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The 1689 Confession of Faith - A midweek bible study notes
Chapter 26 - Of the Church
The Divine Mandate for the Visible Local Churches (26:5)
Introduction
a. This chapter is divided into two
major sections: paragraphs 1-4 deal with the universal church, while paragraphs 5-15 deal with the local church.
The Confession, having examined the universal church in the first four paragraphs and having concluded
that the Lord Jesus Christ is its sole living head, moves on in paragraph 5ff to apply this to a particular, individual
expression of the universal church - the local church.
- Having just concluded on how Christ
as the Head of the universal church is vested in a supreme and sovereign manner all power for the calling,
institution, order, or government of the church', the Confession goes on to
show how Christ exercises that power in bringing into being the local churches.
(1689.26.5) In
the execution of this power wherewith he is so intrusted, the Lord Jesus calls out
of the world unto himself, through the ministry of his word, by his Spirit,
those that are given unto him by his Father,9 that they may walk before him in
all the ways of obedience, which he prescribes to them in his word.10 Those
thus called, he commands to walk together in particular societies, or churches,
for their mutual edification, and the due performance of that public worship,
which he requires of them in the world.11
9
John 10:16; John 12:32 10 Matt.
28:20 11 Matt. 18:15–20
1. Jesus Christ Mandates the establishment of churches
a. Jesus Christ is the Lord, Saviour, and Head of His Church.
- He builds His church. His
execution of the power invested in Him is the ground and basis of that mandate.
Mt 28:18-20
- The gospel ministry administered by
men is for the gathering of God’s children (i.e. elect already effectually
called to grace and salvation by the free and sovereign activities of God) into
the visible local churches.
- The salvation associated with the gathering of God’s children into local
churches is in the realm of temporal salvation, relating to their spiritual
wellbeing. The effectual calling by God out of our native state of sin and
death to that of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ is in the realm of eternal
salvation, relating to their spiritual BEING. - A biblical distinction is the
essence of sound theology.
b.
The foundation of this originating mandate
-
It is the execution of the power entrusted to Christ
-
"In the execution of this power wherewith he is so intrusted, the Lord
Jesus calls out of the world unto himself…” This is in the context of the
visible local church.
c. The means through which Christ’s mandate is executed:
"... through the ministry of His
word, by the Spirit..."
- This ministry of the word is blessed by
the Spirit to the conversion of God's children.
- Christ gave the gift of teaching offices to His church. Eph 4:11f.
d. The recipients/objects of the
execution of Christ’s mandate
- "... those that are given to Him
by His Father..."
- There are TWO distinct giving by the Father to Christ: one at the election before
the foundation of the world, another at the effectual call in time.
- The latter is referred to here; only those already effectually called, i.e. vitally
given to Christ, are capable of being called out by the ministry of the word and
be gathered into the visible local churches.
e. The end/goal of the execution of Christ’s mandate
- "... that they may walk before Him
in all the ways of obedience..."
- “… teaching them to OBSERVED all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Mt
28:20.
f. The prescription of this divine mandate
- "... which He prescribes to
them in His word." (the Scriptures).
- The call to *temporal salvation*
comes to us in the context and framework of *discipleship* through the gospel
call, Mt 28:18-20.
- And the
goal is that those called should be taught to observe all that He has
commanded the apostles.
- The call to *eternal salvation* comes
to us in the context and framework of *sonship* through the effectual call by
the Triune God alone.
2.
The Gathered Principle of the Local Churches
a.
Those called out by the gospel ministry are to be associated with local
churches
-
" Those thus called, he commands to walk together in particular societies,
or churches…”
- The Head of the church *requires*
that His disciples be taught to observe all that has He commanded. How shall
this be possible?
- By the constitution of local churches
endowed with local pastor-teachers. So this command to His called-out people to
walk together in particular local churches is more than simply another one of His precepts.
- This command provides the
foundational structure and framework in which the ministry of the word is
carried out. The centrality of the local church in the outworking of God’s
redemptive purpose is presupposed and taken for granted, cp. Mt 18:15-20. The local
church was presupposed before even there was any.
- The apostles, Christ's personal
representatives, fulfilled the Great Commission; everywhere they went, they
gather the disciples by constituting them into local churches & appointing
local elders in those churches. Acts 14:21-23; Tit 1:5; 1Tim 3:17-22.
- Therefore church planting is an
essential, integral part of the Great Commission given to the Apostles. The
Apostles fulfilled and completed their great commission.
- Christ, the head of His Church has
authorized His churches to evangelize and gather the converts into churches.
b.
The purpose of the local churches is the building up of the saints in their
obedience:
-
“for their mutual edification, and the due performance of that public worship,
which he requires of them in the world.”
-
Edification is being built up in the faith, doctrinally and practically - to
all the commands of Christ.
- Ordinarily and normatively, this
demands the existence of the office of teaching elders in the church, cp. Eph
4:11-13; 1Tim 3:2; 5:17; Tit 1:9-11.
- Christ *requires* these duties of His redeemed, and called out saints… as
long as they are in the world until called to glory.
