Nov 24
17
Second London Confession 26.6
“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 to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.
(Romans. 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 5:13, 14; 2 Corinthians 9:13)
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:38–47
“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:38–47)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
In Second London Confession chapter 26 paragraph 4, we find, what I think is, the most important principle in our doctrine of the church. “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…” If we wish to know what the church is, how it is brought into existence, and how it is to be ordered and governed, we must begin and end with the ascended Christ. Having accomplished the redemption of those given to him by the Father, and having been raised from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand, he alone is the Head of the Church. All church power resides supremely in him.
When 2LCF 26.4 says that “all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner” in Christ, it raises the question, how does the Lord Jesus Christ execute (implement, discharge, or put into effect) his power to call, institute, order, and govern the church? Paragraphs 5 through 13 of 2LCF 26 provide an answer to that question.
Paragraph 5 tells us about how Christ calls his church into existence. Paragraph 6 tells us about how Christ institutes local churches. Paragraph 7 tells us about how Christ orders his churches. And paragraphs 8 – 13 tell us about how Christ governs his churches.
Last Sunday we focused our attention on 2LCF 26:5 and we confessed that “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…” Again I say, this statement is about Christ calling the universal or catholic church into existence. I think you would agree that everything described here up to this point in the paragraph is spiritual and invisible. You and I really cannot see this effectual calling with our natural eyes. You and I cannot see this working of the Spirit on the hearts and minds of men. You and I cannot see the union with Christ that is brought about when a sinner turns from their sins to place their faith in Christ. When Christ calls his elect unto himself it is not something that we can see.
But notice that these invisible, spiritual realities quickly become visible. The second half of paragraph 5 says, “that they may walk before him in all the ways of obedience, which he prescribeth to them in his word.” How does this invisible and spiritual work that Christ does within the hearts and minds of his elect become visible? It becomes visible when those who are regenerated and converted by the Holy Spirit begin to walk in the ways of obedience which Christ has prescribed to us in his word. And what has Christ commanded? Many things. As it pertains to our topic, and for starters, those who believe in Christ in the heart must also confess with their lips that he is Lord (see Romans 10:9-10). These are to be baptized. These are to partake of the Lord’s Supper. “Do this in remembrance of me”, Christ commanded (see Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24). Where are these sacraments to be administered? In the church. And by whom? By ordained ministers.
So you can see that paragraph 5 begins with describing the execution of the power of Christ to call his catholic or universal church (which is invisible) into existence, but at the halfway point the focus begins to shift to the visible, local church. In fact, the paragraph concludes with these words: “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.” Where does Christ command this? He assumes the existence of local churches in his teaching about church discipline in Matthew 18, and he commands that local churches be planted when he commissioned his Apostles, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20). Again I ask, where is this baptizing to be done? Where are those baptized to be taught to observe all that Christ has commanded, including the Lord’s Supper? When we pay attention to what the Apostles of Christ did in obedience to this great commission as recorded in the book of Acts and as seen in the Epistles, the answer becomes very clear – in local congregations. Think of the church in Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, the church in Ephesus, the church in Corinth, the churches of Galatia, etc.
The point is this: when sinners are effectually called by Christ through the preaching of the word of God and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, they are spiritually joined to his universal body. This calling and this union are spiritual and invisible. But according to the Scriptures, the invisible must become visible. This calling and union becomes visible when a profession of faith is made. It is made visible in the waters of baptism. It is made visible at the Lord’s Table. In other words, a person’s invisible faith and union with Christ becomes visible as they walk in obedience to Christ in this world. A major aspect of walking in obedience to Christ involves joining a local congregation.
All that is said in 2LCF 26.5 raises another question. How does Christ institute or form these particular societies or local churches? In 2LCF 26.4 we confess that Christ has been given the power to institute churches. Now the question is, how does Christ execute this power? That is the question addressed here in 2LCF 26.6.
Hear the answer again: “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 to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.”
Notice a few things about this statement:
The Power Of Christ: His Act Of Institution
One, the first sentence basically repeats what was statd in 2LCF 26.2. Who are the members of local churches? They are saints who have been effectually called to repentance and faith in Christ. And how are these saints made visible? In other words, how does it become apparent who these saints who have been called to repentance and faith are? They are visibly manifest and evidence is given concerning their union with Christ in and by their profession of faith and walking. Stated differently, how do we know who the saints are? They are those who make a credible and public profession of faith and walk in obedience to the command of Christ. Jesus says, “Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:20). And in 1 John 2:3 we read, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” Real Christians obey Jesus.
Two, this paragraph specifies that one of the ways the saints will manifest and give evidence concerning their true repentance and faith in Christ is by, “willingly consent[ing] to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ.”
The words, “willingly consent” remind us that a person must freely choose to join a church. Is a professing Christian free to not join a church? No. I suppose one exception would be if they live in a land where no church exists. But ordinarily, professing Christians must join churches, for Christ commands it. Christians are free, however, to choose which local church they will join, provided that it is a true church of Jesus Christ. This might seem very obvious to you, but it needs to be said to counter the idea that a person is born into the church. No, a church is something that a person must choose to join after professing faith in Christ, which is something that infants clearly cannot do.
The words “willingly consenting to walk together…” back to 26.5, which says, “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.”
The words, “according to the appointment of Christ” mean, according to Christ’s sovereign will. In 2LCF 26.4 we were told that “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…” And now we are to told that professing Christians are to willingly consent to walk together in local churches according to the appointment or will of Christ, as expressed in the Holy Scriptures.
The last portion of 2LCF26.6 clarifies what it is that the members of local churches are consenting to. Christians willingly consent to walk together in local churches, “giving up themselves to the Lord, and one to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.”
When Christians form or join local churches, they first, give themselves up to – that is to say, surrender themselves to – the Lord. Joining a church is first and foremost about obedience to the Lord. When a Christian joins a church it is an act of submission before the Lord. Conversely, when a professing Christian refuses to join a church, it is an act of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord.
When Christians form or join local churches, they secondly, give themselves up to – that is to say, surrender themselves to – one to another. When I was growing up I remember being told that it is important for Christians to have accountability. What that meant was, that Christians should have an accountability partner – a person in their life who would ask them hard questions and call them to repentance if they started to stray. Don’t get me wrong. Developing close relationships like this in the church is a good thing. But true Bible accountability is found in the context of formal church membership (see Matthew 18). When a professing Christian joins a church they consent to walk with other Christians, and the other Christians in the church consent to walk with them. There is a giving up of oneself that takes place in church membership. A commitment is made to look out for one another and to love and serve one another in Christ Jesus in a pronounced way. This is according to the will of God, or confession says.
And what, in particular, are Christians professing to submit to when they join a local church? The last line of 2LCF26.6 says, “in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.” The word ordinances is used here in a broad way. It does not only refer to baptism and the Lord’s Supper but to all of the commands of Jesus Christ as expressed in Holy Scripture. You see, our submission to the Lord and our submission to one another is not nebulous or vague. When Christians join a local church they are committing to pursue obedience to God’s word and they invite the loving correction of their brothers and sisters in Christ should they begin to stray. In other words, God’s word is our standard for matters of faith and obedience. The standard is not the opinions or traditions of man. Stated in yet another way, church members invite the loving correction of their fellow church members should they fall into sin, and sin is any lack of conformity unto or violation of God’s law. When a Christian chooses to join a particular local congregation, they are “giving up themselves to the Lord”, and to the other members of that congregation, “by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.”
Conclusion
I thought it would be fitting to conclude this little sermon by reading our church covenant to you. This is the document that all members sign when they are received into the church. I trust you can see why we have a church covenant. This idea that Christians covenant together with other Christians when they join a local church is very Biblical, and now you know where this is principle is articulated in our Confession.
A church covenant simply clarifies the Biblical commitment we are making before God and to one another within the context of the local church. Here is what ours says.
Having, as we trust, been brought by Divine Grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to Him, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully establish our covenant with each other.
We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We will walk together in brotherly love, as becomes the members of a Christian church; exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require.
We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others.
We will endeavor to bring up such as may at any time be under our care, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and by a pure and loving example to seek the salvation of our family and friends.
We will rejoice at each other’s happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows.
We will seek, by Divine aid, to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that, as we have been voluntarily buried by baptism and raised again from the symbolic grave, so there is on us a special obligation now to lead a new and holy life.
We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines.
We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We will, if we move from this place, as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
Finally, if we fall into a pattern of unrepentant sin, we invite the loving correction of our church family to call us back to Jesus Christ, for the good of our eternal inheritance.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
Granted, church covenants could be worded differently, but I do like ours. It provides a succinct summary of the commitments that Christians are to make before God and to one another in the local church according to the Scriptures. Also, I trust you can see how it agrees with the doctrine expressed in 2LCF 26.6.
“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 to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.”
