Calvin Synod Herald, 2005 (106. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2005-01-01 / 1-2. szám

6

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

The Second Helvetic Confession Chapter XVIII

Commentary by Dr. Chuck Baynard

Of the Ministers of the Church,

Their Institution and Duties

God Uses Ministers in the Building of the Church. God has always used ministers for the gathering or establishing of a Church for himself, and for the governing and preservation of the same; and still he does, and always will, use them so long as the Church remains on earth. Therefore, the first beginning, institution, and office of ministers is a most ancient arrangement of God himself, and not a new one of men. It is true that God can, by his power, without any means join to himself a Church from among men; but he preferred to deal with men by the ministry of men. Therefore ministers are to be regarded, not as ministers by themselves alone, but as the ministers of God, inasmuch as God effects the salvation of men through them.

This statement must be true for the same reason all of the precious promises of Scripture directed toward man by God must be true, that is the gifts of God are without shadow or turning. There is currently a movement to return to the beginning of the church falsely based on one passage of Scripture and the historical fact that the first churches met in peoples homes. This being carried so far that the necessity of “ordained” ministers or professional clergy is an addition to the Word of God and not needed by the true chinch. The error is that God doesn’t change and neither can nor does His divine Word change. God said I give to the church — Thus to deny the above statement is to say God is in error or that God can change, both heresy to the most gross extent.

The Ministry Is Not To Be Despised. Hence we warn men to beware lest we attribute what has to do with our conversion and instruction to the secret power of the Holy Spirit in such a way that we make void the ecclesiastical ministry. For it is fitting that we always have in mind the words of the apostle: How are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God (Rom. 10:14, 17). And also what the Lord said in the Gospel: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me (John 13:20). Likewise a man of Macedonia, who appeared to Paul in a vision while he was in Asia, secretly admonished him, saying: Come over to Macedonia and help us (Acts 16:9). And in another place the same apostle said: We are fellow workmen of God; you are God’s tillage, God’s building (I Cor. 3:9). Yet, on the other hand, we must beware that we do not attribute too much to ministers and the ministry; remembering here also the words of the Lord in the Gospel: No one can come to me unless my Father draws him (John 6:44), and the words of the apostle: What then is Paul? What is Apollos? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but only God gives the growth (I Cor. 3:5 ff). Therefore, let us believe that

God teaches us by his word, outwardly through his ministers, and inwardly moves the hearts of his elect to faith by the Holy Spirit; and that therefore we ought to render all glory unto God for this whole favor. But this matter has been dealt with in the first chapter of this Exposition.

As this paragraph ends, this was handled in the opening paragraph. It is to be noted also that from at least Abraham forward God has dealt with the covenant family. There are shadows of this “assembly” or gathering to Himself more than one at a time by God in the Bible preceding Abraham. Nonetheless God did not call one or a few to Himself in the Exodus, but a nation, a chosen generation and to them restated the promise of the covenant.

Who the Ministers Are and of What Sort God Has Given the World. And even from the beginning of the world God has used the most excellent men in the whole world (even if many of them were simple in worldly wisdom or philosophy, but were outstanding in true theology), namely, the patriarchs, with whom he frequently spoke by angels. For the patriarchs were the prophets or teachers of their age whom God for this reason wanted to live for several centuries, in order that they might be, as it were, fathers and lights of the world. They were followed by Moses and the prophets renowned throughout all the world.

As already noted, the calling out of those whom God has chosen to be the spiritual leaders, fathers of His people is most ancient. Like the prophets of the Old Testament so stand the ministers of the present assemblies of God’s chosen. The focus is upon the duty of forth telling the Word from God, not as some psychic fortune teller. In this sense the modem prophet has before Him the complete revealed Word in a more sure way than any single prophet of the Old or New Testament.

Christ the Teacher. After these the heavenly Father even sent his only-begotten Son, the most perfect teacher of the world; in whom is hidden the wisdom of God, and which has come to us through the most holy, simple, and most perfect doctrine of all. For he chose disciples for himself whom he made apostles. These went out into the whole world, and everywhere gathered together churches by the preaching of the Gospel, and then throughout all the churches in the world they appointed pastors or teachers [1] according to Christ’s command; through their successors he has taught and governed the Church unto this day. Therefore, as God gave unto his ancient people the patriarchs, together with Moses and the prophets, so also to his people of the New Testament he sent his only- begotten Son, and, with him, the apostles and teachers of the Church.

As noted above, the church today has a more sure word than any before as noted here and in Hebrews one. Nonetheless the understanding or interpretation of Scripture depending upon the Holy Spirit more than the faculties of men God gave to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers, and teachers. We need to use care here as some churches extend to men and some men claim for themselves various of these titles. God is God and could send an apostle or apostles to the church if and when He desires. However I dare say we will not meet any apostles in church this Sunday, or the next, their duty having been completed. Likewise with prophets since the canon is complete. Evangelists were sent where there was no church. In this sense we have few if any true evangelists in the world today. (Yet I dare not limit God and