Reformation Faith Today

Last month I began some posts on the subject. In that post, if you stuck it out, Charles Hodge gave a thorough reckoning of what Presbyterianism is.This month, we move to a real live pastor of a real live (and I mean that in the truest sense) congregation. Mcilwain Presbyterian Church in Pensacola, FL is a congregation where the reformed faith expressed as Presbyterianism is being lived out.Teaching Elder Rob Looper and the other men leading that congregation are carrying on a tradition of excellence in Reformed theology dating back over 100 years. Pastor Looper wrote a brief on Biblical Presbyterianism that is well worth reading. I trust you find it helpful. Here is a excerpt:

Finally, I want to turn our attention to our brotherhood in Christ.  As we consider our charge to be elders, we must remember that we are charged not only to keep watch of the flock but over ourselves (Acts 20:28).  Our own individual relationships with God are critical, and my burden is to lead us in discipleship in that area.  But I am also more deeply burdened that we grow in our relationships with one another, so that we grow in our love and commitment to each other as brothers who share a profound calling.  We need each other—in brotherly love, friendship, encouragement, and admonition.  We need clear paths of communication, open-heartedness and honesty if we are to truly lead as one. 

Continur reading here.

Biblical PresbyterianismA Charter for Leadership—A Call to Discipleship Fall 2005             As elders called by God, there is no more critical need for us than that of our leading God’s people as those who must give an account to him, as Hebrews 13:17 tells us:  “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”            We are elders—presbyters—in the church of God.  As such we have been given by God a profound authority in the church.  Part of the weight of that profundity is felt in our own weakness as sinful men.  Yet, as our own Book of Church Order says,All church power, whether exercised by the body in general, or by representation, is only ministerial and declarative since the Holy Scriptures are the only rule of faith and practice.  No church judicatory may make laws to bind the conscience.  All church courts may err through human frailty, yet it rests upon them to uphold the laws of Scripture though this obligation be lodged with fallible men. (BCO, Preface II-8; emphasis added).            Though sinners, our greatest responsibility is to uphold the revealed truth of God in our leadership of other sinners.  First, we must acknowledge that this obligation rests with us not because we are better or more holy but because we have been called by God.  Second, we must remember that we cannot be faithful shepherds without the Scripture’s foundation, guidance and living strength:  “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).            This admonition of Scripture is crucial at all times because we know that we cannot be left to ourselves nor can we leave those under our charge to the mere leading of the “thoughts and attitudes of the heart” because we know that our fallen hearts are not trustworthy guides:  “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  It is always to the Scripture we must humbly turn, submitting our emotions, our reason and our intentions to its examination.  Whether by explicit command or “good and necessary inference,” everything we need for life and godliness—and so everything we need as shepherds of the church of God—is found in the Word of God.  All of our actions must be founded, guided, tested and corrected by the Word.            According to the vows we have taken before God and his people, we believe that the Bible is Presbyterian in polity and Reformed in theology.  Neither of these truths is academic; far from it—each of these make up the heart of who we are as a church and how we minister as elders.   We are Presbyterian in Polity            In our polity we believe that our structure is not merely efficient (sinful neglect not withstanding) but also a means of God’s blessing.  God has designed our polity in order to reveal to us that his ordained authority structure in the church provides a context for growth in grace, opportunity for service and gaining the wisdom of God through the teaching and living of us Word.  By shouldering the responsibilities of shepherding the elders are to “correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2) so that the congregation comes to appreciate that challenges to this authority, whether intentional or ignorant, are ultimately a challenge to authority of God.  We are Reformed in Theology            In our theology, however, we believe all men are sinners—and so even elders are capable of abusing the authority given them by God.  We are Reformed in our theology—committed to the principles of full biblical authority rediscovered by the church in God’s gracious providence during the Reformation.  For this reason we, as stated above, are always in personal and corporate submission to the Word of God, believing that we are “sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy” (vows of membership, BCO 57-5).  In the “doctrines of grace” we affirm that doctrine and practice are never separable; indeed, it is impossible to meaningfully speak about a relationship with God, let alone to love, encourage and serve the flock, apart from the knowledge of God in Scripture.  We would surely be poor elders and sorry comforters if we were content to leave people to the fears of their hearts or the possible deceit of their emotions rather than embracing Paul’s instructions to Titus:  “[An elder] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9).            The upshot is this.  We are elders of a Presbyterian and Reformed Church.  In our oath of ordination before we have sworn to uphold our polity and theology because we must answer to God.  McIlwain is currently a congregation that consists of fine people with varying degrees of understanding about our biblical form of government.  This is partially because many have come from congregational backgrounds, but also due in part to sessional and pastoral negligence and weak leading.  I believe that God is calling us as leaders back to the basics, to lead as we must, uniting on our first principles in both polity and theology to arrive at a firmer understanding of our identity and responsibility as leaders and as a church.  As a result we will be able to do the hard but rewarding work of shepherding the flock of God by his own appointed means—by the Holy Spirit’s graciously teaching and applying the Word of God—sinners leading other sinners in the discipleship of their Lord. We are Brothers            Finally, I want to turn our attention to our brotherhood in Christ.  As we consider our charge to be elders, we must remember that we are charged not only to keep watch of the flock but over ourselves (Acts 20:28).  Our own individual relationships with God are critical, and my burden is to lead us in discipleship in that area.  But I am also more deeply burdened that we grow in our relationships with one another, so that we grow in our love and commitment to each other as brothers who share a profound calling.  We need each other—in brotherly love, friendship, encouragement, and admonition.  We need clear paths of communication, open-heartedness and honesty if we are to truly lead as one.            Put negatively, there is little hope of us seeing the church growing in love and unity if we as the Session are not growing in love and unity amongst ourselves.  God has called us to just this very unity in our sitting together as elders and we have taken vows to uphold that same unity.  This means that each of us must truly be for each other in every way.  It also means, I believe, that we as elders have forfeited the right to speak as individuals with anything but the one voice of the Session.  If we speak against any other elder or against a decision of the Session in either private or public conversations or if we fail to act in solidarity with the Session in the same settings—unless the matter is over clearly demonstrable and unrepentant heresy—then we have violated our vows, dishonoring God and hurting his church.  We will not at all do well to avoid addressing this, and we must do so only in t
he Scripture’s light.  If there are current personal issues or issues of sin between any of us as individual members of the Session, then we must deal with them now, man-to-man, according to Matthew 18:15-20.  When (and I do mean “when” instead of “if”) such things happen in the future, we must be quick to do the same.            In our several weaknesses and strengths God has made us a Session of his church.  You need me to be your pastor; I need you to be my elders.  If I take the former to mean that you must always follow my leading without question, then I am not being a faithful pastor; if you take the latter to mean you must “keep your thumb” on me then you are not being faithful elders.  I cannot do the work alone anymore than can you.  To be honest, none of us can at all—apart from our genuine seeking of God’s grace and gifts upon our calling.            As your pastor and brother, I want you to know that over the past year I have never been more aware of the fact that I am a sinner.  I am a man who has made and will continue to make mistakes, miscalculations and misjudgments.  But by God’s grace I am also more deeply than ever convicted that God has called me to be a pastor—and that of this body of saints at McIlwain.  I am still learning, as I always will.  You, likewise, are still learning, and always be doing so.  But my conscience—and I hope also yours—is held captive by the Word of God.  Because of this I am open before you, my brothers, according to my oath before God as a minister of the Gospel of Grace, to the “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” that is ours in the breathed-out Word of God. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”.—Ephesians 3:20, 21