The London Baptist Confession of Faith | Exposition of Chapter 26

Alan Dunn

Chapter 26: Of the Church (Paragraphs 1-4)

Introduction

We cannot overstate the urgent need for contemporary Christians to have a Biblical understanding of the church and to become Biblical churchmen. In my own pilgrimage, the discovery of the value of the church has been revolutionary. Many and varied are the reasons why the church is undervalued by Christians today, but none are Biblically justified – not in view of the value that Jesus Christ puts upon His church.

Jesus promises to build His church in triumph over death and hell (Mt 16:18). Jesus died for His church (Eph 5:25). His final and Great Commission directs us to labor to see churches formed until the end of this age (Mt 28:18-20). The church lies at the very center of God’s saving purpose among men (Eph 3:8-12). When Jesus returns at the end of this age, He will reveal His glory in His glorified church (2 Thes 1:10; Rom 8:29,30; Rev 1:1-4) – to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:21)

The Bible’s teaching on the church is immense. The Old Testament presents us with types and figures by which we are to understand who we are as the people of God. Biblical metaphors describing the church abound and are drawn from agriculture, military, education, family and more. Perhaps the most profound Biblical metaphor is that the church is the body of Christ.

The immense importance of the church is reflected in the London Baptist Confession. Chapter 26 is the largest chapter in the Confession having fifteen paragraphs. The next largest chapters are Chapter 1 “Of the Holy Scriptures” and Chapter 8 “Of Christ the Mediator”, both having ten paragraphs.

The attention given to the Doctrine of the Church by our Confession, is not only due to the Scriptural importance of the church, but also due to the historical importance of the church. Chapter 26 must be understood in its historical setting. On the one hand, our Confession was written in an attempt to distinguish us from the false Roman Catholic Church. We will encounter statements in which Roman Catholic teaching is refuted. On the other hand, our Confession aligns us with churches that proclaim the gospel and worship Christ in obedient submission to Scripture.

Among such Biblically orthodox churches however, there are yet differences held with honest Biblical conviction. Therefore, our Confession also expresses our Baptistic and Reformed distinctives in contrast to our Presbyterian and non-Reformed brethren. Our Confession elsewhere relies extensively upon The Westminster Confession (1647), a Presbyterian Confession. But Chapter 26 substantially differs from Presbyterian “ecclesiology” (the doctrine of the church). One difference is the amount of what we confess in our Confession. The Westminster has six paragraphs in its chapter on the Church. Our Confession has fifteen paragraphs. One reason for the length of this chapter is the Confession’s reliance upon a document produced by The Independent Congregationalists in 1658 called “The Savoy Declaration”. The Savoy Declaration, like the London Baptist Confession, substantially identified with the Westminster but revised the Westminster’s six paragraphs on the church. The Independents also published a polity statement concerning the life and ministry of the local church. Our Confession (written in 1689) relies upon the Savoy’s revision of the Westminster which is evident in the first four paragraphs of chapter 26. Our Confession is distinctive in that the Baptist authors then incorporated the Savoy’s polity statements concerning the local church into our Confession itself. Our ecclesiology is more Congregational than Presbyterian. But both the Congregationalists and the Presbyterians espoused paedobaptism which, as Baptists, we reject. Issues stemming from our Baptist convictions are evident in chapter 26, but those convictions are more clearly elaborated on in Chapters 28 and 29 which address that ordinance.

Finally, along with the Biblical and historical importance of the church, we cannot overemphasize the practical importance of the church. The church is the household of God, the pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim 3:15). Our Confession not only expresses a Biblical doctrine of the church, but it calls us to an active engagement as true disciples of Jesus whose discipleship is proven by our love, one for another (Jn 13:34,35). The Bible does not envision a true disciple who is not vitally joined to the local church. The worship of God, the spiritual nurture of the people of God, and the witness of the gospel to a lost and dying world are all dependent upon Biblically-ordered, Spiritually-vibrant, churches. Paul’s and John’s letters are written to the church (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1; Phile 1:2; 3 Jn 1:9). The risen Jesus likewise writes to the churches in Rev 2 and 3. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Chapter 26 is divided into two sections. The first section, paragraphs 1-4, deals with the universal church. The second section, paragraphs 5-15, concerns the local church.

The Universal Church

The Universal Church as the People of God

PARAGRAPH 1 The catholic or universal church which (with respect to the internal work of the Spirit and truth of grace) may be called invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ, the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.

The term catholic simply means universal. Just because the Roman Church has incorporated the term catholic into its name does not mean that the term itself is of no benefit. Catholic and universal are synonyms. The New Testament uses the word “church” some 115 times. Most of the time, “church” refers to the local gathering of baptized disciples in a specific place. But there are texts where “church” is used in a general way to describe the people who Christ saves and over whom Christ rules (cf. Mt 16:18; 1 Cor 12:28; Eph 1:22; 4:11-15; 5:23-33; Col 1:18,24; Heb 12:23). Our Confession, although written almost 200 years earlier, refutes a 19th century Baptist ecclesiastical distortion found in America called “Landmarkism”. Landmarkism denies the existence of the universal church and emphasizes only the local church, asserting that there is only one true church which can trace its history back through the proper administration of baptism to the ministry of John the Baptist. Landmarkism would deny that non-Baptist churches are true churches and only administer the Lord’s Table to members of the local assembly.

The first two paragraphs are structured around the concept of the church invisible and visible. Before we consider that distinction, we will look at the church as composed of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ. There is a wonderful truth concerning the unity of all the people of God throughout all the ages that is being confessed in these words. We, in the New Covenant, do share one and the same salvation with believers from the Old Covenant. All the saved of all the ages are saved by the virtue of Christ’s shed blood. The Old Covenant believer believed in the Christ proclaimed by the types and shadows of the sacrificial system. We believe in the Christ proclaimed by the apostolic testimony of Scripture. All of us, Old Covenant and New Covenant saints will be brought into glory together (Heb 11:39,40) and we will all sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Mt 8:11).

Acknowledging our common salvation with the saints of old should not justify calling the people of God in the Old Covenant “the church”, Acts 7:38 notwithstanding. We must distinguish between the church as an institution and as a company of the saved. The believer of the Old Covenant, although saved as are we, belonged to a different institutional structuring of the people of God. That Old Covenant structure was identified with Moses and the redemption accomplished in the Exodus. The church to which we belong is identified with Jesus and the redemption accomplished in His cross and resurrection. As such, the church is a different institution than the theocracy of the Old Covenant. The institution of the church began to be erected in the life and ministry of Jesus and came to birth on Pentecost when Jesus poured forth His Spirit having been resurrected and exalted to the throne of God. With Jesus as the cornerstone, the apostles and prophets became the foundation (Eph 2:20) upon which living stones are being built into a New Covenant temple of God (1 Pt 2:5; Eph 2:21,22). Old Covenant Israel was a type, a prefigurement, of the church (Rom 2:28,29; Gal 6:16; Phil 3:3) so that the church is now said to be the New Israel of God. The church is the is the spouse (Eph 5:25-27; Rev 21:1-4), the body (1 Cor 12:12-27), the fulness of Him that filleth all in all (Eph 1:22,23).

These considerations show, on the one hand, that we should avoid certain tendencies in covenant theology that erase the differences between the Old and New Covenant people so as to justify the practice of infant baptism. They also show, on the other hand, that we share a common salvation with the believer of the Old Covenant and should thus avoid Dispensationalism’s forced distinction between Israel and the church since we are the true circumcision, the Israel of God (Phil 3:3; Gal 6:16).

You should realize that, although we have been considering this paragraph “Of The Church” (ecclesiology), we have actually been discussing soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). Ecclesiology overlaps soteriology because the church is composed of those who are saved. This is relevant when we speak about the church as invisible and visible. Our Baptist forefathers, although they adopted these terms used in the Westminster and Savoy, qualified them with the words the catholic or universal church which (with respect to the internal work of the Spirit and truth of grace) may be called invisible. They give their permission, as it were, to speak in these terms, but they specify that the invisibility referred to in the Confession is soteric, having to do with salvation, and only then ecclesiastical, having to do with the church.

The church universal can be viewed as the company of the redeemed, the saved people of God. But the church as an assembly and an institution, is not invisible but, as the gathered people of God, quite visible, quite tangible. The universal church as the saved people of God are persecuted in Acts 8:1 and 9:1,2,31 (cf. Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6). Invisible people cannot be persecuted. If we employ the term invisible in order to speak about the internal work of the Spirit who regenerates and changes men’s hearts, we must not think of such saved people as separated from the visible, material, actual church. The invisible soteric work of the Spirit characterizes the people of God, Christ’s church. The Confession says more about this visibility issue in paragraph two.

PARAGRAPH 2 All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted.

The universality of the church as the people of God is seen throughout the world. The internal work of the Spirit and truth of grace may be invisible, but that internal work issues into genuine faith, and genuine faith produces visible fruit, and you will know them by their fruits (Mt 7:20). The fruit of Spirit-given grace, is a testimony of faith and a life of integrity that actually, visibly, corresponds with what is professed. Such credible professors may be called visible saints. Such visible saints are Biblically obligated to join with other saints in the formation of local, particular congregations.

Before we move on to the third paragraph, we need to acknowledge that there is a tension in our Confession in this matter of the church as invisible and visible. These concepts were incorporated from our Presbyterian and Congregational brethren. Although our Baptist forefathers attempted to qualify these concepts, they are actually better suited to paedobaptist churches than to baptist churches. The tension comes from the fact that these concepts, when carried to their logical conclusion, open the door to infant baptism.

It would be beneficial to see the Westminster and Savoy statements in order to appreciate the modifications found in our Confession. The Westminster Confession: “1. The catholick or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.

2. The visible church, which is also catholick or universal under the gospel, (not confined to one nation, as before under the law,) consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children; and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

The Savoy Declaration: “1. The Catholique or Universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the Elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ, the Head thereof, and is the Spouse, the Body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.

2. The whole body of men throughout the world, professing the faith of the Gospel and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any Errors everting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, are, and may be called the visible Catholique Church of Christ, although as such it is not intrusted with the administration of any Ordinances, or have any Officers to rule of govern in, or over the whole Body.

As you can see, our Confession follows our two predecessors in paragraph one, but inserts the qualification which defines “invisibility” more clearly as a soteric work of the Spirit in the heart of the individual. The Westminster, with its definition of the church as including the children of those who profess the true religion, is avoided by the Savoy. The Savoy instead emphasizes the necessity of a profession of faith accompanied by the credible fruit of a changed life as characteristic of the visible Catholique Church. Interestingly, the Baptist Confession alters the Savoy at this point, and rather than speaking of a visible church, speaks of visible saints who ought then to become members of a local congregation. The Savoy’s concern seems to be to deny that the universal church can rightly claim the prerogatives given only to the local church (the administration of any Ordinances, or have any Officers to rule). These issues are addressed in the Baptist Confession in a later paragraph.

The door to infant baptism is opened when the church is defined as being composed of people whose salvation is invisible, and not merely the invisibility of an internal work of the Spirit, which I understand to be regeneration, but the even more invisibly transcendent work of God’s electing grace. Who can see who are God’s elect? If the church is comprised of professed Christians together with their children who are too young to evidence faith, can we not hope that they, without such evidence, might yet be one of the elect? And with that hope, why not administer baptism to them and include them in the visible church? If the church is to be defined in terms of the salvation of the elect, and we share a common salvation with those believers of the Old Covenant who circumcised their infant sons, then is it not proper to administer baptism to the infants of New Covenant believers? Might they not be elect and in fact, part of the invisible church? The issues of Baptism will be treated in more detail in chapters 28 and 29, but I am simply alerting you to the points at which our Baptist forefathers distinguished our Confession from those of our paedobaptist brethren.

I see our Baptist forefathers striving to sustain as much commonality with our Presbyterian and Congregationalist brethren as possible, but at the same time, being constrained by their Biblical and Baptistic convictions. The Baptist Confession brings to the fore the true meaning of universal church. All three Confessions mention that the universal church is located throughout the world, but our Confession makes it clear that the concept of the universal church is not a soteric invisibility, but an ecclesiastical ubiquity. The universal church is the people of God, visibly living out their discipleship to Christ, in local communities without restriction to geography, nationality, race, or language. Synonyms for “universal” are “global”, and “international”. The universal church is the fulfillment of what Jesus told the woman at the well in Jn 4:21-24. The universal church is that multiplicity of people who are yet one in Christ, a people purchased with the blood of Christ from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Rev 5:9) Unlike Islam or Judaism, Christianity does not have a “holy city” to which we must make pilgrimages or toward which we must face when we pray. Christ is Himself our meeting place as we, in our gatherings, form a spiritual temple in which the Spirit of God dwells (Eph 2:21,22). When we gather, we assemble before Christ in the Spirit, and thus, by His presence with us, the gathered church itself becomes a “holy place”.

This gives opportunity to answer a Landmark objection to the doctrine of the universal church. It is true that the definition of “church” (ecclesia) means “a called out or summoned assembly”. It is true that a summoned assembly must have a gathering point at which they assemble. Landmarkism asserts that there can be no universal church because there is no common point of gathering since the local churches are scattered across the globe and cannot possibly assemble. But that objection assumes that the assembly and the worship of the New Covenant church transpires on earth. It does not. Our worship is conducted in the presence of Christ in the throne room of God! But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (Heb 12:22-25) Our prayers are received by Christ Himself who mediates for us in the presence of the Father (Rev 8:3,4). The universal church does have a common meeting place: the presence of Christ! As the Lord’s Day begins at the International Dateline, our brethren in New Zealand assemble before Christ and as the world turns and the day progresses, they are joined by the local gatherings of believers in Russia, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, China and Malaysia. Soon voices of praise rise from India and Pakistan and throughout the Middle East. Now the African churches raise their praise before Christ as Eastern Europe joins the chorus and then Western Europe brings its worship as well. A brief lull passes and then the church in Brazil enters Christ’s presence to be joined by the Argentineans and the Caribbean church along with the rest of South America. Now the church on the American Eastern Seaboard arrives along with their Canadian brethren. The Midwestern States and Canadian plains are joined by the praises now rising from Mexico. The worship of the church in the Western States, Northwestern Canada and Alaska continues until, finally the brethren from Hawaii conclude the great Day of Sabbath Assembly in the presence of Christ. What a foretaste of glory! What a marvel to behold! Is this assembly invisible? Yes, in the sense that we gather and worship in spirit and truth, in the presence of Christ, in the heavenly Jerusalem. But the church as the church is visible on earth. Visible in its discipleship. Visible in its love. Visible in its worship.

The Perpetuity of the Universal Church

PARAGRAPH 3 The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan; nevertheless Christ always hath had and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him and make profession on his name.

In this age churches, like Christians, are not perfect, but are called to progressive sanctification. Churches are subject to mixture and error. By mixture, the Confession means that some who are actually unconverted can be found within a true church. Also, even true and genuine churches can yet be mistaken in matters of doctrine and practice. It is rightly said that “The Reformed church is always reforming.” We should remember that discipleship means following Christ: moving, changing, growing, maturing. We should always be willing to measure our beliefs and practice by the Scripture and strive to align ourselves more closely and consistently to the Word. Ps 119:59 should characterize our attitude: I considered my ways, and turned my feet to Thy testimonies. Over the course of the life of a congregation, there are seasons of growth and seasons of struggle. The war is constant and little is static.

The sad fact is, churches can sin. The church in Corinth was riddled with both sin and error. Churches can also apostatize. It is sobering to realize that five of the seven churches in Asia which receive letters from Jesus in Rev 2 and 3, are in need of stern rebuke and warning. Ephesus is backsliding in the loss of its first love. Pergamum is compromising. Thyatira is polluted. Sardis is dying. Laodicea is lukewarm in its pride and self-deception. Only Smyrna and Philadelphia are commended without a rebuke. These are sobering Biblical statistics which ought to make us humble in our assessment of ourselves and gracious in our views of others. Regardless of how pure we may think ourselves to be, we are yet subject to mixture and error. The fact of mixture, error, and the potential for apostasy, makes church discipline a necessity. Sometimes mixture and error cannot be eventually outgrown, but must be removed for the benefit of the body and the glory of Christ. We need to be warned by the fact that some (churches) have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan (Rev 2:9; 3:9). How grievous it is to see churches that once stood for sound doctrine and Biblical practice, now swept off course by modern fads and fashionable philosophies.

Nevertheless Christ always hath, had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him and make profession on his name. Once again the universal church is described in terms of salvation: such as believe in him and make profession on his name. The universality is seen in the reference to all of time: always hath, had, and ever shall have; and to all the world: a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof. At times we may feel like Elisha in 1 Kings 19 who thought that he alone was being faithful to the Lord, and yet the Lord had preserved seven thousand who had not bowed their knees to Baal but remained faithful to the Lord. Even during those times when the people of God were but a small remnant, the Lord yet sustained a faithful witness to Himself among men. So it will continue to be to the end of the age. Christ will build His church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it (Mt 16:18). The gospel will be preached throughout the world until the end of the age (Mt 24:14). The second command in the Great Commission is “lo”, “behold”, “look at this”, “see this”: I am with you always even to the end of the age (cf. Mk 4:30-32; Rev 12:17; Isa 9:6,7).

In the West, the social seers of the mid-20th century predicted the demise of Christianity. The rise of secularism, paganism, theological liberalism and false religions are, in fact, threatening to eclipse Biblical religion in the West. Europe is submerging into a new Dark Ages of spiritual and moral degeneracy. Church attendance is at a record low. Britain, from where so many missionary ventures were launched in the 19th century, is increasingly godless and idolatrous and Islam now advances. Church bodies that once identified with the Biblical gospel are now enmeshed in theological liberalism, woman’s ordination and even homosexual marriage and ordination. America is only a couple steps behind Britain on this descending spiritual staircase. In a sense, simply considering the West, the observers of social trends were correct in predicting the decline of Christianity. But, as we enter the 21st century, Biblical religion is exploding in Africa, Latin America and Asia. In 1900, there were approximately 10 million Christians in Africa. In 2000, there are approximately 360 million. The Episcopalian Church in the USA has declined to around 2.3 million but there are more than 8 million Anglicans in Uganda alone. In 1920 it was estimated that there were some 300,000 believers in South Korea. Today, some 10 to 12 million make some profession of faith in Christ – almost 25% of the population. Analysts tell us that this is not a liberal, modernist Christianity (which is dying in the West), but a gospel proclaiming, Bible obeying Christianity. Today, 70% of Evangelicals live outside the West. We are already beginning to see churches in the developing countries sending missionaries to Europe and America!

No individual local church is justified to expect that it will endure through the generations to the end of the age. We can pray the promises of perpetuity for our local church and labor to that end. But even should the lamp stand eventually be removed from our locale, we are confident that the gospel of Christ, His worship and His people will endure and overcome in the end.

The Government of the Universal Church

PARAGRAPH 4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order, or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.

In this paragraph the audacity of the Roman Church, which assumes the term “catholic” into its name, is refuted. The claim to catholicity by the Church of Rome stems, in part, from its assertion that the Pope is “the Vicar of Christ”: the representative of Christ on earth, endowed with Christ’s authority and power. The world of 17th century Puritanism was perhaps more familiar with Romanism than are many of us. The Mediaeval Church was not as distant a memory for them as it is for us. They knew of the astonishing claims and ambitious aims of Rome firsthand. But the blasphemous boldness of the papacy is not a thing of the past. The Catechism of the Catholic Church written in 1994 speaks of “the primacy of the pope” in paragraphs 881-882: The Pope “is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful… The Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.” Our Confession asserts that the Pope of Rome is in no sense the “head” of the catholic, universal church. Such a claim is a contumacious blasphemy against Christ.

The writers of the Westminster, the Savoy, and the London Baptist Confession all agreed in their interpretation of the Pope as the antichrist described as the man of lawlessness in 2 Thes 2. This interpretation is viewed by many as faulty. One cannot dogmatically assert that the Antichrist is the Pope. But when John speaks about the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world (1 Jn 4:3), the Papacy readily comes to mind. Regardless of the identity of the end-time Antichrist, the Pope’s claim to be the supreme ruler of the universal church can be dogmatically denied.

This paragraph employs the Savoy Platform of Church Polity in the first half and the Westminster Confession in the second half, with the final phrase taken from the Savoy Declaration of 1658. The concerns that the Savoy expressed in paragraph 2 concerning the government of the universal church, which the London Baptist Confession there omitted, are here taken up. The essential assertion of this paragraph is that Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church, which is to say that He alone is the supreme and sovereign Ruler of the people of God. In fact, the risen and exalted Jesus, is Head over all things and as Head of all things, He exercises Headship in His church. All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18). Eph 1:20-23 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. (cf. Eph 4:11-16; 5:23-32; Col 1:18; 2:10) The people of God are sheep of one flock with Jesus as our One shepherd (Jn 10:14-16).

Jesus who is now exalted and enthroned at the right hand of the Father, is building His church (Mat 16:18). He has been endowed by the Father with all power for the calling, institution, order, or government of the church. He calls and summons His people through the proclamation of the gospel. His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him (Jn 10:3,16,27) The universal church is an institution with a distinctive order and government. The universal church has universal church officers, who represent Jesus the Head, and who speak and act on Jesus’ behalf and with His authority.

The true “Vicar of Christ” is the Holy Spirit who is sent from the Father and the Son to be another Comforter to the disciples of Christ (cf. Jn 14:16-18,26; 15:26,27; 16:7-13; Act 16:6-10; 2 Cor 3:17,18). The Holy Spirit communicates the presence and continuing ministry of Jesus. The Holy Spirit indwells every true Christian and every true local church in every place.

The apostles are universal officers in the universal church. They exercise their ministry even today, having written the Scriptures which are obeyed by the people of God in every place. Eph 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (cf. 1 Jn 4:6; Rev 21:14).

The universal church is structured under the Headship of the exalted Jesus, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and under the authority of the apostles as expressed in the Word of God. The universal church is united under the rule of Christ exercised through His Spirit and the ministries of His apostles. All the people of God in all places are taught by the Spirit of to obey the Word of God.

At this point, the Confession is poised to transition its focus from the universal church to the local church. The apostles labored to appoint local church officers: elders, bishops, overseers, teachers, rulers, pastors – all names for the same local church office (Act 14:23; 13:1; 20:28; Eph 4:11; 1 Pt 5:1; Tit 1:5-9). When we realize that the ministry of the apostles is still being exercised through the written Word of God, we learn that we are still obligated to follow apostolic directives and form local congregations ordered under the government of King Jesus in obedience to Scripture. As we obey the Scripture by identifying those men whom the Spirit has qualified for pastoral ministry and then by setting them apart for the pastoral labor to minister the Word, we continue to be governed by the apostles whose words have universal authority among all the people of God.

In paragraphs 5 through 15, the Confession will focus on the local church. The local church is a visible manifestation of the universal rule of King Jesus who governs by His Spirit through the ministry of His apostles and prophets given to us in Scripture. If we are a true local church, it is only because we are truly part of the universal church which lives under the sovereign and gracious rule of our Lord and King Jesus Christ.

Chapter 26: Of the Church (Paragraphs 5-15)

Introduction

The first four paragraphs of this chapter concern “the universal church” and confess that God’s people, who are saved and ruled by our resurrected Lord, are gathered from all over the world. In the remaining ten paragraphs, the Confession deals with the local church. In paragraphs five through seven, we examine the major features of the local church. In paragraphs eight through thirteen, we look at the government of the local church. In paragraphs fourteen and fifteen, we consider inter-church relations. In these paragraphs we see how the gracious rule of King Jesus is exercised in the local assembly of His people.

The Local Church

The Establishment and Purpose of the Local Church

PARAGRAPH 5. In the execution of this power wherewith He is so intrusted, the Lord Jesus calleth out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word, by His Spirit, those that are given unto Him by His Father, that they may walk before Him in all the ways of obedience, which He prescribeth to them in His Word. Those thus called, He commandeth to walk together in particular societies, or churches, for their mutual edification, and the due performance of that public worship, which He requireth of them in the world.

This paragraph is taken directly from the Savoy Platform of Church Polity with minor alterations. The first half of the paragraph describes how Jesus builds His church. The second half describes the dual purpose of the church: the edification of the saints and the worship of God.

The power wherewith He is so intrusted is described in paragraph 4: The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order, or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner. A local church is the result of the execution of this power by the Lord Jesus. The power Jesus executes is the power to save His people. Our experience of salvation commences when Jesus calls us out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word, by His Spirit, as those that are given unto Him by His Father. These statements are more fully explained in chapter 10 “Of Effectual Calling”. We see here what we saw in the first part of this chapter, that the church is to be comprised of genuinely converted disciples of Jesus. As genuine disciples, we are committed to walk before Him in all the ways of obedience, which He prescribeth to them in His Word. Jn 15:14 You are My friends, if you do what I command you. Obedience to Christ’s commands is a distinctive mark of true discipleship. Lk 6:46 And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

This paragraph teaches us that the local church is composed of people who are truly saved and are defined as genuine disciples of Jesus. It is the desire of true disciples to learn and then obey Christ’s commands. The local church exists so as to bring sinners to repentance and faith in Christ and, having baptized them, to encourage continued obedience to the teachings and commands of Jesus. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20) Here is the blueprint for the construction of the local church.

The Confession assumes that true disciples will realize that Christ commands them to walk together in particular societies, or churches. Sadly, the blinding influences of individualism and radical independence cause many in the West to read the Scripture unable to see that the Bible assumes that individual disciples will walk together with other disciples in the local church. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (Jn 13:34,35) The Scriptures are written to the church (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:2; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1; Phile 1:1; 3 Jn 1:9; Rev 2 & 3). The fact is, in the apostle’s day, if you did not gather with the local church, you did not receive the Word of God for the Scriptures are written to the church. The Bible assumes that if you are a Christian, you are gathering with other Christians in a local church. Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth and asserts you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. (1 Cor 12:27) Many professed Christians today need to repent of their commitment to independent individualism and, out of love for Christ, commit themselves to serve Christ in the context of a Biblical local church.

The purpose of the local church is both horizontal and vertical. The local church is designed horizontally to edify, strengthen and mature the believers in the congregation. This is accomplished as each member lovingly exercises his or her spiritual gifts for the common good (1 Cor 12:7; cf. Eph 4:11-16; 1 Thes 5:11-14; Phil 2:1-4). The Holy Spirit endows each of Christ’s disciples with desires and abilities designed by Him to contribute to the good of others. As we knit our hearts and lives together in the church, we discover the needs of our brethren. Then, moved by Christ’s love and compassion for them, we seek to minister to those needs, and in this way, we discover our Spirit-given abilities to edify by words and deeds. The discovery of our spiritual gifts is not made by delving into one’s self, but by denying self and seeking to serve others. It is only when we lose our lives in service to Christ, that we find our lives.

The church’s vertical purpose is the due performance of that public worship, which He requireth of them in the world. Chapter 22 explains the public worship which He requireth. This is a reference to what is called “The Regulative Principle” which asserts that the Scripture must determine what we do in God’s presence as acts of corporate worship.

Again, our man-centered generation needs to know that the church gathers to be God-centered in it’s focus. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, But to Thy name give glory because of Thy lovingkindness, because of Thy truth. (Ps 115:1) God’s presence, God’s name, God’s Word, God’s worship is the focal point of our gathering. Many kinds of people gather together for many different purposes, but the disciples of Christ gather to perform that public worship which our Lord prescribes in Scripture and which He deserves as our Savior and King.

It may be asked: “What about evangelism? Is not a purpose of the church to evangelize the lost?” The fact that the church worships while in the world indicates that the life and ministry of the church is itself a means of evangelism through which the Lord Jesus calleth out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word, by His Spirit, those that are given unto Him by His Father. The church lives in the midst of a world that opposes the church, but benefits from the church. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Mt 5:16)

Membership in the Local Church

PARAGRAPH 6. The members of these churches are saints by calling, visibly manifesting and evidencing (in and by their profession and walking) their obedience unto that call of Christ; and do willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ; giving up themselves to the Lord, and one another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.

Once again we are confronted with the fact that if a man is a true Christian, he will seek to be joined with and committed to the local church. When Jesus saves a sinner, He compels him to be numbered with the believers who obey and worship Christ. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47b; cf. 5:14) If ever a man might have been reluctant to associate with the church, it was Paul. He had viciously persecuted the disciples. Might we understand if, after his conversion, he would want to stay aloof from those upon whom he had inflicted such harm? But as soon as Paul was converted, he was with the disciples who were at Damascus (Acts 9:19). And later when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple (Acts 9:26). But when Barnabas endorsed Paul’s credibility, he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem (v28). We ought to be very concerned when we encounter professing Christians who rationalize a life detached from the local church. When Jesus makes a disciple, He adds him to the church, even if that disciple was once a persecutor of the church!

First, the members of the local church are defined “evangelically”, that is, in terms of the gospel and their relationship to Jesus Christ. The members of these churches are saints by calling. Our identity is rooted in the sovereign grace of the Lord who effectually calls each of His sheep and they hear His voice. The Lord Jesus calleth them out of the world unto Himself (paragraph 5). The sheep of Christ hear His voice and they follow Him (Jn 10:4.27), visibly manifesting and evidencing (in and by their profession and walking) their obedience unto that call of Christ. The only way it can be shown that one’s spiritual ears work, is to watch were one’s feet walk. So then, you will know them by their fruits (Mt 7:20).

If we construct the local church according to the blueprint of the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20), we must conclude that baptism is an essential part of their profession which visibly manifests and evidences their obedience to the call of Christ. The formula in the Great Commission is to make disciples by the proclamation of the gospel through which Jesus sovereignly calls His sheep to Himself. Then those repenting, believing disciples are to be baptized. Then those baptized disciples are to join together in a common love for Christ which drives them to learn and obey Jesus’ commands. This common pursuit of obedience to Christ will be accomplished as they gather together in Christ’s presence – that is, as a local church. It would be beneficial to see baptism as closely aligned with the church. It is an ordinance that is administered to the individual disciple, but it is administered as a church ordinance and is to issue into the building up of the church. So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).

Secondly, disciples become members of a local church voluntarily. They do willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ. No one should be a member of the church who does not want to be a member of the church. The church is not comprised of those who are members because their family or the state compels them to be members. They are members because they want to obey Jesus. Those thus called, He commandeth to walk together in particular societies, or churches (paragraph 5). Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power (Ps 110:3a).

Thirdly, disciples, out of love for Christ, are committed and submitted to the local church: giving up themselves to the Lord, and one another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel. The word “commitment” sounds scary to many today. Loyalty, faithfulness, steadfast endurance are increasingly rare virtues. Likewise, submission, that beautiful companion of humility, is also sorely missed. We are to live in subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel. By ordinances we mean those authorized means of grace prescribed in Scripture that direct the life and worship of the church. The Bible prescribes how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God which is the church of the living God (1 Tim 3:15). Sadly, many professed Christians conduct themselves according to what is personally convenient or fashionably popular and bristle and spurn the Biblical call of loving commitment and submission.

To what ought a Christian be willing to commit? The local church of which I’m a member has a Constitution that spells out the nature of membership commitments. Things like attendance at the stated meetings, tithing, family life, evangelism, exercise of liberties and submission to the recognized leadership of the church are some of the things described in the section of the Constitution having to do with church membership.

The Power and Authority of the Local Church

PARAGRAPH 7. To each of these churches thus gathered, according to His mind declared in His Word, He hath given all that power and authority, which is in any way needful for their carrying on that order in worship and discipline, which He hath instituted for them to observe; with commands and rules for the due and right exerting, and executing of that power.

Our Confession views each local church as directly accountable to Jesus Christ and His commands revealed in Scripture. Jesus, by establishing each local church as described in paragraphs 5 and 6 – thus gathered, authorizes each assembly to accomplish His revealed purposes. Each local church is responsible to ascertain His mind declared in His Word and is accountable to Him to then obey His commands and do His will.

The power and authority exercised in the church is Christ’s, to the extent that what is done is according to His mind declared in His Word. This power and authority is essentially spiritual. My kingdom is not of this world. (Jn 18:36) It is not the power of the state, authorized to legislate civil law, levy monetary fines or to execute civil punishments. It is not the authority of the home, authorized to discipline children or determine matters of domestic concern. It is the power and authority of the church, assuming that the church is composed of true disciples who are believing and obeying, giving up themselves to the Lord, and one another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.

This power and authority is the authorization of King Jesus and is made effectual by the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit as the commands of Christ are obeyed. This is what is needful for their carrying on in the assignments of Christ for the church. As the church obeys Christ’s mind declared in His Word, they will discover that they are sufficiently equipped to do the will of the King. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16,17)

The church, empowered by the Spirit, is adequately supplied for carrying on that order in worship and discipline. But we are not empowered to do what we please or what we deem best. We are empowered to obey the Word which reveals commands and rules for the due and right exerting, and executing of that power.

The issue of church discipline is first mentioned here and then in paragraphs 12 and 15. When we ask what are the Scriptural commands and rules for discipline, we think of the encouragements of Heb 12:5-13 with passages like Mt 18:15-20; 1 Cor 5:1-13; and 2 Thes 3:6-15 along with the letters of Christ to the seven churches in Rev 2 and 3. The local church is authorized by Christ to respond to the presence of false teaching, immoral or disorderly conduct, or divisive behavior.

This paragraph, in agreement with the Savoy Congregationalists, asserts local church autonomy and independence. Our Baptist forefathers could not identify in Scripture any ecclesiastical structure erected over the local church that intervenes between the local church and the Lord Jesus the head of the church (paragraph 4). In other words, the local church is aligned with the rule of Christ which He exercises over the universal church: all the local churches all over the world. Each church, indwelt by the Spirit, is accountable to Jesus for its obedience to His Word. The words of Rom 14:4, although written concerning individual exercise of liberties, can yet apply to each local church: Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The Officers in the Government of the Local Church

PARAGRAPH 8. A particular church, gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members; and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church (so called and gathered), for the peculiar administration of ordinances, and execution of power or duty, which He intrusts them with, or calls them to, to be continued to the end of the world, are bishops or elders, and deacons.

Here we see the essential identity of a particular church in that it is gathered, assembled, and is completely organized according to the mind of Christ. The local church is not only a gathering of disciples, those gathered disciples intentionally organize themselves in obedience to Scripture, which is the revelation of the mind of Christ. This description of the local church informs us that not just any or every cluster of Christians constitutes a local church. The local church must be composed of baptized disciples who willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ; giving up themselves to the Lord, and one another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel. At the core of the local church is a common commitment to love one another in obedience to Christ and to order our corporate and personal lives in submission to His Word. The Word demands that the church be organized, structured, institutionalized so as to represent the rule of Christ among men.

A particular church consists of officers and members. The Confession does not posit the government of the local church outside or over the local church, but as embedded within the congregation itself so that the officers of the church are themselves members of the church. We see this interplay between a healthy functioning congregation and a healthy functioning leadership in 2 Thes 5:11-14 where the congregation is charged to minister to one another while recognizing and lovingly submitting to the exercise of rule and instruction given by those who have charge over you in the Lord.

The congregation, at a duly called gathering, is responsible to identify and ordain their officers. The officers are appointed by Christ and set apart by the church – a matter further considered in paragraph 9.

The local church has two offices: elders and deacons. These are the two offices which comprise the government of the local church. Both offices are mentioned together in Phil 1:1 and 1 Tim 3:1-13. The implication is that Christ has not instituted other offices for the governance of the local church. Several terms describe the same office of elder or presbyter: bishop or overseer, pastor (paragraph 10) or shepherd (cf. Acts 20:17,28; Tit 1:5-7; 1 Pt 5:2; 1 Tim 3:2; Eph 4:11). The main metaphorical imperative by which the duties of this office can be understood is shepherd the church of God (Acts 20:28). Scripture also makes it clear that the norm for a local church is to have a plurality of elders in the church. In fact, the New Testament does not present us any local church having only one elder. Rather, a plurality of elders is seen (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Phil 1:1; 1 Thes 5:12; Tit 1:5; Heb 13:17; Jms 5:14).

The officers are set apart by the congregation for the peculiar administration of ordinances, and execution of power or duty, which He intrusts them with, or calls them to. As we will see, each church office has its own sphere of responsibility so as to minister the loving rule of Christ to His people. The ordinances refers to worship which comprises the public means of grace such as preaching, public prayer, and the administration of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The execution of power or duty would entail pastoral prayer, laboring in the Word and doctrine, and pastoral visitation and counseling. The ministry of the pastor is elaborated in paragraph 10. Unfortunately, there is no similar description of the work of a deacon, which is crucial in Christ’s care of His flock. The elders minister Christ’s Word with a focus on the spiritual well-being of the flock. The deacons labor as an extension of the eldership, seeking to minister the benevolent compassion of Christ to the needy and tending to those more material concerns by which the church is enabled to accomplish its tasks of worship and service to Christ. Acts 6:1-6 presents helpful principles by which these two forms of official service can be distinguished.

This form of Christ’s government for the local church is to be continued to the end of the world. King Jesus is not experimenting with methods for caring for His people. He does not plan to discard this structure of monarchical government and replace it with another form of government. In keeping with His words in the Great Commission: lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Those who argue with this form of government and promote what they believe to be a more pragmatic and expedient form, will have to take the matter up with King Jesus. He is pleased to rule His church through the offices of elders and deacons and intends to do so until He returns.

The Ordination of Officers into the Government of the Local Church

PARAGRAPH 9. The way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person, fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit, unto the office of bishop or elder in a church, is, that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself; and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church, if there be any before constituted therein; and of a deacon that he be chosen by the life suffrage, and set apart by prayer, and the like imposition of hands.

It is Christ who appoints the officers and the church itself which calls, chooses and solemnly sets apart men as elders and deacons. Christ appoints a man for church office by fitting and gifting him by the Holy Spirit. The fitness and giftedness of a potential officer is described in 1 Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9 and 1 Pt 5:1-4. We are not allowed to alter, diminish or neglect the Biblical qualifications for church office. The Holy Spirit who moved in holy men to write the Scripture, is the same Holy Spirit who equips holy men to meet the qualifications and serve the people of God. Perhaps some of the greatest harm has come to the church due to her putting unqualified men into office. No small part of Paul’s anguish was due to an infiltration and acceptance of false unqualified leaders in Galatia, Corinth and Ephesus. So too, consider John’s grief over Diotrephes in 3 Jn whereas he commends Demetrius as the more qualified. Jude bemoans the persons who have crept in unnoticed and Jesus repeatedly deals with false and incompetent leaders in His letters to the churches in Rev 2 and 3. No matter how impressive a man may be, if he does not meet the qualifications of Scripture, you should not submit yourself to his leadership. But if he does meet those qualifications, not perfectly but with sufficient integrity as to confirm the corporate conscience of the congregation, then you should submit (Heb 13:7,17), recognizing that Christ has given you a gift for your edification (Eph 4:11ff).

The church is to recognize and identify those men endowed with the spiritual graces and gifts requisite for church office (Acts 6:3). These men are often brethren who rise in the esteem and appreciation of the sheep (1 Cor 16:15,16) because they are propelled by the Spirit to give themselves to labor for the good of the church (Rom 12:6-8). The church should then vote so as to obtain a conscientious consensus in corporately recognizing the man for the designated office. The vote is done, not as an “election” as though a man were campaigning for office, but as a means of expressing congregational obedience in recognizing that Christ has appointed the man for office, having gifted him and spiritually qualified him according to Scripture. Acts 14:23 records this process. The Greek verb appointed means to vote by the stretching forth of the hand. Today we too comply with apostolic directive recorded in Scripture in order to identify those men gifted for ministry and then, as a congregation, we vote in recognition of that gift and thus receive the rule of Christ.

The ordination itself is a sober event in which the Lord is sought by fasting and prayer. It should not be done hastily or with partiality (1 Tim 5:22). Those men already in office are then, in the company of the congregation, to prayerfully lay hands on the man entering church office and thus set him apart for the work of the ministry. Laying on of hands does not confer any power in itself, but merely mimics the acts of the apostles (Acts 6:6) in recognition that the church is receiving a gift from the hand of Christ. This procedure is to be followed for both the offices of elder and deacon.

The Ministry of the Word

PARAGRAPH 10: The work of pastors being constantly to attend the service of Christ, in His churches, in the ministry of the word and prayer, with watching for their souls, as they that must give and account to him; it is incumbent on the churches to whom they minister, not only to give them all due respect, but also to communicate to them of all their good things, according to their ability, so as they may have a comfortable supply, without being themselves entangled in secular affairs; and may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others; and this is required by the law of nature, and by that express order of our Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the gospel should live by the gospel.

It is fitting to describe the ministry of the Word in this consideration of the government of the local church, because the church is to be ruled by the Word of God. The people of God live according to His mind declared in His Word (paragraph 7). It is through the faithful ministry of the Word that Christ rules among His people. The elders-pastors are entrusted with this solemn duty of bringing the Word of God to bear upon the lives of God’s people. They are to be apt to teach (1 Tim 3:2; 5:17). One of the reasons for the emergence of the diaconate is so that the ministry of the Word would not be hindered (Acts 6:2,4,7).

Paragraphs 4-9 are all derived from the Savoy Platform of Church Polity. The wording of paragraph 10, however, is that of the Baptist writers who likely relied upon a previous Baptist Confession written in 1644. Church government is one of the areas in which our Baptist distinctives emerge.

The paragraph begins with a brief description of the work of pastors : feeders, shepherds. This work is an all consuming work, being constantly to attend the service of Christ. Paul exhorts Timothy, take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all (1 Tim 4:15). The focused sphere of the pastoral labor is in His churches. In a day when “Christian workers” labor in many and varied organizations, we need to be reminded that the institution to which Christ is committed is His church. Certainly Christians are right to endeavor to do good and to labor in numerous legitimate pursuits, but we must beware lest in the process, the church is eclipsed. The pastoral ministry entails the ministry of the word and prayer. In Acts 6:4, the wording is reversed: But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. Speaking to God, pleading the promises of His Word and speaking to men, preaching the truth of His Word, sums up the central labor of the pastor. The pastor must also give specific care to the sheep: watching for their souls. This is the labor of an overseer. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The care of souls involves pastoral counsel, pastoral visits in which the shepherd seeks to teach and apply the Word in a one-on-one dynamic. Paul describes his labors in Ephesus as involving both public and private instruction: how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20). The Confession reminds us of what has already been asserted: the leadership of the local church is directly accountable to the Head of the Church – Jesus Christ. The pastors must give and account to him (Heb 13:17). Whenever a pastor laments the relative smallness of his flock, it is salutary to imagine that Day when we shall stand before Christ and explain his pastoral dealings with each of those for whom He died.

The burden of paragraph 10 concerns the material support of pastors. This concern is unique among the confessions upon which the authors relied. We should appreciate the wisdom of expressing this concern because no small damage can be done to the church if unbiblical and unrealistic views are held concerning the care of the pastoral ministry. The responsibility for the care of pastors is laid on the churches to whom they minister. This care involves giving the ministry all due respect (1 Thes 5:12) and providing for the pastor’s material needs: to communicate to them of all their good things, according to their ability (1 Tim 5:17-18; Gal 6:6,7). The qualifying phrase according to their ability helps to answer the question, “How much should a pastor be remunerated?” Cultural and social factors come into play in order to answer that question. The pastor should not be the poorest nor the wealthiest man in the congregation. He should probably be economically situated somewhere just above the median income range of the congregation so as to reflect the church’s esteem of his labor. Other factors may come into play when determining the salary of the pastor. What income is culturally acceptable for a man with his educational background who engages in a similar kind of teaching labor? How long has the pastor labored in the ministry? Are there aspects of the ministry which Christ has given this man that need to be considered? 1 Tim 5:17 emphasizes that pastor who especially has the responsibility of the public ministry of the Word. Even among several pastors in one local church, there can be different pay scales depending upon various factors.

The Confession speaks to the practical issues which necessitate both a righteous and a generous material support of the ministry of the Word. We would reject the “keep him poor in order to keep him pious” approach. The pastor should have a comfortable supply. His salary should, if possible, be such so as to allow him to give himself full-time to the pastoral labor without being themselves entangled in secular affairs (2 Tim 2:4). His provisions ought not to be merely adequate for the care of his own family, but so that he may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others (1 Tim 3:2).

It is simply “common sense” (required by the law of nature) that a labor highly valued will be duly supported. It is a practical reality that churches which refuse to communicate to them of all their good things, according to their ability inflict harm upon themselves. Gal 6:6-10 needs to be read as a unit which concerns the material care of him who teaches. The church which sows stingily will reap accordingly. The church whose material provision is inadequate, forces a pastor, who might otherwise gladly serve among them, to go elsewhere or to labor with mounting resentment of the ministry for he is charged in Scripture to make provision for his family (1 Tim 5:8). A spirit of resentment can grip his entire family and cause a root of bitterness to take hold that can do irreparable damage especially to the souls of his children.

To righteously and generously remunerate pastors (cf Tit 3:13,14) is also an express order of our Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the gospel should live by the gospel (Mt 10:10; Lk 10:7; 1 Cor 9:7-14; Phil 4:10-20; 2 Tim 2:4-6). Those who minister the Word (1 Cor 9:14, Gal 6:6; 1 Tim 5:17) should be materially supported by the church in which he ministers. These Biblical truths should be presented to the congregation so as to inform both their perspective and practice of financial giving. The deacons should then insure that the material needs of the pastors are met so as to insure that matters of finance are conducted with integrity and accountability.

PARAGRAPH 11. Although it be incumbent on the bishops or pastors of the churches, to be instant in preaching the Word, by way of office, yet the work of preaching the Word is not so peculiarly confined to them but that others also gifted and fitted by the Holy Spirit for it, and approved and called by the church, may and ought to perform it.

Paragraph 11 continues to speak to the ministry of the Word and endorses the labors of men not officially set apart in the pastoral office. The wording of this paragraph is derived from The First London Baptist Confession of 1644 but relies as well upon the thirteenth paragraph of The Savoy Platform of Church Polity. That the Spirit is pleased to use the preaching ministries of men not specifically ordained to the ministry is evident in Acts 11:19-21 where we learn that the church in Antioch was born out of the preaching ministry of men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, while fleeing persecution, were speaking the word.

Again, since the responsibility for the ministry of the word is the church’s, and so that all things be done properly and in an orderly manner (1 Cor 14:40), it is the duty of the church to both recognize and enable such gifted men to exercise their ministries for the edification of the body and the development of their gifts.

The Discipline Exercised by the Local Church

PARAGRAPH 12. As all believers are bound to join themselves to particular churches, when and where they have opportunity so to do; so all that are admitted unto the privileges of a church, are also under the censures and government thereof, according to the rule of Christ.

Paragraphs 12 and 13 incorporate the wording of the Savoy Platform of Church Polity with some additional phrasing that is original to the Baptist authors. Although the word “discipline” is not explicitly used, the necessity of church discipline is what is being confessed.

The local church is not a religious supermarket where people go to select commodities to spend upon themselves. Nor is it simply a preaching center, a lecture hall to showcase a public speaker. The church is the body of Christ, the household of the living God, and as such, the Lord prescribes the behavior of those in His house (1 Tim 3:15).

Paragraph 12 echoes paragraph 5 and repeats the assumed obligation and desire of true Christians: they are compelled by the Spirit to join themselves to particular churches, when and where they have opportunity so to do. As the apostle Paul in Acts 9:26, each Christian should try to associate with the disciples and seek to become a member of the local church, assuming the privileges, rights and liabilities of membership.

Paragraph 12 describes “Formative Discipline”: the ongoing regular exercise of discipleship lived out in a local gathering of God’s people. We are “formatively disciplined” as we live in submission to the regime of those means of grace designed by the Spirit to form and conform us into Christlikeness. Discipline here simply means instruction and training. Such formative discipline is part of the experience of being loved by God. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines. (Hb 12:7, 6a) The child of God recognizes the love of His Father working in the church. The child wants to get under that instruction, under the influences of edification, engaged in the privilege to worship and to pray and to bear witness of Christ to a dying world. The healthy Christian wants to be shepherded and to be made accountable to other disciples who will correct his errors, rebuke his remaining rebellion, and curtail his remaining inclinations to waywardness. He sees discipline of the church as essential means of grace in order to arrive in heaven.

13. No church members, upon any offense taken by them, having performed their duty required of them towards the person they are offended at ought to disturb any church-order, or absent themselves from the assemblies of the church, or administration of any ordinances, upon the account of such offense at any of their fellow members but to wait upon Christ, in further proceeding of the church.

Paragraph 13 describes a common occasion in which “Corrective Discipline” may be required: offense has emerged between two or more members in the church. The offended brother has performed their duty required of them towards the person they are offended at. In other words, the procedure of Mt 18:15-17 has been followed but the offense has not been removed. Much could be interjected at this point concerning the need for Christians to be taught how to apply the gospel in their interpersonal relationships. As Christians, our area of expertise is the confession and forgiveness of sin. That is the dynamic of our relationship with our Lord and should characterize our dealings with the Lord’s people. But, sadly, even those who have confessed their sin to the Lord and know His forgiveness are often unable or unwilling to engage in that same gospel transaction with their fellow believers. When this process fails between two members of the local church, the Confession urges those involved to continue to maintain their involvement in the church and to look to Christ to act through the ministry of the church to bring about a peaceful resolution. The appeal is made by describing what an offended brother ought not to do. His personal concern should not occasion a disturbance of the church, nor should he justify a disorderly walk by absenting himself from the gatherings of the church. He should not launch into a campaign to vindicate himself and build a case against the offending brother by gossiping, letter-writing, or any public display of disturbance. Instead he should pursue the directives of Mt 18:15-17. He should go to the elders and allow further examination and engagements to determine whether the matter needs to be elevated to the place of public corrective discipline. He should also do something else: he should pray that the Lord Jesus Himself will work so as to bring resolution to the matter through the exercise of His rule operative in the church.

Sadly, when such things arise in our day, many immediately depart and begin looking for another church. Such refusal to follow the Biblically prescribed course of Mt 18:15-17 hinders the maturation of believers and results in a pervasive grieving of the Spirit (Eph 4:30-5:2; Col 3:12-15) which causes Him to withdraw from the church and renders the church ineffective and weak.

The encouragement to wait upon Christ, in further proceeding of the church reminds us that Christ lives with His people and is present when we gather before Him. The various disciplinary
issues cited in Rv 2 and 3 are all seen as being addressed by Christ Himself. There is none more zealous for the purity and well-being of the church than Jesus. As we obey Scripture in the face of impenitent and persistent sin, we are executing the rule of Christ among men and, through our obedience, He governs His church.

The Confession’s statements regarding corrective discipline are somewhat narrow and limited. However, the church today needs to be called to obey Christ in this area of church life. I can only outline some matters which deserve further consideration.

Those sins which deserve corrective discipline are:

A Stubborn Private Offender (Mt 18:15-17). Because of impenitence, a private offense escalates to a degree that warrants church action.

Divisive Teaching or Behavior (Rom 16:17,18; Tit 3:10). The impenitent persists to propagate doctrinal error or similar persistence in sowing discord.

Disorderly Behavior (2 Thes 3:6-15). Flagrant and public disregard for the order of God in creation (a neglect of the ordinances of labor, marriage, Sabbath); in redemption (a neglect of the ordinances of worship and churchmanship – as articulated in a Church Constitution).

Scandalous Sin Accompanied with Repentance – Even when repentance is evidenced, it may yet be wise to administer corrective discipline to protect the name of Christ in church from reproach; to prevent others from becoming emboldened to sin; and to occasion necessary reflection in the life of the offender so that the seriousness of the offense is internalized (2 Cor 13:5).

Contempt of Church Discipline (Tit 3:10,11). The efforts of discipline can be refused and after a second warning, the factious man is to be rejected.

The procedures involved in corrective discipline are:

Private Admonition by the brethren. Scripture envisions the lives of the brethren such that we are attentive to one another and concerned to address in one another those things which could threaten our spiritual growth (1 Thes 5:11,14; Mt 18:15-17). Also admonition by the elders. Pastoral oversight will address concerns seen by the overseer (1 Thes 2:11; Col 1:29). Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins (I Pt 4:8). The exercise of mutual love covers much that is quite ugly and destructive about us. If every sin and every genuine struggle with sin were made public knowledge, we’d be doing little less than disciplining one another! That is not what Christ wld have. Love covers a multitude of sin in private ways.

Public Admonition: There is sin, however, which takes root to such a degree and is of such a nature that it must be treated by the entire body. This aspect of corrective discipline is not often employed, but it is Scriptural. In several places, Paul names certain ones, cites their sin, and warns the church: Hymenaeus, Alexander for blasphemy (I Tim 1:20); Euodia and Syntyche for disunity (Phil 4:2); Archippus for negligence in the ministry (Col 4:17). The church was gathered and the apostle publicly admonishes specific individuals. Paul publicly rebuked Peter in Antioch (Gal 2:11-14). 1 Tim 5:20 Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. Some view this passage as speaking of elders, mentioned in v19, who continue in sin. But it is best to see this verse as a general directive given among several disconnected issues which Paul lists in v17-25. Here is a method of corrective discipline which deserves consideration as a means to respond to behavior which threatens the well-being of the church. Yet it is a somewhat mild method as when a father rebukes a child at the dinner table in front of his brothers and sisters. The siblings and the offender learn greater obedience.

Restriction of Membership Privileges: Here the gravity of the offense warrants stringent methods to penetrate the conscience, protect the church, and the name of Christ (2 Thes 3:14,15). The offender is seen as a Christian, a brother, not an enemy. But he is not being obedient to apostolic instruction and his pattern of behavior (here living an unruly life – v6) is a reproach to Christ and needs to be corrected. In order to achieve this, the man needs to be brought to public shame. He is to be publicly identified and normal church fellowship is to be constricted (cf. 1 Cor 5:9-11). Often, a disciplined brother will be prohibited from the Lord’s Table. Although the Table is a means of grace for sinning Christians, it is also an emblem of fellowship. 1 Cor 5:6-8 brings the Lord’s Table into view in the matter of church discipline. In period of restricted privileges, the disciplined brother should not engage in normal ministries of public profile like teaching a Sunday School class, leading in public prayer, or ushering. The offender should be present at the gatherings but walking humbly, quietly, penitently. The interaction of the brethren with the brother in question should center upon urging the fruit of his repentance and assuring him of the congregation’s love and prayers in the expectation that the Lord will use the discipline of the church for the good of the erring brother. The period of restriction should be determined by the elders as they care for the order and peace of the congregation. If there is compliance and continued communication with the elders by the erring brother, his restoration can be announced and full privileges restored.

Excommunication: In this most severe discipline, the church turns the keys of the kingdom. As she opened the door to admit the individual into membership upon credible profession, she now closes the door to exclude that individual from membership having become convinced that there is no longer a credible profession of faith. The pattern of sin and impenitence; the refusal to respond to the overtures of the gospel and pleas for repentance, compels the church to announce that the offender cannot continue in such sin and still entertain the notion of being a Christian. The church states that the individual has every appearance of being apostate. In a congregational meeting, the church corporately judges the excommunicated man to be as a Gentile and taxgather (Mt 18:17,18): in other words, as an unbeliever, outside the covenant community of the redeemed and liable to hell. The binding and loosing of the church echo the judicial determination of Christ and are a harbinger of Final Judgment.

Even though excommunication has these the elements of justice and judgment, its purpose is redemptive (I Cor 5:1-5). The church delivers the excommunicated man to Satan for destruction of his flesh. In other words, the church expels the man from the community of the redeemed consigning him to that sphere of the world in which Satan’s power operates (1 Jn 5:19). The flesh refers to the man’s sinful nature. It is hoped that now back into the world and loosed from the influences of grace and the gospel, that the man may yet come to his senses like the Prodigal Son, and repent: that his spirit may be saved in the say of the Lord Jesus. Ultimate salvation is yet hoped for. Excommunication is the church’s most serious warning issued yet in the hope that the offender will repent and be saved – even if that salvation comes to light only at the last day. Note that there is no one uniform procedure that results in excommunication. Mt 18 describes a lengthy process. I Cor 5 speaks of the discovery of heinous sin and the immediate removal of the offender (v4 – next time they assemble). Wisdom is needed as we learn to live, not so much by a rule book, but in obedience to Jesus who rules among us.

The purposes of corrective discipline are varied: to punish sin and stimulate repentance and restoration of the erring brother (2 Cor 2:6,7); to warn other members and inoculate against sin (1 Tim 5:20); to preserve and protect the church (1 Cor 5:6); to maintain the honor of Christ’s name in the world (Tit 2:5,8; Rom 2:23,24); and to protect the congregation (Rv 2:5,14-20). Christ encourages the church that obeys Him in the discharge of church discipline (Rv 3:7-13). An undisciplined church will not endure the hour of testing. Christ is not indifferent re: the discipline of His churches. He commends that church which is willing to order itself under the rule of Christ and minister His grace and love to His people.

In this sober responsibility to exercise corporate discipline, we must ever guard our own hearts (Gal 6:1). Our spirit must ever be gentle. Like a doctor treating a disease to which he is susceptible, we must minister the rule of Christ with grace and humility, never in triumphalistic haughtiness. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (I Cor 10:12). As much as we may hate the garment polluted by the flesh, we yet have cause to fear (Jude 1:23), for sin is so insidious that, if we fail to watch over our own hearts; if we fail to mortify the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit; if we fail to pursue peace with all men and that sanctification without which no man will see the Lord; if we do not cut off right hands and pluck out right eyes; if we do not strive to enter by the narrow gate and aggressively, violently enter the Kingdom by a living faith that expresses itself in genuine discipleship – then that very sin which so disgusts us today could one day blind us, harden and sear our conscience, cripple our resolve, choke the seed of the Word, deplete our spiritual strength and pull us into apostasy. When you see what sin has done to another professing Christian who is even caught in the act, take heed! Learn to respect sin’s destructive power. If you tolerate sin, it’ll destroy you as it has others before you. John Owen wisely counsels: “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”

Communion Among Local Churches

PARAGRAPH 14. As each church, and all the members of it, are bound to pray continually for the good and prosperity of all the churches of Christ, in all places, and upon all occasions to further every one within the bounds of their places and callings, in the exercise of their gifts and graces, so the churches, when planted by the providence of God, so as they may enjoy opportunity and advantage for it, ought to hold communion among themselves, for their peace, increase of love, and mutual edification.

The Confession, although advocating local church independence and autonomy, does not advocate local church isolation. Paragraph 14 describes the nature of inter-church communion and encourages a multi-leveled engagement of fellowship among the members of various churches and the churches themselves.

As the nature of local church authority and rule is essentially spiritual, so too the unity experienced between local churches is spiritual in nature. Our shared life in Christ gives to us a unity of the Spirit (Eph 4:1-6) who speaks to all the churches of Christ (Rv 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.) Church unity is an expression of our shared spiritual, living union with the head of the church: Jesus Christ. The doctrine of the universal church informs this dimension of local church life. United to Christ and to His Word of truth, we enjoy the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph 4:13). When we relate to churches which hold to the 1689 Confession as we do, we have even more commonality in our shared understanding of the truth.

Having spiritual unity in Christ and His truth, we are encouraged to foster genuine fellowship with other like-minded churches. This fellowship will be an expression of Christian love, for our discipleship is evidenced by our love one for another, not only as individual disciples, but as churches as well (Jn 13:34,35; 1 Thes 4:9,10; 1 Jn 5:1).

Such fellowship requires the leadership of the local churches to communicate with one another so as to inform their respective congregation’s prayers for one another. In Scripture we see churches communicating with other churches by sending letters (Acts 15:13,31; 16:4; Col 4:16; consider Paul’s ministry of letter writing not only to churches but also to individuals like Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Churches wrote letters of commendation to introduce believers from their congregation to another congregation (Acts 18:27; Rom 16:1,2; Col 4:10,11; 1 Cor 16:3; 2 Cor 3:1). Churches also received the ministries of men from other churches (Acts 15:32; Eph 6:21,22; Col 4:7-11; cf. Paul’s habit of visiting churches Acts cf. 14:21; 15:3, 36; 16:4,5; 18:22,23; 21:17-19).

Inter-church teams were formed to accomplish temporary tasks. We see that these teams were formed ad hoc and did not assume any permanence. A providential need occasioned the formation of such inter-church team effort. Once the need was met, we read of no establishment of a parachurch structure with positions needing to be filled and perpetuated. With the task completed, the team is dissolved and the personnel reassimilated back into their respective churches (1 Cor 16:3,4; 2 Cor 8:16-24; Acts 20:4-6). The formation of these teams is something the church is encouraged to do voluntarily. What occasioned the formation of inter-church efforts was the providential opportunity to engage together in Kingdom labors.

Financial involvement with different churches characterizes inter-church cooperation (Phil 4:15,16; 2 Cor 11:9; Tit 3:13 help is material, financial – cf. Rom 15:24 & 1 Cor 16:6; 3 Jn 5-8). Financial commitments can change during the course of a given ministry. Paul received his support from several and varied sources, yet he always placed the local church as the centerpiece of the support of evangelism.

Christian love between churches is expressed when we pray continually for the good and prosperity of all the churches of Christ, in all places (Rom 15:30-32; 2 Cor 1:11; Eph 6:18-20; Phil 1:19; Mt 9:36-38). The church’s prayer meetings are the heart of inter-church fellowship. As the brethren assume the burdens of other ministries, the Spirit engenders love of one community of disciples for another. As we pray one for another the Spirit ties cords of concern and engenders heart eagerness to act and meet each other’s needs. Spiritual fellowship is fostered as the church prays for sister churches and the specific gospel ventures in which they and their sister churches are engaged.

Such inter-church fellowship ought to be cultivated among churches which have been planted by the providence of God, so as they may enjoy opportunity and advantage for it. It is healthy for churches which are located in the same region, to nurture the kind of fellowship described in paragraph 14. In our day of communication and travel, the extent of inter-church fellowship can be far grater than that known to our Baptist forefathers in England in the 17th century.

PARAGRAPH 15. In cases of difficulties or differences, either in point of doctrine or administration, wherein either the churches in general are concerned, or any one church, in their peace, union, and edification; or any one member or members of any church are injured, in or by any proceedings in censures not agreeable to truth and order; it is according to the mind of Christ, that many churches holding communion together, do, by their messengers, meet to consider, and give their advice in or about that matter in difference, to be reported to all the churches concerned; howbeit these messengers assembled, are not intrusted with and church-power properly so called; or with any jurisdiction over the churches themselves, to exercise and censures either over any churches or persons; or to impose their determination on the churches or officers.

As in relations between individual Christians, so too in relations between local churches, sin and misunderstandings can emerge which threaten inter-church peace, increase of love, and mutual edification. Paragraph 15 gives directives as to what to do when difficulties or differences, either in point of doctrine or administration arise and threatens the spiritual unity and fellowship described in paragraph 14. Paragraph 15 envisions the already existing fellowship of paragraph 14. Paragraph 15 is not prescribing how inter-church fellowship is to be initiated but rather how it can be preserved against that which threatens the fellowship already being enjoyed by the churches in view. Paragraph 15 encourages us to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3).

What is envisioned is that the churches holding communion together as described in paragraph 14, encounter a false teaching, or an act of church administration, which threatens their inter-church peace, union, and edification. The Confession envisions a matter of church discipline which, in providence, overlaps the people of the two or more congregations in some way, and especially involves unresolved or disputed concerns. When such disturbance spills out and over from one church to another, we are urged, as churches holding communion together, to each send messengers who will meet to consider, and give their advice in or about that matter in difference. Obviously, such messengers will be men commended by their church and esteemed for their godliness and wisdom. By the pooling of many counselors, it is hoped that the way of wisdom and gospel resolution will be obtained and that the counsel of the messengers would then be reported to all the churches concerned. Thus, with the benefit of this counsel, those churches concerned in the altercation can then act in the integrity of their independence and in pursuit of that love which Jesus commands to characterize our relationships with one another in Christ.

This gathering of messengers does not constitute an authoritative body over the local church. It has no jurisdiction over the churches themselves, it has no church-power properly so called. It is simply a gathering of those deemed wise sent from the churches concerned so as to consider, and give their advice in or about that matter in difference to the churches concerned. This ad hoc advisory board of counselors from the churches does not have authority to discipline or censure either any churches or persons. Nor are they positioned over the leadership of the local church so as to impose their determination on the churches or officers. They are assembled simply to give their advice in or about that matter in difference, to be reported to all the churches concerned. As a gathering of counselors they are not to seek to do those things that Christ has assigned the local church do to.

As straightforward as this paragraph might appear to be, it has caused a substantial amount of discussion and some divergence of practice among good and godly men who honestly adhere to our Confession. Critical to the difference of opinion on how this paragraph is to be interpreted and applied is whether or not the Confession envisions a standing, permanent structure that is erected alongside or over the local churches which “hold communion” with one another. Some would assert that the very definition of holding communion together requires such an associational or denominational structure and that unless such a structure is constructed, paragraph 15 cannot be practiced.

What is according to the mind of Christ in Scripture? Do we find suprachurch structures within which inter-church fellowship is housed in the New Testament? Some point to Acts 15 to find Biblical warrant for the building of such a structure. One must approach Acts 15 carefully. It should be seen that what occasioned this meeting was a case of difficulties or differences, either in point of doctrine or administration: some from the church in Jerusalem arrived in Antioch and were disturbing the brethren teaching Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. (Acts 15:1) That the matter was one of church discipline which disturbed the peace of a sister church is seen in Acts 15:24 where James, the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem acknowledge that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls. In this regard, Acts 15 does give us a Scriptural warrant for what is described in paragraph 15: messengers from both churches met and reported to the churches involved concerning a matter of inter-church disturbance.

However, there are factors at play in Acts 15 in Jerusalem which are no longer operative in our day. The biggest factor is the role played by the apostles, who hold universal church office. Having universal jurisdiction over the churches, their determinations had church-power properly so called and they could censure churches or persons and impose their determination on the churches or officers. Could it be because of the role played by the apostles that many wrongly deduce that the meeting of the church messengers itself, constitutes a suprachurch entity? It is interesting to realize that this so-called “Jerusalem Council”, which is used to justify several non-Baptistic forms of church government, never is seen reconvening or setting up a standing structure. This was an ad hoc gathering to address issues of inter-church disturbance which had implications for the advance of the gospel among the Gentiles, something for which the apostles were legitimately responsible. With the issuance of the letter to the churches, the exercise of apostolic ministry was discharged and the “Jerusalem Council” disbanded never to reconvene.

If ever there was opportunity and, according to some, requisite reason for Paul to form a standing suprachurch structure within which inter-church fellowship was to be housed, it was when Paul was addressing the Ephesian elders in Miletus in Acts 20:28-32. We see geographical proximity. The Ephesian church was located in geographically near to the other six churches of the Lycean Valley which later received letters from the risen Christ in Rv 2 and 3. Representatives from sister churches are present. In Paul’s entourage we find eight others (v4) including Luke. These men represented churches from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe and Asia. This was a meeting of church leaders from virtually every region of Paul’s ministry. If ever the elements of an association coalesce in Scripture, it is here! What is Paul’s exhortation to this group of church leaders? Give yourselves to proactive pastoring. Be on guard for yourself and for the church in which you shepherd (v28). Be alert (v31). Remember and imitate the apostle’s example of a shepherd’s heart (v31). In other words, Paul tightens the cords of attachment to himself as their apostle. Be accountable to Christ and His Word (v32). The flock is God’s, purchased by His blood (v28). As shepherds, we are accountable directly to God. Which means we are accountable to His Word. Here is the crux of the issue.

Those who advocate a structured fellowship with representatives concerned to protect the sheep from potential pastoral abuse, have to answer why Paul did not institute such a structure on this occasion when all their concerns are evident in the Acts 20 text. What passage better speaks to the concerns which we are told justify an association? But alas, we look in vain for the proposed supra-church institution. Instead we see local church leaders told to fulfill their ministries, to encourage one another in that labor, and to keep stringent accountability to the Word. If associations are Biblically warranted, could not Paul have instructed them to meet as representatives in regional groupings, perhaps annually; to be accountable to some committee of church leaders who would be particularly charged with the duty of policing the local elderships; to be on the lookout for renegade elders, savage wolves, and mandated to implement some ecclesiastical mechanism to expose such sheep abusers and exercise some form of universal church discipline? Perhaps we would expect Paul to compel these churches, through their representatives, to be accountable to the more mature and older Jerusalem Church, or since they are mostly Gentiles, to the church in Antioch. He does not do that. He addresses them in the integrity of their office as local church shepherds and calls them to be accountable to Christ, their Head Shepherd, in submission to apostolic authority posited in the Word.

We have noted that the Baptists relied heavily in this chapter on The Savoy Platform of Church Polity. Evidently, the Congregationalists who wrote the Savoy Declaration, did not envision a standing permanent structure when they wrote their Church Polity statements. The Savoy Church Polity paragraph 27 states: Besides these occasional Synods or Councels, there are not instituted by Christ any stated Synods in a fixed Combination of Churches, or their Officers in lesser or greater Assemblies; nor are there any Synods appointed by Christ in a way of Subordination to one another. These “councils” are occasional, as occasion necessitates, not established in a fixed Combination of Churches, or their Officers.

It is argued that as two Christians are obligated to exercise their inter-personal fellowship under the structure of the local church, that so too, two local churches are obligated to exercise their inter-church fellowship under the structure of a standing association or denomination. That parallel may seem logical but it is unbiblical because the suprachurch structure that parallels the local church in this analogy cannot be found in Scripture and therefore the paradigm is unbiblical.

As I’ve thought about how church fellowship is delineated, I’ve settled upon my own phrase: “Delineation by Actualization”. Fellowship is delineated by what actually is. It is recognized by its presence, not realized by policy. Church fellowship is given by the Spirit; is grounded in the principles of gospel love; is put into practice by engaging in mutual communication, cooperation, and counsel; is essentially personal in the cultivation of trust; and is enjoyed in the providence of God. Church fellowship, like love, is self-authenticating. The Spirit will providentially grant us inter-church fellowship as we pray and promote the truth of God’s gospel; as we demonstrate new life in Christ in the love of the brethren; as we fulfill our pastoral stewardships with a zeal for the house of God and for the honor of the name of Jesus. As we do such things the Spirit will fashion opportunities for us to advance the gospel. Certainly we can expect that the Spirit will continue to direct the churches in this, the age of the Spirit.

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