THE BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH
– A Commentary – By Dr. Chuck Baynard
The Belgic Confession of Faith,
Article XXX
The Government of the Church and
its Offices
We believe that this true Church must be governed by that spiritual
polity which our Lord has taught us in His Word; namely, that there must be
ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God and to administer the sacraments;
also elders and deacons, who, together with the pastors, form the council of the
Church; that by these means the true religion may be preserved, and the true
doctrine everywhere propagated, likewise transgressors chastened [1] and
restrained by spiritual means; also that the poor and distressed may be relieved
and comforted, according to their necessities. By these means everything will be
carried on in the Church with good order and decency, when faithful men are
chosen, according to the rule prescribed by St. Paul in his Epistle to Timothy.
1. "Punished"
has been changed to "chastened".
All Reformed
churches will agree that we are to be ruled by the form of government given to
us in the Bible. The form here is the same throughout the history of the
continental reformed churches, and except for some minor variations isn’t that
different than the Presbyterian churches of Scotland and England. Many refer to
a difference of perspective from the two sides of the English Channel and the
government of the churches. This is a false dichotomy in that none will deny
this foundational statement and it is in the refinement of polity in churches
ruled by elders we see a parliamentary difference, not of beliefs.
For example the
“Reformed” have councils and the Presbyterians sessions. Likewise the higher
courts are classis and Presbytery though there is a difference at this point as
to where the membership of the pastors (clergy) lies. The Reformed hold the
pastor accountable to a local church and the Presbyterians have clergy as a
member of this so-called higher court without membership in a local church.
Both systems
have in common that the real power of order lies with the local church, though
in practice we often find this is corrupted. The question of jurisdiction also
arises and is handled somewhat differently. This is of minor concern in that the
underlying reliance on the Bible, the necessity of the church, and how the word
and sacraments are handled is the crucial issue since these are marks of being a
part of the true body of Christ, not the polity of the particular church. Of
more importance is that both systems deny any head of the church other than
Jesus Christ and do not create offices that places one elder above another in a
supposed order of hierarchy.
Proper
execution of the propagation of the Gospel and the discipline of the church
cannot be obtained in other systems. The current slide into sin and liberalism
of the majority of Episcopalian systems of government testify to the truth
revealed here from the 16th century reformers. This doesn’t condemn
other systems of church government, just states that that listed is the most
biblical and the way to avoid the error of man as much as can be in the flesh.
All systems will give lip service to some of this, but nothing short of
continental reformed holds it in this exact format. The appeal to Paul is valid
and that in reality can be reduced to one short phrase, “all things decently
and in order.” Order in the churches is essential!
The Bible is silent on much of the fine detail and therefore it should
not be a divisive issue in our churches.
