Dec 24
1
Second London Confession 26.8
“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.” (Acts 20:17, 28; Philippians 1:1)
Scripture Reading: Acts 20:17-32
“Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: ‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:17–32)
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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
We confess that “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church” and that in him, “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” (Second London Confession (2LCF) 26.4)
How does Christ carry out his power to call his church into existence? In brief, 2LCF 26.5 says that the risen and ascended Christ calls God’s elect unto himself through the preaching of the gospel (it is the power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16) and by the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power. So Christ executes his power to call his church into existence through the power of his word and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the doctrine of effectual calling (see 2LCF 10). 2LCF 26.5 goes on to say that Christ commands those who have been powerfully and effectually called to faith and repentance, to “walk together in particular societies, or churches, for their mutual edification, and the due performance of that public worship, which he [requires] of them in the world.”
How, then, does Christ carry out his power to institute (or establish) local churches? Simply put, 2LCF 26.6 says that, because Christ commands his followers to form or join local churches, and because those who follow him have been called by the power of the word of God and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, these will “[manifest] and [evidence] (in and by their profession and walking) their obedience unto that call of Christ…”, and these will “willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ”; giving themselves up “to the Lord, and one to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.” In other words, those who have been effectually called by the word and Spirit will join local churches (so long as they are able). Why? Because they are true followers of Jesus Christ, and Christ has commanded them to do this. More than this, they have been regenerated by the Spirit and now they love to obey God’s word. If a professing Christian refuses to join a local church (for no good reason), they contradict and undermine their profession of faith by their rebellion against Christ the King. They say with their lips, Jesus is my Lord. Their Lord says, join yourself to a local church. And they say, no. This is disobedience and rebellion. Those who profess faith in Christ and yet live in rebellion against Christ the King destroy the credibility of the profession of faith they have made. By living in stubborn rebellion, they show that they have not been born again. Those who love Christ truly will desire and strive to keep his commands, though corruptions, imperfections, and sins do remain. How does Christ institute local churches? By commanding that local churches be formed and joined. True followers of Christ will obey him.
And how does Christ carry out his power to order his churches? Again, we must say, by the power of his word and Spirit. These particular societies or local churches must be ordered. And how does the risen and ascended Christ order them? He reveals his mind or will for the ordering of the church in his word and sends forth his Holy Spirit to gift and empower his people to do what he has commanded. This is what 2LCF 26.7 says: “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.” God’s word reveals how the church is to be ordered, that is to say, how it is to be organized and how is to operate, and God’s Spirit will provide the church with the necessary gift and graces to “carrying on that order in worship and discipline, which he hath instituted for them to observe.”
The Power Of Christ: His Act Of Government
So you can see, in 2LCF 26.5, 6, and 7 we have considered how Christ carries out his power to call, institute, and order his churches. Here in 2LCF 26.8, we consider the execution of the power of Christ to govern his churches.
What does it mean to govern? To govern is to conduct the policy, actions, and affairs of a state, organization, or people. What does it mean to govern a church? To govern a church is to conduct or carry out the order of the church that Christ has revealed in his word. So you can see that church order and church government are related. How is the church to be structured? What is the church to do? And how is the church to do what it is to do? These are questions about the order of the church. But these orders must be carried out or conducted. Church government has to do with the carrying out of the church order that Christ has revealed in his word.
2LCF 26.8 is about the government of the church. Hear the statement again: “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.” (Acts 20:17, 28; Philippians 1:1)
This is a very important statement. Let’s quickly walk through it together line by line.
First, we read, “A particular church, gathered…” This reminds us of what was said in the preceding paragraphs regarding the calling, institution, and order of a local church.
Next, we read, “and completely organized according to the mind of Christ…” Two observations need to be made about this little phrase. The first is that the church must be organized, not according to the minds of men, but according to the mind of Christ. And where is the mind (or will) of Christ for the ordering of his church found? In the Holy Scriptures. Secondly, notice the words, “completely organazied according to the mind of Christ…” Eventually, the paragraph will clarify that a completely organized church consists of officers and members and that the two offices of the church are the offices of elder and deacon. But the phrase, “A particular church, gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ…” means that a church may be a true church without officers. If a church is without elders or deacons (or both) it may still be regarded as a true church, though incomplete. Soon we will see that a church without elders would be greatly limited in what it could do. The ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper could not be administered (without outside help) and discipline could not be executed. But this does not mean that the church would cease to be a church. As has been said by others, elders and deacons are not of the essence of the church; they are, however, of its well-being.
Our confession then goes on to say, “A particular church, gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members.” The members of the church were identified in 2LCF 26.2 & 6. Who are the members of a local church? They are visible saints. They are those who have made a credible profession of faith. They are those who have not destroyed their profession by holding to doctrinal errors that avert the foundation of the faith or by living lives of open and unrepentant sin. They are visible saints who have willingly consented to walk together in a particular church, “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” (2LCF 26.6). Here in paragraph 8, we confess that a church is not completely organized according to the mind of Christ until it also has officers.
An officer is a person who has been formally appointed to an office. An office is a position of authority and service. Those who are appointed to an office, be it in the civil or ecclesiastical realm, are formally set apart to do a particular work and they are given the power and authority to do that work, whatever it may be. A police officer has the power and authority to do the work of a police officer. A mayor has the power and authority to do the work of a mayor.
What are the offices of the church? There are two. They have already been mentioned. They are listed at the very end of the paragraph. They are “bishops or elders, and deacons.”
Why does our confession say “bishops or elders”? By using these two terms it draws attention to the fact that this one office goes by different names in the Scriptures. And the different names help us to see the diversity of roles and responsibilities this office entails. Notice that in paragraph 10 another title is used for one who holds the office of elder, and that is pastor. And in paragraph 11 we find the titles bishop and pastor linked together. “Although it be incumbent on the bishops or pastors of the churches…”, etc. As I have said, the use of a diversity of terms is meant to reflect the diversity of terms applied to this one office in the Scriptures. Pastor means shepherd (the Greek word is ποιμήν). One who holds the office of elder is called to shepherd God’s flock as an undershepherd to Christ. The title elder (the Greek word is πρεσβύτερος) highlights that a man must be mature in his faith and in his way of life. Bishop means overseer (the Greek word is ἐπίσκοπος). In Acts 20 we are told that Paul called the elders from the church of Ephesus to come to him, and in verse 18 he exhorts them, saying, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Elders are overseers which is what the word bishop means. They have the authority and responsibility to oversee God’s church and to rule authoritatively within it (see 1 Timothy 5:17 and Titus 2:15). Here is something to notice. Though elders must be able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Timothy 2:24, Titus 1:9) this does not mean that every elder must be capable of preaching week in and week out. Teaching is often carried out in other contexts (see Titus 1:9). And though the elders do have the responsibility to oversee the teaching ministry of the church and to ensure that what is taught is true to the word of God, the office of elder is more fundamentally about ruling than preaching and teaching. Consider the titles of this office: elder, shepherd, and overseer. These connote leadership and oversight most fundamentally. And consider what Pual says in 1 Timothy 5:17, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17). So then, all elders are called to rule, lead, and oversee God’s church. Some elders will be set apart to labor in preaching and teaching.
The second office mentioned is that of deacon. The name says it all. Deacon means servant (the Greek word is διάκονος). Deacons are to serve the people, especially as it pertains to meeting their physical needs. It has been said that the deacon is to be concerned with supplying tables: the Pastor’s table, the widow’s table, and the Lord’s Table. Though much more could be said about the office of deacon, one thing I wish to stress is that it is an office. Therefore, deacons have real power and authority in the church. They do not have the same power and authority as the Bishops or elders. Elders are called to rule, oversee, shepherd, and lead. But deacons do have power and authority, nonetheless, for they hold office within the church. They are not merely servants. They are office bearers, set apart by God through the church to oversee the furnishing of tables.
If you would like Biblical proof that these are offices, go to 1 Timothy 3. There you will find qualifications for the office of overseer and deacon. Also, you may go to Titus 1:5. There Paul tells Titus, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you…” (Titus 1:5). The word translated, “appoint”, means “to assign to someone a position of authority over others—‘to put in charge of, to appoint, to designate’” (Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 483).
How are men appointed to these offices? Notice, our confession says, “…and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church (so called and gathered)…” Paragraph 9 will have more to say about the way in which elders and deacons are to be appointed. For now, notice two things: One, elders and deacons are said to be appointed by Christ. Christ, the head of the church, appoints officers to govern his churches. He gives them the necessary gifts and graces. He makes them fit for the ministry. Two, Christ appoints men to these offices through the members of the church. These men whom Christ has appointed are “to be chosen and set apart by the church (so called and gathered).”
So then, in paragraph 7 we confess that Christ has given “power and authority” to each local church, and here in paragraph 8, we confess that, within a completely ordered local church, Christ gives power and authority to officers so that they might govern. And how does Christ appoint these officers? By his Holy Spirit, he gives them the necessary gifts and graces and makes them fit for service. And installs them into their office through the choice of the church. The church must recognize those whom Christ has fitted, and gifted by the Holy Spirit to hold office, and they must deliver the external call.
As I have said, paragraph 9 will have more to say about how this is to be done, but at this point you can see that a distinction has been made between the power that Christ gives to the members of his churches and the power that Christ gives to officers. We have said that Christ gives each local church all the power and authority it needs to do what Christ has called his churches to do. And now we confess that Christ gives a particular kind of power to church members and a particular kind of power to church officers.
It has been said that the members of Christ’s churches are given the power of liberty. This means they have the power to freely choose which local church to join, and once members of that church, they have the power to freely choose to appoint men to the offices of elder and deacon. Of course, liberty is freedom within boundaries. And the boundaries are found in God’s word. Church members are free to appoint men to these offices provided they are gifted and fitted by Christ and, therefore, meet the qualifications set forth in the Holy Scriptures (see 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). But is the members of the church who must appoint their leaders. And once they are appointed, they must be permitted to rule and serve according to the power and authority that has been entrusted to them in the office they hold. Once appointed, the members of the church have the power of liberty to submit to their leaders as their leaders submit to Christ. As Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17). Finally, if an office bearer fails to submit to Christ – if he ceases to meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 – the members of the church have the power of liberty to remove that man from office.
The form of church government that we confess is called independent or congregational church government. By independent, we mean that Christ has given each local church the power and authority it needs to do what he has called the church to do. There is no entity above the local church with church power, properly so-called. And by congregational, we mean that the members of the church have real church power. The members do not have the power of authority, but they do have the power of liberty, and this is real power granted to them by Christ. It must be respected and faithfully used. My co-elders can testify that one of the main reasons I wanted to present this material to you was to help you, as members of this church, to grow in your understanding of the church power that Christ has given to you so that you might be more faithful in the discharge of it. Christ has given church members the power, or we might say, the key, of liberty. Church members have the power (and responsibility) to appoint and remove officers in accordance with the word of God (see Acts 6:3). Members have the power to agree with the elders as they lead in worship, in the recommendation of new members, and in matters of discipline. This means they also have the power to disagree with the elders if they are acting contrary to God’s word.
But this does not mean that the members have the same power that officers have. No, a distinction must be made. Christ has given officers, especially elders, the power, or we might say, the key, of authority. They are office bearers! And with an office comes the power and authority to carry out the duties that office requires.
Independent church government is often misunderstood. Some assume it means that a local congregation must be completely separate from all other local congregations and without accountability, therefore. Paragraphs 14 and 15 will clarify that this is not our view. Though we confess that all the power and authority the church needs to carry out worship and discipline is granted by Christ to each local congregation, we acknowledge that local churches must formally associate with other local churches.
Also, congregational church government is often misunderstood. Some assume it means that the members of the congregation rule. That is not what we believe. Elders are to rule, oversee, and lead (see 1 Timothy 5:17, Philippians 1:1, Acts 20:28, Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24). What congregationalism, properly understood, asserts is that the members of the church have real church power and responsibilities. They have the power of liberty to choose which church to join and to appoint and remove officers. They have the power of liberty to give their consent to the elders as they lead in the worship of God, the government of the church, especially in the reception of new members and in matters of discipline (see Matthew 18:17).
The middle of paragraph 8 clarifies that Christ gives officers the power, or we might say, the key, of authority. “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…” What are they set apart for? The paragraph clarifies, “for the peculiar [perhaps we would say, distinctive] administration of ordinances, and execution of power or duty, which he intrusts them with, or calls them to…”
Ordinarily, it is those who hold the office of Pastor, elder, or overseer who are to preach the word. Pastors, elders, or overseers are to administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Pastors, elders, or overseers are to oversee the church and rule within it. These are to lead in worship. These are to lead in the reception of new members and in matters of discipline. The members of the church are called to obey their leaders, submit to them, and give their consent, so long as their leaders are following Christ (see Hebrews 13:17). When it comes to discipline, if the elders recommend that a person be excluded or excommunicated, and if the church agrees (if they give their consent), it is the elders who then have the authority to execute, carry out, or pronounce the decision of the church. This is what is meant by the phrase, execution of power.
Benjamin Keach was an early and prominent Particular (Reformed) Baptist minister. He was one of the original signatories to our confession of faith. He wrote a popular book on church polity and government, entitled, The Glory Of A True Church. This book is helpful for many reasons, one of them being, that it helps us to think through how the doctrine of the church we confess here in 2LCF26 might be worked out practically. As it pertains to the execution of power mentioned here in paragraph 8, Keach says,
“the Pastor after calling upon God, and opening the nature of the Offence, and the Justness of their Proceedings, in the Name and by the Authority of Christ, pronounces the Sentence of Excommunication to this effect.
That A.B. being guilty of great Iniquity, and not manifesting unfeigned Repentance, but refusing to hear the Church, I do in the Name, and by the Authority of Christ committed unto me as Pastor of this Church, pronounce and declare that he is to be, and is hereby excommunicated, excluded or cast out of the Congregation, and no longer to be owned a Brother, or a Member of this Church; and this for the destruction of the Flesh, that his Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (Keach, Glory Of A True Church, 27-28)
Conclusion
Are all the members of the church to see to it that the church is ordered and governed according to the mind of Christ as revealed in the Holy Scriptures? Yes, absolutely. But this will require us to distinguish between the church power that the risen and ascended Christ gives to officers and the church power that he gives to members. To the members, Christ gives the key of liberty. To the officers, and especially the elders, Christ gives the key of authority. If a church is to be ordered and governed according to the mind of Christ, both the members and officers must be faithful to do their part.
How does Christ govern his churches? “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.” (Acts 20:17, 28; Philippians 1:1)
