See No Need To Become A Member? Pt. 2

"Chris, don't you think your last blog on this topic was pretty harsh?" 
To some it may have been. But that was not my intent. My intent was to show that those Christians I described who see no need or are not seeking to become a member of a local church and think they’re walking in obedience doing it are deceiving themselves and are in defiance of authority (rebellion). Allow me to also clear up my use of the term rebellion. I did not mean in using “rebellion” (in my previous blog or in this one) as in “full-fledge rebellion back into the old sinful life”, but simply “rebellion” as in “defiance of authority”. Also, it was not a directive towards all, just those who are guilty of it. (See Pt. 1 for context).

So what then is this “authority” I am speaking of, and why are we to be submitted to it, and is it really necessary to become a member of a local church?

1. The authority I'm speaking of is the authority of the local church and its leaders to hold its members (leaders included) accountable and when necessary administer correction (i.e. rebuking, admonishments, and consequences), according to the Scriptures (Tit. chs. 1-2, 1Pet. 5:1-3, Matt. 18:15-20, 1Cor. ch. 5, 2Tim. 4:1-2).

2. Why are we to be submitted to it? Because God said so or displayed so (Acts 16:4-5, Heb. 13:7, 17, 1Thess. 5:12-13, 1Tim. 5:17, 1Pet. 5:5; also every N.T. Letter is to a "local church(es)"). It's for our benefit that we obey how God has set-up the local church to lead His sheep. Why? Because God knows us infinitely better than we could ever know ourselves. He knows exactly what we need and how we need to be led. We just have to trust and follow His leading, His guidance, and His sovereign plan.

3. Is becoming a member of a local church necessary? Absolutely! Becoming a member of a local church is nothing more than being submitted to a local church's authority and leadership. Membership is saying I am making a commitment to regularly and consistently fellowship and grow with this specific group of born-again believers (Gr. ekklesia), and submit myself to this group's (i.e. local church) authority (accountability) and leadership (Acts 1:12-14; 2:42-47; 4:32-5:11; 6:1-7; 11:19-30). (And if there is a question of who are the leaders, the leadership of the local church are simply those who have been appointed to lead—e.g. pastor/elders, deacons/ deaconesses, and leaders of or in ministries). The answer above (#2) expresses to us the necessity of membership, and also why not becoming a member of a local church is disobedience to God and detrimental to us.

Allow me to paint a picture highlighting one factor of why local church membership is important. Christian X starts a war of words with Christian Y. Other believers and unbelievers see and hear this war of words. A mature believer comes and admonishes both Christian X and Y to handle this matter more Christlike. Neither of them receives the admonishment. Another believer attempts to do the same. They ignore that one as well. All the while this war of words has turned into slander, gossip, defamation of one another's character, and flat out unChristlike. Finally, a fellow believer from Christian Y's church finds out what's going on by someone who tried to admonish Christian Y. This believer sees Matthew 18 has been done and realizes that they must alert the leadership of the church. Christian Y is counseled by their pastor, and receives the correction and repents. Christian X however is not a member of a church. Therefore Christian X is not submitted to any authority. They can continuing to spew out their war of words, blatantly disregarding their witness for Christ, show hate for their brethren, and defiance of authority to be held accountable for their error and sin. How can this believer be held accountable according to Scripture if they are not under authority as Scripture states? There is no way for the accountability of Matthew 18:15-17 or 1Corinthians 5 to be fully carried out if there is no commitment and submission to a local church.

To say you're under God's authority or the Bible's authority but are not under a local church's authority is a misnomer. God says and displays in His Word that being submitted to the local church's authority and leadership is being submitted to His authority and leadership.

Maybe some of you are thinking, "Chris, what about those who have been abused by church authority or church leaders who abuse their authority?" Well, what constitutes abuse of authority? Anyone can say they have been abused by authority when it could be they just don't like to be held accountable for their actions. So how can one determine true abuse? 
Abuse is a corrupt use of authority, or excessive, or flagrant, or unwarranted, or deceitful, or manipulative, or reviling, or improper use for improper gain, and so on. Hopefully you get the picture. If the authority in question falls in one of these categories and it has been verified by more than one person, then it needs to be brought up and addressed. Also, don't automatically assume it's on purpose. Sometimes abuse of authority can happen out of ignorance; but it's still not without consequences. Abuse is a correctable action. Only if the abuse of authority is a continual issue or such an egregious act of abuse should the one guilty of abuse be removed from their authority; (the extent of the removal is a case-by-case base). (The Old Testament is full of a wide-range of stories from the Judges until Jesus about abuse of authority).

For believers who go to a church (presently) where leaders abuse their authority, here's my advice:

1. Remember to follow Matthew 18:15-17. If the situation is not biblically resolved, make the pastor aware of your concern, then give some time for the pastor to inquire and investigate your concern. If the concern is about the pastor, follow 1Timothy 5:19, and tell a trustworthy elder.

2. You can always leave. Local church membership is not an eternal covenant. Just make sure you don't leave divisively. If you have biblical grounds and evidence that there is something heretical or biblically unlawful going on, and it can and has been verified by others, yes you should warn others as you leave, but still do so in a way that is Christlike--seasoned with grace, and in decency and in order. Remember, Jesus is the Great Shepherd, the Omnipotent King, and He can take great care of His sheep whether we warn others or not and whether they receive the warning or not. Don't take on His responsibility. Commit it to Him. And be sure to get plugged in to a church where there is better transparency, accountability, and a grace-driven presence among leadership and the congregation to help guard from abuse.

For believers who have been abused by authority in the church, here's my word to you:

1. If there has not been a healing and restoration time, please do so. Go find a good, encouraging, and gentle-handed and honest Christian counselor to work through the scars and wounds left behind from the abuse. Trust the Holy Spirit to meet you throughout this time as you seek Him for your ultimate healing.

2. Forgiveness is an essential in your healing and moving forward from this abuse. The rest of Matthew 18 after verse 20 speaks right to why forgiveness is an essential. It's easy in our flesh to only want the abuser to be disciplined, humiliated, and some times even to repent, but how often do we desire to forgive the abuser. Jesus reminds us that we treated Him in our sin the same way as you have been abused (and worse) and He forgave you. Again, I know it may be hard, but think of what your sin did to Jesus and extend that same measure of grace and mercy to others as He extends to you. It's more beneficial for you than it is for the abuser.

3. I'll repeat my above point, don't take on God's responsibility. Commit your hurt, anger, vengeance, distrust, and so on to Him who judges righteously (1Pet. 2:21-24).

4. While it may be hard to submit to church authority again, don't group all churches (nor all leaders) in the same basket, and don't throw obeying the Scriptures out the window because of the sin of another. Regardless to what people do to us or not, it has nothing to do with us obeying the gracious and loving God who rescued us from our sin. If our obedience to Scripture is dependent upon how others obey them or not, none of us would ever obey Scripture. Don't let other sinners keep you from submitting to the authority of your Savior.

I know I haven't covered everything, and this is not a comprehensive study. However, I hope from what has been shared that I brought some clarity to membership and helped you better understand that being a member of a local church is being obedient to God's Word. I also hope that I have displayed compassion and grace-seasoned truth to those who may be reluctant to obey the Word regarding this topic because of the sin and hurt caused by others in authority in the church.

*None of what I've shared takes away brethren responsibility to hold one another accountable or correct, rebuke, admonish, counsel, encourage, and so on. I was purely focusing on the local church.

9/30/11

See No Need To Become A Member? Pt. 1

I’ve been noticing that some professing Christians don’t see a need to become a member of a local church. I will be blogging on this issue going forward. Part of this problem is defiance of authority, a.k.a. rebellion.

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Believers who are not under spiritual authority are in rebellion (defiance of authority). Why? Because a member of the Body of Christ (a born-again Christian) cannot be apart from a local church-body and not under someone’s leadership, authority, and accountability and think they’re walking in obedience with God according to Scripture (Heb. 10:23-24; 13:17, 1Thess. 5:12, Titus 1&2, 1Pet. 5:1-6, 2Thess. 3:1-15). If they think that this is ok, they’re lying to themselves and bucking the system—i.e. rebelling against Scripture. Their flesh is conning them into following its desires and not the Spirit’s. 

What about Christians who can’t go to church? If you cannot be submitted to a biblically sound local church because of persecution or things beyond your control that hinder you, God understands. He’s allowed it. And the fact that there is a sincere desire/conviction to be submitted and connected shows that person is not acting in rebellion. But if a person is in a position to be submitted and connected to a biblically sound local church and its authority and willfully and continually chooses not to, they are acting in rebellion to God’s Word; and it really is to their loss—lack of growth, lack of accountability, lack of maturity, lack of humility, lack of the fruit of the Spirit, etc.

So does this mean a professing Christian is not actually saved if they do this? No. You can be sincerely saved and still fall into temporary rebellion. But a true born again, regenerated believer will want to follow the desires of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:5-14), and will want to be connected and submitted to God’s local Body. However, there are those who have no conviction to do so, and that must be questioned because they may not be sincerely born-again or there could be some underlying issue or they are simply being willfully defiant.

How to get out of the mindset of not submitting or connecting to a local church-body? First, recognize that God says in Scripture being connected and submitted to a local church-body and its leadership, authority, and accountability is necessary (scripture references above). Second, see the need for it (1Cor. 12:12-26). Our bodies work as a whole. If a part of our body is separated from the body, its chances for survival, growth, and functionality are slim to none. So it is with a member of the Body of Christ being separate from His local Body; it is to our own harm if we aren't. And third, understand that obedience to God precedes any and all personal preferences (Rom. 12:1-2). If you are in a position to be submitted and connected to a biblically sound local church and its authority but aren’t, your only excuse is simple and plain rebellion (defiance of authority).

*Note: I am not talking about those who are looking for a local church home, but haven't found one yet. But I will say this blog would address the Christian who has been looking for a local church home for several months (or longer) and still hasn't committed themselves yet.

9/31/11

Authority, Inspiration, and Inerrancy of the Bible

A.W. Pink (1886-1952) said “Christianity is the religion of a Book.”(1) As a Christian how can one trust the reliability of the Bible? By addressing it’s authority, inspiration, and inerrancy.
     I’ll start with how the Bible is authoritative. The writers of and/or the main characters in the Bible—i.e. the prophets, the Apostles, Jesus, God, and others—claimed to either be speaking from God, for God, to God, or of God, so when the authoritative statements in the Bible were penned, the authority isn’t from the human authors but God. Maybe you’re thinking, “I can say God told me to write something too. Does that mean what I write is authoritative?” No, not without God confirming that He is the source of your revelation. Once God revealed Himself to and through the people in the Bible with signs, miracles, prophecies foretold and fulfilled, and so on, what the human authors recorded about Him or from Him in the Bible became authoritative because of the testimony of Himself. As a scholar wrote, “Because the Bible points beyond itself to God, it has a conferred authority. Yet the Bible has a real authority in itself as the authentic embodiment of God’s self-disclosure.”(2) The Bible is authoritative because of God’s undeniable revelation of Himself throughout it.
     So how can we trust these so-called “human authors”? That is a matter of inspiration. The human authors who penned the Bible were supernaturally led to record just what God wanted them to record for their time and times to come. The Apostle Peter wrote,

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”(3)

The Apostle Paul said,

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”(4)

And in another place Paul recorded, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”(5) Furthermore, Old Testament writers repeatedly stated, “Thus says the LORD” or “The LORD said”, when they spoke or kept record of what was said; indicating they were speaking and writing God’s word not their own. Hence, because of inspiration the Bible has dual authorship, God and humans.
     Does this mean that the Bible is perfect (without flaw) because God inspired it? Yes, that’s exactly what it means. Some of the characteristics of God revealed throughout the Scriptures are He’s all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfect. Just from these three characteristics how can a God who inspired what to be written in His book not keep it free from error? That’s logically incompatible. The Bible then is inerrant. Yet, there are those who disagree. They say if there is even one mistake found then it is not inerrant. But that would mean that God’s testimony of Himself is not true, and for centuries they have found no errors but more confirmations. Another disagreement is that this “inerrancy” view came in later centuries and was not adopted by the earlier saints, nor is “inerrancy” taught in the Bible. However, the earliest saints—i.e. the Apostles and the disciples after them (Clement of Rome, Augustine, etc)—acknowledged that (6)“Every Scripture is God-breathed”. And even Jesus Himself said, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”(7) As we can see, while there are arguments against this, the arguments for the Bible being inerrant are much more solid. Because God has divinely inspired what was written in the original autographs it bears His character throughout it, one being His perfection.
     If a person who calls themselves a believer plays down the authority, inspiration, and inerrancy of the Bible, it is difficult to hold on to biblical certainty and conviction. As for me, these three ensure that what I believe stands true and solid, and because of that I can be totally open when reading, studying, and living what is in God’s Word.

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1. Arthur W. Pink, The Divine Inspiration of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Guardian Press, 1976), 5.
2. Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic), 153
3. 2Peter 1:19-21 (New King James Version)
4. 1Corinthians 2:10-13 (New King James Version)
5. 2Timothy 3:16-17 (New King James Version)
6. 2Timothy 3:16 (Amplified Bible)
7. Matthew 5:18 (English Standard Version)