Citation and credit for much of this study:

Transcription

1 Citation and credit for much of this study: Arnold, Clinton E., Ph.D. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. Grand Rapids, Zondrevan, Print. 1

2 Begin Session One Author: The Apostle Paul Estimated Date of Composition: A.D. 53 A.D. 62 2

3 Philippi once part of the Greek empire and named after the King of Macedonia, Philip (Alexander the Great s father). Philippi is located in modern Greece and at the time of Paul s apostolic mission was under the rule of the Roman empire. It was a city of significant commercial activity which, of course, meant various pagan religions and their sanctuaries were present such as the predominant worship of the Greek God Dionysius (the Romans knew as Bacchus). It was a mystery religion which emphasized mysticism and sensuality in knowledge and experience. Philippi was along one of the great Roman roads, the Via Egnatia-en. 3

4 Map Source: Eric Gaba Wiki Commons: Sting Acts 16:6-15 records Paul s travel to Philippi. He desired to remain in Western Asia and eventually venture into Northern Turkey but was directly forbidden by God from ministering in that region and instead was given a vision where he was called to the province of Macedonia. 4

5 Upon arriving there, a business woman named Lydiawas converted which was the seed of the church s blossoming in that area. The passage later recounts Paul and Silas being placed in jail for casting out a demon from a slave girl who had the special demonic power of fortune-telling thus, devaluing the girl in the eyes of her masters because once the demon was gone, so were her powers and their profit. The letter is less formal than some of Paul s structured epistles such as Romans, Ephesians, Colossiansand his pastoral epistles. However, as we will see, it contains significant doctrinal properties and references without which we would have an incomplete and imprecise revelation with regard to the person of Christ and specifically, the nature of his humanity and deity in the hypostatic union known as the kenosis of Christ. 5

6 Quick Review of the Letter Church Government and Spiritual AutonomyPhil 1:1-2 the function of church government and the priesthood of the believer (all texts are from the NASB unless otherwise noted) 1 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 6

7 In his introduction Paul makes an interesting and deliberate distinction in imparting grace and peace in is salutation. He addresses all the saints but then, goes to the trouble of distinguishing the overseers and deacons. Why would Paul structure his salutation this way and not assume that those receiving the letter would understand that, of course it includes the overseers and deacons? Today, we will seek to answer that question by examining the proper distinctions contained in the greeting and their magnitude in the church which deals with an area of doctrinal and practical confusion and ambiguity with many Christians. What do I mean? 7

8 By confusion and ambiguity, I mean the following. Many believers will eventually come to a point in their walk were they come across two kinds of passages. One which speaks of all believers being equal in Christ (Galatians 3:28) The other which speaks of believers being under the authority of leaders in the church(hebrews 13:17) And if a Christian fails to learn the categorical and functional distinctions between these two contexts (and many do fail to pass through this threshold of understanding, including many Bible teachers) they will be induced by their misunderstanding, to walk with a spiritual injury or spiritual limp. 8

9 That is to say, they will have unresolved theological tension because they will never understand how all believers can be equal in Christ (no Jew, no Greek, no male, no female)yet, have a church government which only permits qualified male Pastors to be ordained and further, that they have certain but limited, rights to exercise ecclesiastical authority and in contrast, when and where social/anthropological distinctions are validly applied and when and where they are not. Let s prepare ourselves with a quick survey of the grammatical properties of the passage which is from verse Paul and Timothy servantsof Christ Jesus servantsis the plural form of δοῦλος(doulos) which generally refers to slaves or servants under the authority of another. Their authority is the one they serve, Christ Jesus, not a government, not a family, not a culture, not a race, not a gender, not an ethnicity nor any human special interest. 9

10 2. To all the saints this is in the plural from the word ἅγιος(hagios) which means those who are sacred or set apart, i.e. holyand he qualifies who is holy, those in Christ and not those of any other belief system. And who is in Christ? This refers to those who have been born again, regenerated or justified by faith in Christ for salvation. When one believes on Christ they are washed of their sin and made holy before God through Christ and brought to life, spiritual or regenerated. (Titus 3:5). 3. With the overseers plural from of the word ἐπίσκοπος(episkopos). This is in reference to Pastors/Elders but with emphasis on those ordained with ecclesiastical authority. Used in: 1 Timothy 3:2 in describing a qualified Pastor Titus 1:7 again, qualifications for a Pastor 1 Peter 2:25 in reference to the Chief Shepherd, Christ Acts 20:28 referring to overseers who have been placed in the body to shepherd the church. 10

11 4. And deacons here we have the plural of διάκονος(diakonos). Most literally this refers to an errand runner, not in a disrespectful way but in a dutiful way. The suffix, konos, means to raise up dust by moving rapidly. This has in view one who is anxious to serve and meet a need thereby, kicking up dust because of their full involvement in going to in fro in ministry. For communities who live with bare earth around them, they can more fully picture this. Deacons were established in the church as an office during its infancy. Acts 6 records their establishment and appointment. The objective of the deacon is to prevent Pastors from being removed from their study of the Word of God and their involvement in praying for the church and its members which a Pastor s primary ministry. 11

12 Acts 6: 1-4: 6Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Thus, the physical ministries to members were ordained by God to be carried out primarily by deacons. As to the controversy going on in the text, we will examine that more fully in this series at a later date but be sure, we will be back to this text. 12

13 The immediate objective is that you understand why the offices were ordained of God and what each is to focus on in ministry. The deacons are given the responsibility for the physical ministries of the church so that the overseers may devote themselves to study and prayer. 5. Graceand peacefrom God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is normal divine salutation and institution of blessing upon the recipients. Interesting observation, why does Paul not include God the Holy Spirit? Is he not a member of the Godhead, co-equal? Does he not care about God the Holy Spirit? 13

14 Unlike most everything else, this one question I will leaven unanswered by me. It is a matter which you need to keep in mind and chew on in your discipleship and keep in mind when you hear people teach on the Trinity and make claims that the Holy Spirit is neglected or that we are to pray to the Holy Spirit. Paul did not mention the third member of the Godhead in passing on this salutatory blessing. There is likely more than one reason and may God bless you over time as you consider this and research it. Now with this covered let s examine the difference between all believers being equal in Christ and believers being under ecclesiastical authority where human properties can and do have some relevance. 14

15 First let s examine Galatians 3:27-28: 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. This text is often taken out of its context and used as a proof-text for many things. One of them is to try and prove that the protocol for males, only, as Pastors/Elders and those ruling in the church are nullified. Another is to try and prove that racial, ethnic, familial or cultural differences between people have been de-legitimized and more recently, to suggest homosexuality has been normalized. None are true, of course. 15

16 The context of the Galatians passage reveals itself at the beginning of the chapter, if not the beginning of the letter. Many converted Jews were reverting or regressing back into Judaism and Old Testament ritualism as a means of gaining spiritual superiority and supremacy.even Peter fell victim to this pressure. Thus, Paul had to lay it on the line for them and make it clear that their Jewishness and all of its cultural and religious practices and properties, had no value in being a born again believer under the New Testament protocols. He had to point out that in the church, there is no nationality, familial, racial, ethnic, gender or cultural property one possessed which brought greater favor upon them with respect to the blessing of God and their relationship with God or which led to greater spirituality. So the context has to do with the believer before God via his/her relationship with Christ. This is why there is no Levitical priesthood and instead, we are now, all believer priests(1 Peter 2:5) and are the temple(s) of God (1 Corinthians 6:19). 16

17 And from this we receive what we understand to be the privacy of the priesthoodand function as a believer-priest as prescribed by God.Here are a few examples of this co-equal status among believers) You now dress yourself in the armor of God (Word and Spirit) You now determine when and where sacrifices to God will be made You now come before God as a fully justified priest on your own behalf and but also may petition for others as a priest You now wear the royal colors of a heavenly ambassador and messenger of reconciliation to the world All of these belong to the individual believer which God has ordained. However, there is more than just the individual believer-priest which God has ordained, no believer-priest is an island. He has also ordained and instituted his church, with protocols for its structure, from which believer-priests are directed to receive instruction and exercise spiritual gifts and so on. 17

18 And that body has an authority structure, not to interfere with and regulate your individual priesthood and coequality with other believers before God but, to oversee the participation of all believers as a group in assuring harmony, oneness and health of the group. Hebrews 13:17 states: 17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 also reveals (underline and italics, mine): But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord(left kingdom) and give you instruction, 18

19 These references have to do with their assigned and ordained responsibility to oversee local bodies of believers. They are the governors of the groups, not the governors of the individual priesthoods of each believer. One of the best accounts in Scripture which help us understand the function of ecclesiastical government verses the co-equal priesthood of the believer is found in Matthew 18: Both, what we find and do not find in the text, guides us in this matter. Matthew 18:15-20English Standard Version (ESV) If Your Brother Sins Against You 15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 19

20 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Notice that when the person is expelled from the local body or group he is not and cannot be expelled from his individual priesthood in Christ and this is in no way, implied. This reflects the authority of the church government, not authority over the person s individual priesthood but over their participation in the body. 20

21 Secondly, if this process is followed appropriately, God makes it clear that such a binding is viewed so in heaven. Thus, legitimate ecclesiastical discipline brings with it the discipline of God in the individual believer priest s life. However, it isn t the church s job to do God s part, that is, chase the person down and try and interfere with the expression of their individual priesthood and other sorts of things outside of excommunication from the church. God will do his disciplining and the church is to do theirs which is only to expel an unrepentant believer from the body. As to viewing the person as a Gentile or tax collector, these are references to those with whom the body did not fellowship. In other words, the fellowship of the church body, when it comes together, is with fellow believers, not those who reject its doctrines. Gentile or tax collector is shorthand for those rejecting uniquely Christian beliefs. When I say fellowship I am not talking about refusing social manners toward a disciplined believer or being kind, loving and so on. I am talking about corporate inclusiveness in worship and exercises of the church. 21

22 The person who has been expelled has rejected the Christian doctrine of repentance toward sin against other believers which is essential for believers to fellowship together. Thus, he is viewed or treated as one who rejects these things. What the passage does stop short of is pronouncing or even intimating that the church is required and/or permitted to pronounce that the expelled person is not a true believer. It does not say that. Again, such an adjudication is for God. The only adjudication by the church government, here, is with regard to that person s fitness or lack, thereof, for membership and participation in the body. 22

23 We still are to be kind, respectful and socially appropriate with that expelled person, maybe even encouraging their repentance but we cannot and do not engage as though they are spiritually healthy and acceptable for spiritual fellowship individually or corporately. In the end, two differences stand out: The individual priesthood of the believer is one of coequal status of all believers before God, in Christ, and is an operation governed solely by that person and none other. The corporate gathering of the individual believer priests is governed by Biblically identified authorities in order to assure the health of the body through doctrinal instruction and the regulation and enforcement of Biblical protocols with respect to the treatment of one another and the expression of corporate worship. 23

24 Individual priesthood. Between believer and Christ. Regulated by the individual priest. Church membership to a local body. Between believer and believer and group to Christ. Regulated by those commissioned for such authority as identified in Scripture per Biblical protocols. End Session One 24

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