Unit 5: Ecclesiology

Question 1

Ecclesiology:

Answer 1

• The study of the church
• Ecclesia: the called out ones, the gathered ones

Question 2

Notes about ecclesiology.

Answer 2

• Easy to neglect but would neglect one of God’s great gifts
• last decade or two people love Jesus but embarrassed by His people
  – the church can hurt people yet we do not get the option not to love her
• Spurgeon: church is “dearest place on earth”
• 1 & 2 Peter - letters about suffering - Elect Exiles - part of dispersion - lost nearly everything

Question 3

Elect Exiles:

Answer 3

• 1 & 2 Peter
• Elect = chosen, entails a home (adopted)
• Exiles = exact opposite
• we are both –> feeling this cannot be all that there is, homesickness feel this with the church –> church = closest to heaven

Question 4

How does our idea of the church need to change?

Answer 4

• Not a place where my felt needs are met: a place to be
• A people who make sur that I get there: a people to belong to

Question 5

Why is ecclesiology a unique doctrine?

Answer 5

• Will need to make ecclesiological decisions
• bent toward practical application
• pragmatism (what works) has ruined decisions in the church
• must separate ontology (IS) from function (does)
• college students have passion about what church out to do but they do not know what the church is
• God has not given us a blueprint of what the church is

Question 6

What problems did the protestants face about what a church is?

Answer 6

• Protestants disagreed how much to break away from the Church
• Had to ask ecclesiological question s
• Calvin: Right preaching of word and right administration of sacraments

Question 7

What is the Church? (definition)

Answer 7

A local church is a group of Christians who regularly gather in Christ’s name to officially affirm and oversee one another’s membership in Jesus Christ

Question 8

What are Dr. Kurt’s thoughts on the local church definition?

Answer 8

Likes
1. To group of believers: new community is not mixed (Baptist understanding) regenerate church membership
2. Regular gathering
3. Congregational oversight & affirmation: THE thing the church does - the congregation
4. In Christ’s Name: Local manifestation of universal, embassies of the kingdom, should show what like to be citizens of the kingdom
5. Tools of affirmation and oversight: the word & ordinances
Would change: Sacraments instead of ordinances & spell out relationship between universal and local church

Question 9

Ecclesial Grammer

Answer 9

• Universal vs. local
• Invisible vs. visible
• Gathered vs. scattered
• Organism vs. organization
• Prescriptive vs. Descriptive
• Regulative vs. Normative principle

Question 10

Universal vs. Local:

Answer 10

• Universal: church of all time: all people everywhere across all time who are believers are members of this church
• Local: part of universal church that is identifiable - local manifestation of universal

Question 11

Invisible vs. Visible:

Answer 11

• Invisible: elect currently saved and alive: no one can truly know but God
• Visible: accounted for in some way (ie membership) - identifiable, they have made their faith known they have made themselves someone else’s responsibility

Question 12

Gathered vs. Scattered:

Answer 12

• Gathered: ecclesia - gathered body of believer who act as an assembly
• Scattered: Christians who leave gathered to go back to lives
• there are rights and privileges ONLY belong to gathered: Lord’s supper, baptism, discipline

Question 13

Organism vs. Organization:

Answer 13

• Organism: Living individuals who make up the organization
• Organization: corporate identity that isn’t alive itself
• Important: we often confuse passions of organism for mission of organization
  – mission of church is Matthew 28, we can move focus from gospel to something else no matter how good
  – organization should equip organisms to follow God-given passions, the ministry of the people

Question 14

Prescriptive vs. Descriptive:

Answer 14

• We do not have line by line blueprints but letters to churches and pastors that we must use wisely
• Prescriptive: Biblical command to church - what we must do, if not being disobedient
• Descriptive: Biblical account of what happened but not a burden t follow
• Difference determined by tone and context

Question 15

Regulative vs. Normative Principle:

Answer 15

• Was common a long time ago
• The answer to the question what should we do when we gather (no black & white, must be wise)
• Normative: (Luther) Bible norm everything not allowed to do, that is, can do what the Bible not prohibit, live very open - no sin/ not wise
• Regulative: (Calvin) Only do what the Bible commands, regulated by positive commands
  – not all agree with each other but do agree to five: preaching, prayer, reading scripture, signing spiritual songs, administration of sacraments (some want to include 6th - oaths {covenants/catechisms}

Question 16

Church Polity:

Answer 16

How the church governs herself
- What it means that Jesus gave the disciples the keys of the kingdom

Question 17

Why is church polity hard in America?

Answer 17

• Americans like freedom (not told what to do)
• Americans like free enterprise (harder to grow fast with polity)
  – Problem: what you win them with you win them to (cheap discipleship –> weak faith)
• Many say adiaphoron: useless thing

Question 18

Why is church polity and government NOT adiaphoron?

Answer 18

• God wants to be worshiped (1st commandment) & cares how He is worshiped (2nd commandment)
• What have idolized sincerity - this does NOT trump
• Disorder is not right (God not God of confusion), Nadab & Abihu’s fire, Saul’s sacrifice, Uzzah & the ark
• Yet God has not given us a step by step so we need: explicit exegesis, implicit biblical reasoning, and putting pieces together

Question 19

What are the types of church polity and government and what do they have in common?

Answer 19

• Episcopalianism, Presbyterianism, Congregationalism
• In common:
  1) Christ is the head: everything built on Him and going to Him, under shepherds must not take bride’s eyes off of Groom m
  2) What deacons are: serve needs of people, care takers

Question 20

Episcopalianism:

Answer 20

3 Offices
- Bishop: Authority
- Priests: function of local congregation (one or many)
- Deacons: form parish (local church) under priest(s)
- Parishes form dioceses controlled by bishop
- Church of England: Archbishop of Canterbury leading entire Church of England
- Roman Catholic: Pope (Bishop of Rome) over archbishops/cardinals
- Roman Catholic, Episcopal Church, Methodists, & Most Eastern orthodox, Anglicans, Pentecostals

Question 21

Presbyterianism:

Answer 21

2 Offices
- Elders: Rule - usually plurality
- Deacons
- (3) two kinds of elders: teaching (preach, equip, disciple, sacraments), & ruling (administrative) in each local body
- Local churches form Presbyteries that make decisions for churches
- Presbyteries form Synods
- Synods form the General Assembly (MAJOR Decisions)
Authority: Disagreement - Church’s elders or at Presbyteries
PCA “conservative,” PCUSA “liberal,” OPC, RCA, Reformed Churches

Question 22

Congregationalism:

Answer 22

2 Offices
- Elders: “Pastor” singular or plurality
- Deacon
Authority: Congregation
- Governing body 100% voluntary associations/conventions - has no authority over churches
Important Doctrines
1) Doctrine of Church autonomy: no church can tell another church what to do
2) Priesthood of all believers: because of Holy Spirit confident Congregation make right decisions
3) Way determining will of Authority: must know what the majority wants (ie voting)
- Baptist: 4) Separation of church and state (for all religions) because of autonomy
- Critique: Not in harmony with Bible because not submit to Elders
- Not convinced: Bible gives unique power to congregation (esp discipline) so give congregation certain jobs

Question 23

Fourth Fake Model of Church Polity and Government

Answer 23

Pastor is CEO and Deacons are above him like a board of trustees - NOT BIBLICAL

Question 24

What are the qualifications of pastor/elder/overseer?

Answer 24

• 1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5, 1 Pet 5
  1) Wants to be an elder: important because very hard, must deeply want to be there
  2) Not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, yet able to rebuke: posture and heart of shepherd and able to slay wolves
  3) Different from deacon: able to teach - devote to ministry of the word and prayer (Acts 7)

Question 25

Plurality of Eldership

Answer 25

- Churches should have multiple elders - When elders is used it is almost always in plural form - Sometimes not possible (mission) or elders die, but church should be actively working toward qualifying elders because pastors need to be pastored

Question 26

Complementarianism/Egalitarianism:

Answer 26

- About gender roles and restrictions on office - Agree: men and women are created equal in God's image (ontology) - Disagree on role (function) - E: men and women can hold equal roles - C: men and woman's roles ought to complement - Texts: 1 Tim 2:11-13, 1 Cor 14:34 - E: frustration that C pick and choose what is culturally conditioned or binding (i.e. holy kiss is a command) - C: silence not culturally founded but linked to creation order (Natural Law/Fittingness of cosmos, what we feel)

Question 27

What are five challenges for complementarianism?

Answer 27

1) Should never be about **ability** : women can preach well (ice-skating duo) 2) There is a ton of **grey area**: we need to live better in the in between, just have a few commands 3) Focus too much on **negation**: what about what they can do 4) Cannot mean we do not **theologically and biblically equip** women: women's ministry should be robustly theological and biblical --> practical 5) Must allow the women to fulfill **one anothering**: must be able to speak against false teaching

Question 28

Deacons:

Answer 28

- 1 Tim 3:8-13 - Qualified like elder just not ability to teach - Servants of people especially physical needs - Deacon is transliterated (est. Acts 6) - Deacons are shock absorbers for the pastor though paster should still know flock

Question 29

Deaconesses:

Answer 29

- "their wives" lead some to believe only men can be deacons - translation may be poor. May be translated as "women" 1) "their" is not there - could be "women" 2) elder section does not include qualifications for their wives - if is about deacon wife qualifications then still believe in deaconesses (married couples) 3) If is about wives, then very repetitive 4) If had wanted to speak to wives, could have used pronoun, different word, husbands 5) Last time this word was used was for "women" 6) "Likewise" continues list of office qualifications (elder likewise deacon likewise deaconess) 7) Rom 16:1 calls Pheobe a deaconess (some say translated servant)

Question 30

Pedobaptism:

Answer 30

"children" - infant baptism - Covenants: OT - circumcision on 8th, NT - baptism of children: Col 2:11-12, 1 Cor - Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran - Against: Little-no scripture -- b/c no second generation believers -- there were households baptized

Question 31

Credobaptism:

Answer 31

"believe" - believers baptism - Descriptive: no evidence infant baptism, possible there were 2nd gen believers (Author of Hebrews) - Prescriptive: Matt 28:19 - baptize those who hear the gospel - Church history: Early church view - Covenant: NT - baptism for infant spiritually not physically -- Jer 31:31-34 unlike former broken covenant, God will put the covenants in hearts not the Israelites themselves, this community will not be mixed but only believers who have the Holy Spirit

Question 32

Eucharist:

Answer 32

- thanksgiving meal b/c Jesus "gave thanks" (Matt 26: 29, Mark 14:22-25, 1 Cor, Luke, 1 Cor 11:26) - Old term, often used by high sacramental/liturgical churches - Appropriate title b/c thanksgiving meal

Question 33

Transubstantiation:

Answer 33

The belief that the bread and the wine literally, actually become the body and blood - It is a resacrificing: the sacrifice on the cross and the eucharist are the same - Luther had problem

Question 34

Consubstantiation / Sacramental Union:

Answer 34

- Sub: "in/with/under" - Literally present by union with bread and wine not literally them - Problem: extra calvinisticum: omnipresence --> human nature

Question 35

Spiritual Presence View:

Answer 35

- No physical presence, but not simple remembrance - Unique spiritual presence - Participation in Christ as the bread of life providing spiritual nourishment --> true communion - Remember past, present communion, foreshadow future meal with king - Can call Sacrament because there is a "mystery" (means of grace by which kept in faith) or ordinance because is Christ ordained

Question 36

Mere Memorial View:

Answer 36

- Nothing overly spiritual/special, just for remembrance - Jesus "do in remembrance" - Must remember because in a way He is currently absent from the table - Called Ordinance only (Adamant) because Christ ordained

Question 37

Totally Open Communion:

Answer 37

All can partake, does not matter if Christian

Question 38

Open Communion:

Answer 38

All Christians regardless of baptism or membership - most common by pragmatism rather than conviction

Question 39

Close Communion:

Answer 39

Baptized believers - This is the entry requirement while communion is an on going sign

Question 40

Closed Communion:

Answer 40

Only Baptized Members of that Church

Question 41

Church Membership:

Answer 41

- Not explicitly commanded (ch/versable) but everywhere assumed - Would have been obvious to the 1st century Jews - Five Biblical Arguments - Confession & Confessor

Question 42

Five Biblical Arguments for Church Membership

Answer 42

1) Matt 16 & 18 entering kingdom means bound to church on earth = bound to local gathering where people know us 2) NT 2 Cor 5:12-13 explicitly refers to some being outside and others inside so there must be a way to designate 3) 2 Cor 2:6 Inflict the power of the majority - only possible if there is an identifiable group of people 4) NT insistence on why Christians love each other entails membership - being responsible for each other (one anothering requires people to one another, takes "neighbor" from abstract to real people) 5) Non-one another commands suggest identifiable group of people such as submit to elders - need to identify which elders

Question 43

Confession and Confessor and Church Membership

Answer 43

- Members affirm and oversee each other as confessors with a confession - Must help one another with life and doctrine - Need to watch for unrepentant sin and unrepentant heresy - Saved by faith alone and need to communicate the ethic that belongs to the kingdom we belong to *Pick up your cross daily. Live the ethics of the kingdom - Must watch for unchristian doctrines - Vote for who is a member of your church is more important than vote for President -- Member is one who you can point to as an image of Christ

Question 44

Church Discipline:

Answer 44

- Corporate express doubt in either confession or confessor - Giving authority to body so anti-American - Usually think of excommunication but often does not get here - Most explicit aspect of the church

Question 45

Formative Discipline:

Answer 45

- Church discipline that all Christians should be under - Sit under regular preaching disciplines soul to be Christlike - Partaking of covenant ordinances

Question 46

Corrective Discipline:

Answer 46

- Church discipline when something goes wrong

Question 47

Five take aways from the passages of Church Discipline

Answer 47

Passages: Matthew 18:15-18 (goal gain back brother), 1 Corinthians 5:1-7 (removal like cleansing Israelite camp: impurity in body is contagious), 2 Cor 2:6-1