Church Ecclesiology

            We may question whether Judas should be counted among the men called apostles in the primary sense. Although he originally had that role, he left it (cp. Acts 1:15-22).. In addition, he did not see the resurrected Christ receive the commission and enablements distinctive to apostles in the primary sense. With Judas omitted, that leaves thirteen apostles with Matthias replacing Judas and Paul joining the class later.

Two Word Meanings

            Christians sometimes ask whether there are apostles in the church today. To answer the question, we must clarify what it means because the New Testament uses apostle in more than one way. Its general sense refers to someone who is “sent,” which makes it a synonym for missionary. In its technical usage, apostle refers to a group of men, fourteen in number, who had additional specialized qualifications: they were direct witnesses of the resurrected Christ (except for Judas Iscariot), directly chosen and commissioned by Christ, directly endowed with their message, directly guided in their work, and directly empowered by the Spirit. (See “Paul as Primary Apostle.”). “You tried the ones that call themselves apostles and aren’t” (Revelation 2:2) implies that some apostles were distinguishable from other apostles. If all apostles were simply traveling evangelists or insightful men differing only in degree, they could be called apostles. Denying the claim would be like denying that someone was a missionary. They were in fact traveling, they were in fact insightful if they were, and they were in fact sent from somewhere.

CHAPTER I

NON-DENOMINATIONAL UNITY IN PERSPECTIVE AND PREVIEW

CHAPTER II

 CHAPTER IV

            Across Christendom ordination has had a variety of meanings. The most extreme position has been that (1) ordination validates the “administration” of sacraments. Unless a duly qualified clergyman presides, the sacrament is invalid in much the same way that a wedding performed by a person “off the street” would not be recognized by the state. A Justice of the Peace must be duly appointed to perform wedding ceremonies as an agent of the state. In this view, ordination is for theological reasons. The clergy concept is part of the larger idea that grace flows through the church, that is, through those who validly stand as executors of divine administration. It is a legal conceptualization like that of Justice of the Peace, validity being based on “apostolic succession.” Legal administration of grace, however, is a contradiction of terms.

Mt. 10:2-4              Mk. 3:16-19            Lk. 6:14-16             Acts 1:13                John’s Gospel

The church is saved people serving in divine pattern. The body of Christ possesses essential oneness by virtue of individual unity with Christ and collective unity through Christ. This invisible oneness is manifest by a dynamic structure-function called the church. Functional unity in Christ combines with organizational unity under Christ to form this non-denominational entity that has a fivefold oneness of attitude, doctrine, fellowship, name, and organization.

            Paul gives “husband of one wife” as a characteristic of elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6. The following diagram traces the pattern of thought for determining what he meant by this phrase.

         Matthew                      Mark                           Luke                            John

            OrdInation to the ministry involves three issues: (1) the understanding of New Testament offices and ministry, (2) the New Testament meaning of ordination, and (3) the meaning attached to ordination by the state.

I. Ordination is for the one ordained.

         Ordination is for impressing on the person ordained the importance of his calling. People set aside time for things that are important. By setting aside time to concentrate on what it means to enter ministry, the body of believers shows the person their regard for that calling. Ordination provides a time to be impressed with the significance of the “ministry of reconciliation,” as Paul called it (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

Some have questioned whether Paul belonged to the primary group of Jesus’ followers called “apostles.” During the early years of the Christian era, the Judaizing element in the church attempted (1) on doctrinal grounds to put him in secondary position. They tried to create the impression that he stood at odds with the primary apostles, those centering around Peter in Jerusalem. Judaizers believed that Gentile converts should become Jews in the process of becoming Christians. Paul opposed their call for circumcising Gentiles and thereby identifying them with national Israel and obligating them to keep the Mosaic Law. He understood in the first case, relative to the church, that Christianity does not have a political component. He observed in the second case, relative to salvation, that putting Gentiles under Jewish Law would in theory bring them under a perfection requirement for continued relationship to God—initial salvation by grace and continued salvation by works.

            In theory, two positions operating in relationship may differ from one another in authority in at least six ways:

“to serve”:  διακονέω (diakoneō)

Passage                Term                #         Reference                                                  Scope

                                                  general              supernatural           authoritative

                                                      vs.                            vs.                               vs.

Office                                         local                     natural               non-authoritative

Lord =                                       general               super                       author

     Christ

     Messiah

apostle1                                    general               super                       author

     "the disciples"

     "the twelve"

The church is saved people serving in divine pattern. The body of Christ possesses essential oneness by virtue of individual unity with Christ and collective unity through Christ. This invisible oneness is manifest by a dynamic structure-function called the church. Functional unity in Christ combines with organizational unity under Christ to form this non-denominational entity that has a fivefold oneness of attitude, doctrine, fellowship, name, and organization.

Basic Structure

         This chapter sketches the original organization of the church in the New Testament. It determines what positions exercised authority and which were functions, all being places of service. The procedure works because it addresses an either-or matter and because authority includes function. We cannot suppose that a function seemed to be such only because the records happen to be insufficient to show that it was really an office. That would argue from silence and shift the burden of proof onto the negative. The negative burden would be impossible since the only available evidence would pertain to function, which is part of the larger concept: office.