Church Polity

Introduction to Pre-Membership Class and Church Distinctives

0:04 The following message was delivered on May 3, 1992, in the Adult Sunday School class of the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. This is lesson number 10 in our pre-membership class. Now, this morning we return to our pre-membership class. And for those of you who are visiting with us, we are doing a little bit of pretending.

0:34 We are pretending that everyone sitting here is considering applying for membership in Trinity Baptist Church. And we are conducting a pre-membership class in which we are considering those things which a person needs to know if he or she is to join the church with good conscience. We have considered, first of all, the subject. The subject of true conversion.

1:07 And then we have been outlining the distinctives of Trinity Baptist Church so that if someone comes to join the church, they know what it is they are getting into. We have considered that this church is orthodox, covenantal, Calvinistic, and Puritan. And we come this morning to consider the final distinctive, as outlined in our 1689 London Confession, whereby we are called a Reformed Baptist Church. This morning we will consider the distinctive church policies of Trinity Baptist Church.

1:47 And as we focus upon these things, let us pray for God's blessing and help, for light and grace, as we consider his holy word together about the policy of our congregation. Let us pray. Our Father, we give you thanks. That you have given to us in your holy word light and understanding.

2:14 That we might know how to approach every aspect of spiritual life and religious reality. And Father, we desire this morning your blessing upon us as we study the teaching of your holy word about the church. We know that you love your church. We know that you care for your church as the apple of your eye.

2:37 And we pray that something of this love for your church may be reflected in ourselves this morning. We pray that your name may be honored and magnified. That we may have a more clear idea, comprehension, and understanding of what your word says about the church. And that we may be more committed to it as individuals and as a community.

3:00 And that you may receive this morning honor, praise, and glory from your people. For we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, I did give a handout sheet, which some of you may have this morning.

Historical Distinctives of Trinity Baptist Church Polity

3:26 And in this handout sheet, it describes our church policy as independent and Baptistic. If I were to speak, and I want to say this by way of introduction, historically, with reference to the distinctives of the church, the distinctives of our church policy, it could be said that we are Presbyterial, that we are independent, and that we are Baptistic. If you're looking for that on the board. Everything else is on the board, but that's not there.

4:06 Presbyterial, that I dare not say Presbyterian, that would be very misleading. But that we are Presbyterial. The leadership and the government of our church is such that the church is governed by Presbyters, or elders, as opposed to bishops, or I should say, a bishop. And this Presbyterial policy, as opposed to a church being run by a bishop, which is called Episcopal policy.

4:44 And they both are derived from Greek words. Episkopos, meaning bishop or overseer, and Presbyteros, meaning elder. And so it's just derived letter for letter from the Greek language and the Greek word for bishop or overseer, and the Greek word for elder. And our policy, as opposed to being run by a bishop, is that the church is governed by elders.

5:13 Then the second distinctive, we are not only Presbyterial, we are also independent. That is, each local church is autonomous. All of the power and authority in any way needful for carrying on that which Christ has instituted is vested and deposited in the local church. No denomination owns our property.

5:39 No denomination controls the life of this church. Or the leadership, the leadership of this church. We are independent, both of denominational and state control. And that distinguishes us from all the denominational churches.

5:59 And thirdly, we are Baptistic. Presbyterial, independent, and Baptistic. That is, we baptize only adults upon conversion and personal confession of their faith in Jesus Christ. We do not baptize infants.

6:21 And this distinguishes us from the Paedo-Baptists. And again, Paedo-Baptist is derived from the Greek. Paedo is a letter-for-letter equivalent of the Greek word for infant or baby. And so Paedo-Baptist is just infant or baby Baptist.

6:41 That's what the word basically means. So we are Presbyterial, not Episcopal. We are independent, not denominational. And there's another thing we're not.

6:52 We're not run by the state. There's a name for that. A church that's run by the state, by the king or by the queen, is called Erastian. So we are independent, Presbyterial, and Baptistic.

7:05 That is, we are not those who are Paedo-Baptists. We do not baptize infants. Now this, historically, is where we stand. These are the distinctives of our church policy as a Reformed Baptist church within the family of the Reformed and Protestant churches.

Foundational Church Perspectives: Distinctive Experience

7:26 But today, since this is a pre-membership class, I want to be more foundational, more fundamental. And I want to show you the deeper biblical roots of our ecclesiology. Now that's another word I'm going to define for you. Ecclesiology.

7:45 That also comes from a Greek word. It comes from the Greek word Ecclesia, which simply means church. It comes from Ecclesia and Logos, which means word. Ecclesiology is a word about the church.

8:02 It's our theology or doctrine of the church. And so I want to be more foundational and show you the deeper biblical roots of our church doctrine, our ecclesiology. And therefore I propose to cover three points, God willing, this morning, and to put the whole of our ecclesiology into biblical perspective so that you know what you are getting into. The first point on the left at the board, foundational church perspectives.

8:39 The second, universal church principles. And the third, local church polity. Foundational church perspectives, universal church principles, and local church polity. Now first, with reference to the foundational church perspectives.

9:03 I am not being exhaustive, I assure you. There are many questions which may arise in your minds this morning that will not be answered. However, I hope to address the simple, basic things, if possible, this morning. I want to begin with focusing upon the distinctive experience of the church, that's capital A, and then say something about the dual essence of the church, capital B, and thirdly something about the collective form of the church, and then finally offer a very brief definition of what we are talking about.

9:46 First of all, the distinctive experience of the church. Turn with me please to the book of Ephesians chapter 2. The church is a group of people that have experienced a very distinctive religious experience. In Ephesians chapter 2, verses 11 and following, we see this experience described.

10:29 Ephesians 2 and verse 11. Wherefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh, made by hands, that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. And then he goes on to describe how those who were once far off

11:12 are now made nigh. Verse 13. But now in Christ Jesus you that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. Then he describes how Christ through his blood in the accomplishment of redemption has broken down the barriers between Gentile and Jew and has united Gentile and Jewish believers in one community.

11:46 And that community is the church. Verse 19. So then, you are no more strangers and sojourners, but are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom each several building fitly framed together groweth into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

12:29 The apostle Paul says then, after describing their experience being incorporated into the people of God, the commonwealth of Israel under the new covenant, which is the church of Jesus Christ on earth, he says that it was the special focus of his ministry to have oversight, to have oversight over this incorporation of the Gentiles into the people of God. Verse 5 of chapter 3. Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to the holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, to wit,

13:13 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel whereof I was made a minister. Notice all of this that Christ is to be preached among the Gentiles through the ministry of Paul. That something would be disclosed and made known which for ages has been hidden, disclosed to men and angels alike. Verse 10.

13:49 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. At the very foundation our thinking about the church, must be regulated by this understanding of their distinctive religious experience. They have a special place in the history of redemption

14:33 and of God's dealings with his people. The church is the community of the people of God in that period, place and time in which they have experienced as their distinctive experience redemption accomplished in the person and work of Jesus Christ and redemption applied through the preaching of the apostolic gospel. Redemption accomplished through the coming person and work of Jesus Christ and redemption applied through the preaching to all of the nations of the apostolic gospel. Therefore you see

15:17 there is an intimate connection. There ought to be an intimate connection in our thinking because there is an intimate connection in biblical thinking and in the teaching of the Bible between our soteriology, our doctrine of salvation and our ecclesiology, our doctrine of the church. Our soteriology, our doctrine of salvation, redemption applied and our ecclesiology, our doctrine of the church are intimately bound together by this that the church is that community which has as its distinctive experience

16:01 the accomplishment and application of redemption. You see that? Now that's the foundation. And it's upon that foundation that we must build all of our thinking about the church.

16:17 If we are wrong there, sooner or later we will be wrong everywhere else. It can't be right if that foundation is wrong. Therefore you see the very same group of people described in verses 11 and following of chapter 2, they're the same group of people of whom it said this is your distinctive experience once you were dead and bound in your trespasses and sins. But God came and made you alive by His grace.

16:51 You have experienced, this is your distinctive, the application of redemption. You were dead, lost, bound, but now through the gospel and through the love of Christ you have been made alive in Christ. You have been raised with Christ and seated. You have experienced the application of redemption.

17:16 And you've experienced the application of redemption in a context in which Christ has now come and has accomplished redemption. And through the sending of the Spirit and the sending forth of the Apostles, that gospel of Christ is now being proclaimed unto all the nations. And Gentiles and Jews have been incorporated together into the community of God's people under the new covenant. And this is the church of Jesus Christ.

17:48 Now I tell you, this is a glorious ecclesiology, isn't it? We bless God for the privilege of being part of such a people, built upon such a foundation. And I must beware lest I now get carried away. And I find out that this morning having listed all of this glorious proposal, I covered no more than A under point one in the class this morning.

Foundational Church Perspectives: Dual Essence and Collective Form

18:13 I dare not do it. Therefore, I must refrain myself. And we move from considering the distinctive religious experience to considering the dual essence. Now, something of this essence is described here in Ephesians 2.22,

18:33 in whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. According to the word of God, the church of Jesus Christ, this society having experienced as its distinctive religious experience redemption accomplished and applied has a dual essence and organization organism is both an organization

19:16 and an organism. It's an organization. It is a religious organization, but all religious organizations are not the church. It is also a living organism.

19:31 It is animated. It is alive. It has spiritual life and that spiritual life is rooted in the fact that the church is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. You see what it says in verse 22?

19:49 In whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. The church is also an organization. And I don't have time to turn to this passage, but I think you're familiar with the text in Matthew chapter 16. The Lord Jesus Christ says, Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

20:13 What was the rock? The rock was Peter's confession of the apostolic doctrine that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Thou art the Christ, he says. And Jesus says, Yes, upon this rock I will build my church.

20:36 In Acts chapter 14, when the apostles were building the churches, verses 21 to 23, they went in and they preached the gospel and they made disciples and then they organized those disciples into churches based on their commitment to walk with one another. And this is evident from the fact that when they went back, they ordained for them elders in every church. Someone today, because of the widespread lack of acquaintance with the biblical teaching about church doctrine might ask, Well, how can you prove from the Bible that there is even any such thing as church membership? I'll get to that in a minute.

21:15 The point is there is. The church is a religious organization. It's not just any group of people that gets together and says, Here we are. Jesus Christ is in our midst.

21:25 It's not just every Bible study is not the church. But every religious organization which names the name church is not the church. There are such things as once churches indwelled by the Holy Spirit that have so deteriorated as to become nothing less than synagogues of Satan in which there are more demons present than Christ. And Christ does not indwell them and Christ does not animate them.

21:53 But Christ has spewed them from his mouth and had them. The spirit of Christ has departed from them because of their apostasy and wickedness. And that also is not the church. So you see, the church has a dual essence.

22:08 It is a religious organization. And without distinction, this religious commitment and this public confession and this communal agreement to walk together in ecclesiastical life, there's no church. And yet that's not enough. In and of itself, that doesn't constitute the church.

22:29 There also must be the presence of the living Christ by his Holy Spirit indwelling and animating that group so committed. So it is both a religious organization and a spiritual organism indwelt by the living Christ, by the Holy Spirit. But that brings me thirdly to the collective form of the church.

23:13 Can you see that? Even if you can't see, you say, what is it? I've tried to leave enough room to do this. Each one of these little circles is a church.

23:29 That is, a local church. And when you sum all of these churches together, you come up with the church. And in particular, if you take the sum beginning at the church in Jerusalem and you go all the way to the end and all the churches there when Jesus Christ returns again, and you sum all the churches in every society and in every age, all the true churches with their religious organization and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and you take the entire collection of all of them, that's the universal church. Now you say, how do you get this collective idea of the church from the scriptures?

24:09 Well, turn with me please to the book of Galatians chapter 1. Book of Galatians chapter 1. And it's interesting, many things about the identity of the church are revealed in the most subtle manner. The word church is found in the New Testament in reference to the church some 110 times.

24:41 And really the only way that you can identify what the church really is, is to go through each one of those subtle little passages and eventually, like all the pieces, you need all the pieces. There are no big pieces that define it all by themselves. You need all those little pieces put together and you get the general idea. And you say, you don't really go through all 110 of those passages.

25:03 Well, you doubt that. Ask the academy students whether we do. We certainly do. We go through the whole 110 of them.

25:09 And then based on that, we try to come up with a definition. Obviously, I can't do that this morning. But I want to just take one little piece of the puzzle. Because this is the clearest piece which shows how in its subtlety and its simplicity, the apostles in their thinking thought of the church as composed of the churches.

25:30 Now see how they just express it naturally. And here the apostle Paul is giving his testimony. And in giving his testimony, he winds up teaching the collective form of the church. See how he puts it.

25:43 Verse 13, for you have heard of my manner of life and past time in the Jews religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and made havoc of it. I persecuted the church of God. Whom did he persecute? Answer the church of God.

26:10 Correct. Now he goes on later and he tells his testimony and he goes on and then he says in verse 21. Then I came unto the regions of Syria and Cilicia and I was still unknown by face unto the churches of Judea. Plural.

26:33 Which were in Christ but they, that is the churches of Judea, only heard say, he that once persecuted now preaches the faith of which he once made havoc. Whom did he persecute? Us. Who's us?

27:00 The churches of Judea. The church of God in verse 13 equals the churches of Judea in verse 22 and 23. The church equals the churches. Now that's how he speaks.

27:22 He speaks collectively. Of the church of God in verse 13. And sometimes that collection only includes the churches of a given region at a given time as is the case in this passage. Because he that once persecuted us.

27:40 Paul didn't persecute the church at Corinth. Although some of them thought he did. He didn't persecute the church at Corinth. He didn't persecute the churches in Galatia.

27:48 So the church of God in verse 13 only refers to that collection of the churches in Judea. But you find the principle of the collective identity of the church in the passage. And he uses that same principle of the church viewed collectively not only here but when he speaks of the church in every generation. There he's speaking of the collection of all the churches.

28:15 Not only the churches in Judea but the Gentile churches and the churches that would exist all over the face of the earth in every generation until Jesus Christ returns. And when it is used in that sense in Ephesians 3 and verses 20 and 21 that's the broadest sense in which this collective idea of the church is used. So you have the idea of the universal church which is the churches in the broadest sense. And includes all of the true churches organized according to the apostolic confession and animated by the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit of God.

28:55 It is the collection of all those true churches from way back to the first church in Jerusalem all the way to the last churches on the earth when Jesus Christ will return. So these are the things that I wanted to say in terms of the foundation. You have to have these three things straight. The church is a community which has experienced the accomplishment and application of redemption.

29:19 The church in its very essence is both religious organization and a spiritual organism. And the church is one in many. It is individual, local and it is universal collective in its form. If you'd understand ecclesiology these are the foundational things which you have to grasp.

29:40 Now you could have many other questions. You might like a definition of the church. You don't want to memorize the definition that the academy students get I'll tell you that. But I can tell you this much.

29:50 The church is the disciples of Jesus of Jesus Christ. The church is a glorious spiritual society which is promised and pictured in the Old Testament. And the church is part of a larger whole. It is a part the earthly visible part of the kingdom of God.

30:11 It is a part the new covenant part on earth of the people of God. It is a part of those people who are the sons of God the righteous the saints the godly the just the faithful. Some of them in heaven. It is a part of a whole larger society.

30:28 It is a promised glorious fulfillment of the pictures and types of the Old Testament the temple and the priesthood and the various other pictures that I won't go into. And it is a community of people who are the disciples of Jesus. Now having said those things by way of the foundational perspectives I move in the second place to consider the universal church which is to consider the universal church principles. And at this point you can see now that my organizing principle is to move from considering the universal or collective church to then considering the local or individual churches.

Universal Church Principles: Gospel Catholicity and Perpetual Purity

31:11 Universal church principles. And it is interesting that our own confession of faith and here our confession of faith is unique and you need to understand this. It is here most unlike the Westminster Confession and most unlike the Savoy Declaration both of which it was based upon. The Westminster Confession in the chapter on the church has only several paragraphs and so does the Savoy.

31:40 But our chapter 26 has 15 paragraphs. The first four of those paragraphs are parallel to the previous reform confessions. They deal with the subject of universal church policy but the last I guess it would be 11th of those paragraphs focus upon local church policy. Local church policy is given a place among the things most surely believed among us.

32:13 Our forefathers recognized this distinction. You must first have your universal church principles and then growing out of that your local church policy. And they said as far as local church policy is concerned we believe that that too is given to us in the word of God. And our perspectives on local church policy are regarded as the things most surely believed among us even as our perspectives on universal church principles.

32:52 So because we believe in this pre-membership class in fact I don't think I will even be able to read it all but at least I want you to understand its structure and development so that when you read it you can see how they develop their thought and why they included what they did. Now first of all then as these are covered in the first four paragraphs of chapter 26 even as the last eleven paragraphs focus upon local church policy. Now with

33:36 reference to our universal church principles the first principle by which we operate as is set forth in chapter 26 paragraphs one and two is what I have called the gospel catholicity see how it is put the catholic or universal church which with respect to the internal work of the spirit and truth of grace may be called invisible consists of the whole number of the

34:21 elect that have been or are to him that and paragraph two all persons throughout the world professing the faith of the gospel and obedience to God by Christ according to it and not destroying their own profession by errors averting the foundation or unholiness of conversation that is lifestyle are and may be called by God to be and the entire world is the only church of

35:05 Christ and for the whole world is the only church of God the only church of God and church on earth. Furthermore, we do not believe that Reformed Baptist churches are the only true churches. Let me say this plainly. Reformed Baptist churches are not the only true churches on earth.

35:37 We believe that every religious organization which has a valid religious commitment to Christ and which is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, no matter what denomination it is associated with, is a true church of Jesus Christ. We believe in evangelical or gospel catholicity. And it has nothing to do with language. And it has nothing to do with race. But every true church

36:13 is united to every other true church. And this great glorious unity, though it may be masked now by language and sin and doctrinal differences, nevertheless, this great unity of the one Catholic Church of Christ will be manifested in its glory in the last day when Jesus Christ shall come and then all shall be gathered together into one. So we are not landmarkers, as they are called. And therefore, we have love toward and we identify with every true church.

36:56 We are a true church of Christ, no matter what denomination, language or race or location. And as far as we can do so with good conscience, we are prepared to cooperate with them in the spread of the gospel and in bringing glory and honor to the name of Jesus Christ. Now that's the foundational universal church principle by which we operate. It is evangelical catholicity.

37:27 But there is a second principle. And that is the principle of perpetual purity.

37:34 One Catholic holy Church. And this is expressed in paragraph 3. The purest churches under Heaven are subject to mixture and error. And some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ but synagogues of Satan.

37:53 Nevertheless, Christ always has had his holy church. had and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in Him and make profession of His name. Paul speaks of the church being present in every generation until Christ's return. He also speaks of the church as the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. The Lord Jesus said, upon this rock I shall build my church, and the gates of hell

38:28 shall not prevail against it. The church is seen as on the offensive, a besieging army, a besieged city, and the church of Christ shall have victory. It shall conquer and prevail.

38:50 Now, we do not have a pessimistic and dispensational view of the church any more than we have a provincial view and landmark view of the church. We do not believe that the church is doomed to ultimate failure. We do not believe that we should get out of the church and stay away from organized religion. We do not believe that at all. Rather, we believe

39:13 in the perpetual purity of the church of Jesus Christ. The church has a strategic role, a crucial role to play throughout this entire age until Christ comes in the spread of the gospel as pillar and ground of the truth. And therefore, victory is assured. Yes, every true church has sinned. Every true church has its

39:42 problems. We conduct our church affairs with realism, but also with optimism and hope that the church is not a failure and cannot be a failure. But Christ will supply her with everything she needs to do what he has called her to do. And he will keep her in holiness and he will preserve her in her place until he comes. This

40:12 is our perspective with which we approach universal church principles. Now, we cannot guarantee that Trinity Baptist Church will be here till Christ comes. And whether Trinity Baptist Church be here or not, this much we can tell you, the church of Christ will be here and Christ will see to it that she will be victorious. And we will see that she will be victorious. And we will see that she

Universal Church Principles: Protestant Apostolicity

40:34 will be victorious and shall prevail. And then the third principle is what we could call a Protestant.

40:47 I was afraid I couldn't even say it, let alone spell it. But as long as it's up there, you might as well learn it because the church has been. These have been these have been the principles throughout the Reformation period that have been recognized as the principles of the church. One holy Catholic apostolic church. I've got a little different order. One Catholic. That's evangelical Catholicity.

41:17 Holy. That's perpetual purity. And now apostolic. That has to do with the headship of the church.

41:25 And in our view of the headship of the church, we are not Roman Catholic, but we are Protestant. In view of our apostolic leadership, in view of the our view of the apostolic leadership, the headship of the church is reformed and not Roman Catholic. See how this is put in paragraph four. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church in whom by the appointment of the father, all power for the calling institution, order or government of the church is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner.

42:03 Jesus Christ is the head and he rules through his apostles whom he sent to govern and order. The church. The church. An apostolic succession does not come through literal bloodlines and then apostolic succession comes through the preservation of the writings of the apostles in the word of God. I am holding in my hand the proof of apostolic succession. Here are the writings of the apostles. Generation after generation after generation. The apostles are still here governing the church through their writings, even as they did.

42:40 The church. The church. The church. when they were alive in their words.

42:44 And the writings of the apostles by which the church is governed shall be preserved until Christ comes. There are no other living apostles today.

42:55 And we take this stand very clearly in this paragraph as well. Since Jesus Christ is the head and He runs the church through His apostles, neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof. But is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition that exalts himself in the church against Christ and all that is called God, whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of His coming?

43:28 Whatever else may be said about this paragraph, and I do not intend to get into any of that this morning, one thing is clear. We are committed to a position which is not ecumenical.

43:42 It is abundantly clear that Roman Catholicism, is an anti-Christian system which is set against God and set against the Word of God and which is irreconcilable with Christ as the head of the church and the apostles through their writings governing the church until Christ comes. Our view of apostolicity is Protestant and not Roman Catholic. Well, then I must say this. What does this mean then?

44:12 Do we hate Catholics? I tell you, no, we don't hate Catholics. We don't hate Catholics. The Apostle Paul pretty much describes what our attitude toward Catholics is in Romans chapter 10, verse 1.

44:32 Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, for being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

45:04 That's our attitude. We bear the record they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God's righteousness and justification by faith and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they do not submit. To the righteousness of God, which is by faith in Jesus Christ to everyone who believes so that acceptance with God is not on the basis of works, but it is by faith.

45:34 So if you're here, you're visiting, you're a Roman Catholic, we don't hate you. We love you. We want you to be saved through the gospel,

45:46 through the gospel like we have been.

45:50 We think that we're sinners by nature and we think that you're a sinner by nature. And we think that our only hope is through the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ. And we think that's your only hope. You have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

46:06 You can't be accepted with God on the basis of your own works and merit.

46:13 Only through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

46:17 So we are committed Protestants and we are not ashamed of it. And we are not interested in being involved in any ecumenical movement which would take us away from our confessional commitment to Protestantism.

Local Church Polity: Membership Requirements and Basis

46:31 And to that form of apostolicity. But now I hasten on. I come to my third Roman numeral.

46:41 Now I knew that I wouldn't be able to read all these paragraphs, but chapter 26, verses 5, paragraphs 5 to 15 focus upon the subject of our local church policy.

46:57 And I would like to highlight four areas. Our policy of membership, our policy of leadership, our policy of discipline, our policy of associations. And you can see the appropriate paragraph numbers. Our policy of membership, paragraph 6, of leadership, paragraphs 8 to 10, of discipline, paragraphs 12 and 13, of associations, paragraphs 14 and 15.

47:26 First of all, our policy of membership. Now here I told you I was going to say something about it. But someone might say, well, how can you even say that there isn't, there isn't such a thing as a right to have church membership? See, we live in a day when the thinking of many has been twisted by easy believism and by me-ism.

47:49 That I am the center of life and the whole of my religious experience and reality has to do with me and me alone. That's not right. And so we have even the questioning of whether there should be such a thing as membership today. But the Bible speaks of members.

48:05 It says, you are members one of another. The Bible speaks of overseers. It says, feed the church of the Lord in which the Holy Spirit made you bishops. And He appointed for them elders in every church.

48:24 Now, how are they supposed to know who to feed? How are they supposed to know who's under their oversight if there's no such thing as membership?

48:34 Furthermore, discipline is established in Matthew 18. How are you going to have discipline if you don't know who is liable to discipline? Are you going to make anybody that shows up in the church on a Sunday morning liable to discipline? Would you like that?

48:51 You show up here, we're going to discipline you if you do anything we don't like. Would you like that arrangement? No, no, no, no, we can't have that. Well, that's right.

48:59 So how are you going to know who to put under discipline if you don't have membership and you don't have an identity of who belongs to God? And who doesn't belong? Then you have a statement in Acts chapter 9 where the Apostle Paul in Acts 9.26 assayed to join himself to the disciples.

49:22 Now, how do you join something if you don't have membership?

49:25 He tried to join. In other words, it wasn't enough for him just to show up and say, here I am. He wanted to belong. He tried to join the disciples.

49:38 And then you have increase in number. The church is grew.

49:43 Well, I guess they could count who belong then. Right? Well, how can you count them if you don't know who to count? So you have growth and you have joining and you have members and you have discipline and you have oversight and if you don't have membership you can't have any of that.

50:02 So first of all, the Bible abundantly clearly teaches that there is such a thing as church membership. We haven't just made this up. But the Bible clearly teaches and requires it. Well, then what are the requirements for membership?

50:21 Well, the requirements for membership are five and some of them we've considered already. And I don't have room to write it.

50:30 Here's where it goes. One, the fact, the biblical basis for membership and two, the requirements.

50:39 Now, how am I going to write little A, B, C, D, and E in there? Do it. Therefore, you do it on your paper. I'm going to tell you what they are.

50:49 Little A, B, C, D, and E. Little A, B, C, D, and E. Little A, B, C, D, and E. Little A, B, C, D, and E.

50:49 Little A, there's a spiritual requirement which is conversion. If you are not converted, you cannot be a member of the church. Little B, there's a social requirement which is adulthood. If you're still a minor, a child, a little boy or a little girl, you cannot be a member of the church.

51:08 Thirdly, there is a ceremonial requirement which is baptism. In order to become a member of the church, you must be baptized. There is, fourthly, an organizational requirement which is you must be prepared publicly to make a commitment to honor our confession of faith and our constitution. This is based on the need for unity.

51:31 And fifthly, there is a logistical requirement which is residency. You have to live here. That's why the Apostle Paul speaks of a church of Thessalonians which is inhabitants of Thessalonica. They lived in Thessalonica.

51:46 You've got to live here. Now we have some exceptions to that. We have temporary membership for temporary residency. We have associate membership for former residents and members who become non-residents under unusual circumstances.

51:59 So we have certain exceptions with reference to residency for various difficulties and problems which I'm not going to get into. But basically, you have five different requirements. A spiritual requirement, a social requirement, a ceremonial requirement, an organizational requirement, and a logistical requirement. You have to be converted.

52:18 You have to be grown up. You have to be baptized. You have to be willing to be committed to our confession and constitution. And you have to be a resident of our area.

52:28 That's what you must do in order to join the church. With reference to the duties and privileges,

52:37 before I get into duties and privileges, several weeks ago, you say, well, where do you get the basis for all these requirements? You just threw this stuff out in the air. Well, I basically covered many of these things several weeks ago on the 15th of March. And since, now here's where I get away with it.

52:51 Since you were all here for the pre-membership class, you already have that material. Therefore, I don't have to go prove it again. Right?

Local Church Polity: Leadership and Discipline

53:01 So, that's why I don't. As far as the duties and privileges are concerned, the duties and privileges, the next four sessions, the next four sessions, God willing, the final four sessions will focus upon the duties and privileges of membership. Well, I must have moved quickly now because our time is rapidly passing away. What is our policy of leadership?

53:24 Our policy of leadership, as I said before, is Presbyterian. We have two offices, elder and deacon. And this is all spelled out in our confession, chapter 26, paragraphs 8 to 10. With reference to the eldership, we have a parity of office and we have a parity.

53:43 How am I going to explain that to you? That means that all the elders are equal in office. They are equal in rank. They are peers in authority.

53:53 And they function together in a as an eldership. That is, no one elder sets the policy of the church, but it is the eldership together and collectively which has the authority to bear rule in the church. And all of the elders are part of that eldership, equal in rank and peers in authority. But there's a diversity among the elders.

54:15 There's a diversity of calling and gift and labor. Not all the elders have the same calling or life's labor. Some are set apart to preach and to do the work. And some are laboring at an ordinary or, quote, secular, quote, calling.

54:33 Though all the elders have the same office, all do not have the same calling, gift, and function. And then there's a third thing which marks our policy. We have two offices, elder and deacon. We have an eldership marked by parity and by diversity.

54:50 But then we also have congregational suffrage in our church. It is a It is the people that recognize and appoint by their secret vote, both the elders and the deacons. It is the people who recognize and appoint. And they must recognize the gifts and graces.

55:14 And they must, by their suffrage, vote to express that recognition publicly. And it is through the suffrage of the people that men are placed into the office of the deacon. The office of elder and deacon. But then comes our policy of discipline.

55:33 Our policy of discipline is this. If you become a member of this church, you are all under the discipline of this church. You are under church order. You are under church censures.

55:47 You could be disciplined. You could be publicly reproved. You could have some of the privileges of membership suspended. You could be excommunicated if you live in a way which is wicked.

55:58 And carnal and contrary to the word of God. And I want you to know that up front.

56:06 Everybody is under discipline. And furthermore, if you are offended at somebody, our confession says, this is what you mustn't do. This is what's so sad to see people do this. People get offended.

56:17 They get hurt by something. They say, well, I'm going to leave the church. I'm not going to come back. You don't do that.

56:23 You get offended. You get hurt. You follow the procedures which Christ has set forth in his word for dealing with the church. Dealing with your offenses.

56:32 Somebody offends you, you go to them. They don't listen, you take two or three others. You eventually tell it to the church. You stay in the church and work the thing out.

56:42 That's part of the way we must proceed with reference to discipline. And we want you to understand that right up front. You don't just walk away upset and mad because somebody did something or said something you don't like.

56:58 You work it out. That's what discipline is all about. That's our policy of discipline. And that's what discipline is all about.

Local Church Polity: Associations and Conclusion

57:04 It's spelled out in chapter 26, paragraphs 12 and 13. Finally, associations. And this is spelled out in 26, 14, and 15. We are in fellowship with an association called the Reformed Baptist Association.

57:18 We have communion with other Reformed Baptist churches, not only in that association, but throughout this country and around the world. Our fellowship is composed of we pray for each other, we communicate to each other, we cooperate with each other in terms of such work as the academy for ministerial training, as missionary work, sending churches, and supporting churches. These are the things wherein our inter-church fellowship consists. With reference to the difficulties that might come up, either in one church or among the churches, we are committed to respect one another's discipline and order.

57:55 We are committed to trust one another and to transparency with one another. And according to our confession, if there are difficulties that arise to seek help, we are to seek advice and counsel, and to seek to have the advice and counsel of other churches and servants of Christ help us through our either individual difficulties that we can't solve on our own, that we've gone through our procedures, or difficulties or doctrinal errors that concern more than one congregation. No church is an island, but though we get counsel and advice from other churches, it doesn't mean that the churches give up their independency. Each church still remains independent.

58:35 Well, that is all I have to say about this. Thank you for watching. We'll see you next time. God bless you.

58:39 God bless you.

59:05 And be a benefit to others as well as yourself. Benefit spiritually from it. Let us pray.

59:15 Our Father, we give you thanks for the church of Jesus Christ. We give you thanks for the wonderful privilege of being part of your church. We thank, O God, of what we were, what you've done for us to make us part of your church on earth. Blessed be your name.

59:33 We pray, O God, that we might glorify you as a church, that those who come into our mission would stand with us committed to these things, that you would receive the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever. Amen.