Gospel truth above any office: Application

• A first application for us today is to acknowledge that the Word of Christ stands above any person or office. All church leaders are subject to Jesus. No human being stands above or independent from him. When an office bearer sins publicly, he must be dealt with in a public manner (1 Timothy 5:19–20). This doesn’t mean shouting during a worship service. In God’s church, all things must be done in an orderly manner (1 Corinthians 14:40). It is a good thing therefore for a church to have a church order that stipulates what should be done in response to a public sin of an office bearer.¹

• A second application concerns the laws that we are tempted to add to the Christian faith. Whether the laws are clear and necessary obligations that come from our union with Christ, or only loosely related to biblical principles, obedience to God’s law is not the means of securing his favour. We cannot render the obedience that God requires. We cannot secure his favour by our law keeping. As Christians, we submit to God’s commandments in response to his grace. We do not submit to God’s law in order to be part of his people and have a place at the table. Most certainly we do not make old covenant purity laws (Leviticus 11:1 – 15:33) a condition for fellowship.

• A third application focuses on the matter of equality and the catholicity of God’s church. If the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed both Jew and Gentile believer, then the church of Jesus Christ must be catholic, catholic in the sense that all believers are to be welcomed. We do not separate between black and white. We do not separate between men and women, rich and poor. We do not leave a fellowship because relationships are difficult or because of someone’s vaccination status. The church is the gathering of God’s people; he determines whom he will add to our number. Every brother who truly believes has been cleansed; there are no second-class members.

• A final application is the matter of fear. It is no secret that fear drives our action, fear of the Lord or fear of man. We all fear someone. We value the opinions of friends and family; we want their respect. The problem of course is that our fear of man is often much stronger than our fear of God. As a result, like Peter, we can act in ways that are out of line with our convictions. We are reluctant to help where it can lead to rejection; we are scared of inviting people into our lives, or speaking up to engage in conflict when we see something go wrong. Consider, therefore: whom do you fear? Make it your aim to please God rather than men.