PART
TWO: OUR MOTHER’S ORDAINED OFFICE
The Authority of
Christ
In the last chapter we
studied the ongoing work of the ascended Christ here on earth. We also
studied the character of men called to the office of pastor-elder and why it is
important to have this call of God recognized by the people of God. I
ended the chapter suggesting a model of how we can biblically and more
precisely understand the relationship between the Church, the Word of God and
the Holy Spirit. In this chapter, I want to consider the authority of the
office in the Church. We accept the authority of the Word of God and the
Holy Spirit as Evangelical, Bible-believing Christians, but doesn’t this model
I have articulated also imply an authority of the ordained office in the Church?
With this in mind, we will
consider the following questions: What kind of authority does the ordained
ministry carry with it? If there is a special authority, what is the authority
in relation to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God? Is the ordained
office of pastor-elder any more special in the Church, or hold more authority
than all other Christians? Is there truly a priesthood of all believers and if
so, how do we understand it in light of what we have learned so far about the
visible
We should state very
plainly as we proceed that all of the authority of the ordained ministry
derives its authority from Christ alone and is founded upon His authority, not
any inherent goodness, virtue, or authority in the minister himself. The
authority of the ordained office is ministerial or declarative in nature.[1][1] An ambassador of a
country has no authority as a mere individual, but the office he holds does
have authority derived from the leader and given to him to uphold his duties
and call. On the derived authority of the minister, and his call of being
an ambassador of reconciliation and the gospel, let us consider how the Bible
teaches us concerning this. Allow me what I will call a “Biblical-Top
Down Analysis” of ministerial or declarative authority in the ordained
ministry.
The Triune God over the Universe
(Psalm
Christ the Head of the Church
(Matthew 11:27; 28:18; John 5:22, 27; 17:2; Rev.
2:27)
Apostolic Office (“the Twelve”)
(Matt. 10:1; Mark 3:14-15; Luke 9:1; Matt.
The Apostle to the Gentiles
(Acts
Inscripturated (Written), Infallible,
Inerrant Word of Christ
(2 Tim. 3:16-4:2; 1 Thess. 5:27; 2 Thess. 3:14;
Col. 4:16; Rev. 1:3)
Perpetual Offices in the Church:
Ambassadors of Christ (Pastor-Teachers-Elders)
(Acts
The Authority of the
Resurrected-Ascended Christ the Head of the Church
After Jesus’ resurrection,
he said: “All authority and heaven and earth has been given to me” (Matt.
28:18). Jesus’ authority as the King of the Church was to be over those
apostle-elders whom he would send into the world to make disciples, baptize the
nations, and teach them everything that he had commanded them, knowing that he
would be with his ministers in the visible Church until the end of the age
(Matt. 28:18-20).
Although Christ is with
all of his people until the end of the age, he has promised to be with his
officer-ministers in the Church in a special way as they “go” on behalf of
Christ, serving him by ministering to His people visibly in his stead until he
returns. In other words, the ordained officers in Christ’s Church are
continuing his ministry here on earth because Christ has sat down at the right
hand of the Father in heaven.
Matthew 28 establishes
Christ in his resurrection and ascension as the Head and King of the Church
(also see Matt.
The office of
apostle-elder was so unique and special, that the apostles were given actual
“Messianic-Christological” authority (authority as if they were in a sense
Christ himself on earth, Matt. 16:19; 18:18; 28:18-20; Luke 10:19; 24:46-48;
John 14:26; 16:13-15; 20:21, 23; Acts 1:8b; cf. this with Exodus 3-4 and the
call of Moses when God tells Moses that he will be “as God” to Pharaoh and
Aaron).
Historically, there has
been a distinction between the special call of God to the ordained office of
pastor-elder, or the perpetual office, and the foundational, unique and
temporary office of apostle-elder. The office of pastor-elder would
continue until Christ returns at the “end of the age” but the temporal, or
apostle-elder office would pass away once the Word of God was completed (Eph.
2:20; 1 Cor. 13:11ff). The apostolic-elder office was temporal as a
foundation, while the perpetual office of pastor-elder continues to this day.
“On This Rock…”:
What Kind of Authority Did Peter and the Apostles Have?
Let us consider the
foundational role of the apostles as called by Jesus Christ to serve the
Church. When we read Matthew 16, we are often taken back by Jesus’ words to
Peter after his confession of the fact that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah.
Jesus says in response to Peter: “On this Rock (Cephas-Peter), I will build my
Church.”
ESV Matthew 16:13-19: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man
is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others
say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He
said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon
Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17
And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give
you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
(emphasis mine).
There are a few comments
to make about this passage where Peter confesses Jesus to be
Christ-Messiah. First, Peter’s answer comes from Jesus’ “Father who is in
heaven,” which reminds us that all revelation comes through the Word of God and
by his illuminating Holy Spirit. Second, Christ tells Peter he will build
his Church upon Peter the man, not merely his confession as is popularly
understood. Third, Christ tells Peter that the gates of hell will never
prevail against his Church. Finally, he gives the keys of the kingdom of
heaven to Peter. I believe in this passage, we see the model that I
recommended in the last chapter: the Church, the Word of God, and the Holy
Spirit are related together and should not be separated in the earthly work of
establishing Christ’s Kingdom.
We evangelicals are
usually quick to interpret this passage in Matthew 16 saying of Jesus that “on
this rock I will build my Church” in a way that will alleviate our fears with
regard to a person being told he will be the foundation of Christ’s
Church. We fear such a teaching because we have known that this saying of
Christ to Peter has been abused and that ravenous wolves have used this
doctrine to abuse the office of the ministry as in the Roman Catholic
papacy. However, the Bible does indeed teach that the Church was built
upon Peter, surprising as this may be to us!
When we speak of Christ
building the Church on Peter “the Rock”, we need only to read the first twelve
chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. In the first twelve chapters we
read about Peter’s Pentecost Sermon and the work of the Holy Spirit in
regenerating many who heard the message (Acts 2). The focus of the
Apostle Luke in the first twelve chapters of the Book of Acts is on how Jesus
established His Church on Peter and his Gospel message primarily to the Jews
and God-fearing Greeks.
In Acts chapters thirteen
to the end, we have the ministry of the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles, and his
going with the gospel word to the ends of the earth. According to the
Book of Acts in form and content, the Church was indeed “built upon the Rock”,
particularly the Apostle Peter’s ministry of the Word he began preaching in
Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (cf. Eph. 2:20). The foundation of the
Church was the faithful word and preaching of Christ and him crucified by Peter
the Apostle-Elder (cf. 1 Peter 5:1-4).
Peter as representative of
the other apostles, or primus inter pares, or “first among equals” was
called and duly ordained by Christ in the foundational office of apostle as a
teacher. We should not shrink away from this reality, simply because men
might abuse this fact. We often try to reinterpret Jesus’ words to Peter
and say that Jesus meant that upon merely Peter’s “confession” he would build
the Church, but Christ clearly says that it is upon this man, and this man
represents all the apostles, or the apostolic-elder office if you will.
This emphasizes the unity of the Church from its foundation upon one Christ
(Eph. 4:4ff, see earlier chapters).
Concerning this confession
of Peter from Matthew 16, the Reformers quoted the early church father Cyprian
who taught that Christ spoke to all of the apostles in the person of one man,
in order to recommend the unity of the Church. The Reformers quote
Cyprian in order to undermine
“It can easily be proved
to the mind of faith by a brief statement of the truth. The Lord says to Peter,
‘I say unto you that you are Peter, etc.’ (Matt. 16:18,19). [And again after
his resurrection he says to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’] He builds his church upon
[him] one man; [and to him he gives his sheep to be fed;] and though he
gives to all the Apostles an equal power and says, ‘As my Father sent me, etc.’
(John 20:21-23), yet he has [appointed the one chair and] ordained by his
authority the source [and system] of unity beginning from one man [Certainly
the other Apostles were what Peter was, but primacy is given to Peter that it
may be shown that the Church is one and the chair one. And all are pastors, but
one flock is indicated which is fed by all the Apostles with unanimous
consent.] that he might manifest the unity…
Certainly the other
Apostles were what Peter was, endued with an equal fellowship both of honor
and power; but the beginning is made from unity, that the Church of Christ
may be shown to be one….He that holds not this unity of the Church, does he
think that he holds the faith? He that strives against and resists the Church,
[he that deserts the chair of Peter upon whom that Church was founded,] is he
confident that he is in the Church? For the blessed Apostle Paul also teaches
the same thing and sets forth the sacrament of unity, saying, ‘There is one
body, etc.’ (Eph. 4:4, 5).”[2][4]
Calvin desired to uphold
the biblical teaching of the unity of the Church and to develop Cyprian’s
teaching as he wrote in Articles of the Theological Faculty of Paris,[3][3] as an antidote against
Agreeing with Cyprian on
the unity of the Church, Calvin wrote: “Cyprian does not honor the Roman bishop
with any other appellation than that of brother and co-bishop (pastor), he not
only makes him the equal of himself and others, but even addresses him in
harsher terms, accusing him of arrogance and ignorance.”
He goes on to write:
“…The power to bind and
loose can no more be separated from the office of teaching and the Apostleship
than light or heat can be separated from the sun…It is [therefore] a foolish
inference of the Papists, that [Peter] received the primacy, and became the
universal head of the whole Church. Rank is different than power, and to be
elevated to the highest place of honor among a few persons is a different thing
from embracing the whole world under his dominion….and so, the vast dominion,
which the Papists claim for [Peter], falls to the ground.” (Comm. Gospels,
Matthew 16:19).
I think this is getting at
what Jesus meant about building the Church upon “the Rock” or upon Peter.
Peter was the one confessing the truth of Christ’s revelation as a
representation of all the apostle-elders and thus it shows forth the unity of
Christ’s Church in his one confession on behalf of all. The binding and
loosing authority of the keys of the Kingdom that were given to Peter as
representative of all of the apostles and the apostolic office, was given to
him as one who not only represented the temporal office of the apostle-elders,
but all those who would succeed him in the perpetual ordained pastor-elder
office.
It is easy for modern
evangelicals to read this and think that it sounds too “Roman Catholic” for
their ears, but Calvin was saying nothing less than what Cyprian had already
said in the early Church and so he was studying the Scriptures “together with
all the saints” both dead and living. When Jesus appointed Peter in the
apostolic office as representative of the apostles and their teaching that
would eventually be inscripturated, or written down, he was unifying the Church
upon the apostles and prophets from the very beginning. This unity, no
man should tear asunder, for he is tearing apart in schism and individualism
what God has joined formally together in his visible Church, the mother of us
all. This is why Cyprian as well as Calvin said that if we do not have
the Church as our mother, we cannot call God our Father.
If God the Father has
given to us the Church of Christ to learn of Christ, becoming more like him,
and this is the place where the Holy Spirit works through the preaching and
teaching of the Word and administration of the sacraments, then it is important
for us to recognize the ordained ministry, given to the Church of Christ
officially, through call and ordination, to preach and teach the Word,
administer the sacraments, and to uphold the first two with Biblical discipline.
It would behoove the modern evangelical movement to consider how they might
seek the unity of the Church again! This is why in the last chapter, I
encouraged us to think with the model of church and the Word of God and Holy
Spirit being intimately connected on a horizontal plane. I believe they
are not to be torn apart and divided.
It is in the
ordained ministry, instituted by Christ where the gospel keys of the Kingdom
are to be found. Christ has given the Church the pastor and teachers and
elders for the building up of the saints, to equip them for service, to mature
them, to keep them from evil and error, so that they will grow up completely
into Christ, the Head of the One Body (Eph. 4:4-16). Do Christians still
believe that Christ will unify us and sanctify us by His Word (John 17), and do
we still believe that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16)?
When we claim that Christ
was building his Church upon Peter’s confession, we are not denying that this
is true, Peter’s confession was part of the true Word of God, but that there is
more to it than this. Peter’s confession would be foundational teaching
for the Church; there is no doubting this reality. The authority that
Jesus gave to all the apostle-elders in the present in the keys, the binding
and loosing (Matt. 16:18-19), as well as in the future as “judges of the tribes
of
Calvin says: “Here Christ
begins now to speak of the public office, that is, of the Apostleship, which he
dignifies with a twofold title. First, he says that the ministers of the Gospel
are porters [“gatekeepers”], so to speak, of the kingdom of heaven, because
they carry its keys; and, secondly, he adds, that they are invested with
the power of binding and loosing, which is ratified in heaven (Comm.
Gospels, Matthew 16:18-19).
I think an important point
found in Matthew 16:18-19 is that the forgiveness of sins is formally given to
the new community of apostles. This authority to forgive sins found in
the “keys of the kingdom” is from Christ’s word itself. In the Old
Covenant, the people would have to go through official priests in the temple to
have their sins forgiven through sacrifice. Here we see that since Jesus
is the once and for all and final sacrifice for sins, the New Covenant people
will be pronounced “forgiven from sins” through the Word of God given through
the Apostles.
Kingdom Keys of
Teaching and Forgiveness (Doctrine and Life)
What are these “kingdom
keys” that Jesus entrusted to the apostolic-elder office? In this
apostolic office and as holders of Christ’s “kingdom keys” with the authority
of “binding and loosing”, the apostle-elders were to teach Christ’s people
(doctrine), as well as to declare the authority of Christ from his word with
regard to forgiveness (life). The keys were given to the Church in order
to instruct according to doctrine and life. In Acts 15, we have the first
Council of the
The Council of Jerusalem
was called to decide more particularly what it meant to say that “Jesus was the
Christ” and how this was to be understood by the Gentiles as well. This
first council of the Church should be appreciated as implicitly teaching us the
importance of serving Christ as ministers together in synods and councils (more
on this in the final chapter on confessing our faith together). This
first council instructs us that as the visible Church, we are to gather as
ordained men to determine the teaching of Jesus in the Scriptures. Notice
how the Council of Jerusalem responded to the problem at hand with a clear
confession in the following letter in Acts 15:23-29:
"The brothers, both
the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in
In this transitional time
in New Testament history, the Holy Spirit was at work in a special and
supernatural way. God himself could have spoken from heaven to clearly
decide the matter. Yet what is interesting to note as a pattern for all
synods and councils of the Church is that even though the Apostles and elders
lived during the special and unique apostolic age full of supernatural and
temporal occurrences, the apostle-elders or ministers met to discuss God’s Word
together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All synods and councils
of the Church, who have come together to study and determine the teaching of
Christ’s Word, should be able to say: “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit
and to us…”
Notice at the Council of
Jerusalem, how the “Keys of the Kingdom” and the “binding and loosing” that is
ratified in heaven is used by the apostles and all the elders, teaching us that
the keys of the kingdom, as well as the apostolic authority to bind and loose
on earth, has been given and passed on to the ordained ministry, along with the
confession and teachings of the apostles.
Notice in the passage from
Matthew 16:16-19 as well as the passage from Acts 15, that we again have the
Church, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit all working together as Christ
intended to build up and inform his Church of his truth and revelation.
Again, I think it is important to consider this model against others we might
have considered that seems to simplistically place the Church above the Word
(as in Roman Catholicism), or the Word over the Church (as in popular
evangelicalism). Using the language of John 14-16, the Holy Spirit will
lead the apostle-elders (and this implies all in the ordained office building
upon their foundation), and this leading will be in the Church and through the
Word of God.
These passages inform us
that the ordained minister’s authority is derived from the Word of God
alone. The ability to understand and interpret the Word of God in order
to make proper judgments, and in order to open or close the gates to the
Kingdom through the gospel proclamation of truth, is Christ’s gift to his
family. These “kingdom keys” which Jesus has given to the ordained office
when used properly and under Christ’s rule, open the door or gate of the sheep,
so that those who hear the Shepherd might come in and find rest for their souls
(Matthew 11:25-29; John 10). There is no apostolic “succession” with
regard to Peter as some might teach today, but there is an apostolic “holding
onto”, “preservation”, and “proper use” of the keys in the ordained office from
then to the present time by declaring ministerially the authority of Christ in
his Word.
It is important for us to
realize that this ministerial or declarative authority from God’s word in the
“kingdom keys” instructs Christ’s Church with the good news of the forgiveness
of sins in the gospel, and also helps the Church to grow together and
understand the Word of God together with all the saints. The “kingdom
keys” teach the people of God the will of God with regard to their doctrine and
their life. This is why the Apostle Paul tells Timothy:
ESV 1 Timothy 4:16 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.
The keys of the kingdom,
entrusted to our pastor-elders, not only are to be used to teach sound doctrine
from Scripture, but they are to pronounce constant and pardon and forgiveness
for the saints as they repent daily of their sins and turn to Christ alone.
It is incumbent upon every pastor-elder who has been entrusted with these
“kingdom keys” to use them to preach the pure gospel of Christ alone the Savior
of sinners. The “kingdom keys” given my Christ to his Church in the
ordained office is a sacred trust. One only has to notice how many times
the Apostle Paul wants to impress this upon young pastor Timothy in the
Scriptures. The Apostle Paul reminds young pastor Timothy several times
of the important deposit that has been entrusted to him in the ordained office
of pastor-elder:
ESV 1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent
babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge,"
ESV 2 Timothy 1:12 …which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom
I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day
what has been entrusted to me.
ESV 2 Timothy 1:14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit
entrusted to you.
This should be sobering
for every man called to the task of pastor-elder. We must guard the keys
of the kingdom that have been given to us in the Word of God.
Additionally, notice how Paul places the greatest emphasis on the
teaching aspect of the ordained office. The teaching of the good deposit,
the Word of God given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit is to be most important
in the life of the pastor-elder:
ESV 1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to
exhortation, to teaching.
ESV 1 Timothy 4:16 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.
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.
ESV 1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the
sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with
godliness…
ESV 2 Timothy 3:10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life,
my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,
ESV 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
ESV 2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove,
rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
This should be sobering to
many ministers of the Gospel today. How are you handling the keys of the
kingdom? Do you realize what has been entrusted to you and do you spend great effort
in making sure you use these keys in instructing Christ’s people in doctrine
and life? Do you spend time teaching your own thoughts, or telling interesting
anecdotes, that while not intentional, might be underestimating the
proclamation and declaration of what God has done in Christ for us? All
ministers of the gospel, who are duly called and ordained, must consider
whether they are using the Keys of the Kingdom as the Lord Jesus would have
them? Do you jiggle the key around in the lock in your sermons, without
actually opening up the door by God’s grace and the power of the Spirit?
Are you aware of this great responsibility and privilege as an ordained holder
of the keys?
The Apostle to the
Gentiles
Along with the authority
of the apostles was the “Apostle to the Gentiles”, the Apostle Paul. Let
us now consider Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles and how he used his authority
only in a ministerial and declarative way. Even the Apostle Paul, though
he was called by the Ascended Jesus himself, submitted himself to the Apostles
for his ministry, and to be formally accepted in this special office of Apostle
(Acts 9:15; cf. Acts 22:10, 15; 20:24; 26:16-18; Gal. 1:11-12; 2 Cor. 10:8;
13:10). With regard to the Apostle Paul, notice three important passages with
regard to his authority as a Minister of Reconciliation.
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an
apostle- not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the
Father, who raised him from the dead- 2 and all the brothers who are
with me, To the churches of Galatia: 11 For I would have you know,
brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For
I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it
through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:8 For
even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for
building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed.
2 Corinthians 13:10 For
this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I
may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me
for building up and not for tearing down.
Paul tells of his call to
the ordained office by Christ himself. He says that his gospel is from
Christ himself. Yet in his practice, the Apostle Paul submitted to other
elders in the Church (Acts 15; Gal. 2). In the above two passages from
Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he speaks of his authority with regard
to uphold the purity of the Word of God. This shows that Paul’s authority
in particular, and the office of minister in general, is to teach the sound
doctrine of the Word, and correct and rebuke those who would undermine it or
misunderstand it in any way.
The Inscripturated
Word and Its Authority
From the office of
Apostle-Elder, we then have the inscripturated (or written), infallible,
inerrant Word of Christ to the world (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2; 1 Thess. 5:27; 2
Thess. 3:14; Col. 4:16; Rev. 1:3). As the Apostles died and joined their
glorified Lord, the inscripturated, or written Word of God replaced them as the
authoritative Word of Christ speaking to His Church (Romans 10:13-17; Heb.
1:1-2; Rev. 20:18-19).
However, the ongoing
ordained office of minister was founded upon the foundation of the Apostles and
Prophets who were used by God to write the Word of God. The office of
minister is therefore authoritative as an apostolic office by foundation (Eph.
2:20), yet are men specially and specifically called by God, and given by
Christ himself to the Church to teach the people of God His Word until he
returns (Eph. 4:11-16). Again, we see the close unity between the Church,
the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit’s work.
Because the office of
minister is only declarative of what God’s word teaches, this means that a
pastor-elder can never create new laws or commands of God for the people of God
to obey. This means he cannot or should not be a legalist, demanding of
God’s people certain things that Scripture does not require. As an
ambassador he can only declare what has already been written in
Scripture. The pastor-elder must be committed to “It is written…” rather
than “I think it would be a good idea…”
Ministers or officers in
Christ’s Church have the sobering task of declaring only what comes out of the
mouth of Christ (Deut. 8; Rom. 10:13-18). The ministers are the ordained
mouthpiece of Christ. God have mercy on those ministers who speak their
own words, stuffing Christ’s mouth with tissues so that he cannot speak clearly
to His people! May all ministers be aware of this sobering reality of
unintentionally or intentionally shutting the Shepherd’s mouth when the sheep
need so desperately to her HIS voice.
The inscripturated or
written Word of God is now the sole authority of Christ’s Church. Under
the authority of the Word then is the Office of Minister, or
pastor-elder. “…And He gave some [to His Church] to be evangelists,
pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service.” (Eph.
4:11-16). Notice the connection in Ephesians 4 from the foundation
of the Apostles and Prophets to the evangelists, pastors and teachers who serve
in the same foundational ordained office until Christ returns with the purpose
of pronouncing reconciliation and grace to God’s people, and discipling them in
the Word of God until they reach maturity (Hebrews 2:5-14; 5:13-6:2).
Under the office of
Minister, or pastor-elder, the people of God in their “works of service” serve
Christ in His Church, growing in maturity and love together as “each part works
properly” (Eph. 4:16). The people of God, or those who call themselves
Christian, rightly serve Christ not merely under Christ’s authority, that is,
without or outside his Church. Rather, Christians rightly serve Christ in
his church under the ordained office as Christ has given it. Just as true
ministers never try to declare their own words or thoughts or authority, but
they are constantly submissive in doctrine and life to their Lord speaking in
His Word.
Through the Church we serve Christ, by learning
together from His Word, submitted to one another out of love because of the
help of the Holy Spirit! According to the good and necessary deduction
from Scripture, one cannot rightly and obediently serve Christ outside of the
Church. It is in the Church, under the Word of God, by the grace of the
Holy Spirit that one serves Christ rightly and obediently, for Christ himself
has established the order of things this way.
Ambassadors of the
We have looked at the
temporal office and authority of the apostolic-elder office, and how their
authority derives from Christ and is inscripturated or written down in the Holy
Scriptures. Now we want to consider the declarative authority of what it
means to be an ambassador of the
Let me say this first that
all Christians and particularly those gifted and called to be ordained
officer-ministers of Christ’s Church, must understand that all the glory and
honor in the Church belongs to Christ alone. These ordained men Christ
calls to the ordained office have nothing to boast about, even their gifts are
given by God (“What do you have that you have not been given? Paul asks in 1
Corinthians 4).
Even though the men called
to the task are unworthy, and only Christ alone should receive the glory and
praise, nevertheless, Christ has chosen to use “vessels of clay” (2 Cor. 3-4)
in order to continue his ongoing earthly ministry, and to accomplish his work
here on earth. As a man or woman who is an artist uses a paintbrush, and
the paintbrush is essential for the artist’s work yet does not get the credit
or glory for the work, so Christ uses sinful, yet redeemed men to do his work
on earth. In fact, in the same letter where the Apostle Paul writes to
Timothy concerning elders, he also lists himself as “foremost of sinners” who
has been saved by grace and given a call by God to be a minister of
reconciliation.
Even though we realize
that the office of ambassador has been abused and misused, the Scriptures
reveal that this is the will of God to rule his Church this way. Christ,
the Head of the Church, could have used heavenly instruments, heavenly angels,
or could himself have continued to speak audibly to his people, but he chooses
to use men. So Christ has established according to his wisdom and
sovereign will to teach his people, to shepherd his sheep through the office of
pastor-elder, and this all Christians should recognize as being God’s
will. In light of this, let us consider this subject more in detail by
considering Christ’s authority and the authority of the office of pastor-elder.
Christ is our glorified
Prophet, Priest and King who has ascended the holy hill of the LORD and sat
down at his right hand (Psa. 2; 110; Acts 1:8ff; 2:22ff). However, he
calls and installs men to speak his word as prophet, shepherd his flock as a
priest, and to rule visibly under him as an “Ambassador of the King” devoted to
His holy Word and obeying the mandate and agenda of Christ’s cabinet.
In the Apostle Paul’s
Second Epistle to the Corinthians, written to persuasively convince the
Therefore, knowing the
fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I
hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending
ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may
be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what
is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God;
if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ
controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all,
therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live
might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was
raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the
flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard
him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled
us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that
is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their
trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through
us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin
who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2
Corinthians 5:11-21).
In this passage, the
Apostle Paul says that all of the good news concerning what Christ has done is
from God, and because of his mercy to his people, we are reconciled to God in
Christ (v. 18a). Through Christ, God has given ministers the “Ministry of
Reconciliation” (v. 18b), because they are “Ambassadors for Christ”. This
is often quoted out of context by some people thinking that all Christians are
these “Ministers of Reconciliation” or “Ambassadors for Christ” but this is not
what Paul is saying, because he is defending his teaching and office to the
Corinthians (others within the ordained teaching office working with the
Apostle Paul is who the “us” is in the passage, Timothy and Silvanus, not
merely Christians in general, although this can be a legitimate application of
the passage; also see 2 Cor. 1:19-24; 2:17; 3:1-2; 4:1ff).
All Christians are reconciled to God in Christ, and
all Christians are called in a general way of evangelism to encourage sinners
to be reconciled to God, but not all Christians are called specifically and
specially to this office by Christ to be “Ministers of Reconciliation”, or
“Ambassadors of Christ” as those who hold the keys of the kingdom.
Ministers or pastor-elders
are truly recognized as ambassadors to the extent to which they proclaim
faithfully and carefully the gospel of their Lord Jesus Christ.
“Ambassadors for Christ” have no authority save in the declaration of what the
Word of Christ says to the Churches (Rev. 2-3). Christ is present
spiritually in His Word when it is declared faithfully, and he is received by
his people when they by faith believe his Word.
“Ambassadors of Christ”
have real authority as we learned in the first part of this chapter, but it is
always derived from the Lord Jesus, who is the only King of the Church, and
their ministry of reconciliation is declarative, in that it declares what
Christ has said to those who believe and receive the gospel. How do you
recognize a true “Minister of Reconciliation” or “Ambassador of Christ”? They
will be declaring God’s Word to His people, aware of the sobering reality that
they have been called and entrusted with the keys of Christ’s kingdom.
Minister and
Ministry
As we made a distinction
between the foundational or temporal office of the apostle-elder and the
permanent and ongoing office of the pastor-elder, I think it is important to
make the clarification between the special ordained office of an “Ambassador of
Christ” as minister, and Christians in general called to serve and do works of
service. All Christians are witnesses to the gospel, but the “duly
ordained” minister is the proper and official voice through whom Christ speaks
to His Church to encourage them and build them up for ‘works of service’ or
“ministry” (Eph. 4:11-13). Here we see an important distinction between
the special or perpetual office of the ministry as ambassador, and the ordinary
service and gifts of all Christians in the Church.
Perhaps the
misunderstanding on this comes from our word “minister” or “ministry”. In
Ephesians 4:11-13, the minister (pastor-elder) is given by Christ to speak his
words and teach the Church so that the body of Christ will be built up and
equipped for works, or service of ministry. In Ephesians 4 and implicitly
in 2 Corinthians 5, we should note that there is a special call for ministers,
and this special call from Christ for ministers is to prepare the saints for
ministry, or works of service. The Christian who does not hold a
particular office as an ordained minister as specifically an ambassador is
still a great witness of the risen Jesus within and without the visible
Church.
All Christians minister, but not all Christians are
ministers;
All Christians have service or ministry, but not
all Christians are called to the ministry.
In the Reformation,
because of the abuse of
“A doctrine of biblical
origin but classically formulated by [Martin] Luther, affirming the common
dignity, calling and privilege of all Christians before God…the Church
is…described in 1 Peter 2:9 as ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ for
God…There is no New Testament warrant for ascribing any special qualification
of priesthood to ordained persons within the common priesthood of the
church….Luther protested that ‘our baptism consecrates us all without exception
and makes us all priests….We all have the same authority in regard to the word
and the sacraments, although no one has the right to administer them without
the consent of the members of his church.’ .…In Calvin [the doctrine of the
priesthood of all believers] was more firmly grounded in the one priesthood of
Christ. Yet the Reformation did not abolish ministerial order, leaving somewhat
uncertain the relationship between the two.”
So how are we to
understand this doctrine of the priesthood of all believers more biblically? We
have seen that the Bible teaches that some are specially and specifically
called and ordained by Christ to serve in the office of ‘ambassador’ or
pastor-elder. This is not a higher or more important calling, because all
Christians are priests in this sense generally. What I think we should
understand is that this special call as “Ambassador of Christ’ is not
authoritarian and oppressive, nor is it of a higher order of any other calling
or vocation in this world, but it is a special office for teaching, preaching,
administering the sacraments, and declaring only what the resurrected-ascended
Christ teaches in his word. In other words, it is a special office that
holds the “keys of the kingdom” that Christ entrusted to his
apostle-elders. This is another way of speaking of ‘apostolicity’ as we
have discussed in earlier chapters.
I realize this can be
confusing. Some Christians since the Reformation, in the name of the
doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, have disregarded the ordained
ministry altogether, and we should not do this, for it undermines what the
Bible clearly teaches. Let’s think of this ‘embassy’ of Christ with an
example because we don’t want to have the impression that those who have been
called “laypeople” are somehow not special or a second class of Christians from
the special ordained office of minister, because this has been an unbiblical
presumption by those who were called to the special office of ambassador,
especially during the Medieval Roman Catholic communion.
To explain this with an
example, let us be reminded that if we are citizens in
In the same way, all
Christians (ordained or not) are citizens of the
Edmund Clowney in his
excellent book on the Church makes the distinction between the “special office”
or embassy of Christ in the office of pastor-elder and the general office of
all believers. He reminds us all that all authority is “gospel authority”
in the office of ‘Ambassador of Christ’ and that this special office is to
equip the saints for the work of ministry or service through worship, nurture,
and witness to the world (‘The Church’, Clowney, IVP:1995, pgs. 208-210).
As Christians we should be
reminded of the importance or necessity of Christ’s ongoing and visible
ministry on earth. You could say using the imagery of ‘ambassador’ that
heaven should always have a true Ambassador on earth in every city as the
gospel goes to the end of the world.
The Lord Christ shows us
with the apostles that there is not only a call issued from Christ to this
important office of ministry, but a visible submission to other men duly called
and ordained in the Church. Christ’s will in Scripture is revealed to use
men on earth as his heavenly “Ambassadors”. But what great responsibility
this is for ordained ministers to correctly hear from Christ in His Word, and
as servants of Christ and teachers of His Word, make known “all that He has
commanded His people” (Matt. 28:19-20). As Matthew 28:18 teaches us all
authority has been given to Christ. This is not shared by Christ’s
ambassadors. Rather, they declare authoritatively what Christ has
authorized in Scripture alone. Christ’s ambassadors should speak only
where Christ speaks in the Scriptures, and be silent where Christ is silent.
We should be reminded that
how we relate to Christ’s ordained office teaches us a lot about our own
humility before Christ himself. Since the ordained office has been given
to the Church by Christ to continue his ministry on the earth, this implies
that our relationship as individual Christians to the ordained office reveals
our true relationship to Christ. If Christ has established the ordained
ministry, then we should receive these legitimately ordained men as gifts from
Christ to us. If we reject them, and even more so, reject their
“declarative” or “gospel” authority, we are implicitly rejecting the authority
of Christ because their authority derives from Christ who has established them
in the office and called them to it.
As Christians, we are to
thank God for instituting the Church and for giving us the gift of pastors and
teachers to grow and mature us in the faith in the
I conclude this chapter by
encouraging Evangelical Christians to reconsider the important office of
ordained minister as the very “Ambassador of Christ”. How would this
declarative and ministerial authority, submitted to the Word of God and the
Holy Spirit, change the way you perceive, appreciate, and understand Christ’s
visible Church on earth and his ongoing ministry through her? How would it
affect the way you relate to your own pastor-elder and minister of the Word of
God? What would you expect from your pastor-elder if you held him to such a
high office, and rather than merely respecting the man, you actually better
respected the office of “Ambassador of Christ” itself? How would this
help you in finding a true Church?
I would suggest that you
would expect your pastor-elder(s) to be about studying this authoritative Word
by the help of Christ’s Spirit, learning from other faithful ambassadors or
pastor-elders who have been faithful to the office before him. I would
suggest that this understanding of the office of ‘Ambassador of Christ’ would
encourage you to expect better study and preparation before the man is called
and ordained, and you would only want him declaring of the Word of God to you
ministerially as he teaches you how to be equipped for every good work of
ministry or service. I would suggest that you would have more of a
willingness to submit to this pastor-elder in the LORD because of his office
that has authority from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
How in our day can we have
a high biblical regard for the ordained ministry, while being careful of wolves
in sheep’s clothing? Calvin resisted
“Ours be the humility,
which, beginning with the lowest, and paying respect to each in his degree,
yields the highest honor and respect to the Church, in subordination, however,
to Christ the Church’s head; ours the obedience, which, while it disposes us to
listen to our elders and superiors, tests all obedience by the word of God; in
fine, ours the Church, whose supreme care it is humbly and religiously to
venerate the word of God, and submit to its authority….
We admit, therefore, that
ecclesiastical pastors are to be heard just like Christ himself, but they must
be pastors who execute the office entrusted to them. And this office, we
maintain, is not presumptuously to introduce whatever there own pleasure has rashly
devised, but religiously and in good faith to deliver the oracles which they
have received at the mouth of the Lord. For within these boundaries Christ
confined the reverence which he required to be paid to the Apostles; nor does
Peter (1 Peter 4:11) either claim for himself or allow others anything more
than that, as often as they speak among the faithful, they speak as from the
mouth of the Lord.” (Comm. 1 Timothy 4:16).
Does your pastor-elder
teach, preach, and guard the Word of God? We are reminded that Christ has
established this office of minister so that the people of God would learn from
Christ himself through their ministry. Therefore, we are to submit to our
faithful pastor-elders in the LORD, knowing that as we submit in the Lord,
we are showing to the world the humble submission of love to those Christ has
called and ordained.
We must come to appreciate
those faithful men God has given to us as our teachers. To God alone be
the glory, but we are to hear from our Lord Jesus Christ, through the sinful
lips of these men called and ordained to be “ministers of reconciliation” and
“Ambassadors for Christ” in the Church as the Holy Spirit helps them. Let
us not divorce or separate the Word of God and our study of it as Christians, from
the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit and the Church Christ has established
on the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the cornerstone!
As we learned in previous
chapters, when we find pastor-elders legitimately called and ordained in the
Church, who teach to the best of their ability the Word of God with the help
and aid of the Holy Spirit, we must seek unity by submitting to them in the
Lord formally by joining a local congregation of Christ’s people. We
should not be spiritual lone rangers, seeking to interpret the Bible merely by
ourselves, without the help of ordained men God has provided for us in the
Church. If we are to rightly obey Jesus Christ, we are to obey those he
has given to us in the ordained office who rightly teach us the Word of God by
the help of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 13:7, 17). So, how do we know when
those who are called pastor-elders are faithful or not? How do we recognize
false teachers? To this we will prayerfully and carefully turn in the next
chapter.
Chapter 8:
“Wolves in Sheep’s
Clothing”: How Do You Recognize False Teachers?
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