The Confession of Faith (36)

In the first sentence of this present article, our fathers emphasized the necessity of a person coming into an office in the church only in a lawful way. Now a serious warning is added, namely, “Therefore every one must take heed, not to intrude himself by indecent means, but is bound to wait till it shall please God to call him.” It is sad that our fathers had to write this, but in the practice of daily life this situation arises and does take place for various reasons.

It is possible to come into an office of the church in our own strength, without being called by the Lord. This is a serious offence against the Lord, who calls His office bearers to serve His church. It can also be from ambition that we desire an office or that we think it will profit us. These are then wolves in sheep clothing, who think only of themselves and not about the honor of the Lord. They swear a false oath when they give their answer to the question as to whether they are called by the Lord. Of them Jeremiah says, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.”

Another wrong way to come into an office in the church is through presents and gifts. We all know of Simon the sorcerer, who tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, offering money for it. From his name and action, the word “simony” is derived, which means the selling of a church office. This was once common in the church of Rome, and I recently read that it still takes place today. I have no proof of it, but it is possible. I would hope that there are none among the readers of this article, whether young or old, who would walk in such paths.

On the other hand, we cannot deny that there are those who think that their life is a failure if they do not come into an office of the church. When a little something is felt of the responsibility of this office before the Lord, it would be with fear and trembling that a person accepts the call to the office. In general, it is better to hear of candidates who are afraid, than to hear of those who think they are able to do it. In the Bible we find this to be so in most instances.

I hope that among our young readers there are those who have a true desire for the service of the Lord, and ask, “What must a person do who has a desire to have such an office?” According to this article, based upon God’s Word, we must wait until the Lord calls to the office. That is certain. However, I may also say to their encouragement that it is not unbiblical to have a desire for an office. Paul wrote to Timothy, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” Think only of Isaiah; when the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered, “Here am I; send me.”

The prophet knew he was called by the Lord, and this is also mentioned in our article: “That he may have testimony of his calling, and be certain and assured that it is of the Lord.” This is very important for the person in his own life to know that the Lord has called him. I remember that one of God’s servants told me how important this is, especially in days of strife, so that one could plead upon it, “Lord, Thou hast called me.” Many people think the office in the church is always an easy life, but this is not true. They must experience time and again the attacks of the three-headed enemy.

Here we have another point which we find in our churches, namely, that a person who feels he is called to the ministry must be able to give a testimony of it before the Curatorium. The Curatorium has received the authority to hear these persons on behalf of the churches; it takes place with a praying heart that the Lord might remember them in mercy. How necessary it is that throughout the whole year this be remembered in church and home. If it really becomes a matter of prayer, then the Lord could do wonders. He is the Giver of prayer, of true prayer; He cannot refuse His own work.

In the following sentences our fathers stated that all ministers have the same power and authority. It is evident that they were concerned lest hierarchy develop, which is a ruling body of clergy organized into orders or ranks, each subordinate to the one above it. It is no wonder that this is mentioned, as they had the sad experience of it in the church of Rome. There the clergy stood above the people, but also the clergy itself was divided into groups and classes. Simply stated, the priests owed responsibility to the bishops and the bishops to the pope. This is against God’s Word, for the Lord Jesus said, “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” All ministers are the same, but age does make a difference. The greatest reward is to receive the approval of the Lord in our heart when we with His help may fulfill our duty according to His will and Word. The view of the Reformers (contrary to Rome and Luther) was that as much as possible, ministers should receive the same salary and the same honor.

This parity is also in force for elders and deacons. All are called by the Lord to His service, and they labor in the same vineyard. One is called earlier than the other, but all will receive the reward of faithful servants, namely, life eternal. However, it is not the office which brings salvation but only the grace of God.

This article ends with the stipulation to honor office bearers because of their work in the vineyard of the Lord. We find this also stated in the form of ordination. In the course of years, much has changed in this respect. In former centuries the church was hurt by too much reverence to the clergy; at times they almost received divine honor, and this brought a darkness in the church. In our days the church is also hurt, but then in an opposite way, namely, lack of appreciation. Idolatry is forbidden, also of ministers, elders, and deacons; in the same way we must condemn the abuse of the church offices as it often takes place in our times.

The development of this can be seen in the families. Where there is little or no respect by the parents for the offices in the church, the children go further, giving problems in catechism class and Sunday school. It is true, the office bearers are human beings with many shortcomings. However, we must remember that our fathers have written that we should honor them for the sake of their office, and this is based upon the Word of God. If this is not done, it is often regretted later; usually the children leave the truth and, humanly speaking, will be lost. The father or mother is basically the guilty one in such sad events. Often in our days we are warned against “junk food,” which undermines our health and makes us susceptible to disease; if we give our children poison, we cannot expect them to survive. Likewise, when we undermine the authority of the offices, we undermine the spiritual welfare of our children, which is a very serious trespass.

With the apostle we must say, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Earthly kings usually take the best educated to be their servants. The Lord does not always do so; no, most of the time it is the opposite. He often takes of the less important ones to do great things in the kingdom of heaven. Then we will not honor the person who is used by the Lord but will honor the Lord only, who is the origin of all blessings. We have, also, a Paul and a Moses in the history of the church, who have been of great profit.

May the Lord remember us also in the offices, sending us men in His favor.

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