Dec 24
22
Second London Confession 26.10
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 an 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 the express order of our Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel. (Acts 6:4; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 5:17, 18; Galatians 6:6, 7; 2 Timothy 2:4; 1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Corinthians 9:6-14)
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:1–14
“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:1–14)
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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.
Second London Confession 26.10
How does the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church, govern his churches? In Second London Confession (2LCF) 26.8 we confess that he governs his churches through officers, especially elders. And in 2LCF 26.9 we confess that officers are to be chosen by the members of the church and appointed (or ordained) by the elders of the church if there be any constituted therein. 2LCF 26.10 is about the honor that the members of the church owe to their pastors or elders.
Dr. James Renihan has noted that
“The tenth paragraph is unusual in that it is apparently not based on any previous document and is thus unique to this Confession. At the same time, it should be recognized that it is simply a pastiche [imitation] of Scripture texts knit together to make an important point. As a result, the teaching is not novel but rather reflects the churches understanding of these texts of Scripture.” (Renihan, Baptist Symbolics Volume 2, 503)
The phrase, “The work of pastors being constantly to attend the service of Christ, in his churches, in the ministry of the word and prayer”, imitates Acts 6:4 where Peter, the Apostles and elder says, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
The phrase “ with watching for their souls, as they that must give an account to Him”, echos Hebrews 13:17, which 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).
The phrase, “it is incumbent on the churches to whom they minister, not only to give them all due respect”, is to remind us of 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, which says, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13).
The phrase, “but also to communicate to them of all their good things according to their ability so as they may have a comfortable supply” brings to mind Galatians 6:6, which says, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches” (Galatians 6:6).
The phrase, “without being themselves entangled in secular affairs” is meant to remind us of 2 Timothy 2:4 which speaks of ministers, saying, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:4).
When our confession says that ministers are to be supported to the degree that they “may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others”, it is to remind us that showing hospitality is one of the qualifications that must be met to hold the office of elder or overseer – “given to hospitality”, says 1 Timothy 3:2.
When our confession says, “and this is required by the law of nature”, it is to remind us of the natural law arguments that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 9:7: “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?” (1 Corinthians 9:7).
Finally, the words “and by the express order of our Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel” remind us of those places in the Holy Scriptures that explicitly teach that ministers must be supported financially. In 1 Corinthians 9:14, Paul the Apostle is very direct. There he says, “In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). It is likely that Paul has Matthew 10:10 in mind, wherein Christ instructed his disciples saying, take “no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food” (Matthew 10:10).
I think you would agree that this is a very powerful way to confess the truth that pastors must be supported financially. It is a powerful presentation of this truth because it is so deeply rooted in Scripture.
One question we should ask is, why did the Particular Baptists believe it was necessary to add this statement to their confession when writing in the year 1677? Stated differently, why is no such statement found in the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) or the Savoy Declaration or Platform of Polity (1658)? Dr James Renihan explains,
“The issue was important in several ways. After the enforcement of the Act of Uniformity in August 1662, ejected ministers no longer received support from the tithe system of the Church of England. In many cases, this meant immediate poverty. As (illegal) congregations were gathered under numerous non-conformists, it was necessary to examine the Scriptures in order to implement a new system of pastoral provision. The baptistic congregationalists by and large did not face this problem, for the majority of them had not been part of the national church system. Two versions of 1LCF, 1644 and 1646, included an article asserting the necessity of congregational support for pastors.“
You and I are accustomed to the idea that local churches must support their ministers, but this was not the way that ministers were supported in the church of England. In those days when church and state were tightly linked and intertwined, ministers would be supported by the state church. Just as church and state were intertwined, so too were taxes and tithes. But our Particular Baptist forefathers were separatists and non-conformists. They did not benefit from the tithe system of the church of England. The members of these churches confessed that ministerial support was the responsibility of each local congregation. 2LCF 26.10 is written in such a way to make it very clear that this is precisely what the Scriptures teach.
2LCF 26.8 states the responsibility of pastors or elders. Elders are “appointed by Christ” and are
“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 [Chrtist] [e]ntrusts them with, or calls them to…” 2LCF 26.10 begins with a statement concerning the responsibility that pastors have to the members: “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 an account to Him…” But 2LCF26.10 concludes with a statement concerning the responsibility that members have to their pastors.
What do the members of a particular church owe to their pastors? One word can sum it up: honor. Christians must show honor to their pastors and elders.
And the Scriptures teach that honor is to be shown to pastors in two ways.
One, church members are to show honor to their pastors in the form of respect. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 has already been cited. There Paul speaks of pastors, elders, or overseers when he says, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13).
Two, church members are to show honor to their pastors in the form of financial compensation. In 1 Corinthians 9:14 Paul says, “In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).
It is in 1 Timothy 5:17-19 that Paul mentions these two forms of honor and places them side by side, saying, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, “The laborer deserves his wages.’ Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:17–19). What is this double honor that Paul speaks of? Is it a double dose of honor in the form of respect? Is it a double dose of honor in the form of financial compensation? No, when Paul speaks of showing double honor to elders who rule well, and especially to those who labor (do the hard work of) preaching and teaching, he means that two kinds of honor are to be given – honor in the form of respect, and honor in the form of compensation.
The context makes the meaning very clear. Paul shows that the first kind of honor he has in mind is honor in the form of compensation, when he says in verse 18, “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages.’” And you can see that the second kind of honor is honor in the form of respect when, in verse 19 he says, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” Pastors will make enemies as they faithfully preach and teach the word and govern the church. Accusations against them are not to be received unless confirmed by two or three witnesses.
Our confession clearly takes the view that double honor means honor in the form of respect and honor in the form of financial compensation when it says, “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…”
The phrase, “to communicate to them of all their good things according to their ability…” means that churches must share the good things of this life with their ministers according to the ability of the church members. If the church members are very poor, they will not be able to share very much. If the church members are well-supplied, their pastor should be well-supplied too. In brief, church members must be generous with their ministers to be sure they have what they need to live as they devote themselves to the work of the ministry.
Our confession goes on to say three things about the level of compensation that should be given to ministers, ideally.
One, our confession says that ministers should “have a comfortable supply.“ This means that, if possible, they should be freed from having to worry about how they will pay their bills or put food on the table. It would be very difficult for ministers to minister to the needs of others when their own needs are not met.
Two, our confession says that ministers should have a comfortable supply “without being themselves entangled in secular affairs…” This means that ministers should not have to do secular work on the side to make ends meet, and thus be distracted from the work of the ministry. Some might respond to this by saying, but Paul and Barnabus worked while they ministered! Yes, they did! But this is not the ideal set forth in Scripture for pastors ministering within settled and well-established churches. Those engaged in missions (church planting efforts) like Paul and Barnabus may need to work on the side while laboring to establish a church. Those ministering to poor congregations or in congregations that are not yet fully established might also need to work on the side. But as I have said, this is not the ideal. The ideal set forth in Scripture is that “those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). Do not forget, it was Paul the tentmaker who penned these words.
Three, our confession says pastors should be supported to the degree that they are “capable of exercising hospitality towards others…” This means they should not be scraping by. The Scriptures teach that pastors must lead by example in showing hospitality (1 Timothy 3:2). Ideally, they should be compensated well enough so that they can manage the affairs of their household (1 Timothy 3:4) and have something to share (food and lodging) with those in need.
Given the way that our modern economy works, one additional concern should be retirement. Ministers should be compensated to the degree that they will be able to retire from full-time ministry when the time comes for that transition to be made.
One final question should be asked. Must all elders be financially compensated? I do not believe that is what the Scriptures or our confession teaches. 2LCF 26.10 seems to be about the financial support of those pastors who are devoted to what we would call full-time ministry. And 1 Timothy 5:17 does distinguish between elders who rule well and those who labor in preaching and teaching. It is the latter who are especially to be considered worthy of receiving double honor.
Conclusion
The topic of giving has come up a lot lately. Brothers and sisters, one of the most fundamental responsibilities you have as a church member is to earn money by doing good and honest work and to give a portion of that money to God through the church so that your pastor or pastors are well-supplied and may devote themselves fully and without distraction to the hard and important work of the ministry.
Indeed, we confess that “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 an 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 the express order of our Lord Jesus, who hath ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.” (Acts 6:4; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Timothy 5:17, 18; Galatians 6:6, 7; 2 Timothy 2:4; 1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Corinthians 9:6-14)
