Christianity and Exalting Man Donald R. Fox It is a historical fact that man departed from the original plan and structure of the church that we read about in the New Testament. To deny this fact is to deny verifiable evidence. The apostles, by inspiration, clearly foretold of the falling away. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1- 3) “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4) As we ponder the foretelling of this departure from the faith, the apostasy of the church of Christ, we ask: Is it possible to locate or identify a major factor that brought on this falling away? I believe we can! We know that congregations of the Lord’s people that were fully organized had a plurality of elders or bishops. Notice please: “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” (Acts 14:21-23) Further note the apostle Paul’s charge to the elders at Ephesus, Acts 20:17-38. A Short Excursion into Church History The New Testament knows no spiritual aristocracy or nobility, but calls all believers “saints,” though many fell far short of their vocation. Nor does it recognize a special priesthood in distinction from the people, as mediating between God and the laity.”… “The apostles themselves never claim or exercise a special priesthood. The sacrifice which all Christians are exhorted to offer is the sacrifice of their person and property to the Lord, and the spiritual sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. (Schaff 124-125) See Romans 12:1; Philippians 2:17; 1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 13:16. Toward the close of the apostles life the Church was still without bishops in the modern sense, for St. Paul addressed an epistle to the faithful at Philippi “with the bishops and the deacons.” Here the plural number and the fact that no allusion is made to the presbyters as distinct from the “bishops” are said to prove that in that age episcopos or “bishop” meant presbyter. (Lambert 119) “The clergy claim for themselves the prerogatives, relations and authority of the Jewish priesthood. Such claims, advanced in the third century by Cyprian, were a great departure from the original spirit and model of the Church derived from Christ and the apostles” (Shepherd 55). When we place man in a lofty state, we will be terribly disappointed. “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). With this brief study from a scriptural and historical standpoint, we are faced with a challenge. The challenge is to deny or accept provable history and Scriptures. It should be obvious that in the passing of time man desired spiritual exaltation and the power that came with it. This unauthorized, manmade and anti-scriptural grasping for spiritual authority was the seed of the great apostasy. Works Cited Lambert, O. C. Catholicism Against Itself. Vol. I. Winfield: Fair Haven Publishers, 1963. Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Vol. II. New York: Charles Scibner, 1910. Shepherd, J.W. The Church, The Falling Away and the Restoration. Nashville: Gospel Advocate, 1958. gospelgazette/gazette/2012/jan/page12.html
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 08:15:21 +0000
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