Part 3 (1/2)
In this standard of church-members.h.i.+p is found the secret of the union in one body of all apostolic Christians. The standard was _personal relations.h.i.+p to Christ_, and this relations.h.i.+p could be obtained only by an experience of salvation and humble obedience to the law of Christ. Therefore all the truly saved were members of Christ and members of each other. This standard being the same for all, it led to absolute equality among members. Hence Paul could say, ”There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one _in Christ Jesus_” (Gal.
3:28).
The law of the church, as already stated, was simply ”the law of Christ”; first as delivered orally by specially inspired apostles, and afterwards expressed by them in the Christian Scriptures.
[Sidenote: Organization and government]
The closest relations.h.i.+p necessarily existed between the organization of the church and its method of government. It is impossible for us to get a clear conception of either independently of the other; and in order to understand the subject at all, we must bear in mind the fundamental nature of the church itself, what it was and what it was designed to accomplish. The church was not, as we have seen, a mere aggregate of individuals that happened to gather or that a.s.sembled for ordinary purposes. A social club or a business organization would have possessed all those features. The church was the body of Christ, the body to which he gave spiritual life and through which he designed to manifest his power and glory. Hence its visible organization was secondary, merely incidental as the means for the accomplishment of those higher ends involved in the transcendental element of the church. The relation of the divine and the human characteristics was, therefore, the relation of _soul and body_--Christ, the soul; redeemed humanity, the body. The establishment of this relations.h.i.+p was the manifestation to the world of the ”body of Christ.” It was organization of the church.
From the foregoing considerations, we are certain that in the apostolic church the real emphasis was placed on _life_ and that the governmental power and authority of the church was derived from its divine life in Christ and not from its organization. Apostolic church government was, therefore, more than the adoption of some particular form of external organization and administration.
[Sidenote: Divine administration]
The origin of the church was divine. Jesus said, ”I will build my church.” And though, as we have seen, he employed human agents in its completion, these agents were so specially inspired and directed by Christ through the Holy Spirit that it was in reality _his_ work.
Jesus was not only the initial founder of the church, but he was its permanent head and governor. Isaiah, predicting the coming of Christ, declares that ”the government _shall be upon_ HIS _shoulder_” (Isa.
9:6). And again, we read that ”HE _is the head of the body, the church ... that in all things he might have the preeminence_” (Col. 1:18). He it was who called and commissioned Paul and then personally directed his ministerial labors (Acts 26:13-19; 16:6-9). He it was who walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, encouraging or reproving the congregations of Asia (Rev. 1:17, et seq.). He is ”alive forever more” (Rev. 1:18); ”the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13: 8); ”upholding all things by the word of his power”
(Heb. 1:3). ”To him be glory _in the church_ ... throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph. 3:21).
[Sidenote: Christ the living head]
Thus, the general nature of church government was an absolute monarchy, or, to use a better term, a theocracy. Christ was king and lawgiver, governor and administrator. Whoever the instruments employed in carrying out his purposes, whatever the scope of their particular activities, all were governed directly by Christ through the Holy Spirit. It was _his_ church. He was its living head. No other church was known in those days. It was only when the living, vital union of Christ with his church was lost to view that men began endeavoring to strengthen the bonds of external union by unscriptural human organization, just as when life is departed from the physical body we seek by an embalming process to prevent its speedy dissolution.
[Sidenote: Delegated authority]
In order to understand church government, therefore, we must begin at the central source of authority and proceed to its varied manifestations. We have seen that Christ employed human agents in accomplis.h.i.+ng his work; hence, in thus performing the work of Christ as commanded by Christ, and as personally directed by the Spirit of Christ, these men possessed the _authority of Christ_. Any church governmental authority that does not proceed directly from Christ through his Holy Spirit is but human authority, an usurped authority, and has no place in the real church of Christ.
[Sidenote: Ministerial oversight]
The apostles were the first to whom Christ delegated authority. They became his special representatives. They established the church and became responsible for its general direction and oversight, ”the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following” (Mark 16:20). But these twelve did not stand alone in the government of the church. Soon a host of ministers were raised up, and these also possessed divine authority for their representative lines of work.
To the elders of Ephesus, Paul said, ”Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which _the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers_, to feed the church of G.o.d” (Acts 20:28). Peter also writes: ”The elders which are among you I exhort ... feed the flock of G.o.d which is among you, _taking the oversight thereof_” (1 Pet. 5:1, 2). ”The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto _I have called them_ ... so they, _being sent forth by the Holy Ghost_, departed” (Acts 13: 2-4). ”AND HE GAVE some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11, 12). In accordance with this standard, we read, ”Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, _as they that must give account_” to him who is ”that great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:17, 20). The ministers were under-shepherds appointed to feed the flock of G.o.d, for which service they had to give account to the great Shepherd.
The foregoing scriptures and many others show conclusively that, while in the apostolic church spiritual oversight was, in general, vested in the ministry, it did not originate with them; that it did not proceed from the general body of believers by a majority vote or by conference appointment; but that it came by the Holy Spirit direct from the great head of the church, who alone determined the general bounds of that authority and responsibility. This ministry, or presbytery, consisted of two cla.s.ses--local ministers and general ministers. Before proceeding from this general cla.s.sification to a discussion of the more specific duties and responsibilities of the individual ministers comprising this presbytery, I shall call attention briefly to the geographical distribution of their work as a body.
[Sidenote: Local and general phase]
We have already shown that the church in its visible phase was made up of various local congregations ”set in order” by apostolic authority.
So far as their own local affairs were concerned, these congregations were autonomous. When a matter was purely local, such as the financial oversight and ministration in the church at Jerusalem, the local congregation itself determined the course of action and (excepting that cla.s.s of officials who were divinely chosen) who should be appointed to oversee it. In the Jerusalem example cited, the apostles suggested, ”_Look ye out among you_ seven men,” etc., ”and the saying pleased the whole mult.i.tude: _and they chose_” the proper persons for that work (Acts 6:1-5).
But while these congregations possessed such autonomy and were distributed over a wide territory, they were not in all respects independent, isolated units. As members of Christ sharing in a common life and engaged in a common cause, they were bound together in one brotherhood by ties of fellows.h.i.+p and love. In addition to the union of separate individuals in one locality under the care of the local presbytery, the local congregations themselves were brought into close, sympathetic relations.h.i.+p with one another through the labors and influence of those general ministers who were not attached to particular churches, but whose gifts, callings, and qualifications fitted them for general service throughout the various congregations.
The responsibility and authority of these general ministers varied in accordance with their own gifts and qualifications and the degree of development attained by the churches among which they labored. In the case of infant churches, it is evident that oversight was of the apostolic kind--direct and immediate. But whenever they became thoroughly established, the principle of local autonomy was recognized and the relation of the general ministers to such congregations was evangelistic rather than apostolic--helpers and advisors, not administrative directors.
[Sidenote: Geographical distribution]
That the foregoing a.n.a.lysis is correct is abundantly proved by the history of events in the Acts respecting the geographical distribution of the churches and their relation to one another. Jerusalem was the original seat of Christianity. Isaiah prophesied, ”Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3).
Jesus told the apostles ”that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”
(Luke 24:47). And again, ”Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Philip went from Jerusalem to Samaria and there preached Christ with great success. ”Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of G.o.d, _they sent unto them Peter and John_” (Acts 8:14). Later we read that when churches had been established throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, ”it came to pa.s.s, _as Peter pa.s.sed throughout all quarters_, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda” (Acts 9: 31, 32). It was while he was on this general tour visiting the churches that he came to Joppa and there received the vision which led him to the household of Cornelius, after which he came to Jerusalem and was there called to account for his action in visiting the uncirc.u.mcised Gentiles.
There is no doubt that there was exerted from Jerusalem a general care over the surrounding churches. Some of the disciples who were scattered from Jerusalem at the time of persecution, went as far as Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word, and many believed and turned to the Lord. ”Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: _and they sent forth Barnabas_ that he should go as far as Antioch” (Acts 11: 19-22). Barnabas went to Antioch and there found such a splendid work that he departed at once for Tarsus seeking Saul, and together they returned to Antioch and preached for a whole year.
[Sidenote: Operative centers]