It is the Apostle Paul who tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:12 that we are to “we ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you.” But this is certainly not how ministers are viewed in modern America. If you look at recent public opinion polls which ask people about what professions they regard the highest, ministers finish near the bottom, just above politicians and telemarketers and about on par with lawyers and car salesmen.
While this is a sad situation, there is a reason why people feel the way the do about the church and its leaders. Because American Christians often ignore what the Bible says about how the church should govern itself, the door is opened wide to all kinds of scandal and abuse, the very things which have brought the ministry into such disrepute.
In Article Thirty-One, The Belgic Confession deals with the three offices of Reformed/Presbyterian church government: ministers, elders, and deacons. In this article, the confession takes up the subject of how men are to be chosen for office and how they are to view each other and those they serve, as well as how they are to be viewed by members of the congregation. In this sense, Article Thirty-One continues the same line of thinking found in the prior article, which gives us a definition and defense of Reformed or Presbyterian church government such as that found in the New Testament, in which the church is to be governed by ministers and elders (a consistory) and served by deacons, who collectively administer the day to day business of the church.
The local church is the visible manifestation of Christ’s invisible body. Since the church is the body of Christ, God has given to the members of his church numerous spiritual gifts for the building up of the body for works of service and for the edification of its members. This is why all Christians are bound to join a congregation of like-minded believers. This helps to explain why we should not be content to be on our own (as our confession puts it), apart from the church.
To read the rest of this exposition, click here: Article Thirty One -- "Chosen By the Lord"
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