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

2005-01-01 / 1-2. szám

8

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

pastors in the primitive Church sometimes profited the Church more than the many-sided, refined and fastidious, but a little too esoteric learning of others. For this reason we do not reject even today the honest, yet by no means ignorant, simplicity of some.

Indeed God uses the simple and foolish things of this world to show forth His own mighty power and sovereignty. Then among men it takes different people with different gifts to reach the diversity of God’s church. Some are given different duties and differing boundaries of gifts to bring about God’s sure will and purpose in providence.

Priesthood of All Believers. To be sure, Christ’s apostles call all who believe in Christ “priests,” but not on account of an office, but because, all the faithful having been made kings and priests, we are able to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God through Christ (Exod. 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6). Therefore, the priesthood and the ministry are very different from one another. For the priesthood, as we have just said, is common to all Christians; not so is the ministry. Nor have we abolished the ministry of the Church because we have repudiated the papal priesthood from the Church of Christ.

Priests and Priesthood. Surely in the new covenant of Christ there is no longer any such priesthood as was under the ancient people; which had an external anointing, holy garments, and very many ceremonies which were types of Christ, who abolished them all by his coming and fulfilling them. But he himself remains the only priest forever, and lest we derogate anything from him, we do not impart the name of priest to any minister. For the Lord himself did not appoint any priests in the Church of the New Testament who, having received authority from the suffragan, may daily offer up the sacrifice, that is, the very flesh and blood of the Lord, for the living and the dead, but ministers who may teach and administer the sacraments.

With the tearing of the veil in the temple and in the words of Christ saying there will be a day when not in this mountain or that, but in truth and spirit man will worship... entered the world into the New Testament church and the removal of one chosen line of priests, and in effect the very duty of that office from the church. The priest in the old covenant offered sacrifice for the people, the sacrifice now being completed in Christ there is no duty for the priest in the church. The sacrifice having been then given to each believer to offer himself a living sacrifice to God as the most meager of duties to God>

The Nature of the Ministers of the New Testament. Paul explains simply and briefly what we are to think of the ministers of the New Testament or of the Christian Church, and what we are to attribute to them. This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (I Cor. 4:1). Therefore, the apostle wants us to think of ministers as ministers. Now the apostle calls them, huperetas, rowers, who have their eyes fixed on the coxswain, and so men who do not live for themselves or according to their own will, but for others - namely, their masters, upon whose command they altogether depend. For in all his duties every minister of the Church is commanded to carry out only what he has received in commandment from his Lord, and not to indulge his own free choice. And in this case it is expressly declared who is the Lord, namely, Christ; to whom the ministers are subject in all the affairs of the ministry.

Ministers as Stewards of the Mysteries of God. Moreover, to the end that he might expound the ministry more fully, the apostle adds that ministers of the Church are administrators and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now in many passages, especially in Eph., ch. 3, Paul called the mysteries of God the Gospel of Christ. And the sacraments of Christ are also called mysteries by the ancient writers. Therefore for this purpose are the ministers of the Church called; namely, to preach the Gospel of Christ to the faithful, and to administer the sacraments. We read, also, in another place in the Gospel, of the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time (Luke 12:42). Again, elsewhere in the Gospel a man takes a journey in a foreign country and, leaving his house, gives his substance and authority over it to his servants, and to each his work.

For which purpose we see the apostles very early set aside the elders for this very thing and appointing others for the daily care of the people. The minister is called to minister the Word and Sacrament and not as some read the administration of the Gospel to mean the worldly administration of the affairs corporately speaking of the church. Yet this is placed upon the plate of the pastor by most churches as if the pastor is to be so concerned with things of the flesh. This has in many ways weakened the proclamation of the Gospel in the church and taken away from the purity of the Word preached to the detriment of the church.

The Power of Ministers of the Church. Now, therefore, it is fitting that we also say something about the power and duty of the ministers of the Church. Concerning this power some have argued industriously, and to it have subjected everything on earth, even the greatest things, and they have done so contrary to the commandment of the Lord who has prohibited dominion for his disciples and has highly commended humility (Luke 22:24 ff; Matt. 18:3 f.; 20:25 ff.). There is, indeed, another power that is pure and absolute, which is called the power of right. According to this power all things in the whole world are subject to Christ, who is Lord of all, as he himself has testified when he said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matt. 28:18), and again, I am the first and the last, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Hades and Death (Rev. 1:18); also, He has the key of David, which opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens (Rev. 3:7).

The power of the minister in the church is that of a servant. Christ remains the true head of the church and His ministers are to represent the mind of Christ to the church. The position is one then of a spiritual position not of a ruling power in the church and thus all elders are of equal rank no matter what their particular call to ministry is.

The Lord Reserves True Power for Himself. This power the Lord reserves to himself, and does not transfer it to any other, so that he might stand idly by as a spectator while his ministers work. For Isaiah says, I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David (Isa. 22:22), and again, The government will be upon his shoulders (Isa. 9:6). For he does not lay the government on other men’s shoulders, but still keeps and uses his own power, governing all things.

Another way of saying that Christ is the head of the church and that all others serve Christ in His church. The rule of the