My Covenant View, Church Authority and Individualism

When we look to the culture around us we should not be greatly surprised that the unbelieving world has no respect for the Churches teachings, government, and judgments. Jesus said that His people were the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness it is good for nothing, except to be trampled down by man. It is obvious that the Church in North America, for the most part, has lost its saltiness and is getting trampled down.

What does not seem so obvious, to many Christians, is ‘why’ we are getting trampled. Why has the Church lost its power in our culture?

Why should the unbelieving world respect and honor the Church when so many Christian’s do not? Yes, many will give honor and respect with their lips, but their heart is far from this verbal profession.

Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church! Jesus rules in His Church through His Word and Spirit. So far so good, most Christian’s won’t have problems with the above statements.

Next.

God’s word commands Christ’s Church to appoint elders to teach and rule. God gives authority to these leaders [authority that it tied to God’s Word]. Members of a local congregation are commanded by God to submit themselves to the elders among them.
There are many Christians who acknowledge that Jesus has the right to reign in their lives, but then by their actions they deny this truth. How do they deny it? They refuse to place themselves under the authority of Christ’s Body, His Church. They show by their actions that they think that they have the ultimate say in the Church.
Christ manifests His authority “through” His Church. The Word of God, faithful administration of the sacraments, and church discipline are all interconnected.

How are they interconnected?

When God’s people assemble together to worship the Lord, God instructs and strengthens His people through His Word being preached [teaching elder/Minister].
If one of God’s people rebels and refuses to repent of their rebellion then this will lead to Church discipline. What does Church discipline look like? Does it mean that the rebellious person is no longer allowed to come to Church? If this were so then no unbeliever would ever be allowed to come to Church for a second visit. If they were allowed it would have to be asked why they were allowed to come to hear God’s word, in their rebellion against God, and the disciplined Church member is not allowed to come. So if its not being forbidden to attend Church service what exactly is Church discipline?

It is being refused the Lord’s Table. The person under discipline would be reminded of their “state” every time God’s people ate the Lord’s Supper. On the Lord’s days that the supper was not being served they could try to “blend” in with everyone else sitting under God’s Word that day. In their mind they could tell themselves that they were no different then anyone else gathering together to worship the Lord. This is why the three are so connected. God’s Word is preached every Lord’s Day. These are words of life to those who believe but are also words of Judgment [words commanding repentance] to those who do not believe [and obey].

When the Lord’s Supper is absent then God’s word goes forth and the unrepentant can deceive themselves into thinking that “they do believe and that they are just like everyone else here”. But when the Lord’s Supper is connected weekly with God’s word, then the Church discipline is a continual reminder that if the unrepentant one does not repent then they have no part of Christ [because they have no part of the Body and Blood of the Lord] [John 6]. When repentance comes God’s word proclaims forgiveness, cleansing and restoration and the sacrament is the second witness affirming this truth. God says in His Word, you are forgiven and restored, now come partake of My Son’s broken Body and shed Blood.

How would many Reformed Churches discipline a covenant youth [16 years old] who is involved in unrepentant fornication? Many Churches do not have profession of faith until 18 years old. What could the elders do to show that this covenant member was actually under discipline? They could use God’s word. But that is all they could do. They could not cut the youth off from the Table of the Lord because the youth has always been cut off.

Many Reformed Churches do not have effective discipline [among their young people] because they have not seen the importance of connecting the Proclamation of God’s Word [weekly] with the Lord’s Table [weekly]. For years the youth have been sat in the seat of the rebellious and unbeliever because even though they have been baptized they have not been allowed to partake of Christ’s Body and Blood.

The blessings of the Lord’s Supper come from actually partaking of it. There are some Reformed Christians who “feel” that even if they allow the bread and wine to “pass by” them that they still partake of the blessing in their hearts. There are a few problems with this understanding. First, they have placed themselves in the position of authority [instead of Christ, working through the elders of the local church], allowing or disallowing themselves access to the Lord’s Table. Second, they separate the blessing of the Lord’s Table from the bread and wine, but Jesus said that life came from eating His Body and drinking His Blood. There is no inherent “power” in the elements themselves but the Holy Spirit works through the elements that He has commanded we use, and not just the thought of them. If a member in good standing can refuse the Table and yet in his mind “feel” that he still is receiving the blessings from the Lord then why could not the man next to him, who was under church discipline, say the same thing in his heart? The man under discipline could say, “if this guy next to me can receive “life” and blessings from the Table without actually partaking, then so can I”. He could go on to reason that if there are certain members of the congregation who have greater authority then the elders of the church, and decide for themselves whether or not they take the Lord’s Supper, then he need not worry about the Churches disciplining him either. Certain members of the congregation [those who decide for themselves whether they will come to the Table or not] have taught him [by their actions] that the Church [elders] really doesn’t hold the “keys” like Jesus said. Each individual “holds the keys”. Each individual can decide whether they come to the Table or not. Each individual can decide on how they receive the blessing, sometimes via the elements, and sometimes via their just “feeling” like they are partaking of the blessing in their heart.

If we ever wonder why the Church is losing [lost] its stand in the world, we need not look any further than this. Until Christians begin to honor and respect Christ’s church and its government we shouldn’t expect the world to.