Nov 24
3
Second London Confession 26.4
“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.”
(Colossians 1:18; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:11, 12; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-9)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:18–20
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘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)
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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
The first three paragraphs of chapter 26 of our confession are very important because they are fundamental. In paragraph 1, the catholic or universal church is defined. In paragraph 2, the local, visible church is described. And in paragraph 3 we find a word of caution and clarification about local churches: “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 of his name.”
As I have said, the first three paragraphs of chapter 26 of our confession are very important because they present the most fundamental of truths regarding the church. Essentially, they answer the question, what is the church, and who are its members to be? But if you were to ask me, what is the most important paragraph in chapter 26 of our confession, or what is the most important principle in chapter 26, I think I would say, apart from the fundamental principles articulated in paragraphs 1 & 2, paragraph 4 is the most significant, especially the principle articulated in the first sentence: “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church…” It is this principle – the principle of the exclusive Lordship and Headship of Jesus Christ over the church – that informs all that will be said in the subsequent paragraphs regarding the calling, institution, and government of local churches.
Stated differently, if you were to ask me to state the most important principle in our doctrine of the church and do so in one sentence, I would choose the opening line of Second London Confession (2LCF) 26.4: “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…” everything else we will say about the doctrine of the church and church polity flows from this governing principle.
Sadly, the supreme importance of the first half of paragraph 4 is often eclipsed by the now-controversial statement made in the second half of the paragraph. And to be clear, when I say “sadly” I do not mean that I am sad that the second half of the paragraph says what it says! The thing that saddens me is that some are bothered by the statement and allow it to distract them from the main point of the paragraph, which is to assert that the Lord Jesus Christ is alone the Head of the church.
The statement made in the second half of paragraph 4 is probably considered the most controversial statement in our confession by modern readers. I say, by modern readers, because the Protestants and the Reformed living in the 17th century would not have hesitated in the least to confess, “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.” I confess this without hesitation, and I think you should too! But to confess this without hesitation we need to understand what it means. To understand what it means, we need to interpret these words in their context. And that is what we will do.
The Lord Jesus Christ Is The Head Of The Church
In the introductory sermon in this series, I asked you to look for two themes as we progress through chapter 26 together. Look for Jesus Christ and ask, what is the relationship between Christ and the church? And look for the theme of power. Where does church power supremely reside, where does it go, and how is it distributed? Look for Jesus Christ and the theme of church power. That was my request.
Jesus Christ has already appeared in the first three paragraphs.
Who are the members of the catholic or universal church? 2LCF 26.1 says, that the universal church is invisible and it “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.” Jesus is there identified as the head of the catholic church. And the members of the catholic church are made to be members only through their faith-bound and Holy Spirit-wrought union with him. Christ is the head of the church universally, and all of the elect become members of his body when they repent and believe.
To review: Who is the head of the catholic church, friends? Christ alone. Is the catholic church visible or invisible? It is invisible, presently. Will the catholic church always be invisible? No, it will be made visible someday. When will the catholic church be made visible? When Christ, the head of the church, returns to judge, make all things new, and bring his body into the new heaven and earth that he has prepared for them. I would encourage you to keep these facts about the catholic church in mind as we progress.
Jesus Christ also appears in 2LCF 26.2. Who are to be received as members of local, visible churches? Visible saints are. And who are we to regard as visible saints? All people “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…” These are to be received as members of local, visible churches. They are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the catholic or universal church.
Christ also appears in 2LCF 26.3. That paragraph, remember, is about local, visible churches. Notice the word churches is plural. There is one universal church of Christ. There are many local churches. And notice that these churches are said to be on earth, not in heaven. This paragraph is about the local church. It reminds us that no local church is perfectly pure. The best of them are subject to mixture and error. Mixture and error in a local church does not mean that it is not a church of Christ. But it is possible for a church to so degenerate, either through the abandonment of the foundational truths of the faith or by being thoroughly overrun by sin, that it is no longer a church of Christ but a synagogue of Satan. The paragraph concludes with a comforting truth: “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 of his name.” So then, the local church is the visible manifestation of Christ’s heavenly kingdom.
Christ is all over the first three paragraphs of 2LCF 26. Christ is the head of the invisible, universal church. He is the head, therefore, of every visible, local church. It’s members are those who credibly profess to be united to him by faith. It is in the local church that the kingdom of heaven is manifest. Christ is the King of that kingdom! The citizens of this kingdom are those who credibly say, “Jesus is Lord!”
Notice how all of this comes to a climax in the first sentence of 2LCF 26.4: “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church.” The title Christ appears four times in the first three chapters of 2LCF 26, but here Jesus is called the “Lord Jesus Christ”. This is to stress his Lordship or Kingship over the church.
When our confession says that Christ is head of the church it means he is above the church and rules over it, just as the head rules over the body. It means that he gives life to the church, just as the head gives life to the body. It means that he provides for the church, just as the head does the body.
This imagery of Christ being the head of the church comes from Scripture.
It appears in Colossians 1:18 and 2:19. In Colossians 1:18 Paul says that Christ, “is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” In Colossians 2:19 the Christian is warned to not go astray and is urged to hold “fast to the Head [that is, to Christ], from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19).
Paul uses the same language in his letter to the Ephesians.
In Ephesians 1:22, after speaking of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ into heaven, Paul says, “And [God] put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22–23)
In Ephesians 4:15 Paul exhorts the Christian to speak “the truth in love” and to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15–16)
And finally, in Ephesians 5:23-26 Paul says, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…” (Ephesians 5:23–26) That passage is about marriage, but in it, we also learn a great deal about Christ and his relationship to the church. He is the head of the church, and the church his is body. The church is to submit to Christ in all things.
How did Jesus Christ come to be the head of the catholic church? Our confession says “it was by the appointment of the Father.” It was God the Father who appointed Christ the Son to this position of headship. Christ earned this position through his obedient life and sacrificial death. This reminds me of Psalm 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1). This Psalm is about God inviting the Messiah to take his seat on his heavenly throne until the final judgment and consummation of all things. When the Father appoints Christ to this position of headship over the catholic church. When Christ died, rose again, ascended to heaven, and sat down at the Father’s right hand!
What does it mean that Christ sat down at the Father’s right hand? It means that he sat down upon his heavenly throne and assumed power.
Power over what? The Scriptures say that Christ has been given power over all things.
In Ephesians 1 Paul told the Christians in Ephesus that he prayed constantly for them. He also told them what he prayed for them about. It’s interesting, he did not say that he prayed for their ailments and comfort here on earth, but that God would give them “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, [woukd] give [them] the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of [Christ]” (Ephesians 1:17). In particular, he prayed that they would have the eyes of the hearts enlightened and come to know the hope to which God had called them and how rich and glorious their inheritance is in Christ Jesus, “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked 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 above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:19–21).
What does Christ have power and authority over? All things. This is what he meant when he spoke to his Apostles after his resurrection, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). But notice that Christ has a special kind of power and authority over the church, for this is where his heavenly and eternal kingdom is now manifest – in the church.
In the Ephesians passage we were just considering, after saying that God seated Christ “at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:19–21), Paul adds these words, “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22–23).
What does Christ have power and authority over? All things in heaven and on earth. And where is the power of his kingdom especially manifest? In the church! For God has given the one who has all things under his feet as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. That Christ exercises a special kind of headship, authority, and power over the church is also made clear in the great commission. “And Jesus came and said to them, “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). It is Christ’s supreme authority and power over the church that our confession highlights, for that is what this chapter is about – the church! Does Christ rule the nations? Yes! God now rules the nations through him! Chapter 24 or our confession is about that! But here in chapter 26, we are considering the way in which God rules his church through Christ the King. The Lord Jesus Christ has all church power entrusted to him. Here is the full statement: “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…”
Not only did I ask you to look out for Jesus Christ in 2LCF 26. I also asked you to look for the theme of church power. It is here in 2LCF 26.4 that the word power appears for the first time. “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power”, that is to say, church power, “is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner.” The word power will appear five more times in this chapter of the confession and we will need to pay careful attention to it. The question will need to ask is, where does this power go and how is this power executed? But think we must notice today is that church power belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ in a supreme and sovereign manner. His power over the church is supreme. No one is equal to or above him, except the Father who has granted this authority to him. And his power is sovereign. It is unlimited.
How does Christ execute this power that has been invested in him? We will learn more about this in the following paragraphs, but we find a summary here in 2LCF 26.4. Our confession says that Christ has “all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church.”
2LCF 26.5 will elaborate on the power Christ has to call his church into existence. There we read, “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.”
2LCF 26.6 will elaborate on the power Christ has to institute (begin, establish, or form) local churches. There we read, “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.”
2LCF 26.7 will elaborate on the power Christ has to order his churches. There we read, “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.
Finally, 2LCF 26.8 will elaborate on the power Christ has to govern his churches. There we read, “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.
This is the power that is invested in Christ in a supreme and sovereign manner. For this reason, the catholic (or universal) church is subject to him and him alone.
The Pope Of Rome Is Not Head Of The Chruch
It is only against this backdrop that the second portion of 2LCF 26.4 can be rightly understood. Quoting now James Renihan, “It is not primarily a statement about eschatology (which is frequently how it is viewed) but rather of ecclesiology, intended as a contrast with the sovereign lordship granted to Christ. To create a visible head on earth as a replacement for the true invisible head who is enthroned above is blasphemous” (Renihan, Baptist Symboliucs Volume 2, 488). Renihan is correct! And that is precisely what the Roman Catholics have done! They claim that the Pope is the vicar of Christ on earth. They regard him to be the visible head of the catholic church. But alone Christ is the head! And he rules in reigns, not visibly on earth, but in heaven. In the Roman Catholic system, the Pope is exulted to a position he has no right to. He is regarded as the head of the catholic church! And what have they done with Christ? They have, in the sacrifice of the mass, moved Christ off of his heavenly home and have placed him perpetually back on the cross. Both the papacy and the sacrifice of the mass are to be regarded as blasphemies.
But in reality, “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.”
Today, when protestants hear the word “antichrist” they will typically think of an individual who will appear at the end of time. And so many modern readers of the confession have assumed our confession is claiming the Pope who was alive in the 17th century when the confession was written was the Antichrist. But that is not what the men who wrote the confession (the Westminster or ours) believed. Notice, our confession does not say the Pope is the Antichrist, but that Antichrist. This is a reference to 1 John 2:18 which says, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18, AV). James Renihan states, “Unlike the Roman interpretations, among the Protestants, Antichrist was not identified as an individual, but as a designation for a system dominated by men” (Renihan, Baptist Symboliucs Volume 2, 488). When the Protestants of the 16th and 17th centuries considered the Pope and the papacy that then existed, they saw a system worthy of the designation “antichrist.” They saw a manifestation of that man of sin, and son of perdition that Paul describes in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-9. That man of sin and son of perdition is, in that passage, said to exalt himself against all that is called God and to take his seat in the temple of God, that is to say, the church. Again I say, that the papacy of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the papacy of today, fits the bill. Finally, our confession adds these words (they are not found in the WCF): “whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”
Concerning this phrase, Renihan says, “This supplemental sentence does introduce an eschatological element into the doctrine, but its intention may be slightly different to what the modern reader might presume. Commenting on 2 Thessalonians 2.8, which states that the Lord ‘shall destroy with the brightness of his coming’ the Man of Sin, the English Annotations places this event at ‘the day of judgment.’ This fits the language of 32.1, which asserts that judgment will be meted out and all must give an account. Modern eschatological views must not be read back into these confessions” (Renihan, Baptist Symboliucs Volume 2, 490).
Conclusion
As I have said, I am glad our confession contains this statement about the Pope as that antichrist for is it a concrete example of the usurpation of the power that belongs to Christ alone. But let’s be honest. We have our own problems within Protestantism. Over the years I’ve grown convinced that one of the biggest problems we have within Protestantism today is a deficient doctrine of the church. And if you were to ask me what is the most important principle that has been lost and needs to be regained, it is this: “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…” May the Lord have mercy on us and grant us the understanding, wisdom, and strength to build God’s house, not on the shifting sands of the opinions of man, but upon the rock solid truth of Christ and his word.
