Our Salvation!

"You have a such a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your own tradition!" Mark 7:9

It is for absolute certain no man, woman nor child has ever been saved by the hearing of a sermon. We are saved by Jesus Christ. What we, as mainstream Christianity, have dispensed to the masses in the name of Christ often proves itself to be far from what Christ, Himself, called us to. Are we to sit and listen to a monologue once a week and be content to call this the active and living Body of Christ? How many times have you heard the fella behind you snore (or woken yourself up with your own) in church? Christ wasn't crucified because He bored people! Christians should not be passive! This, then, is a call to action.

How often are men and women buried by an avalanche of tradition that started with their great-grandfather's whisper or sneeze? The last five hundred years of Protestant (and a good deal of Catholic) worship has centered its worship service on the sermon but few ask why this is so. Now, the sermon is a fine thing, but I ask, how much of your Christian life is gauged on how this week's sermon spoke to you? Just as we noted in an earlier post on "the Church," I dare you to ask yourself how much of your spiritual life hinges on a place, building or 30 minute sermon given by a man whom many regard as 'God's liaison.' The sermon may be very important but it has its place and cannot be the Christian's staple food. The sermon does a great thing to call in new converts and to educate and edify older ones, but does little for the actual growth of the mature Christian(1). How do we exercise Christ's body if the only organ we use are our ears?

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Martin Luther (whom I almost otherwise admire in every way) said that the only organ of the Christian was the ear(2). Yikes! Did he not read Paul thoroughly enough? Is the eye to say to the foot, I don't need you? Should the hand play the part of the stomach? No! What part of the Body are you? Are you what Luther called you, naught but an ear? I hope not.

As for my remark about 'God's liaison,' I know most pastors and clergy cringe at that idea. I do not mean to speak flippantly nor insult those called by God. I feel "the call" just as most clergy, to give my whole life to Christ. Let us honestly carry out these lines of thought to their Biblical conclusion. As many in Church history have pointed out, the clergy/laity divide has done more damage to the Body of Christ than perhaps any other thing. It reduces God's New Creature to castes, a higher class, where clergy are viewed as "more spiritual," those who perhaps have a bigger inheritance in God's Kingdom than the common and passive pew-a'fixed man or woman. After all, "clergy" comes from "kleros" (a word not in the NT) that means, "a share, portion, inheritance" and laity simply means "the people."

The clergy that we know nowadays is still important, mind you, but only because most Protestant congregations would be wandering the hills without a pastor. There are three reasons for this. One, some have become complacent within the church and want to be spoon feed religion. Whatever. Two, we confuse the difference between what God has given us through the Spirit and the traditions of our father's fathers. Third and most telling, we are afraid of a personal encounter with the Living God - this is a fear as old as the Exodus! Israel cried out to Moses to speak on God's behalf and be their prophet because they feared the very voice of God. That fear still lives on today.
Clearly elders, church planters, teachers, prophets (not telling the future but expounding God's word) are needed and they should be introducing us to Christ and instructing us, yes, but not leading us. That is for Jesus, Himself. I simply ask that we "laymen" (and women!) not look to clergy for our salvation! Our salvation is for Christ alone, and He is the head of us! Be not afraid of the voice of God and His Spirit that indwells you. We must trust in Him.

Has it never struck us that a passive laity means a separated Body? Must we go through a specific person, a pastor or priest in order to connect to our Lord? That is Old Covenant! Christ told us not to call any man, "Father" because we all have One Father, in heaven(3). The clergy was formed for a long list of reasons though none Biblical. But in the modern church, it isn't just the clergy I argue against, it is the laity I would urge to action! We forget that we are all a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2; 1 Cor. 12-14) We know what Christ says. That is why Jerome compiled the Bible for us: not to win converts, but to reinforce the apostolic teachings and so we would have the words of our Lord in our hands. The Holy Spirit is to be present in our meetings and Christ is to be the head of us. We stifle the Spirit when we refuse to let Him work and speak and minister to us and to each other.

Ignatius, an elder in the early Church (around 100 - 130) wrote some pretty startling letters to "churches" stating the importance of the Bishops and the roles they were to play. Clearly he was trying to clip heresy in the bud but obviously it didn't work. In fact, most heresies and cults have been started because one man could sway a crowd and drag them down with him to the depths of hell(4). People all too often confuse emotion for spirituality and this leads to the horror of heresy and danger of false prophets. Jonathan Edwards once noted that emotions are transient and cannot be used to measure one's relationship with God. (5) We are too easily swayed when we aren't standing on God's Word. Joseph Smiths and David Koreshes are a plenty, but their voices are drowned out when the rush of the Holy Spirit is truly active and present in the Church gathering! Paul tells us that all are to speak and share and he would that all could prophesy, but that when one speaks, the others should discern. If a brother speaks what is not true, correct him and if he won't accept correction, do not let him in your home. I suggest we all reread 1 Corinthians 12-14. This gives a great example of how the active Church should be seen... and I doubt any of them were sitting on pews.

If only one man speaks and we look to him for our Christian livelihood, we are disobeying Christ! No one is to be above the other, "He who would be first must be last." This doesn't mean that one man should be a servant to many, that is too much! O, the strain we have put on pastors with our naive and immature whinings! No wonder pastors resign at such an alarming rate. (Check out The Barna Group for statistics.)

One man is not to play the part of the whole Body and the rest but listen. Christ would not have this, and if you think He would, you should read your NT again. Matthew 20:25-28 is a great start. Pastors (a word used ONCE in the NT) and elders, shepherds, etc, are not positions but functions. We are all ministers. Get out and work. Live the Body! We are not spiritual pew-potatoes (I can't take credit for that, but I love it) but we are the hands and feet! Hands and feet move and work. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling!

Next (and last in this series): Against the Flow

(1) F.F. Bruce, F. Senn, White, Viola, Barna,to name a few.
(2) Luther's Works 29:224
(3) Matthew 23:9,10
(4) I agree with Grant and Alexander Hay that Rev. 2:6 (Christ's denouncing of the Nicolaitans) refers directly to "lording over a laity" - Nicolaitane literally means "conquering the people" Nikos, "to conquer over" and Laos, "the people."
(5) White, Protestant Worship and Church Architecture, 19)