church, because in many
ways, we are implicitly saying to the world that our “mother” is confused and
wrong at best, and at worst that our “mother” has been overthrown and defeated
by the gates of hell!
A
Man Named Nevin
Is
our time unique? Is this the only time in American Evangelical
Christianity where the striving for unity has been misunderstood? No! As an
example of the ongoing need for reforming and repentance in the Church, let us
end this chapter with a plea from another teacher, from another century in
In a sermon
from Ephesians 4:4-16, Professor Nevin wrote entitled ‘Catholic Unity’,
he addressed the Reformed churches in this way:
“Of all
themes, the most momentous at this time is the true idea of the Church….The
unity of the Church…is a cardinal truth, in the Christian system. It is
involved in the conception of the Christian salvation itself. To renounce it,
or lose sight of it, is to make shipwreck of the gospel, to the same extent.
There is no room for individualism or particularism….An individual dissociated
entirely from his race, would cease to be a man. And just so the conception of
individual or particular Christianity, as something independent of the organic
whole, which we denominate the Church, is a moral solecism [error] that
necessarily destroys itself. Christ cannot be divided….”
In this
sermon, Nevin calls all particular Churches or congregations of faithful saints
back to reforming Christ’s Church from within. He declares that the
reformation of our churches is not over, and we must seek unity together in
doctrine and life in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. He
says that because of rationalism, religious radicalism, and licentiousness of
private judgment, the one Church is divided into sects that profane the name of
God in the world.
Men separate
from the Church committing sin against Christ himself, and so he calls the
Christian world back to seeking unity through what the Church has always taught
in submission to the Word of God. He closes with a sober and solemn call
to all the churches then, as well as today. It should be noted that this
was written and preached over 150 years ago, and the problem is still a clear
and present danger to our mother, and I believe only a reformation from within,
by the Spirit of God, can call our attention once again to the visible
Nevin wrote in conclusion: “The glory of God and the honor of his
truth…require that [all congregations] should stand out to the world, not as
many but as one, the Church (not churches), of the Reformation, the body
of Christ, the “pillar and ground of the truth,” one body and one Spirit, even
as they are called in one hope of their calling. May the great Head of the
Church himself interpose in ways that to his own wisdom shall seem best, to
conduct the hearts and counsels of his people to this result; and in the meantime
bestow richly upon us who are here present the glorious power of his grace,
that we may be enabled to be faithful to this high interest especially in the
exercise of the trust now committed to our hands, maintaining the unity of the
Spirit in the bonds of peace.” (1844, quoted from Schaff’s The Principle of
Protestantism, pages 194-215)
We are commanded to seek
unity, and I believe that if we are to find true and biblical unity, we will
need to begin thinking about how to understand ourselves today, at the
beginning of the Third Millennium as being part of a confessing Church
throughout history. We must seek to do the interpreting of our Bibles
together with all the saints, humbly to repent of our individualism and our
narrow-mindedness and focus on our own generation. I will constantly
repent with you as we prayerfully seek God’s help as his
The visible
But
the question might be asked now: “How do I find a true and faithful
congregation of saints who want to seek unity with Christians both living and
dead, and how do I find those who want to seek unity and one-minded-ness not
only with their own generation, but with generations of Christians before
them?” Good question! In the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century,
there were “three marks of the church” that can be helpful to us today.
We live in a very similar time period I believe. In our next chapter we
will study what it means to have a “reformational” understanding of our mother.
Copyright
None of the above may be
reproduced in any form without the permission of the author. All rights
reserved.
Next Chapter:
Chap. 4: A “Reformational” Understanding of Our Mother