Have you ever wondered why there are
no Christian Churches of any kind in Saudi Arabia?
Were you aware that
when communism spread from Russia with the establishment of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics (USSR) to such countries as China, North Korea, Vietnam,
Cambodia, and Cuba that most Churches in those countries were forcibly closed,
that only a few government sanctioned and controlled Churches were allowed to
remain open, and that Christians who insisted on the right to believe according
to the dictates of their consciences had to worship in so-called underground Churches
that were officially illegal, with worshipers subject to arrest, torture, and
imprisonment if caught?
Ever wonder why the Roman Catholic Church
engaged in the so-called Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions against Muslims,
against Jews, and against all Christians who were not Roman Catholics?
Ever wonder why Roman Catholics
organized the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of as many as 70,000 French
Protestants on August 24, 1572?
Ever wonder why the Church of England
persecuted dissenting Christians for centuries, with significant numbers burned
at the stake?
Ever wonder why Muslims have from the
beginning and continuing down to this day engaged in jihad against non-Muslims,
resorting to actual force and bloodshed against those who are not Muslims, even
to the extent of beheading them and enslaving their women and children?
Ever wonder why political leftists in
the United States supported dictatorial regimes like the Soviet Union and
Communist China in days gone by, and like the Castros in Cuba, like Daniel
Ortega in Nicaragua, like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and such organizations as
Hamas and Hezbollah in the Middle East today?
It is the same reason why a man named
Obadiah Holmes was publicly whipped on
September 5, 1651, in Boston,
Massachusetts. We have a commemorative portrait of that event in our Church
foyer. You see, the Pilgrims and Puritans came to the New World so they
could worship and serve God according to the dictates of their consciences. However,
embracing the notion that they had the right to believe what they
wanted, they denied others the right to believe differently. When a
Baptist named Obadiah Holmes came to town with two others, he was arrested for believing and behaving
differently than the Congregationalists of Boston permitted. “He was given
thirty lashes with a three-corded whip, the executioner using all his
strength.”
It was in Rhode Island that the decidedly
Baptist concept of soul liberty was incorporated
into that colony’s charter for the first time in human history.[1]
Before then and everywhere else freedom to think what you wanted to think,
believe what you wanted to believe, and conduct yourself accordingly was as
restricted as leftists would like to restrict people on university campuses
across the country now. Thus, soul liberty first became law in human government
in Rhode Island. However, soul liberty did not originate in Rhode Island, or in
New England for that matter. Soul liberty finds its origin in the mind and
heart of God and finds its first
expressions in the Bible.
Consider Second Corinthians 1.24: “Not
for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by
faith ye stand.”
Four points related to this verse
before I make application to the problem of why our young people (both teens
and young preachers) are leaving:
First, WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL CLEARLY
MEANT.
There are three phrases comprising
this verse: Consider the first phrase of the verse: “Not for that we have
dominion over your faith.”
In this initial phrase the Apostle Paul very strongly denies
what some undiscerning Corinthian Christians might have wrongly concluded. Remember
that he has previously written a very strongly worded first Corinthian letter
in response to unresolved divisions in the congregation,[2]
in response to flagrant wickedness that had been tolerated by the congregation,[3]
and in response to questions the congregation
submitted to him about some things.[4]
His very strong tone in First Corinthians, especially about the excommunication of the young fornicator mentioned in
chapter five, needed explanation. You might notice, in Second Corinthians 1.23 and Second Corinthians 13.2, that Paul makes
mention of sparing the Corinthian Church members. In Second Corinthians 1.23, he writes, “Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I
came not as yet unto Corinth.” In Second Corinthians 13.2, he writes, “I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were
present, the second time; and being
absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other,
that, if I come again, I will not spare.” These two verses sound a great deal
like warnings. Are they warnings? What does Paul mean by these two verses? Whatever
Paul does mean by those two verses, Second Corinthians 1.24 tells us in no
uncertain terms what he does not mean. The two verses where Paul writes of
“sparing” the congregation is verses that
deal with matters of Church discipline, how the congregation was supposed to deal rightly with serious unrepented sin in their midst. This is based on a clear understanding of this first phrase, “Not
for that we have dominion over your faith.” Beliefs are one thing, and behavior is another thing. What Paul
is dealing with in Second Corinthians 1.24 is what those Christians believed,
while the issues he makes reference to in Second Corinthians 1.23 and 13.2 are
behavior. More discernment is necessary than is often realized to distinguish
between the two. Of special significance is the word “dominion,” from the verb
form of the Greek word for lord. Paul is
telling his readers that he does not want to exercise lordship over their
faith, an issue the Apostle Peter also addresses in First Peter 5.1-3:
1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock.
In other words, spiritual leaders, including
apostles of Jesus Christ, are not spiritual bosses who order people around.
Hebrews 13.17 fully supports this understanding,
where the word “obey” in the verse that reads “Obey them that have the rule
over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that
must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you,” translates a verb form that encourages the reader to be
persuaded rather than demanding that he mindlessly obey.[5]
Because it was so typical for pagan leaders to do so, the Corinthians thought
Paul was lording it over their faith, but he assures them he most certainly was
not.
Now for the second phrase of the
verse: “but are helpers of your joy.” That word “helpers” translates the Greek
word sunergoi, from a word meaning together and a
word meaning workers; workers together. That seems to fit nicely with our
understanding of the first phrase, does it not? Paul does not lord it over
anyone’s faith, does not conduct his ministry in a bossy way. Instead,
he works with the Christians he ministers to, and does his
work alongside the believers he provides spiritual leadership to. And
the net result of Paul’s spiritual approach to ministry? Joy is cultivated. Perhaps you are not like me, but
I am not thrilled by anyone bossing me around and issuing orders to me. I have
always responded better to a leader making suggestions, providing instructions,
and offering alternatives. I am convinced
that is the approach Paul took, telling folks the facts in no uncertain terms,
and then recommending and explaining the proper course of action to take based
upon those facts. I know that people who typically don’t do anything are prone
to complain that a leader is bossy and dictatorial, but that claim is usually
the first evidence by which a lazy liar exposes himself. A bossy pastor is a
kill joy. A bossy boss is a kill joy. Paul was not bossy. Bossy pastors are not
Pauline leaders and are not Christlike leaders.
Finally, we read in the last phrase of
the verse, “for by faith ye stand.” “Here the emphasis is on the responsibility
the Corinthians must take in their relation with God. Though Paul brought them
the message focused on the Son of God (1:18-20), it is their part, not his, to
make their Church ‘stand,’ and that ‘by faith.’”[6] Thus,
we see that the Word of God reveals that the Christian faith originally showed
believers to possess soul liberty, the absolute right to believe what we think
we ought to believe rather than what someone else demanded that we believe. Whatever
the Apostle Paul did by way of the conduct of his apostolic ministry, what he
did not do was exercise (or attempt to exercise) any dominion over any other
person’s beliefs. Did he seek to persuade? He most certainly did. However, the
final decision regarding what you believe and embrace as true is your decision
and only your decision. How very different the Christian approach to what one
believes is from all other belief systems, from political systems uninfluenced
by Christianity, and even from so many professing Christians.
Next, WHAT CONTEMPORARY BAPTISTS CLAIM
TO BELIEVE.
Let me read an excerpt from a very
fine book written by the former president of the Central Baptist Theological
Seminary in Plymouth, Minnesota, Dr. Kevin Bauder. The book is titled Baptist
Distinctives And New Testament Church Order. I would not think any
Baptist pastor would consciously disagree with what I am about to read since the author so consistently reflects
both Biblical as well as historic Baptist
beliefs on the matter:
Broadly defined, soul liberty is the
responsibility that all believers share to understand and obey God’s
requirements for themselves. This duty cannot be delegated or assigned to
another believer. Each individual
believer is personally responsible for understanding and obeying God.
Personal Responsibility
Christians are
priests who stand directly in the presence of God. On the one hand, this means
that they have the right of addressing God without having to go through any
separate priesthood. On the other hand, it also means that when God addresses
them in Scripture, they bear the personal responsibility of grasping God’s
message and obeying it.
Obviously,
obedience includes doing what God says to do. Conduct
or practice is an aspect of obedience. Doctrine is also part of
obedience. God reveals truths in His Word, and Christians are responsible for believing accurately what God has revealed. To believe a doctrine that is contrary to
Scripture is to disobey God.
Consequently, each individual believer is responsible to read
and to understand the Scriptures correctly. Soul liberty is not liberty to
believe whatever one wishes to believe. It is liberty to believe what Scripture
teaches. It is liberty to obey God.
Every Christian
has a duty to study the Bible. Every Christian has a duty to know the Bible.
This duty involves more than reading through the Bible every year or so, and it
involves more than being able to recite isolated verses. To understand the
Bible, one must know how it is put together
and how to interpret it rightly. Gaining these skills is a fundamental duty of
every believer. Consequently, fostering these skills is a fundamental duty of
every Church, for unless Christians know how to understand the Bible, they will
falter in their duty to obey God.
Of course, this
entire discussion assumes that the Bible was written to be understood. While
some parts of the Bible are harder to understand than others, and while the
more difficult parts may require more advanced interpretive skills, the Bible was not written in a secret code and it does not communicate its message
using secret symbols. Some parts of the text are more technical in nature, and
reading them is akin to reading other rigorous and thoughtful literature.
Nevertheless, an ordinary person who can read a thoughtful journal of opinion
can also understand Isaiah or Paul. Indeed, much of the Bible requires no more
skill to understand than a daily newspaper does.
No one can
understand the Bible for a believer. No one can obey God for a believer. All
believers must understand and obey the Bible for themselves.[7]
That is soul liberty. I do not know
any gospel minister who would disagree in theory with what I have just read. I am convinced Bauder’s comments are the
reasonable extension of what Paul writes in our text.
Third, WHAT MANY MODERN PASTORS
CLEARLY DO.
Despite what the
Bible teaches, and despite what Baptist preachers typically claim to believe,
it has been my observation over the course of my forty plus years as a
Christian and my almost forty years as a pastor to observe too many men who
serve in positions of spiritual leadership who appear to be oblivious to Paul’s
approach to pastoral ministry.
This is reflected by the spirit of the people they lead. The people are often terrified of their pastor.
Have you ever observed members of a Church
who are scared of their pastor, who walk in fear of him being angry at them, or
who tremble at the thought of him scorching them with a withering outburst in a
fit of rage? I am sorry to say that I have not only observed such Church members but that I have been such a Church
member.
I remember an occasion before entering the Gospel ministry when my
pastor ripped me up one side and down the other in the Church parking lot for
about ten minutes (it seemed like an hour). And it was in front of my new bride
and a bunch of other Church members. Oh, how he blistered me, red-faced and hot
with anger. Then he got into his car and left me standing there not knowing
what to say or do. Did my pastor ever ask my forgiveness for what he did? Never.
It took twenty-five years for me to effect a reconciliation with him. I almost
immediately apologized to him for whatever I might have done that angered him,
but he never once apologized for yelling at me and accusing me of wrongdoing in
front of my wife. However, I never went to Church for any other reason than the
Savior in the first place, so I never stopped going to Church because of any
individual. That would be stupid.
At the root of many a pastor’s angry outbursts
is an unwillingness to tolerate soul-liberty in others. You are not required to agree with
me. Your obligations before God are to give me an opportunity to persuade you
and to do nothing to disrupt this Church’s ministry with backbiting and murmuring
should you disagree with me. When it comes to what you believe, your personal
faith, which is between you and God and I
have no desire or history with any of you of exercising lordship over you in
that regard.
That said, I think significant numbers
of pastors do engage in that kind of thing, many without realizing what they
do. With some pastors, it is the force of
their oversized personality. They are so intense. They are so
determined. They are emotional steam rollers which roll over the top of anyone who they see as standing in their
way. With others, it is persuasion
distorted into becoming manipulation, whereby they control people’s thoughts
and beliefs with techniques rather than influencing people with Bible doctrine.
Long story short, it is the lamentable
tendency of some spiritual leaders to lord it over the faith of those they
lead. That tendency must be restrained. The
Corinthians certainly expected Paul to engage in that type of leadership,
because it was so common for leaders to do that to them. However, Paul was
explicit in his denial that he most certainly did not engage in that type of
leadership. And we have seen that the Apostle Peter opposed that kind of
leadership, as well. “You have to believe what I teach because I am the pastor”
is not something that will ever be uttered
by any spiritual leader who follows the example of the Apostle Paul.
Finally, WHAT INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIANS
MUST CLING TO.
It is obvious from the New Testament
that no one could take away from the Apostle Paul the relationship he had with
the Lord Jesus Christ. Arrest him and he was still a free man. Deprive him and
he was still spiritually wealthy. Beat him half to death and he was still
wonderfully blessed and overflowing with joy. Paul understood Christians as
being so free, with such liberty in Christ, that he advised Christians who were
slaves not to worry about their slavery so much, but take freedom from your
master if it is offered to you.[8]
What that shows concerning your soul liberty is that you have
control over what you believe, and you
should never surrender for even a moment control of your beliefs to another
human being. After all, if an apostle of Jesus Christ denies that he exercises
dominion over your faith what right does any Church pastor or missionary have
to lordship over your faith? I fear that
is precisely what some professing Christians do in practice. They swallow
without reflection whatever they are told to believe.
Consider the Roman Catholic Church’s
approach to a person’s relationship with God. The Roman Church demands that
faithful Catholics yield to the priests in matters of faith, going so far as actually to forbid Roman Catholics the right to
read and understand the Word of God themselves. As recently as 1903 Pope Leo
XIII wrote,
“It is not lawful to demand, to
defend, or to grant unconditional freedom of thought, or speech, or writing, or
religion, as if these were so many rights
given by nature to man.”[9]
Amazingly, at the Council of Valencia,
in 1229, the Bible was placed on the Roman Church’s Index of Forbidden Books,
with the reading of the Bible and other forbidden books punishable by
excommunication![10]
However, even that is surpassed by Islam’s approach to variant
thoughts, with even Muslims, who believe
differently from the man with the sword being liable to beheading. Go to India
and express beliefs different than Hindus. Go to Bhutan and express beliefs
different than Buddhists. Go to almost any university and express beliefs
different than current leftist orthodoxy. What is standard, what is the norm,
what is accepted throughout the world and by almost everyone (including too
many professing Christians) is that you are not allowed to entertain thoughts
that others disapprove of.
Who alone has freedom of conscience? Who
alone is granted liberty of one’s soul? The
Christian is expressly granted liberty by God, with your faith answerable to
God alone and your faith accountable only to God. This does not mean you should develop pride and stubbornness. Be
open to learning the truth with humility. However, do not surrender to anyone
the lordship over your faith that belongs to God and God alone.
Dictators typically seek dominion over
the faith of another. King Henry VIII did when he formed the Church of England.
V. I. Lenin did that when he established the Soviet Union in Russia. Chairman Mao did that when he set up the
communist state in China. And Fidel Castro did that when he set up his
dictatorship in Cuba. Sadly, every unrestrained government will eventually seek
to exercise dominion over the faith of its citizens, even in a nominally free
country like ours used to be. Government coerces you to buy and sell and engage
in commerce according to the dictates of a secular worldview, despite whatever
personal religious convictions you might or might not have. Do you choose not
to violate your conscience by refraining to buy
or sell to certain individuals? The government
will step in, especially if you hold a government license or permit of any
kind, and will try to force you to do what you cannot in good conscience do. That
is dominion over another’s faith, and
it’s wrong.
Unfortunately, we sometimes see
dominion over another’s faith even in Churches. Pastors do it when they demand
conformity of thought and belief by Church members without allowing for
differences in experience, understanding, and spiritual illumination by
individual believers in Christ. That is sad. However, what is worse is when a
Christian surrenders to such demands despite the Word of God showing such
demands to be wrong.
The only person who has any right to
exercise lordship over our beliefs is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Not me. Not
any preacher or pastor. Not any writer or spiritual leader. Not even our mothers
or fathers. Our beliefs are between God and us,
and we will either enjoy the blessings of our right beliefs or suffer the
eternal damnation of our wrong beliefs.
In closing, let me suggest that exercising
dominion over other’s faith is a biblically unjustifiable practice. The goal is
not to exercise lordship over another’s faith. Rather it is to expose them to
the truth and the implications of the Gospel so frequently and so thoroughly
that when they weigh the claims of Jesus Christ
and envision their lives in the future should they become Christians, they will
want to embrace the Savior. Then, after they come to know Christ they will
follow the spiritual leadership of God’s man after the fashion encouraged by
the Apostle Paul. Many these days to posture themselves as Baptist leaders are
not Baptists at all, as evidenced by the fact that they exercise dominion over
the faith of others. Perhaps this is why so many of our young people and young
men in the ministry leave our Churches and our movement.
[2] 1 Corinthians 1.10-4.21
[3] 1 Corinthians 5.1-6.20
[4] 1 Corinthians 7.1-16.4
[5] Sakae Kubo, A Beginner’s Guide For The
Translation Of New Testament Greek, (Grand Rapids, MI: Regency
Reference Library, 1975), page 235.
[6] Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle To The
Corinthians - NICNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1997), page 116.
[7] Kevin Bauder, Baptist Distinctives And New
Testament Church Order, (Schaumburg, Illinois: Regular Baptist Books,
2012) pages 83-84.
[8] 1 Corinthians 7.21
[9] Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism,
(Phillipsburg, New Jersey: The Presbyterian And Reformed Publishing Company,
1962), page 417.
[10] Ibid.
