Nov 24
24
Second London Confession 26.7
“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.” (Matthew 18:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 2:6-8)
Scripture Reading: Titus 1:1-5
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. 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 1:1–5)
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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
This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that I remind you of what was said about Jesus and the church power he possesses in Second London Confession (2LCF) chapter 26 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…” Let me remind you that this statement 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. How does Christ call his church? “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.”
Paragraph 6 then describes to us how these local, visible churches are instituted or begun. How does Christ institute local churches? He commands his followers to form them! His followers, having been called by the Word and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, do visibly manifest and give evidence unto that call of Christ by obeying his command to form or to join churches. Local churches are born and they grow when Christ-followers “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.” It would be difficult to overstate just how important this principle is. A church is not something you are born into. Neither is church a service (a performance or a lecture) that you attend. A church is a particular society that you must choose to join! Hear it again. Local churches are born and they grow only when those who make a credible profession of faith “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.”
So, we have considered how Christ executes his power to call and institute his churches. Now, in paragraph 7, we will consider how Christ orders his churches. To order something is to set it right. To order something is to bring it into its proper form. To order is to organize. What makes a church? Essentially, a church is formed when professing believers, “willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ…” But Christ’s churches must also be properly ordered or organized.
Here are some of the questions that must be asked: When is the church to assemble? When she assembles, what is she to do? Who is to lead in these things? What are the qualifications for these leaders? How many types of leaders (offices) will there be? How are these leaders to be chosen? If they must be removed, how are they to be removed? As it pertains to the membership of the church, who is to belong to the church? What are the standards for joining? How are new members to be received? Under what circumstances must members be removed? If a member must be removed, how is this to be done? Should our leaders be compensated for their time? If so, where should this compensation come from? And how does this particular local church relate to other local churches? You see, these questions have to do with church order. Again I say, essentially, a church is formed when professing believers, “willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ…” But Christ’s churches must also be properly ordered.
Now let me ask you a question. Who has the power to decide how the church is to be ordered? I trust you know the answer. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who decides, for he is the Head of the church, and 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…”. But how do we know his will for the proper ordering of the church? That is what 2LCF 26.7 is about, and what it has to say is immensely important.
The Power Of Christ: His Act Of Order
The paragraph begins with these words: “To each of these churches thus gathered…” What church is this a reference to? The invisible, universal, catholic church? Or a particular, local, and visible congregation? We are here considering local churches.
“To each of these churches thus gathered, according to his mind declared in his word…” Whose mind? We are here talking about the mind of Christ. And where his mind or will for the order of the church revealed? In his word, that is to say, the Holy Scriptures.
“He hath given all that power and authority…” Do you remember the two things that I asked you to keep an eye out for in chapter 26 of our confession? I asked up to keep an eye out for Jesus Christ, and also for references to church power. Who has all church power invested in him in a supreme and sovereign manner? The crucified, risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ does. And where does this power go? Where does it flow? Here in 2LCF 26.7, we confess that Christ gives church power and authority to whom? To local churches. Hear the statement again. “To each of these churches thus gathered, according to his mind declared in his word, he hath given all that power and authority…”, etc.
More will be said about the flow of church power and authority in subsequent paragraphs. But given that this is the first time mention is made of the power that belongs supremely to Christ being given to others, it would be really good to pay very careful attention to what this paragraph does not say. It does not say that Christ gives church power and authority first to the Pope, or to Cardinals, or Bishops. No mention is made of denominations or associations of churches. And nothing is said of presbyteries. The paragraph does not even claim that church power and authority is given at first to pastors or elders. What does it say? “To each of these churches thus gathered, according to his mind declared in his word, he hath given all that power and authority…”, etc.
It would be difficult in the very short time that we have together to demonstrate to you the importance of this statement. When church power and authority first flow from Christ, where does it land? In particular, local, and visible churches. Important distinctions will be made in the following paragraphs, but this is where we must begin.
And what does the Lord Jesus Christ give local churches the power and authority to do? We confess, “he hath given [local churches] 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…” Local churches have all the power and authority they need to carry out the public worship of God and church discipline.
As I have said, more distinctions will be made in subsequent paragraphs concerning the order and government of the local church. In paragraph 8 we will confess that church officers have a particular kind of power and authority in the local church. Only elders may administer the sacraments, for example. Only elders may execute the power of discipline. We get to that statement next Sunday, Lord willing. For now, it is important to recognize this principle. The Lord Jesus Christ has given every local congregation, once “gathered and completely organized according” to his mind as revealed in the Holy Scriptures everything they need to carry out these two most fundamental and essential activities: worship and discipline.
I do not think I need to convince you that worship is an essential activity of the church. Some might need to be convinced that discipline is essential. If you were to take the time to read the passages of Scripture listed as proof texts for this paragraph, you would soon see that it is (Matthew 18:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 2:6-8). According to the Scriptures, a local church that is ordered according to the mind of Christ will worship and it will be disciplined. The point that this paragraph makes is that all the power and authority needed for these activities is present in each and every local congregation once it is “gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ” (2LCF26.8).
And how do we know how we are to worship and how discipline is to be carried out? Are these details and decisions left to the wisdom, preferences, and creativities of man? No, paragraph 7 helpfully concludes with these words: “which [Christ] hath instituted for them to observe; with commands and rules for the due and right exerting, and executing of that power.” What is the meaning of this? The meaning is that the word of God tells us everything we need to know concerning how the church is to worship and how the church is to be disciplined.
Conclusion
Those who are familiar with the different forms of church government that have existed in the history of the church – Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Independent – will surely see that it is a form of independent, or Congregational church government that is here being expressed. The question is this: is there any church power that exists outside of the local church – be it the descending church power of Episcopalianism, or the ascending church power of Presbyterianism – needful for the “carrying on that order in worship and discipline, which [Christ] hath instituted for [us] to observe. Our answer is, no.
“To each of these [particular, local] churches thus gathered, according to his mind declared in his word, [Christ] 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.” (Matthew 18:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 2:6-8)
And all of God’s people say, Amen.
