************ Sermon on Belgic Confession Article 32 ************
Doctrine: Church Order
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on July 11, 1999
B.C. 32
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
"Church Order, the Bible, and the Conscience"
I Order in the Church
A Those of you who have worked with me know that I despise disorder. Some of you might think I go overboard. In college my room-mate's family owned a laundry mat. He showed me the proper way to fold socks and t-shirts. Now, of course, I want my socks and t-shirts folded the same way as I was taught back then. I want the toothpaste squeezed from the back of the tube. I want tools, toys, games, puzzles, and so on put away. I want garden hoses and electrical cords wound up neatly without twists and knots in them. I generally plan out my sermon schedule a year or more in advance. I am irritated by those who forget things or lose things because of disorganization. I like to keep a nice clean desk. I generally file everything away as soon as possible.
Because of this facet of my character, there is a text in Paul's letter to Corinth that really appeals to me. Paul says, "Therefore, my brothers ... everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way" (1 Cor 14:40). And he tells us why: "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace" (1 Cor 14:33). Paul is telling us there needs to be order in the church. Or, as Guido De Brès puts it, it is useful and good to establish and set up "a certain order."
B Students of church history believe that order is more important than one would first think. Consider, for a moment, the city of Geneva before John Calvin ministered there.
The Genevese were a lighthearted, joyous people, fond of public amusement, dancing, singing masquerades, and revelries. Recklessness, gambling, drunkenness, adultery, blasphemy, and all sorts of vice abounded. Prostitution was sanctioned by the authority of the State, and supervised by a woman called the Reine du bordel. The people were ignorant. The priest had taken no pains to instruct them, and had set them a bad example.
Some twenty-five years later the character of the city had so changed, that John Knox called it "the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on the earth since the days of the Apostles."
From the divine perspective we know that this Reformation was the result of God's grace and Spirit working through the pure preaching of the Gospel. From the human perspective we know that the great change in Geneva was in large measure the fruits of the order which came to prevail in the church.
C At the time Guido De Brès wrote the Confession, church order was a burning issue. On the one hand, many abuses had crept into the Roman Catholic Church and perverted its order and discipline. Church office and salvation, for instance, were up for sale. The only right of the ordinary people was to blindly follow their shepherds; they had no say in the running of the church and were but a passive audience in worship. Sin was no longer admonished or held in check; in fact, popes and bishops openly fathered illegitimate children and kept mistresses. On the other hand, after the Reformation some wanted nothing to do with church order, with rules and regulations, and ended up confusing freedom in Christ with license to do as they saw fit. They rebelled against very form of spiritual authority, had common-law marriages, refused to support local churches with tithes, and had self-proclaimed preachers and elders they followed when they wanted. They rebelled and rioted and disrupted.
In contrast to this "anything goes" mentality the Reformers insisted on order and discipline within the church; and, in contrast to the abuses and perversions of the Roman Catholic Church, they said the order and discipline of the church had to meet certain guidelines. So Guido De Brès said a certain order is "useful and good."
D Many churches that have no prescribed "church order" say the only church order they need is to be found in the Bible. So why, then, do the Reformed insist on church order? Why isn't the Bible enough? In the New Testament, as you all know, many of the details of church life are not spelled out. The Spirit of God allows for considerable latitude and encourages diversity so it remains silent on many questions of order. In other words, when it comes to order, rules, and regulations the Bible is not enough; it doesn't speak to every aspect of church life. In our Scripture reading, for instance, Paul talks about order and the place of women. Elsewhere he can talk about prayer, Bible reading, and discipline. But you don't hear from him a word about Seminary training, the calling of a minister, the keeping of minutes and financial records, weddings and funerals, Christmas and Easter worship services, and the many other matters of Reformed church order.
The Bible doesn't teach us all things about the life of the church. But that still doesn't answer the question of why we need church order, church rules, and church regulation. Guido De Brès believed certain regulations are necessary so that unsound doctrine and undisciplined living do not corrupt the church. He says,
... it is useful and good
for those who govern the churches
to establish and set up
a certain order among themselves
for maintaining the body of the church ...
And two paragraphs later he says,
So we accept only what is proper
to maintain harmony and unity
and to keep all in obedience
to God.
Church order is necessary for maintaining the body. It is church order which gives the scattered congregations of the Christian Reformed Church an outward unity to reflect the inward unity brought about by Christ and the Spirit. It is church order that helps to keep each congregation from doing what is right in its own eyes.
E Since the time of Guido De Brès, then, those in church office have set down rules and regulations. In the Christian Reformed Church some of these rules and regulations are to be found in a book called the "Church Order of the Christian Reformed Church in North America." Other of these rules are to be found in the minutes of consistories and councils. Covered by all these rules and regulations are such things as the conducting of public worship, election of office bearers, reception and dismissal of members, administration of properties, church discipline, and so on.
Do you know why we have two worship services instead of just one? Because the Church Order tells us to (Art 51). Do you know why we have sermons on the Catechism or Belgic Confession? Because the Church Order prescribes this (Art 54). Do you know why we ordinarily meet for worship on Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Old and New Year's Day, Day of Prayer, and Thanksgiving Day? Because of our Church Order (Art 51). Do you know why every meeting of Council begins and ends with prayer? Because of the Church Order (Art 32). Do you know why no minister can accept a call to serve another church without the consent of his consistory? Again, because of the church order (Art 14). Do you know why funerals and weddings don't have to be done by your own minister? Because the Church Order says they are family and not ecclesiastical affairs (Art 70). Do you know why Christian Reformed consistories and ministers must encourage parents to have their children instructed in Christian schools? Because of the Church Order (Art 70). Do you know why the elders visit members in their homes on an almost yearly basis? That's the teaching of the Church Order (Art 65).
II Two Principles
A Like Paul, we ought to abhor disorder in God's church. Our desire should be for everything to "be done in a fitting and orderly way." To this end, church order is "useful and good ... for maintaining the body."
The Confession reminds us that Reformed church order follows two principles.
The first principle of church order that Guido De Brès lays down for those who govern the church is this:
they ought always to guard against deviating
from what Christ,
our only Master,
has ordained
for us.
The first principle, then, is that no rules, regulations, or procedures within the church can disagree with the Word of God. You see, the Head and King of the church is Christ. His will must be followed. What He says and commands always takes precedence over what man wants and desires. A church, any church, whose church order is in disobedience to Christ and His Word, is rebelling against His rule, His authority, His headship, His throne.
Let me offer both a negative and a positive illustration of this principle.
The negative example has to do with Article 3 of the Church Order. Prior to Synod 1990 Article 3a of the Church Order read as follows:
Confessing male members of the church who meet the biblical requirements are eligible for the offices of minister, elder, and evangelist.
Synod 1990 made a decision to change this article. Article 3a of the Church Order now says:
All confessing members of the Church who meet the biblical requirements are eligible for the offices of minister, elder, deacon, and evangelist.
For many in the Christian Reformed Church this change in Church Order Article 3a violates the first principle because it is in disobedience to "what Christ, our only Master, has ordained for us." They would argue that this church order change disagrees with the Word of God.
The positive example concerns the place of the congregation. We look at the Word of God as teaching the priesthood of all believers. Therefore the Church Order specifies that we ask the congregation to help nominate and elect office bearers. It also specifies that we inform the congregation before someone is installed in church office, makes profession of faith, or is excommunicated from the church. At the same time, since the Bible clearly teaches that the elders run the church, the Church Order specifies that the Consistory is the final decision-making body of the church.
Church order, then, can not deviate from the Word of the Lord. It must not part from the teaching of the Word of God.
B But there is also a second principle of Reformed church order. This second principle has to do with binding and forcing the conscience. Guido De Brès puts it this way:
Therefore we reject all human innovations
and all laws imposed on us,
in our worship of God,
which bind and force our consciences
in any way.
As mentioned before, not all the details of church life or worship are spelled out in the Bible. Where the Bible is silent, those who govern the church have to make up their own rules. But those rules cannot bind and force the conscience.
John Calvin's famous example is that of kneeling at public worship. Calvin thought it commendable but not obligatory. You do not force believers to their knees; you do not bind their consciences. So if a church has kneeling benches, those who wish to imitate Christ's posture have the freedom to do so. And those who don't feel free to kneel, have the liberty to stay sitting.
In one of the congregations I served this principle came to expression when we said the Apostles' Creed. One family thought it wrong for the congregation to say the Creed together. So when the rest of us recited it, they were given the freedom to quietly listen. We did not bind or force the conscience.
This reminds me of a Home Missions Conference I was at about ten years ago. At the Conference we talked about hand-raising in worship. The speaker reminded us of the many Biblical texts that support this practice:
(Ps 88:9) I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you.
(Ps 134:2) Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.
(Ps 141:2) May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
(1Tim 2:8) I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
We ended the Conference with a time of worship and praise. The leader not only encouraged us to raise our hands but he insisted that we raise our hands and glared at those who didn't. He was binding and forcing our consciences. I didn't like that. And Guido De Brès wouldn't have either. What I mean to say is, it is okay to raise your hands; but, it is also okay not to raise your hands. In the same way, it is okay to say "Amen"; but, it is also okay not to say "Amen."
The same thing is true for clapping in church. I'm not talking about applause. I'm talking about clapping with certain songs. Again, there is ample Biblical support for this practice:
(Ps 47:1) Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
(Ps 98:8) Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
(Is 55:12) You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
But when this is done, as we have with certain songs, we don't bind and force the conscience. Those who lack a sense of rhythm or freedom, cannot be forced to clap with the rest.
Let me give just a side-note on Bible interpretation. Some people look at those texts on raising or clapping your hands and they think we need to literally do this or we are being disobedient. But when we interpret Scripture we need to distinguish between the principle that is being taught and how that principle is worked out in a particular time and place.
The Bible teaches the principle of joy and peace in worship. This is how those texts on hand-raising or hand-clapping are to be understood; but another way to also express this is by singing or by saying the Lord's Prayer together.
Another principle the Bible teaches is reverence and respect in worship. At the time of Paul this was shown by women wearing a head-covering. Today this is shown by wearing good clothing and bowing your head in prayer.
Another principle that Jesus teaches us is to live a life of service. His personal example of this was to wash the feet of His disciples. Today this is shown by being involved in the work of the church, Christian school, and other kingdom activities.
One final example is the Bible teaches us to keep the Lord's Day holy. Fifty years ago this principle came to expression through such things as preparing Sunday's meals on Saturdays, taking a bath on Saturday night, no bike rides or TV on Sunday, and so on. Today, we have different ways that we try to keep Sunday as a holy day.
When it comes to Bible interpretation, we must make sure that we never confuse a principle with the expression of the principle; we must make sure that we never elevate the working out of a principle to the same level as the principle itself. For if we do, then we would insist on a literal foot-washing, on women wearing a head-covering, on hand-raising and hand-clapping and even looking up instead of down when we pray. And then, we would be violating the second principle of church order: we would be binding the conscience of believers in a way the Bible itself does not bind.
Conclusion
Order in the church. We Calvinists love order. We hate disorder. But, then, we are like God.