PART
TWO: OUR MOTHER’S ORDAINED OFFICE
Chap. 5:The Ascended Christ and His Ongoing Ministry on
Earth
Although Christ has been
resurrected and has ascended to God’s right hand (Acts 1:8ff; Heb. 1:1-4;
Even though the ascended
Christ no longer dwells visibly in the Church, his presence is still made known
and to be seen through the office of pastor-elder or minister (I will primarily
use the title “pastor-elder” in this chapter referring to the office of
minister). The office of pastor-elder or minister is the office
that Christ has given to, and established to proclaim His Word. Christ is
present in the Word of God when the minister reads, preaches, or teaches the
Word of God. As Romans 10 teaches us:
ESV Romans
When the people of God
hear the Word of God rightly preached, they are hearing the very Christ himself
speak. As the passage from Romans 10 teaches, Christ speaks through those
sent to preach his Word (vv. 13-15). Like the prophets of the Old
Testament, and this is one reason why Paul quotes Isaiah in Romans 10, the
ministers are those who are to be heard, and they are the men who are to preach
only the Word of Christ. Christ makes himself known to our faith as he
speaks through His Word (very similar to the example we have in Revelation 2-3
as Christ speaks to his visible congregations through the Word). The work
of the ministry carries the authority of Christ himself. This is why the
Apostle Paul teaches Pastor Timothy:
ESV 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to
judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and
exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is
coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they
will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4
and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5
As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
The office of pastor-elder
or minister is the office that Christ has given to, and established to proclaim
His Word by the help and illumination of the Holy Spirit. But as we learn
in 2 Timothy 4, it is also the office that interprets that Word. Timothy
was not an apostle, but he was a pastor-elder who taught apostolic truth
(“apostolicity”), and he was charged as a called and ordained man under the
Apostle Paul’s authority to have the very authority of Christ to preach the
Word in whatever circumstance or time period, and to use the Word of God to
reprove, rebuke, and exhort the people of God with complete patience and
teaching.
How are the people of God
to hear Christ? They are primarily to hear him by faith through the lips of
those called and ordained by Christ to minister and serve as pastor-elders in
the Church. How are men to be saved? Romans 10 answers by saying that it is
through a preacher and one who has been legitimately called and sent by God
(Rom. 10:15). Why are the people of God to obey the words of the minister when
he rightly reproves, rebukes, and exhorts, with complete patience and teaching?
Because these are Christ’s words and the only authority the minister has is to
declare and make known as an ambassador what Christ has said/is saying to his
Church from His word (more on the Ambassador of Christ in the next chapter).
Ephesians 4:11-16:
The Heart of the Matter
We now come to the
exegetical heart of the matter, and we should look at Paul’s clear teaching in
Ephesians 4. Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:
ESV Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for
building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may
no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by
every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who
is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and
held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is
working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We notice first of all
from this passage, that the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and
pastors and teachers are not of human origin, but are the gift of Christ to his
people (v. 11). We notice also that these offices while distinct, are all
related to the one apostolic teaching or truth (vv. 13, 15-16). The
office of pastor-elder and teacher of the word of God is an institution created
by Christ for the good of his people, so that they might grow into
Christ-likeness and holiness in word and deed. Because this special
office is instituted by Christ, only those who are called by Christ should be
in this important office. The apostles and prophets did not choose
themselves, or raise themselves individualistically to their positions, rather
they were called by God to the task (see all the callings of men throughout
Scripture: Exodus 3; Joshua 1; 1 Samuel 1-3; Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1; Ezekiel 1-2;
Matthew 3; John 1; Acts 9). If men are in the office, then they should be
called specially to the office by God, and it should be recognized by the
Church (as we will study in more detail later).
In the Old Testament with
Moses and the priests we see the authority of the ordained ministry as those
who lead on behalf of and speak for God to the visible people of God.
When these men were called to the office, they were given the authority to
declare God’s Word only to the people. That is why with the prophets they
would say: “Thus says the LORD…” to the people when they declared his truth to them.
The only authority the
ordained office has ever had, back as far as when ordained men such as Moses
spoke to God personally and supernaturally, was the authority to teach and
speak in the Name of God, and only the Word of the LORD (Exodus 3:4ff; 14:31;
Mal. 2:7; Deut. 17:10-11). In the time of the prophets, the prophets were
forbidden to speak anything other than the Word of the LORD (Jer. 23).
The LORD says to Ezekiel: “O Son of Man…I have appointed you as a watchman for
the house of
In the New Testament,
Jesus calls and appoints Apostles to serve him, but they cannot speak whatever
they desire, but only what their Master and Lord have taught to them (Matt.
28:19). Jesus said in John 7:16: “My teaching is not my own, but his who
sent me.” When Jesus called the apostles to himself for their ministry,
they only had the power or right to declare what Christ had told them.
The power and authority of the ordained office of the church is limited because
it should always be subject to the Lord’s Word.
Because Christ has
instituted and established the office of pastor-elder and teacher, we should
also remind ourselves that if Christ has called a man, as a ‘gift’ (v. 11) to
His Church, then Christ will have prepared this man in character for service
(cf. Titus 1; 1 Tim. 3:1-10). If we ask Christ for bread will he give us
a snake? If we ask him for fish will he give us a stone? Neither will Christ give
to the Church men who are not gifted by him for the task. The mission of
those called by Christ to the office is to equip, build up, protect, and
preserve His people. How can men do this who are not equipped by Christ
himself, who tear down because they do not know the Word of God well, who don’t
understand the apostolic truth as well? How are men to keep saints from being
tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, if they themselves are so tossed?
We live in a sad age of
individualism at the beginning of the 21st century, where pastors
are chosen for the office of pastor-elder merely by their personal charisma or
ability to lead, or their audacity to say that they have “heard from God” and
been “given a vision” to start a church. In the early Church, as well as
in the Reformation, these men would have been considered heretics because they
were ultimately threatening the unity of the Church. May they be reminded
of what Calvin said in his Commentary on the First Epistle to the
Corinthians, commenting on chapter 12, verses 28-31:
“For the Lord did not
appoint ministers, without first endowing them with the requisite gifts, and
qualifying them for discharging their duty. Hence, we must infer, that those
fanatics, and actuated by an evil spirit, who intrude themselves into the
Church, while destitute of the necessary qualifications, as many boast that
they are under the influence of the Spirit, and glory in a secret call of God,
while in the meantime they are unlearned and utterly ignorant.”
We should understand from
this that ministers are not perfect, nor do they have to be the most brilliant
men on earth, but they should have learned at the feet of their tender mother,
growing up in the faith and being identified with her, by seeking unity in
understanding and interpreting truth together with all the saints both dead and
living. If those who claim they are teachers and are not the learning
children of the mother Christ has given through which His people grow, then
they are “unlearned and utterly ignorant.”
If Christ calls a man to
the office in His Church, he will gift and prepare him to serve –- and he
should desire above all things to serve in Christ’s Church. Unfortunately
today, too many times this so-called “call of God” and “vision” that some
so-called ministers think they have had, does not have the room or right place
in their theology, for a biblical theology of the visible Church of Christ, nor
do these so-called “calls of God” and “visions” include in them the urgency of
being knowledgeable of, and committed to upholding the doctrines of the
past. This is not a new development.
Again we see that there
truly is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes). When church
historian Philip Schaff wrote his classic book on the Creeds and Confessions of
Christianity in the 19th century, this is how he described the mood
and character of the evangelical American churches with regard to creeds and
confessions, or faithful teachings of the visible Church of the past (read this
prayerfully and carefully!):
“Anyone who has, or
fancies he has, some inward experience and a ready tongue, may persuade himself
that he called to be a reformer; and so proceed at once, in his spiritual
vanity and pride, to a revolutionary rupture with the historical life of the
church, to which he holds himself immeasurably superior…
… “He builds himself in a
night accordingly a new chapel, in which now for the first time since the age
of the apostles a pure congregation is to be formed; baptizes his followers in
his own name…rails and screams with full throat against all who refuse to do
homage to his standard…Thus the deceived multitude, having no power to discern
spirits, is converted not to Christ and his truth, but to the arbitrary fancies
and baseless opinions of an individual, who is only of yesterday….Every
theological vagabond and peddler may drive here his bungling trade, without
passport or license, and sell his false ware at pleasure. What is to become of
such confusion is not now to be seen.”[1]
The office of pastor-elder
and bishop had been greatly abused and misused during the Reformation; surely
this would have made all the people leery of submitting themselves to ministers
since the office had been abused! Surely the abuses and misuses of
“In the government of the
Church we do not differ from others in anything for which we cannot give a most
sufficient reason. The pastoral office we have restored, both according to the
apostolic rule, and the practice of the primitive church, by insisting that
every one who rules in the Church shall also teach. We hold that none are to be
continued in the office [of pastor-elder] but those who are diligent in
performing its duties….
“[the kind of persons whom
Roman Catholics are accustomed to ordain], and to commit the government of
churches, we shall see that this succession on which they pride themselves was
long ago interrupted. The ancient canons require, that he who is to be admitted
to the office of bishop or elder, shall previously undergo a strict
examination, both as to life and doctrine.”
What Kind of
Character Should Serve as Pastor-Elder?
It was extremely important
to Calvin and the Reformers that the office of pastor-elder have the proper
character for the office (1 Tim. 3:1-10), and from that virtuous character,
uphold God’s final and authoritative Word to man. The succession was not
merely from the Apostle Peter from
In order for the right men
of character to be ordained in order for doctrine and life to be rightly passed
down, there must be appropriate choosing of godly men for the office. It
was the character of certain sinful men that should have been questioned
throughout church history and in the present, not the office of pastor-elder
itself. This brings us to the question of what are the biblical
qualifications for an pastor-elder. There are excellent books written on
this subject that you will find helpful, but let us take an overview of the
Scriptural teaching for our study here.
What Are the
Biblical Qualifications of an Elder?
We will begin with a
passage from the Book of Acts:
Acts 20:17-32: Now from
1)
Elders are men
whom the Holy Spirit has made (Acts 20:28). In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul
calls the elders who have been called and appointed or ordained by him to say
goodbye and he gives them some final words. He teaches them that even
though they have been called, trained and ordained by him as an
apostle-pastor-elder, this was ultimately the call of the Holy Spirit.
Men do not make elders, the Holy Spirit makes elders through men.
2)
Elders are men
who are watchful and alert over the flock, keeping the sheep of Jesus from harm
(Acts 20:29-31). The Apostle Paul tells the men that after he leaves
fierce wolves will come among you, not sparing the flock (Acts 20:29).
The elders are men who are made by the Holy Spirit, called by God, trained and
ordained or appointed by men (Titus 1:5) to care for Christ’s flock (cf. 1
Peter 5:1-4).
ESV Ephesians 4:11-16: And
he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of
Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children,
tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather,
speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the
head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held
together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working
properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
3)
Elders are men
who are gifted by Christ to equip the people of God for the work of ministry
and service (Eph. 4:12). As we have learned earlier in this book, elders
are Christ’s gifts to his Church to be built upon the foundation of the
apostles and the prophets, and who are called and gifted by Christ to equip the
saints.
4)
Elders are men
who desire Christ’s people to grow in maturity in Christ and have been gifted
by Jesus to love his people, disciple his people, and are able to teach in
order to keep them from error, because they will teach Christ’s people sound
doctrine (Eph. 4:13-16).
In Acts 6, we have the
apostle-elders appointing and ordaining deacons, but we can learn from this the
process of ordaining other officers like pastor-elders as well.
ESV Acts 6:1-5: Now in these days when
the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose
against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily
distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the
disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the
word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from
among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we
will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word." 5 And what they said pleased
the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas,
and Nicolaus, a proselyte of
5)
Elders are men
chosen from among the local congregation who are “men of good repute, full of
the Spirit and have wisdom, and are recommended to the men already serving as
elders of the congregation to examine, train, and prepare them for service and
ordination (Acts 6:3). The office of deacon is an office that grows out
of the office of pastor-elder, in the same way that the office of pastor-elder
grows out of the special and unique office of apostle-elder.
ESV 1 Peter 5:1-11: So I
exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2
shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not
under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain,
but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being
examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you
will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are
younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility
toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand
of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all
your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded;
be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing
that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood
throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while,
the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will
himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him
be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
6)
Elders are men
who can submit in the Lord to fellow elders and show their humility in their
submission in life and doctrine to these other pastor-elders (1 Pet. 5:1, 6;
cf. 1 Peter 2:24-25).
7)
Elders are men
who you as a member of Christ’s Church can submit to in good conscience as your
shepherd who is an under shepherd submitted to Christ’s word and rule (1 Pet.
5:2-3).
8)
Elders are men
who are examples to you of godliness and humility, and those who you will
naturally desire to follow in spiritual matters, who are not greedy, nor
domineering (1 Pet. 5:2-4).
ESV 1 Timothy 3:1-7: The
saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires
a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the
husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable,
able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own
household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for
if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for
God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become
puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover,
he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace,
into a snare of the devil.
ESV Titus 1:4-9: To
Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Savior. 5 This is why I left you in
9)
Elders are men
who desire to be an overseer (bishop or pastor-elder/ bishop or pastor-elder is
used interchangeably in the Bible as the same office) (1 Tim. 3:1). They
desire this office not to be heavy handed over the congregation or to win a
popularity contest, but because they believe they are called, and they have
been gifted by Christ, in order to serve him well in the office.
10)
Elders are men
who are blameless, or “above reproach” (v. 2; Tit. 1:6-7). These men are not
perfect. “Blameless” or “above reproach” does not mean perfect or
sinless. In fact, it is the Apostle Paul who calls himself the “chief of
sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15) in the same letter that he writes to Timothy to tell him
about the qualifications of an elder. First of all, “blameless” means
that before God they have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and are not
guilty before God. Secondly, they are men who live lives of repentance
before God and other men. Their blamelessness is that no one can rightly
accuse them of living sinfully because they live acknowledging their sins and
live repentantly before all men as godly examples (1 John 1:7-2:2; 3:1ff).
11)
Elders
are men who have only one wife (v. 2). This means elders are “one-woman” men
literally. In a culture that practiced polygamy, the Apostle Paul writes
to say that only monogamists should serve as elders. This does not imply
that if a man is not married he cannot serve as elder because Paul himself was
not married (1 Cor. 7). It means that if a man is married, he should only
be married to one woman. He should show his loyalty to one wife, one
bride, because his loyalty as elder will be to Christ’s one church, or bride
(cf. Eph. 5:21-32).
12)
Elders
are men who are sober minded (v. 2; Tit. 1:8). This means that they are
reasonable men who do things biblically and with prayer. They are
watchful over Christ’s flock and deliberate and diligent in performing their
ministry before Christ and man (cf. Acts 20:27-30).
13)
Elders
are men who are self-controlled (v. 2; Tit. 1:8). Elders are gifted with
moderation, or self-control, a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians
5:17ff). They are able to control themselves and rule well over their
households, making them fit to rule over the Household of God (1 Tim. 3:15).
14)
Elders
are men who are respectable (v. 2). Other people naturally desire to be
like them. They are respected as citizens of earth as well as citizens of
heaven in the way that they order their business and personal affairs.
15)
Elders
are men who are hospitable (v. 2; Tit. 1:8). Elders open their homes for
food, fellowship, and teaching whenever it is possible.
16)
Elders
are men who are able to teach (v. 2; Tit. 1:9). Why do they need to
teach? Because they have been gifted by Christ to teach truth and equip the
saints, while knowing how to refute error (cf. Eph. 4:11-16). Their
teaching gifts are what Christ uses to train and mature his people.
17)
Elders
are men who are not drunkards (v. 3; Tit. 1:7). Elders are careful to be
moderate in food and drink and not to overdo it, being led away by their flesh
(Eph. 5:17). This does not mean that elders do not or should not drink,
any more than that they should not eat food. It means that they are to
display the filling of the Holy Spirit so as to give them help in being
moderate in all things, particularly in their drinking and eating.
18)
Elders
are men who are not violent, but gentle (v. 3; Tit. 1:7). Elders must
display the gentle manner of Christ, their Shepherd, and be one who does not
break a bruised reed.
19)
Elders
are men who are not quarrelsome (v. 3). Paul specifically compares
quarrelsomeness with the ability to be patient and to teach men (2 Tim.
2:19-25). Paul says specifically that the man of God must not be quarrelsome,
that is to argue about many things with others, but he should be a listener
(James 1:19-21), one who is quick to hear and slow to speak. But when he
speaks, he should do so with gentle and careful teaching to instruct those who
are incorrect or wrong.
20)
Elders
are men who are not greedy (v. 3). Elders care about Christ’s Church, and are
mainly interested in the growing and increase of the saints of God. You
cannot serve both God and money; you cannot be deceived by money and be a
faithful elder (1 Timothy 6:10ff). This does not mean that an elder
cannot be wealthy. It means that an elder must not be consumed by
money-making or greed that divides his loyalties to the
21)
Elders
are men who rule their own household well (vv. 4-5; cf. 1 Tim. 3:15; Tit.
1:6). Because elders serve in the Household of God (1 Tim. 3:15), we get
a peek at their giftedness and abilities by looking at their own
households. If their wives and children submit to them as fathers in love,
then the saints of God will probably find it desirous and worthwhile to submit
to them as elders in love. If they are not able to teach and guide their
family, what business do they have teaching an guiding Christ’s larger family
in the Church?
22)
Elders
are men who are not new to the faith, or to the congregation (v. 6). This
means that elders must be trained in sound doctrine and teaching before they
are appointed or ordained as elders. They must be experienced in teaching
what the congregation believes, and be able to refute those who would
disagree. Notice that if the man is a new believer, he can become proud
and become literally a tool of the devil. It is important that the man
has been trained and examined before he serves as elder.
23)
Elders
are men who are well thought of by those outside the congregation in the world
(v. 7). Men in this world will unfairly judge us at times, but even
pagans know a good man when they meet one. An elder will have a good
reputation with those outside the congregation. He will seek peace as far
as it is possible for him to do so (Romans 12:17ff). Although he may be
persecuted for his faith, nevertheless he will still be salt and light to the
world (Matt. 5:11-14). Men may deny Christ, but the world will not deny
that they see something different in an elder and so he will be thought well
of.
ESV Hebrews 13:7-17: Remember
your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of
their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by
diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened
by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10
We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to
eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into
the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside
the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to
sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to
him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here
we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through
him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do
good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over
your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with
joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
24)
Elders
are men who speak to you the word of God, and those who you desire to imitate
their faith (Heb. 13:7). Elders are those who show their leadership in
their love for Christ and his Word.
25)
Elders
are men you can be obedient to in life and doctrine as those who are keeping
watch over your souls (Heb. 13:17). We are commanded to submit to our
elders over us in the Church, and so our elders must be worthy of such
submission. As our leaders, they must display their love for Christ and
his church in their watching over the souls of Christ’s people. We must
let them do this with joy and without groaning. It is advantageous to the
people of God when we submit joyfully in the Lord to the elders Christ has
appointed over us.
ESV Acts 14:21-23: When
they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they
returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening
the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and
saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer
and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
26)
Elders
are men you will pray and fast for as they seek to serve you in your
congregation (Acts 14:23).
ESV 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who
has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But
avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more
ungodliness…
27)
Elders are men
who rightly handle the Word of God and have been properly trained to do so (2
Tim. 2:15). Remember that to wrongly handle the Word of God, even if
unintentional, or out of ignorance, is still a sin. Therefore, it is
important for all pastor-elders to handle the Word of God by interpreting it
together with all the saints. If they interpret the Word in community, it
will help them to avoid interpretive mistakes in the past, and to ensure them
that they are interpreting the Word of God rightly, thus sanctifying the people
of God by the truth (cf. John 17:17).
ESV 2 Timothy 3:16-4:5: All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of
God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 4:1 I charge you in
the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience
and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure
sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you,
always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill
your ministry.
28)
Elders
are men who preach the Word of God in whatever time period of your life and
will be faithful to reprove, rebuke, exhort you with complete patience and
teaching. You can spot a false elder-shepherd because they will always
tell you what you want to hear (they will scratch your ears!), rather than
telling you the truth from Christ’s word.
29)
Elders
are men who will seek to teach you only sound doctrine and keep you from false
teaching (2 Tim. 4:3-4).
30)
Elders
are men who will continue in the office being sober-minded, who will suffer
with you, and will fulfill their ministry by God’s grace and strength.
All of these thirty
characteristics of pastor-elders will be observable by those the Holy Spirit
has made overseers. It must be said that not all of these characteristics
will fully describe each man. What this means is that all of these
characteristics will be present, but not all of them equally recognizable in
each man who is a candidate for the office (some may be more gentle, some may be
able to teach more clearly, some may be more sober-minded because of their
godly wisdom and age, etc.). As all Christians are growing in grace, so
pastor-elders grow in grace in their gifts and character as well (Phil.
1:6). Additionally, and this is most important, no elder is going to be
perfect and will need Christ’s ongoing forgiveness as well as the Church’s
forgiveness as they fail to live up to Christ’s perfect example. In other
words, although men whom Christ has given to the Church as pastor-elders will
have these qualifications, it is Christ himself that will have these gifts and
characteristics perfectly!
Illegitimate
Ordained Men in the Church of the Reformation
As we have tried to
interpret together with all the saints both dead and living, using these
qualifications of pastor-elder was the way that the Reformers tried to convince
“Clear evidence of
[ordaining wicked men without the recognition of the people of God] is extant
among the acts of the fourth African Council (ca. 230-250s AD). Moreover,
the magistracy and people had a discretionary power of approving or refusing
the individual who was nominated by the clergy, in order that no man might be
intruded on the unwilling or not consenting. The Council declared: “Let
him who is to preside over all, be elected by all; for he who is appointed,
while unknown and unexamined, must of necessity be violently intruded…Let
regard be had to the attestation of the honorable, the subscription of the
clergy, and the consent of the magistracy and the people. Reason permits not
any other mode of procedure” (says Leo, Ep. Xc- written from the fourth African
Council)….
John Calvin brilliantly
appeals to an earlier council to correct
“As the Holy Spirit in
Scripture imposes on all bishops/elders the necessity of teaching, so in the
ancient church it would have been thought monstrous to nominate a bishop who
should not, by teaching, demonstrate that he was a pastor also. Now were they
admitted to the office on any other condition…Then it was enjoined by decrees
of synods that at the ordination of a bishop/elder all the other bishop/elders
of the province should assemble, or if that could not be conveniently done, at
least three should be present.
And the object of this was, that no man might force
an entrance [into the ministry] by tumult, or creep in by stealth, or insinuate
himself by indirect artifices…These things, which might be narrated more fully,
and confirmed more accurately in a set discourse, I here only mention in
passing, because they afford an easy means of judging how much importance is
due to this smoke screen of succession with which our bishops endeavor to blind
us.”
There is much wisdom to be
gained from this, especially in a day when certain men who are seated in the
office of pastor-elder have taken it upon themselves to be teachers of God’s
people by the supposed silent call of God, rather than the official call of God
through his Church. We will discuss this more in detail later, but for
now, notice in the lengthy quotation above that Calvin saw the danger of men
taking it upon themselves to attempt to attain and hold the ordained office of
pastor-elder apart from the other pastor-elders in the visible Church.
Notice above that Calvin adheres to, and argues for a return to the way
ordination has always occurred in Christ’s Church since the early Church.
What is important is that Calvin is arguing his position from the Scriptures as
well as the past, instructing
In trying to reform
Christ’s Church, Calvin’s appeal is to biblical teaching that was accepted
early in the Church (his reference to the fourth African Council), that had
already been determined to be the biblical teaching of how a pastor-elder or
minister should be ordained long before Calvin was born and began to study his
bible. He is not merely suggesting ideas conjured from the top of his
head that seemed noble and good to him as an individual, but rather he speaks
clearly about what the Church has always taught concerning ordination with the Word
of God and help of the Holy Spirit, and roots his argument in the Bible as well
as in “interpretive history”. In other words, Calvin is interpreting the
Bible, and addressing a real problem in the Church of the Reformation together
with all the saints.
The Word, the
Church, and the Holy Spirit: Toward a Biblical Perspective
As Evangelical,
Bible-believing Christians we need to return to a biblical doctrine of the
visible Church as our mother, and with this more precisely biblical
understanding, seek to better understand the importance of the ordained
ministry. With this goal in mind, let us consider the words of the
Apostle Paul to Pastor Timothy as we close this chapter. Notice in this
passage how sometimes chapter breaks cause us to forget the context from one
chapter to the next. I will begin in chapter 3, verses 15-17 and then
quote the first few verses of chapter 4:
ESV 2 Timothy 3:15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred
writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17
that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 4:1
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the
living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach
the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort,
with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when
people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will
accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and
will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5
As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul reminds Timothy of
how he has learned the Word of God together with all the saints through his
mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 3:15). He then gives Timothy a sound doctrine
of the Word of God. He says it is literally “breathed-out” by God and is
profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and for training in
righteousness. Now remember a doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture
could make us ask the question: “Why do we need pastor-elders then?”
Notice that Paul was writing to Timothy the pastor and he could have
misunderstood Paul when he told him that Scripture is God-breathed, and
therefore he could have concluded that his office as pastor-teacher was not important
to the Church.
However, Paul begins the
next chapter teaching Timothy that as pastor he is to preach and to read the
Word of God, that sufficient Scripture that is profitable for teaching,
reproof, correction and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 4:1-4). In
fact, the Apostle Paul commands Timothy to be the voice of Christ through the
Scripture by preaching, teaching, and reading the Word of God. This shows
us quite clearly that although the Word of God is God-breathed out and
therefore sufficient, it is still to be preached, taught, and interpreted by
pastor-elders Christ has called and who has been legitimately ordained.
The study of the Bible is not an individual
pursuit, but a pursuit of all God’s people.
Notice another important
point from this passage. The question is not whether we should have
pastor-elders and teachers, but is whether they will be legitimate or
not. In other words, Paul is implicitly saying that all God’s people will
need the Word of God interpreted for them and taught to them, but will they be
faithful teachers or false teachers. Notice again Paul says:
“For the time is coming when people will not endure
sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the
truth…”
The point here is that the
people of God will always be taught, it is a question of whether it is ‘sound’
teaching. How do you honestly know this day the correct interpretation of
God’s Word? How do you truly know that you are being taught ‘sound’ teaching
and that you yourself do not have itching ears? How are we to know for
sure? One important way from this passage in 2 Timothy is that our Bibles
and the interpretation of our Bibles (the teaching) be taught to us from men
who are legitimately called by God and recognized within Christ’s Church as
those gifted by Christ and given as a gift to his people as pastor-elder.
The implication of 2
Timothy 4, especially verses 3-5 is that people naturally need teachers.
Notice that even though they may disregard ordained ministers and faithful
teachers of God’s Word, they will still gather around them teachers to teach
them! Think about how popular radio and television ministries come into living
rooms and homes via cable and satellite teaching whatever people want them to
say to make them feel good many times. Those who get their diet from
these teachers, are also oftentimes the very people who place a low view on the
church and the ordained ministry. We will discuss later how you can
identify false teachers in a later chapter.
Our passage in 2 Timothy
teaches us that the Word of God should be read by all Christians, but that it
is to be preached, taught and interpreted by legitimate men called to the
ordained office. It is commanded by God for all Christians to study and
know the Word of God, but God has additionally and graciously given us the
ordained ministry for preaching and teaching of the Word of God. In 2
Timothy 3:16-17, Paul teaches Timothy the source from which the Word comes: God
himself. He teaches how useful the Word of God is for correcting,
rebuking, encouraging and training in righteousness. Yet, Paul tells
Timothy that it is imperative that it be preached and taught to the people by
the pastor. There is not to be one without the other. Christ
commands in his word that his people know and study his word, but also that the
ordained minister preach his word at all times (2 Timothy 4:1-5), particularly
as men will turn away from the truth of God’s Word, and find themselves other
teachers who will not be faithful to Scripture, but will teach them what they
want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3-5).
Again, the principle found
here is never to separate or divorce the Word of God from Christ’s Church
generally, and more particularly from the office of pastor-elder given to the
Church to teach and equip and build up the saints. Also, the Word of God
should never be separated or divorced from the Holy Spirit who has Authored the
“breathed-out” Word of God. The Word, the Church, and the work of the
Holy Spirit go together, and that Word is to be taught through the ordained
office in the visible Church. The Ascended Christ has given spiritual
(Holy-Spiritual) gifts to the Church and it is in the visible Church that these
gifts operate.
Roman Catholicism over
time eventually submitted the Word of God to the Church. Unfortunately,
and tragically the Church became the authority over the Bible, giving the
Church more importance in the eyes of men than the written Word of God.
Evangelicals in the Reformation and today desire this to be changed, and for
that we should all be thankful! Evangelicals nobly desire for the Word of God
to be preeminent as the inspired and inerrant Word of God and teaching tool for
the saints in the Church. In other words, the Evangelical model is to
have the Church submitted to the Word of God. But I would argue that
there is perhaps a different model to consider. Rather than a model of
the Church over or under the Word of God, why not have the Church and the Word
next to one another, united together, as Christ has given them to us.
What I mean is that
perhaps our model of the Church and the Word is incorrect and unbiblical.
Rather than merely seeing the Word of God submitted under the Church, perhaps
we should think as the Church, the Word and the Holy Spirit side by side.
It is the Church that preaches and teaches and interprets the Word with the
help of the Holy Spirit. There is no reason to discount the Church in
order to exalt the Word of God or the Spirit’s work. There is no reason
to exalt the Church, and disregard the Word of God for the traditions of man
(cf. Matt. 15:1ff). What is needed is for the people of God to see the
equal importance of the Church, the Word and the Spirit of God, all together,
given by the ascended Christ for his ongoing work on the earth through the
ministry of pastor-elder. Consider the three models in this simple
diagram:
Roman Catholic Model
THE CHURCH
-
The Word of God
Evangelical Model
THE WORD OF GOD
-
The Church
Biblical Model
THE CHURCH (ORDAINED OFFICE) – THE WORD – THE HOLY
SPIRIT
Christ has ascended to
God’s right hand and sat down at the side of the Majesty in heaven, yet he
still speaks through the ordained office of pastor-elder in the Church.
Through this office, and by the help of the Holy Spirit, the Church, or the
people of God come to understand and interpret the one Word of God
together. There are checks and balances to this biblical model that
prevents an over exaggeration on the visible Church, the ordained office, and
prevents placing the Word of God in submission to a mere earthly
authority. It seems in this model I am suggesting, the Church, the Word
of God, and the Holy Spirit are all honorably recognized as being gifts from
Christ to mature and disciple his people. All three must be together in
order for Christ’s will to be accomplished and for the members of the body to
perform as they should (cf. Eph. 4:16).
In our day of
individualism and sects, we need to return to this important doctrine of the
ordained office of our mother. Christ gives gifts by the Holy Spirit, and
through the ministry in order that his Church can be built up and
edified. Why do we want to live ungratefully in response to Christ for these
gifts? Why do we want to separate the Word of God from the office of
pastor-elder in the Church, or to miss the work of the Holy Spirit as he works
with the Word in the Church?
As a pastor myself, I
sometimes find myself blushing over the fact that I remind my people and others
about the importance of the ordained ministry as if I am “ringing my own bell”
and trying to be authoritarian. But I remind myself that according to
Scripture, it is not merely the man who is called to the office, it is the
office itself that is important, and so like any other Scriptural doctrine from
the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27-28), it must be taught to the people of
God, especially in a time when this important teaching has been
forgotten.
Christ will prepare and
equip the specific men he calls to this office of pastor-elder, but there
should be no embarrassment over teaching this doctrine; this also is part of
correctly handling, and encouraging, exhorting, and rebuking according to the
Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-4:3). In attempting to better understand
the ordained office, it would be good to think of the ordained office as an
embassy, and the men called to the office as “ambassadors of Christ”.
It is to the office as
more particularly an embassy of Christ, and how these ambassadors are sent by
Christ to His people to declare his holy word.
Next Chapter:
Chapter 8: Ambassadors of
the King