PART
TWO: OUR MOTHER’S ORDAINED OFFICE
Chap. 5:
Forsaking Our Mother: Why Ordained Men?
Burning
Bush Experiences
Ever had a “burning bush”
experience with God? Recently, a kind woman told me of her vision from
God. She said that her vision was like a “burning bush” experience, and I
think this was a reference to Moses. I told her that visions should be
checked these days because it seems that they are like opinions, everyone has
one. She laughed nervously when I told her this, but my point was that
Christians today need to remember that even Moses in his burning bush
experience had elders he submitted to in order for them to recognize his
calling and vision from God.
If Moses was to have
accountability in this way, then how much more should we who live in the time
after the resurrection and ascension to Christ, where Christ has given in his
resurrection-ascension the Church to his people (Eph. 4:11-16). Let me
remind us all of a few things about the call of God and ordination from the
story of Moses before we begin our study on the ordained ministry in this
chapter.
If you remember from
Exodus 2, when Moses was older, he killed an Egyptian who was brutally beating
a Hebrew (Exodus 2:11ff). Now Moses seemed to understand that he was the
perfect instrument for God to use in order to redeem from slavery God’s people
(cf. Acts 7:22-27; Heb. 11:23ff). However, Moses’ mistake was that
although God was going to use him for this very purpose, he had not been
formally called by God and ordained in the Church, or recognized as called by
God by the visible people of God at the time. In this murder of the
Egyptian, Moses acted prematurely with regard to his calling. He had not
been formally called and ordained by God yet, neither had he been prepared and
ordained for the service.
Many years later in Moses’
life, after 40 years of humility as the humble shepherd and son-in-law of
Jethro the Midianite, Moses is formally called by God in the burning bush
incident. God (YHWH) reveals himself to Moses, calls him to the task, and
even though Moses doubts his abilities, questions God’s purposes, and fears the
worst outcome, God assures Moses that his power and presence will be “with him”
and thus this will be Moses’ success (Exodus 3:10-12; 4:1-17). What is
important to note about this incident is that before Moses is to fulfill his
now legitimate call from God, he is first to go to the elders of
ESV Exodus 3:16 Go and gather the elders of Israel
together and say to them, 'The
LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has
appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what has been done to you
in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the
affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites,
the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and
honey."' 18 And they will listen to your voice, and
you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him,
'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a
three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our
God.' [emphasis mine].
This instructs us that
even from the first time in redemptive-history, in a foundational period where
God is now formally forming his visible people, God called men and then made
that call legitimate through the recognition of elders and the people of God in
the Church (cf. Acts 7:38 where Stephen speaking of the Old Testament people,
uses the Greek word ‘Ecclesia’ or ‘Church’ to describe Israel; also note
Hebrews 3:1-6; 1 Peter 2:5-10). From the very beginning of God’s visible
people, or Church, there have been special men called by God to serve God and
lead God’s people, but always being recognized by God’s people as well.
Men are called by God, then recognized, or ordained by the visible
Church. If this is true for Moses, how much more is it important to realize
this in our day as well.
Ordination to a
Special Office
What is ordination?
It comes form a Latin word ‘ordinatio’ and has to do with order. As 1
Corinthians
1 Corinthians 14:33, 40: For God is not a God of
confusion but of peace….But all things should be done decently and in order.
Part of the “order” being
spoken of here is the place of each Christian within the visible Church (cf.
Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12). God has placed certain men in places of
leadership as his shepherds. As in the creation, there is order between man and
woman; they are both equal as image-bearers of God, but in an orderly manner,
God assigns the man to be shepherd of his wife, and assigns the woman to be a
helper who is submissive and supportive of her husband (this is for another
book, but all Christians today need to remember to repent of our foolishness:
Men: we often do not lead as we should; women: you often do not supportively
submit; this is for another book and another day, but we should remember that
this too helps the order in the visible Church as we submit to one another in
love for Christ, Eph. 5:21-32).
As in creation, God has
ordered his Church in a particular way. Notice how the Apostle Paul stresses
this order in 1 Corinthians 12:4-13. The Apostle Paul teaches us that all
Christians are equal by virtue of the one Spirit of God, but not all Christians
have the same gifts, calling, or position in the visible Church:
Now there are varieties of
gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service,
but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it
is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is
given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one
is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the
utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another
faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the
ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to
another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by
one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of
the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in
one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-
and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4-13).
What this passage teaches
very plainly is the unity of Christ’s visible body of believers in the Church,
that they all have the same Spirit of God uniting them to Jesus Christ (v. 5),
and that they are all gifted by God (vv. 5-11). Yet God has given certain
positions, or has created order within the one visible Church. There are
varieties of service and from this passage as well as other passages in Scripture,
we are told that some are called to pastor the saints and their gifts as elders
(1 Peter 5:1-4). All of these pastor-elders are submitted to each other
and under Christ (1 Peter 5:1-2). Peter says:
ESV 1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep, but
have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Jesus Christ is the Great
Shepherd and Overseer of the souls of God’s people, but he has ordered that the
Church would have “undershepherds” who are his gifts in the Church (Eph. 4:11-16)
so that the saints might be equipped for service. Do you see the word
“overseer” in the passage above? The Apostle Peter uses this Greek word
‘episcopos’, which is translated “bishop” or “overseer” in the above
passage. Elsewhere, Paul uses this same term in his first letter to
Timothy where he states the biblical qualifications for bishops, or translated
“overseers”, or elders (see also Titus 1:7). Were there bishops who were
greater or more important in status than mere elders and pastors? I think
another look at 1 Peter 5 will help us answer this question.
In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Paul
uses the terms ‘episcopos’ (bishop) and ‘presbuteros’ (pastor-elder)
interchangeably:
ESV 1 Peter 5:1 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. [emphasis mine].
From the Greek text, Peter
literally says in verse one above (and this is stated this way from the Greek
for emphasis): “Elders, I exhort the elders among you, as a
fellow-elder…” Peter then goes on to explain the privilege of this office
of elder which includes shepherding, “exercising oversight”, and being examples
(vv. 2-3, the word for “oversight” is ‘episcopos’ or “bishoping”). As
much as
ESV 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
The Apostolic office Peter
held as one called specifically by Jesus Christ, and confirmed in his
faithfulness by those who walked and learned from Jesus, was a very special and
unique office of Christ’s Church; it was foundational for all other offices
(Acts 2:41-44; Eph. 2:20). Built upon that special and unique
foundational office was the office of elder-pastor (or bishop, or elder).
For the remainder of our
study based on this simple exegesis, I will use pastor-elder as one office that
is an office within the Church of Christ that is built upon the teaching of the
apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being the chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20;
4:4-13), and the elder-pastor is called to shepherd or to oversee the
discipling and teaching of Christ’s people. All authority as shepherds of
the Church called by God comes from the Great Shepherd himself, but men who are
called by God to be pastor-elders, should be ordained and accountable to other
men called by God and ordained, both in the study and interpreting of the Bible
so that they can faithfully continue to proclaim the good teaching of Christ’s
truth. This is their call, their privilege and their sacred duty as
“overseers” of Christ’s flock.
Yet in our day there is a
misunderstanding and lack of appreciation of this special office of pastor-elder.
I have realized in my conversations with Evangelical, Bible-believing
Christians that is due primarily to a low view of Christ’s visible
Church. Part of the problem has to do with the reality that sinful men
have abused and misused the office of pastor-elder, and so this gives people
the legitimate concern to be “once bitten, twice shy” as the old saying
goes.
Just as positions of male
headship in the home or female positions in society have been abused, it does
not mean that we should discount the office of pastor-teacher as something
unnecessary, any more than we would discount being a husband or wife because
the marriage relationship has been abused and misused. It is worth saying
again that the abuse of a thing should not cause us entirely to discount an
office God has ordained and Christ has given to his people in order that they
might learn and grow in the Word of God.
Since the beginning of
Redemptive-history, when God was formally forming his Church, or his visible
people as told to us in the Book of Exodus, there have been pastor-elders over
Christ’s people. From Moses and the elders of
ESV Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect
through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are
sanctified all have one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them
brothers, 12 saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." 13
And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Behold, I
and the children God has given me." 14 Since therefore the
children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same
things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death,
that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of
death were subject to lifelong slavery.
The psalms quoted above in
Hebrews 2 are supposed to be Jesus Christ speaking and saying “Here I am” as an
answer to the call of His Father to be a Savior of sinners who shares in flesh
and blood and destroys the power of death, hell and the devil, to deliver his
people from bondage to sin and misery. Even though Jesus Christ was
called before the foundation of the world to accomplish his task as Savior-Mediator
in history, nevertheless, God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for him
giving legitimacy to who he was as the Lord in the flesh (Matt. 3:1-12; Isaiah
40:1ff). Jesus tells the people plainly that if John was not a good
enough witness to his calling from God, then the miracles should be. The
Apostle John records Jesus’ words for us concerning the fact that even Jesus
had legitimate recognition by the people of God:
ESV John 5:31-39: If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed
true. 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know
that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You sent to
John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that the
testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be
saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to
rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony that I have
is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to
accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the
Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne
witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,
38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not
believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures
because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear
witness about me....
The point to be made is
that every call of God here on earth, including Moses and Christ, had the
recognition of the people of God, giving a witness-legitimacy to their
callings: Moses had the elders, and Jesus had John the Baptist and the signs
and wonders, and the very voice of God himself that pointed to his being sent
by the Father. Jesus Christ even had Moses and the Scriptures that
witnessed to his special office as well (Luke 24:24-27, 44-49; cf. John
5:39). But he did not have a call from God without recognition from the
visible Church here on earth and this should be appreciated by all Evangelical,
Bible-believing Christians today. We will discuss this more in detail
later.
“You Don’t Need
Anyone to Teach You.”
The teaching above seems
clear that there is a special call from God that is recognized by Christ’s
people. It also seems clear that there are to be pastor-elders over every
congregation of saints. However, some scriptures seem to teach
otherwise. There are some scriptures that seem to indicate that because
we have the Holy Spirit, we no longer need pastor-elders and teachers. In
fact, as a pastor, some Christians have come to me and asked me the legitimate
question concerning Christ’s visible Church:
“If Christ has given His Spirit and His Word to
men, and the Holy Spirit is the one who interprets and helps us to understand
that Word spoken, then what need does God have of men in a special office such
as pastors and elders”? (1 Cor. 2:6-14).
I want you to understand
that those asking this question are not merely immature Christians who are new
to the faith, but those who have always assumed that there were to be
pastor-elders and teachers in Christ’s Church, but are questioning it now due
to a popular understanding of certain texts by evangelicals.
Particularly in light of
the Apostle John’s teaching in 1 John 2:20-28, why does anyone need anyone but
the Holy Spirit to help in teaching and discernment:
“But you have been
anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to
you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and
because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he
who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the
Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father.
Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard
from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in
you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And
this is the promise that he made to us- eternal life. 26 I write
these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But
the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need
that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything-
and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you- abide in him. 28 And
now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have
confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you
know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices
righteousness has been born of him.” (1 John 2:20-29). [emphasis mine].
John seems to be saying
here that we have the right merely as individuals to read and study the Word of
God, avoid error and heresy, because “the anointing teaches you,” so that you
have no need “that anyone should teach you.” What we want to first notice
is that this is written by the Apostle John in the ordained office of
Apostle. When some say this is a text for private judgment apart from the
Church and try to show that there really is no need for the ordained office of
pastors and teachers, they mistakenly misinterpret this passage. In fact, the
text teaches the exact opposite.
Not only is John as
teaching apostle telling them about the anointing and the help of the Holy
Spirit, he is telling them specifically that they do not need any unauthorized
or false teachers teaching them. The point is that this congregation of
Christians was being taught or influenced by some who did not carry apostolic
sanction, authority or the Word of God, and they were teaching something
additional to that word claiming it was by the Spirit (cf. Galatians
1:1-11). In other words, they claimed to be called by God, but had no
recognition from the other apostles and elders in the Church.
This reality is why John
starts by saying to the congregation he is addressing that “you have knowledge
and know the truth” (vv. 20-21). Without getting in too deep with this passage,
just allow me to say that John was confronting teachers who were threatening
the congregation of saints, and telling them that there was a special “secret
truth” (Gnosticism) that could be had. John is countering them by saying:
“You have been taught apostolic truth, there is no other truth”.
Furthermore, he is saying that these are unauthorized teachers prove themselves
to be false because they disagree with apostolic teaching (“apostolicity”), and
are not recognized in their call by other apostles and elders.
As we learned in an
earlier chapter, we should never separate or divorce the Church from the Word
of God. Additionally, we should learn from this passage never to separate
or divorce the Holy Spirit and His Anointing from the Word of God and the
interpretation of the Word of God within Christ’s Church by called and ordained
pastor-elders either. What I mean is that it is the Anointing John is
speaking of above by the Holy Spirit that leads the people of God into all
truth, which is the Word of God that John and the pastor-elders of the Church
had taught the people at the congregation he is addressing.
The Apostle John is not
saying here that we do not need teachers altogether (he was an ordained teacher
by Christ himself who is teaching!). Rather, he is saying that Christians
do not need teachers who do not have ordained authority to teach the Word of
God. So, this text teaches the precise opposite of what individualists
within the Church today would have it teach. This text in John shows the
importance of ministers always teaching what the Spirit has taught in the Word,
not in a privatistic, and individualistic sense, but with what the Church in
her ordained ministry has always and consistently taught with regard to God’s
Word. In other words, interpretation should be in community with ordained
ministers both living and dead as we will look at in more detail as we proceed
in our study.
”They Were Not Of
Us”
Let us put into practice
something I have been stressing all along: the importance of interpreting the
Bible together with all the saints. Now how would you know if your pastor
preached next week on 1 John 2:18-28, and he said that this meant that because
the Church has the Holy Spirit the people of God do not need the ordained
ministry because as we can see from the passage, there are false teachers out
there (he would also be threatening his own job as well!)? How would you
know the correct interpretation of this passage, and how would you know if this
was a teaching or an interpretation of this text in 1 John before you were
born? Well, by putting into practice the studying and interpreting of the
Bible with saints both living and dead, we can find out very quickly that there
were others long before the 21st century who misinterpreted this
passage as well.
For example, in the
Reformation of the Sixteenth century Calvin says in his commentary on John’s
First Epistle, interpreting the passage against the interpretation of your
“hypothetical pastor” above:
“Absurdly…do fanatical men
lay hold on this passage, in order to exclude from the Church the use of
outward ministry. He says that the faithful, taught by the Spirit, already
understood what [the Apostle John] delivered to them, so that they had no need
to learn things unknown to them. He said this, that he might add more authority
to his doctrine, while everyone repeated in his heart an assent to it, engraven
as it were the finger of God.” (Calvin, Comm. on the First Epistle of John).
My interpretation above on
this passage and John Calvin’s is the same. Did I remember Calvin’s
interpretation when I sat down to exegete 1 John 2? I did not remember
exactly what he had said of the matter, but I looked it up to “check my own
work” after I had interpreted the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
This teaches us that the Holy Spirit has been helping Christ’s pastor-elders to
be able to rightly interpret and handle the Word of God throughout all of
church history (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15).
Now it could be that both
Calvin and me are wrong; it is possible. But let’s continue to check our
“interpretive work” which is another way of saying we are seeking as Paul taught
Timothy to “rightly handle the Word of Truth”. Before we look at another
interpretation, let us remind ourselves of what John says in context before he
teaches vv. 20-28, in 1 John 2:18-19, then we will return to evaluating our
interpretation together with all the saints both dead and living:
ESV 1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist
is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the
last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if
they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that
it might become plain that they all are not of us.
John tells us plainly that
because it is the last hour (meaning the last time period after the resurrection-ascension
of Jesus as the Church awaits his return), there are many antichrists. He
describes these as ‘those who went out from us’. He goes on to say that
if they had been “of us” they would have continued “with us”, but that in
reality they were not “of us”. In 1 John 2:19, the Apostle John lays out
a clear principle: leaving or not continuing under the authority of
pastor-elders in the visible Church is to become apostate and declare oneself
“not of us”. The context is important because now John goes on to explain
that “You have knowledge and don’t need anyone to teach you” (v. 20).
What he means in the context is that the teachers who are unauthorized and
teaching something other than the apostolic truth that they had been taught,
are not legitimate pastor-elders and teachers, and it is just because they have
gone “out from us”. The going out from the visible Church revealed or
showed to all that they were not legitimate called and ordained men in the
Church.
Let us check our
“interpretive work” with others on this to make sure we are interpreting
correctly. In the early Church, a pastor-elder named Cyprian, commenting
on 1 John 2:19 said concerning those who had left the visible Church because of
current persecutions and the influence of false teacher named Novatian: “It is
therefore plain that in every case where someone has clearly withdrawn from the
love and unity of the Church that person is an adversary of the Lord and
antichrist. Indeed the Lord makes this point in his gospel: ‘If he refuses to
take notice even of the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and tax
collector’ (Matt. 18:17). If those who refuse to take notice of the
Church are to be regarded as Gentiles and tax collectors, there is obviously a
far greater obligation to classify as Gentiles and tax collectors those who
show themselves to be rebels and enemies by devising false altars, illegal
priesthoods, sacrilegious sacrifices, and counterfeit titles.”[1]
But as Evangelical,
Bible-believing Christians have we studied the past so that we are aware of
these issues against the ordained ministry that have arisen in the past? If we
have studied the past, do we think about how to better interpret our Bibles
together with all the saints both dead and living, and to seek God’s grace in
Christ through the Church and her ordained office of pastor-elder? In our day
of individualism, and because of the unfortunate experiences of evangelical
Christians who have seen the office of pastor or elder abused, there is still a
common respect perhaps, but overall disregard for the office of minister.[2] However, we must keep in mind
that as any other legitimate and real organization on earth, so the
As we learned from our
last chapter, the Reformers of the Sixteenth century were legitimately called
and ordained men who began the reform of the one Church from within. They
knew from the passage in 1 John 2:18-19 that to leave and go out “from” the
Church was sinful separation and would make them out to be false teachers
(“antichrists”, v. 18). The Reformers wanted to use their positions as
pastor-elders to lead the Church back to the gospel, not to leave the Church as
some of the Radical Reformers did.
In our day, it would seem
we also have Radical Reformers within the visible
What is the goal of those
who home church today, and how can it help us to better understand the
importance of the ordained ministry? From one of the websites of home
church people, who have taken it upon themselves to leave the visible Church,
they answer the question in their section on “frequently asked questions”:
“What is the difference between a home church and a traditional church?”
The answer is revealing:
“One of the main themes of
the house church concept is that we don't "go TO church ... we ARE the
church." Something that traditional churches have done is made the
meeting, the building, the structure itself "the church" when,
in fact, the Scriptures say that WE are the church.”
The main things that house
churchers desire to achieve according to their “statements of purpose” are (1)
Active participation by all within a priesthood of believers, (2) the freedom to
be able to express whatever the Holy Spirit is trying to convey to the group,
and (3) allowing Jesus to be King of His church - with no man (Pastor or Leader
of any kind) mediating between the Lord and His body.”[4]
What this group fails to
realize is that although they are members of the one Church if they are
believers, Christ has not given them “freedom to be able to express whatever
the Holy Spirit is trying to convey to them”. On the contrary, Christ has
established pastor-elders to teach his people and equip them for works of
service so that the Body of Christ might be built up (Eph. 4:13ff).
Christ has not called his people to submission to himself as King of the Church
“without a man, pastor or leader, mediating.” In fact it is just the
opposite: Christ has given the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and
teachers to mediate through his Word. Christ has established his Lordship
and authority, and given it to men he has called to shepherd and care for His
Church. As you can probably see from this well-meaning statement of
purpose, these Christians are attempting to separate or divorce the Word of God
from the
Another group of people
who call themselves by the name of Christ and are part of what is called the “
"Yes, we
are right now in the midst of the early days of a sovereign, very radical, move
of God," says Nate Krupp, publisher of the book God's Simple Plan For His
Church on his home church website, Radical Christianity. "We are seeing
God do incredible things: people are leaving the institutional church by the
thousands; they are tired of being an audience, instead of a body; they
question increasingly all the money that goes into buildings; they are tired of
being controlled and manipulated; they long to use their giftings to serve God
and see 'the priesthood of all believers', instead of 'the clergy' and they
long to see the Holy Spirit allowed to freely move instead of everything being
controlled. God is sovereignly, in these days, raising up a massive, growing
movement of people who are desiring to function like the early Christians in
the Book of Acts. Believers are turning their backs on all the programs and
returning to their first love, Jesus."[5]
It is true that the office
of elder and pastor has been abused. It is true that many visible
congregations of Christ as institutions have over-exaggerated building plans
and goals that focus more on the tangible successes of the world rather than on
the clear and faithful teaching of the Word of God and the Sacraments.
But just because the visible Church has been abused, does not mean we are free
to leave and try to arrogantly “start over” at home.
The “Household of God”, or
the true “Home or
Is this individualism
unique to the 21st century Church? Is this idea of home church or
house church unique to our time? Has there ever been such a development or
mindset like this before in church history? Do you really know? If you are part
of these home or house churches, are you sure that what you are doing is right
and biblically authorized? The Reformer John Calvin addressed this same
mindset a few thousand years ago, and he said that in every age, there have
been those who separated from the visible
"But in every age the
prophets and godly teachers have had a difficult struggle with the ungodly, who
in their stubborness can never submit to the yoke of being taught by human word
and ministry. This is like blotting out the face of God which shines upon us in
teaching...More detestable than this attitude is that of the apostates who have
a passion for splitting churches, in effect driving the sheep from their fold
and casting them into the jaws of wolves. We must hold to what we have quoted
from Paul--that the church is built up solely by outward preaching, and that
the saints are held together by one bond only: that with common accord, through
learning and advancement, they keep the church order established by God (Eph.
4:12)." (‘Institutes’, IV.1.v).
Calvin wrote:
“Whoever, therefore, either is trying to abolish this order [that
Christ has established in the visible Church] and this kind of government,
or discounts it as not necessary, is striving for the undoing or rather the
ruin and destruction of the church. For neither the light and the heat of the
sun, nor food and drink, are so necessary to nourish and sustain the present
life as the apostolic and pastoral office is necessary to preserve the church
on earth." (‘Institutes’, IV.3.ii).
“Me and My Bible”
Let us understand that
this individualism and separatism is not a new occurrence and this too would be
realized if Christians today, evangelicals particularly would read and
understand the history of their family in the Church! This was also a
popular notion in 19th century
A. B. Grosh, a confessing
Universalist said: “In religious faith we have but one Father and one
Master…and the Bible, the Bible, is our only acknowledged creed-book.”
(We will discuss more in later the fallacy of “No Creed but Christ”).
Alexander Campbell, founder of the Disciples of Christ, and a man who much like
the
The statement that
The two men above are not
unique examples of individualism, but I would dare say that this perhaps the
most popular way of thinking among many Evangelicals today. In response
to this thinking, we should remember that the Apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy
3:16 that the visible Church is the “…Household of God, the pillar of
truth…”. We should ask of ourselves the important question: “Why is
the Church called the ‘pillar of truth”?
God could very well come
down and teach us by his own mouth the truths of Scripture. God himself could
choose to interpret our Bibles for us, or he could choose angels to bring his
message, but God in his sovereignty and his grace has chosen the lips of sinful
men specially called to the task and ordained into the ordained office.
God calls pastor-elders who are not perfect, but who are called by God and
recognized by His people to be their teachers. Because the Church is the
mother of all believers, God gives them pastor-elders to nurture and to teach
them so that in our mother’s loving arms we might grow up to maturity under her
guidance. The one “Household of God” is kept theologically clean and the
Word of God is preserved for each generation to be nurtured and
admonished. We must never try to separate or divorce the Word of God from
the one household of God, the pillar of the truth that God in his wisdom and
grace has established in the ordained ministry of the Church.
It is most important for
all Christians to be reminded that the “Household of God” is a visible
household with an office for administering Word, Sacraments, and
discipline. The only “
Christ has established
both Word and Church, but we are not to try and rent asunder that which God has
joined together by his grace and in his great wisdom. If you are a
teacher in Christ’s Church and you think like Alexander Campbell above, I would
remind you that you are not learning the love of Christ together with all the
saints both dead and living. You may (hopefully!) be teaching the truth,
but how do you know if you interpret the Bible “as if no one before you has ever
read it”? As teacher especially, we should seek to rightly handle the
Word of Truth and this can only be done by studying the Word of God in the
Church and with the Church, with saints both dead and living, trusting the Holy
Spirit to guide us into all truth as He has done for many generations in our
family before we were ever born. The “me and my bible” mentality must be
repented of as the people of God. We are called to read and study our
Bibles in the Church, our mother Christ has given to us. In reality there
is no such thing biblically as “me and my bible” except in the Church!
Our precious and loving
Mother has been provided by God, and for all believers within this one
household, God has given teachers and ministers of the Word. Although the
idea of apostolical succession was eventually perverted and distorted from its
biblical implications, there has always been a unity of truth deposited in the
Church, the “pillar of truth”, and there is one office for administering and
teaching doctrine God has placed in her hands in order to preserve the
truth. We will consider in our next chapter how the Ascended Christ
ministers to His Church on Earth.
Next Chapter:
Chap. 7: The
Ascended Christ’s Ongoing Ministry on Earth
Copyright