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NASB | Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ's return] approaching. |
Subject: Church membership scriptural? |
Bible Note: Dear Brother Jeff, Ecclesiology is an interesting study. Much could be written on the topic, even if we were going to limit it solely to church government. We are granted some latitude by Scripture, to implement infrastructure in an effort to apply what the Word teaches. Our conscience should be bound only by Scripture, not cultural presuppositions. I fear that our Baptist inclination to vote on every single thing is more the latter than the former. On the other hand, the early divines in Historic Baptist churches drew from the Scriptures at least the following principles: 1. Churches are to be considered local congregations. This is why we eschew denominationalism or other forms of governing bodies that might interfere with the authority of the local church. (See London Baptist Confession of Faith, chapter 26, paragraph 7) 2. A local congregation consists of elders (plural), deacons, and members. (See LBCF, 26-8) Note: You might find it interesting to read there about the required responsibilities of each. 3. Christ Himself appoints elders and they must be "chosen and called out to that office by the common suffrage of the church itself." (See LBCF, 26-9) Deacons are also "to be chosen by the common suffrage of the church, and set apart by prayer and the laying on of hands." If you read the confession, you'll see the specific Scripture passages on which these assertions are made. (Confessions are really little more than assertions drawn from Scripture and organized in a fashion useful for reference.) Voting has its roots in this idea of "common suffrage." Acts 6:1-6 gives the first account of the selection of deacons (from the Greek "to wait upon") by those for whom they would serve. If you examine the roots of the word "ordain" in Acts 14:23 you will uncover what is likely an early form of "the counting of hands" in the selection of elders. So, the short answer to your question is this: There are, indeed, Scriptural reasons for having the church as a whole vote. The church contains both wheat and tares. Even the "wheat" can be disobedient and rebellious at times. Since we lack the proper respect for authority, it should not surprise us when we see these abuses. We even lack fear for the Lord, so it is to be expected that we will not properly honor those appointed to shepherd the flock. In Him, Doc |