"Some Modern Attitudes Toward Authority"
Most of our ills and troubles can be directly traced to a lack of respect for authority. Since the church today is being troubled with many questions on this subject, it is indeed an important one to study. When the church becomes "lawless" (which is lack of respect for God's authority) all sorts of mischief gets in. Jesus said that he would tell many in the judgment ". . . . depart from me ye that work iniquity . ..." (Matt. 7:22.) The apostle Paul said that in his time the mystery of iniquity already was beginning to work. (2 Thess. 2:7.) In Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon we learn that the word translated iniquity means lawlessness. This lawlessness in the first centuries of the church resulted in the forming of that apostate body known as the Roman Catholic Church.
The lack of respect for authority in the local congregations can be found in several forms: Some have the attitude that the elders are only their elected representatives. This is as far from the truth as anything could be. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account . .. ." (Heb. 13:17.) The men who have been appointed to the office of a bishop are not just representatives of the people but rather they are the authority in the local congregation in matters of incidentals. Also they have to enforce the scriptural teaching of the apostles in matters of faith.
Another attitude of disrespect for the authority of the elders is the modern trend for majority rule. Many believe that the decisions of the congregation can be made with a majority vote of the members. This places the vote of an immature child or a babe in Christ in opposition to the decisions of a mature, godly man. Of course, this is not God's arrangement. Some congregations are so enamoured with this idea, that even though they have men qualified for the eldership, they will not have them. They want majority rule regardless of God's order. The elders are the ones who must give account, but can they err? Of course they can. If and when they do, what is to be the attitude of the members of the congregation? We are to entreat them as fathers, pointing out from the scriptures wherein they have erred. They then have an obligation to submit to the teaching of God's word, just as all of us must. Majority rule is from the evil one. It cannot work anything but harm on the congregation that practices it. Many things can be voted in by the unlearned that are against God's will, with this system.
Even as there is a break-down in respect for the authority of the local congregation's elders, there is a growing disrespect for the authority of Christ in the church universal. This is expressed in the modern schemes which would have the church universal operate in matters of benevolence and preaching. This problem has caused division in the body once before, and I am afraid we are going to let it happen again. The elders of the congregation of the Lord's church have been commissioned to oversee the ". . . . flock which is among them . . . ." by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:2. Many congregations along with their elders have no respect for their limitations in this matter. This is expressed in the many promotions and schemes among us to force the churches to federate under the oversight of one eldership. If any-one can show where the elders of one congregation have the right to receive and disburse the funds of other congregations to a work that they all have an equal relationship to, then we will have an end to the present troubles. The elders of many congregations believe and practice the idea that their oversight extends anywhere they might want to work. When they establish the work of the Lord in a new field, they oversee this work regardless of the limits that the apostle Peter has placed upon them. The problem is not one of a few preachers "fussing" over methods, but rather the usurping of the authority belonging to Christ.
If one eldership has the right (given them by the scriptures, not usurped) to oversee one member of any other congregation, then they have the right to oversee all the members of all other congregations. If not, why not? Roman and denominational diocesan forms of church government are then right, so let's quit messing around in these things and do it right. Are any of the promotional brethren ready for this consequence? If we let down the bar that God has placed between the church and the world and take matters into our own hands, we then authorize (?) and allow anything and everything that might come into the church. Denominational preachers have been unwilling to accept the consequences of their arguments for many years. Now the shoe is on the feet of some of our own brethren. (What arguments are you now going to use against the digressives?) Are you willing to allow one congregation to oversee all the preaching work of the churches? If a congregation in Texas has the right to oversee even one congregation in Germany or Japan, are they not by the same authority (?) able to oversee them all? If they are able to oversee all of the congregations there, are they not able to oversee all the congregations everywhere? The question is not is it right to do mission work, because the scriptures teach that we are to plant the gospel everywhere and anywhere we can. The question is, have the elders the right to go beyond their God-given authority in doing this. This is the question that must be answered.
How is one congregation going to help establish the work in another place? Could anything be more simple than the Bible plan? Send directly to the preacher in the field. (Phil. 4:16.) Can other congregations help in this if their help is needed? Again, can anything be more simple than the arrangement made in the scriptures for such a matter? "I robbed other churches taking wages of them to do you service." (2 Cor. 11:8.) Why should we want to do it some other way? Is it not a lack of respect for the authority of the Bible. Elders are not immune to this any more than members are. They need teaching on the subject.
Only three fields of work have been authorized by the head of the church. These are: (1) Preaching, Matt. 28:19; (2) Edifying, Matt. 28:18; (3) Benevolences to needy saints, 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8, 9; Rom. 15:25; Acts 11:29. When the church leaves these duties to engage in others, they are showing a lack of respect for the authority 'of Christ. Many have perverted the plan and design of the creator from a teaching organization to a second-rate benevolent, entertainment organization. I find no authority for the church to engage in entertainment. Do you? If so please give us the benefit of your study and let us all go into the business. We know we can attract and hold the "young people" a better if we are able to entertain them by putting on shows, etc. So if this is the power of God unto salvation, let us practice it. If you can show authority, that's fine; if not quit it. When we leave the gospel and the teaching of it to attract people by entertainment and benevolence, are we not in effect saying that the gospel is not the power of God unto salvation, but the entertainment and feeding of the body is? The modern miracle of the Christian is his compassion on those who are less fortunate than he. When we take this out of the hands of the individuals and socialize it, we then are saying, "God, your way won't work. Here is ours. It is better than yours."
I plead with the elders over the land to awaken to your responsibilities and do the work that the Lord has given the church to do. If you are in the "show business," "benevolent business" or any other "business" than the Lord's, get out of it and do the work of saving the world.
Let us return to the simple plan of the gospel. Let us submit all our time, talents, and money to the scriptural plans that the elders will engage in. If we see they are overstepping their bounds, in the spirit of love, let us point out to them what God has said, . . . "oversee the flock which is among you . . . ." If they will do this, there will be peace in Zion, but if they will not, we are embarking on the sad, damnable sea of division and strife. The elders who are now showing a lack of respect for the authority of the Lord in being, "head over all things to the church," we plead with you that you return to the simplicity that is in the gospel of Christ. You who are practicing "majority rule," we plead with you to not rebel at the arrangements of God, but return to his form of government.
Let us go back to the plea that has been made by faithful preachers since the beginning of the church, as very adequately expressed by Brother E. R. Harper in the Tulsa Lectures in 1938, (page 113):
"A congregation has no right to build anything larger than it is able to support. It has no right whatever to bind any other congregation to any program of work of its own selection. Each congregation must retain its autonomy. Any effort that destroys the independence of the local congregation runs straight toward sectarianism, if not Romanism."