Joe Morecraft continues his

Aspects of Biblical Church Government

with Part II, .
Jesus Christ:
The Head of the Church
I. The Statement of the
Heamhip or
T
he Church is a Christocraey:
Jesuf Christ, is its Head
King. No aspect of Christs
relationship to the church stands .. out
more emphatically in the Bible than .
this fact.
"Jesus Christ. upon whose
the government rests, whose name is
called Wonderful, Counselor, the
Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace: of the increase of
whose government and peace there shall
be no end: who sits upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom to order it
and to establish it with judgment and
justice from henceforth, even forever;
having all power given unto him in
heaven and earth by the Father, who .
raised him from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand, far . al>ove .
principalities and power, and might, and
dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come, and put all
things under his feet, and gave him to
be the head over all things to the
which is his body, the fulness
of him that filleth all in all: he being
ascended up far above all heavens, that
he might fill all tbings, received gifts
for his church, and gave officers neces-
sary for the edifiCatio9 of hi$ church,
and perfecting of his saints." (Isa.
9:6,7; Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 1:20-23;
4:8,11; Psa. 68:18) (The Westmin-
ster Form of Presbyterial Church-Gov-
ernment)
"Jesus, the Mediator, the sole Priest,
Prophet. King, Savior, and Head of the
Church, contains in himself, by way of
eminency, all the offices in his church,
and has many of their names attributed
to him in the Scriptures. He is Apostle,
Teacher, Pastor, Minister, Bishop, and
the only lawgiver in Zion.
"It belongs to his M!ljest;y from his
throne of glory to rule and teach the
chureh through his Word and Spirit by
the nunistry of men; thus mediately ex-
ercising his . own. authority and
forcing his own laws, unto the edifica-
tion and establishment of his kingdom.
"Christ, as King, has given to his
church officers, oracles, and ordinances;
and especially he ordained therein
his system of doctrine, government,
cipline and worship, all of which are
either expressly set down in Scripture,
or by good and necessary inference may
be deduced therefrom; and to which
things he commands that nothing be
added. and that from them naught be tak-
en away.
"Since the ascetision of Jesus Christ
to heaven, he is present with the chtirch
by his Word and Spirit, and the benefits
of all his offices are effectually applied
by the Holy Spirit." (The Book of
Church Order of the Reformed Presby-
terian Church in the United States)
""Q. 45. How does Christ execute the
office of a king? A. Christ executes the
office of a king, in calling out of the
world a people to himself, an:d"giving
them officers, laws, and cenSures, by
which he visibly governs them; in be-
stOwing saving grace upon his elect, re-
warding theit obedience, and correcting
them fot their sins, preserving and sup-
porting them under all theit temptations
and sufferings, restraining and over-
coming all their enemies; and power-
fully ordering all things for hiS owrt
glory, and their good; and also in
taking vengeance on . the rest, who
know not God, and obey not the gos-
pel." (Acts i5:14f; Isa. 55:4f; Gen.
49:10; Psa. 110:3; Eph. 4:11!; I Cor.
12:28f; Isa. 33:22; Matt. 18:17f; I Cor.
5:4f; Acts 5:31; Rev. -22:12; Rev.
The Counsel of Chalcedon . 1990 page 4
2:10; Rev. 3:19; Isa. 63:9; I Cor.
15:24f; Rom. 14:10f; Rom. 8:28; II
Thess. 1:8f; Psa. 2:8f) (Westminster
Larger Catechism)
II. The Significance ol
the Headship or Christ
"The Church, as a society, owes its
origin to Christ: it derives from Him
its government and office-bearers; it
receives from him its laws and consti-
tution; it draws from him its spiritual
influence and grace; it accepts at his
hand its ordinances and institutions; it
acts iri his name; and is guided in its
proceedings by his authority. Iri the ex-
pression that the Lord Jesus Christ is
Head of the church, and in the fact that
he Is the only soui'ce of church pawer,
there is much more implied than that he
is the founder of the Christian society.
He is both its founder and its adminis-
the ever present source of
life and influence, of ordinance and
blessing, of law and authority, of word
and doctrine within the community.
Through his Spirit, and his Word, and
his ordinances, alike of governnient and
grace, Christ both originates and admin-
isters his church upon earth.
. "Is it the spiritual life of the Chris-
tian church that is inquired of in regard
to its source and supply? Christ is the
Head of the church as the source of life,
breathing that . spiritual breath into the
body at the first, and holding it in being
ever since. Is it the doctrine of the
church that is inquired after in regard to
its origin and obligation? Christ is the
Head of the doctrine of his church, hav-
ing been himself the unerring Teacher
of wisdom and truth since the begin-
ning, and still continuing to instruct
his people savingly in all Divine know-
ledge by his Word and Spirit Is it the
ordinances of the church that you in-
quire about, in respect to their author-
ity, and the blessing contained in them?
Christ is the Head of the church as to or-
dfuanees, having appointed thertl by his
authonty at frrst, and made them the
channel of spiritUal blessings to his peo-
ple ever since.
"Is it the Divine grace connected with
word and ordinance that you inquire af-
ter? Christ is the Head of his church as
to' grace; immediately imparting it as he
wills ilitough his appointed ordinances,
or by means of his Spirit, and thereby
making the church a living and gracious
power in the souls of its true members.
Is it the authority of the church in its
transactions and decisions that is in-
quired about; and is it asked whence has
it this authority and government, speak-
ing through its voice, and binding
through its decisions, and making these
his own, in so far as they are framed at-
cording to his mind and Word.
"In all that regards its life and doc-
trine, and ordinances, and grace, and au-
thority; in short, in all that belongs to
the church as a peculiar society on
earth, we recognize its jus divinum (Di-
vine Right)--the presence and the pow-
er of its Divine Head. All is derived
from him; and all emanates .from. him
as its source. Within the province of
the church, the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only Teacher, Lawgiver and Judge. If
doctrine is taught, it is taught because
he has revealed it; if ordinances are ad-
ministered, they are administered in his
name, and because they are his; if gov-
ernment is established and exercised, it
is through his appointment and author-
ity; if saving grace is dispensed, it is
dispensed through the virtue and power
of his Spirit; if a blessing is communi-
cated, it is because he blesses. In the
language of the Westminster Confes-
sion of Faith, 'there is no other Head of
the Church but the Lord Jesus Cluist."'
(James Bannerman, The Church of
Christ , pg. 194ff)
ill. The Headship of Jesus
Christ over an Things
for the Church
When God raised Jesus from the dead,
He seated him at His right hand "far
above all rule and authority and power
and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this age, but also in
the one to come. And He put all things
in subjection under his feet, and gave
him as Head over all things to (for) the
church, which is his body, the fulness
of him who fills all in all," Eph. 1:20-
23. This . universal lordship of Cluist is
the context for Paul's comments on
Christ, as the Head of the church, Eph.
4:15; 5:23.
John Frame has pointed out that, as
the theme of the Old Testament is
"Jehovah is Lord," so the theme of the
New Testament is "Jesus is Lord." The
Chakedon Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Lordship-Headship of Jehovah-Jesus de-
notes three basic emphases: (1). He is
in total control of his creation and
church; (2). He speaks to and through
his church with absolute authority; and
(3). He fills his creation and his church
with his presence, Eph. 1:22-23. See
Frame's book, The Doctrine of the
Knowledge of God, Presbyterian andRe-
fonned Publishing Co.
Christ's Universal Mediatorial Em-
pire has no boundaries---"All things
have been put in subjection" under
Christ's reign, Eph. 1:22. God exalted
him to this majestic position in order
that "all the peoples, nations, and men
of every language might serve him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion
which will not pass away; and his king-
dom is one which will not be de-
stroyed," Dan. 7:13-14.
Christ's Empire has no rivals or su-
periors---He has been enthroned "far
above all rule and authority and power
and dominion and every name that is
named," Eph. 1:21. He is "the King of
kings and Lord of lords," Rev. 19:16.
All authority and power in heaven and
on earth belong to Him, Matt. 28:18 . .
Cluist's Empire continues to advance
irresistibly and triumphantly through
history until "the earth will be full of
the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea," l sa. 11:9. Because Jesus
humiliated himself, by taldng upon
himself the form of a servant and be-
coming obedient to death by cruci-
fixion, God highly exalted him and
gave him the name, "LORD," that
every knee will bow and every tongue
confess in all of creation, that "Jesus is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father,"
Phil. 2:8ff. "All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord, and
all the families of the nations will wor-
ship before Thee, for the Kingdom is
the Lord's, and he rules over the na-
tions," Psa. 22:27f. The end of history
will take place when Christ has abol-
ished all opposition to him in all areas,
"for He must reign until he has put all
his enemies under his feet. -- And when
all things are subjected to him, then the
Son Himself also will be subj ected to
the One who subjected all things to
him, that God may be all in all," I Cor.
15:24ff.
Christ reigns over all for the good of
his church and the glory of God, Eph.
1 :22f. God made him Lord to guarantee
that Romans 8:28 would always come
true in the life and history of his church---
" God causes all things to work together
for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to
his purpose." As the Absolute Monarch
of the Universe, Jesus administers the
covenant blessings and curses of Deu-
teronomy 28 upon his friends and ene-
mies, cursing those who curse us, and
blessing us, along with those who
bless us, Rom. 15:8. As the Westmin-
ster Shorter Catechism says: "Christ
executes the office of a king, in sub-
duing us to himself, Acts 15: 14f, in
ruling, Isa. 33:22, and defending us,
lsa. 32: lf, and in restraining and con-
quering all his and our enemies, I Cor.
15:25f." (Q. 26)
In bringing the world's nations under
the dominion of his throne of grace,
Christ uses his church as his instru-
ment Christ's church is the means for
(Continued on page 44)
The Couhsel of Chalcedon Jan.-Feb., 1990 page 5
The Head of the Church
Continued from page 5
the establishment of Christ'S kingdom.
The church exists for the sake of the
kingdom. ". . . . to belong to the
church is to belong to Christ's working
corps, to his anny militant, to that
divine society which he has set up on
the earth as the propaganda of his royal
cause in the earth. -- The very meaning
and purpose of the Church in the earth
makes it a missionary institute and
binds it to devote itself exclusively and
industriously to the establishment, in
an instrumentary way, of the mediator-
ial Kingdom of the Redeemer; arid the
sublimest motive which can play upon
the Christian heart to urge it to aggres-
to his rescue in Jesus Cluist. God sent
a "second man," a "last Adam," to cor-
rect the effects of the fall and to save
man from his sin. As "the last Adam,"
Jesus is the covenantal-representative
head of a new, regenerate humanity. By
God's grace, whatever is true of Jesus
Christ, is true of those whom he repre-
sents--the elect Whatever happened to
him, happens to those who are in uriion
With him, their covenantal and repre-
sentative head. Those whom Christ
represents receive what He deserves
from God. "For if by the transgression
of the one (Adam) the many (whom he
represented) died, much more did the
grace of God and the gift of grace of the
one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the
many (whom he represented).- For if
~ very meaning al!d p u r p o ~ of CJ:lurch
1n the earth makes 1t a tmss1onary mstitute
and binds it to devote itself exclusively and
industriously to the establishment, in an
instrumentary way, of the mediatorial
Kingdom of the Redeemer.
sive enterprises is derived from the fact
that the success of the Church's mis-
sion is the triumph of the Kingdom of
the Redeemer," wrote Alexander Webb
in Christian Salvation: Its Doctrine and
Experience, pg. 240f.
IV. The Covenantal Headship of
Jesus Christ over His Church
God dealt with Adam as the covenan-
tal and representative head of the whole
human race. What he did, how he
obeyed or disobeyed, would determine
the nature of life and the destiny of all
his descendants. His posterity would
receive whatever he deserved. Whatever
was true of him would be true of all
whom he represented---the whole hu-
man race. Whatever happened to him
would happen to the whole human race.
When he ate of the forbidden fruit in
direct disobedience to God, Gen. 3:1f,
he plunged his posterity into the misery
of sin, death and divine condenmation.
This is the point Paul makes in Ro-
mans 5:12ff.
When man in the image of God
failed, God in the image of man came
by the. transgression of the one (Adam),
death reigned through the one, much
more those who receive the abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness
will reign in life through the One,
Jesus Christ. So then as through one
transgression there resulted condemna-
tion to all men (whom Adam repre-
sented); even so through one act of
righteousness there resulted justification
of life to all men (whom Christ repre-
sented). For as through the one man's
disobedience the many (of whom Adam
was the bead) were made sinners, even
so through the obedience of the One the
. many (of whom Christ is the Head)
will . be made righteous," Romans
5:15,17-19.
I Corinthians 15:22, 45-49 tell us
that God raised Jesus from the dead as
"the last Adam," so that all who are in
Christ . will live. The first Adam was
"earthy." The last Adam is "heavenly."
And those whom each represents bear
his image. These two heads contrast
two bodies of individuals, two humani-
ties, two creations, two orders of life,
two ages, two world-periods. The order
and covenantal headship of Christ is the
The Counsel of Chalcedon Jan.-Feb., 1990 page 44
last---there is none since Adam, but
Christ, and there will be none after
Christ. An entirely new human race has
begun in Jesus Ctuist that is dominated
by the Holy Spirit
Christ died as the Last Adam and God
raised him from the dead as the Last
Adam, inseparably one with and repre-
Sentative of all those people God sent
him to earth to save, and which com-
prise the New Humartity of which
Christ is the Head. By virtue of that
union with the resurrected Christ, we
are saved, by it we live, and because of
it whatever is true of Christ is true of
us---whatever his death and resurrection
meant for him it means fot us.
In I COrinthians 15:45 we see a clear
contrast of two representative Heads.
The reference to the first Adam as
"living soul," Gen. 2:7, and the Last
Adam, as "life-giving spirit" establishes
a frame of reference for underStanding
the meaning of"psychical" (natural) and
"pneumatic" (Spiritual). These ate two
representatives and two models defining
the existence of those whom each
represents. Adam is the Psychical Man
and Christ is The Pneumatic (Spiritual)
Man. The contrast, at this point, is not
simply between the dead bodies of be-
lievers and their resurrection bodies, but
between the whole persons as repre-
sented by Adam by virtile of creation
and the whole persons represented by
the resurrected Christ Psychical .reans
belonging to the first Adam; and
pneumatic means belonging to the Last
Adam. Those whom Adam represents
derive their psychical (created, not fall-
en, pre-resurrection) existence from
him, and those whom the resurrected
Christ represents and who in solidarity
with him derive their pneumatic (Spirit-
dominated, regenerate and post-resurrec-
tion) existence frOm him. It should be
obvious by this contrast that psychical
and pneumatic are not defined dualis-
tically, as if they were higher and lower
anthropological , levels, but are defined
as two mo<ks of human existence of
which the resurrection of Christ is the
turning point. (See John Frame's ex-
cellent book, The Centrality of Resur-
rection, Baker Book House.)
V. The Organic Headship of
Christ over the Church
The church ill described as "the Body
of Christ," I Cor. 12:12-27. "Now you
(the church) are Christ's body, and in-
dividually members of it," 12:27. Jesus
Christ is said to be "the Head of the
body," I Cor. 2:17,19. Paul says that
"we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him, who is the Head, even Christ,
from whom the whole body, being
fitted and held together by that which
every joint supplies, according to the
proper working of each individual part,
causes the growth of the body for the
building up of itself in love," Eph.
4:15-16. In 5:23, he exhorts wives to
be submissive to their husbands in the
Lord, because "the husband is the head
of the wife, as Christ also is the Head
of the church, He Himself being the
Savior of the body." Paul goes on to
exhort husbands to love their wives as
they love themselves because "no one
ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes.
and cherishes it, just as Christ also does
the church, because we are members of
his body," 5:28-30.
There is an organic and Spirit-
wrought relation between Jesus Christ
and his church, that is more intimate
than that of a husband and his wife, and
more complete than that of the head and
the body. In fact, it is a solidarity so in-
timate and complete, that it is similar
to that union between the Persons of
the Holy Trinity, John 17:22.
Christ, the Head, is the Source of
Life for his Body. From him life-sus-
taining, Spiritual power flows through-
out the entire Body, through the proper-
ly working network of interconnecting
and interdependent members of the
Body, which causes the growth of the
body into deeper unity, deeper know-
ledge of God, deeper love, and full
maturity in Christ-likeness, Eph. 4:13-
16. We are so closely joined to Christ
that without him we can do nothing,
John 15: lff. Furthermore, we are so
closely joined to every other member of
his Body, that when one weeps, we all
weep, and when one rejoices, we all re-
joice. "For just as we have many mem-
bers in one body and all the members
do not have the same function, so we,
who are many, are one body in Christ,
and individually members one of
another," Rom. 12:4-5.
"What, then, does it mean that Christ
is the organic Head of his church? It
means that the church has no life apart
from Christ and receives from Christ
whatever life it has. It means that the
church was originated not only by
Christ, but also from Him, and cannot
continue to exist for even a moment
apart from Him. It means that the
chwch in all of its members lives and
operates only through Christ. It means
that one and the same Spirit, even the
Holy Spirit of God, dwells both in
Christ and in His church. It means that
the life which Christ has imparted to
the church and keeps imparting to it is
His very own," wrote R.B. Kuiper, The
Glorious Body of Christ, pg. 94.
In this organic relationship Christ is
his church's Loving Husband who nour-
ishes and cherishes her; her Savior, who
laid down his life for her; her Sanctifier,
being completed by the church. But as
bridegroom he is incomplete without
the bride; as vine he cannot be thought
of without the branches; as shepherd he
is not seen without his sheep; and so al-
so as head he finds his full expression
in his body, the church." (NEW TEST-
AMENT COMMENTARY: Ephesians,
pg. 104)
VI. The Organizational,
Ruling Headship of Christ
over the Church
In the purest sense of the word, the
church is a monarchy, a Theocracy, a
Christocracy, with Jesus Christ as its
King. He is the organizational head of
In the purest sense of the word,
the church is a monarchy,
a Theocracy, a Christocracy,
with Jesus Christ as its King.
who cleanses her by the Word of God;
and her Petfecter, who will cause her to
stand with him blameless and spotless
forever, Eph. 5:23ff. The Body of
Christ is "the fullness of Him who fills
all in all," Eph. 1:23. The church is the
fullness of Christ in two senses: (1). It
is filled by Him as Jehovah dwelt by
the Spirit of Christ; (2). It fllls or
completes his Body of which he is the
Head, so that Body and Head together
are referred to as "Christ" himself work-
ing out his will in this earth, I Cor.
12:12. In fact, we are so closely joined
to him, that as we are faithful in bear-
ing witness for him in the face of suf-
fering and persecution, Jesus manifests
his own life through us to the saving of
sinners, II Cor. 4:10. John Calvin
wrote: "This is the highest honor of the
church, that, until he is united to us,
the Son of God reckons himself in
some measure imperfect. What consola-
tion it is for us to learn that, not until
we are in his presence, does he possess
all his parts, or does he wish to be
regarded as complete." William Hendrik-
sen clarifies Calvin's comment: "As to
his divine essence Christ is in no sense
whatever dependent on or capable of
the church, governing and regulating it
subjectively by the Holy Spirit and ob-
jectively by the Word of God. In the
church Christ's word is law. Only
Christ, the King of the church, has
jurisdiction in and over his church. No
other person or institution, particularly
the state, has the right of jurisdiction
over Christ's church. He bears absolute
and total government, Matt. 28:18. God
has established him as the only king
and lawgiver on his "holy hill of Zion,"
Psa. 2:6. Church members are to sub-
mit to his headship in everything, Eph.
5:23,24.
"The Lord Jesus Christ, as King and
Head of his Church, has therein appoint-
ed a government in the hands of church
officers, distinct from the civil magis-
trate." (Westminster Confession. of
Faith, chapter XXX)
This means that within the bounds of
a nation, there should be "two kings
and two kingdoms." Those are the strik-
ing words of the great Andrew Melville
in his bold comments to King James
VI of Scotland:
"Sir, we will always humbly rever-
ence your Majesty in public; but since
we have this occasion to be with your
The Counsel of Chalcedon Jan.-Feb., 1990 page 45
Majesty in private; and since you are
brought in extreme danger both of your
life and crown, and along with you the
colintry and che Church of God are like
to go to wreck, for liOt telling you the
truth and giving you faithful counsel,
we must discharge our duty, or else be
traitors both tO Christ and you. There
fore, Sir, as divers times before I have
told you, so now again must I tell you,
there be two kings and two kingdoms
in Scotland: there is King James, the
head of this cortunortwealth; and there
is Christ Jesus, the King of the
Church, whose subject JanteS the Sixth
is, and of whose kingdom he is not a
king, nor a lord, nor a head, but a
member.'' -M'Crie, Life , of AndreW
upon the conscience a creed which, al-
though true in itself, is nevertheless
imposed as an article of belief by his au-
thority.
Again, the ordinances and positive
institutions of the Church demand . the
obedience and observance of its Diem-
bel's, not merely because of their own
virtue as conducive to the wellbeing of
the Christian society, but because they
are Christ's, and are prescribed by Him;
and the civil magistrate may ertcroach
upon the privileges ' of His Headship,
when he asSumes a power to dictate in
regard to the rites and worship and order
of the Church, imposing on the con-
science, instead of Divine InStitutions,
the ordinances and commandments of
Christ has the exclusive right to determine in what
way he should be worshipped and served, and he
has expressed his will in1he Bible. He lias the
exclusive right to settle the constitution,
doctrine. s, laws, govern . ment;_
worship, program and work of nis church for
which fie shea his precious blood, Acts 20:28.
Melville; vol. I.
James Bannennan carefUlly explains
this principle of tWo jurisdictions
(church and state):
". . . . for the civil ruler to pass
beyond the line that divides them, ('the
two kings and two kingdoms'), to
trespass within the dominion of Christ,
to assume jurisdiction there,. and to
interfere between Him and His subjects,
is plainly to touch very nearly the
honor of Christ's Crown. The civil
magistrate denies or detracts from the
right of Christ as Head of His ChUrch,
when he interferes with those matters in
the Church in which Christ claims to
act Himself, or usurps that authority
which Christ claims to exercise
Himself. For example, the doctrine
professed and published by the
Christian Church is binding upon the
conscience of its members, and claims
to be believed, not only because it is
true in itself, but also because it is the
truth revealed and imposed by its
Divine Head; and the civil magistrate
may interfere with the prerogatives of
Christ as Head, When he presumes to
ru,ctate to the Church another doctrine
than Christ has dictated, or to impose
men." (The Church of Christ, pg. 200t}
Since Jesus Christ is the only execu-
tive, legislative and judicial authority in
his church, the Bible, and the Bible
alone, is the regulating, governing
standard for the church's worship and
The Bible is the church's one
regulating principle. It is unlawful to in-
. ttoduce into the worship and work of
the church any iimovations which have
not been sanctioned by Christ through
his apostles in his Word. It is Christ's
will that nothing should be introduced
into the government and worship of the
church unless a warrant for it can be
found in the Bible. Christ alone is the
Head of the Church, not man, in any
sense; therefore Christ alone may say
how his worship and service are to be
carried out. The Bible is aii all-suffi-
cient, complete, and perfect rule of faith
and practice. It needs no supplementa-
tion, correction or abridgement, Deut.
12:32.
Christ has the exclusive right to deter
mine in what way he should be wor-
shipped and served, and he has expressed
his will in the Bible. He has the exclu-
sive right to settle the constitution, doc-
trines, laws, government, discipline,
The qounsel of Chalcedon o Jan.-Feb., 1990 o pg 46
worship, program and work of his
church, for which he shed his precious
blood, Acts 20:28. God says: See that
you do all I command you; do not add
to it or take away from it," Deut
12:32; 4:2. "Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a
liar." Prov. 30:6.
The choice before the church today is
between divinely-regulated worship and
work or humailly-regulatedworship and
work. It is sinful for man, even Chris-
tian man, to try to regulate the worship
ofGod. John Knox wrote: "All worship-
ping, honoring, or service invented by
the brain of man in the religion of God,
without his oWn express command-
ment, is idolatry." This is not an over-
statement according to Mark 7:5ff.
which makes clear that acts of worship
and devotion originating with man are
subversive of true worship, i.e., they
supplant and nullify the Bible. As Jesus
said: "Thus you invalidate the word of
God by your traditions," Mark 7:13.
The Book of Church Order of the
RPCUS states: "Since the Holy Scrip
tures are the only infallible rule of faith
and practice, the principles of public
worship must be derived from the Bi-
ble. and from no other. source."
The Bible is full of illustrations of
people who attempted to worship or
serve God in ways not expressly
bidden, but, clearly, not commanded by
God, therefore originating in . man's
brain. Keep in mjnd that the regulative
principle is .not that whatever is not for-
bidden is allowl;ld. which involves
ing to the Word of God; but whatever is
not commanded is forbidden. God
brings severe judgment upon those who
make such attempts: n Chron. 26:16f;
Num. 20;1f; Lev. 10:1f; I Chron.
13:7f; 15:1lf; Jer. 7:3f; Exod. 20:3f;
Acts 7:44f. These passages confmn that
Christ will not be worshipped except in
the way he has prescribed in the Bible.
Man is not to be the judge as to how he
will be subjected to God. JesilS Christ
is the King and Head of his Cburch. He
alone regulates and defmes faith, dqty
and worship through his Spirit-inspired
prophets and apostles, Eph. 2:19-20; n
Tim. 3:15-17. .
Consider the case of Nadab and Abi-
hu in Leviticus. 10. Motivated by re-
ligious excitement, they tried to express
their worship of God in a way not com-
manded and God killed them
diately for it. They "offered strange flre
before the Lord, which He had not com-
manded them. And fire came out from
the Presence of the Lord and consumed
them .... ," 10:1-2. God did this to
teach us that (1). We are dealing with a
holy and jealous God, who will be
worshiped only as he commands; (2).
Good intentions, sincerity and religious
fervor do not excuse adding to or sub-
tracting from God's word; and (3). " ...
. if we reflect how holy a thing God's
worship is, the enormity of the punish-
ment will by no means offend us." -
John Calvin.
N adab and Abihu probably loved God
and meant well in what they did, but
they offered "fire which the Lord had
not commanded," either in a way not
commanded or at a time or in a place
not commanded. And so God would not
allow them to leave the impression for
coming generations that worship is the
self-expression of religious impulses.
Worship is not a matter of conscience
or of Christian liberty, i.e., doing what
appeals to us in one way or another.
The essence of this violation is called
in the Bible, "will-worship," Col.
2:16f. Will-worship is worship in
which the worshiper disregards the
revealed will of God concerning the pre-
scribed way by which God is to be wor-
shiped and served, and in which he
creates ways and means of worshiping
God out of his own inclinations, dis-
positions and preferences. Man's pride
often leads to impertinence and presump-
tion in worship and in the work of the
church.
Man, because of his sinfulness, is
totally disqualified for suggesting how
God is to be worshiped or served, much
less for making actual additions to the
worship of God, other than those com-
manded in the Bible. Even the church is
not qualified, nor does it have the right
to decree new procedures, offices, holy-
days, or observances in worship, as it
has no right to inculcate new doctrines
or new laws. The wisdom of men must
be allowed no voice in determining the
worship of the church, Deut 29:29;
Isa. 33:22; 8:20.
Christ, the Head of the Church, has
clearly set forth in his word the ele-
ments he wants in a worship service.
Certain circumstances pertaining to the
service allow a measure of freedom,
i.e., the time, place, announcement of
the time and place of the next service,
etc. But, even these things, which are
in no way vital to the worship of God,
must have reference to God's glory, be
Foundational Principles
Continued from page 9
preach and teach them, till the people
know them like the alphabet, and an
unwilling world be compelled to lis-
ten." (pg. 88)
"There is such a thing as being a
Presbyterian without being a Christian,.
as it is possible to be a Christian with-
out being a Presbyterian. Depend upon
it, it is best to be both. Make the atone-
ment of Christ the refuge of your souls;
hold fast by every truth of God's Word,
Identity and Form
Continued from page 11
duced to the level of Christian expedi"
ency. They have been determined by
the Head of the church and clearly re-
vealed in the Bible. The word of God
gives us the model, in the OT and the
NT, for ecclesiastical polity and organi-
zation, which it is the duty of all Chris-
tians in all items and circumstances to
conform with gladness. If this is not
the case, then Christ has left his church
without sufficient guide and structure,
and its government must be shaped by
expediency and fallen human wisdom.
Because the church of Christ, in all
its aspects--its doctrines. sacraments,
discipline, government, mission, wor-
ship, faith, life and form--is the institu-
tion of Christ, its Head and Savior,
every aspect of the church, including its
consistent with the Bible, and not be a
stumblingblock to others or contrary to
the Christian conscience. .0.
small and great; lend no encouragement
to opposing errors; take no pains to con-
ceal your attachment to Presbyterian
principles; and strive to do honor to the
system with which you claim connec"
tion, by your love to Christ, by an up-
right and consistent life, and by earnest
endeavors on your part to deserve the
character which distinguished the saints
of God in other and better days "- 'a
peculiar people, zealous of good
works."' (pg. 91)
[Editor's note- Amen. brother.
.runm!.l .0.
government " is equally and alike a posi"
tive appointment by God, being, in the
strict sense of the terms, a Divine insti-
tution, not owing its origin or virtue to
man, and not amenable to his views of
expediency, or determined by his ar-
rangements. Looking at the church of
Christ as an express and positive ordi-
nance of God, it is clear that man is
neither warranted or competent to judge
of its organization," wrote James Ban-
nermen in his book The Church of
Christ. The book of Church Order of
the RPCUS reaffmns this view: "The
scriptural doctrine of presbytery is neces-
sary to the perfection of the order of the
visible church, but is not essential to
its existence." Our responsibility is
not to try to improve upon Christ's
form of church government revealed in
the Bible, but simply to put it into prac-
tice in our own churches. .0.
Thanks to all of you who have responded to the
fundraising letter sent out in December.
If you have not responded yet, please help us meet our financial needs for the year.
Your contributions of $100.00 or more, and your subscription payments of $25.00
will enable us to go forward with our plans for 1990 and beyond.
We thank God for you and pray His richest blessings on you as you live
and labor for the advancement of His glorious kingdom.
The Counsel of Chalcedon
3032 Hacienda Court
Marietta, GA 30066
The Counsel of Chalcedon Jan.-Feb., 1990 page 47