The lay imperative
Commentary by Forrest A. Norman III, The Layman, July 29, 2011
The whole Word of God applies to the whole people of God, not just ordained clergy.
When God says, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church ….” (Matt. 18:15-17), He means that as instruction to all of us, not just pastors.
There are instructions specific to church leaders, but the majority of the Scriptures are intended for the instruction of everyone. Take the Ten Commandments, for example. All apply to everyone. Likewise, when Peter tells the scattered church to “prepare your minds for action” and to “be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet. 1:13-15) he is not simply speaking to the pastor.
Paul addresses many of his letters to “the saints” of a particular city with the intention that the letter be read to everyone, and for the content to apply to everyone in the church. Warnings are given to the believers at large: “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissentions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.” (Rom. 16:17). Indeed, the grace of the Gospel is available to everyone God calls, but the reception of that grace comes with obligations of discipleship.
The directives of Scripture are not meant merely for the seminary educated ordained ministers; nor is their interpretation and application entrusted only to those with M.Div’s, D.Min’s or their academic equivalent. They are meant for you and me; the people in the pews; the priesthood of all believers; the laity.
So, what does that mean for us? To the extent that Scripture contains advice, admonitions and exhortations, we are to act upon it. Your faith may be well informed, but if it is not acted upon, it is dead.
Doing what God tells us to do in His Word is an imperative aspect of authentic Christian faith. The will of God has been made known, the question is whether we will submit our wills to His. The commands to hold fast to the truth we have been given and to perpetuate the faith are an urgent matter for the well being of our souls and for the spiritual well-being of our fellow believers.
All of us are told to watch out for false teachings and perversions of the Gospel. Do you know to discern truth from error when you hear it or read it? It is imperative that we, the laity, do so with vigilance. It is imperative that we, the laity, call out error when we see it. It is imperative that when we see our fellow believer sinning, we, the laity, tell him of the sin so that we may win him back to Christ’s ways. It is imperative that we, the laity, tell our pastors, elders, deacons and denominational representatives that strange doctrines have crept in among us, and that we cannot permit those to remain unchallenged. And following Jesus’ directives set forth in Matthew 18, if they do not listen, we are to tell it to the church as a whole, and if the sinning brother does not repent, then we are to treat them as separated from our body.
The point here is very simple. The people in the pews should not sit idly by and watch the doctrines of the Church denigrated into irrelevance by clergy who are more interested in denominational loyalty and all-appeasing-tolerance than they are with the integrity of the Word. To do so has adverse consequences to the spiritual well being of each believer in that part of the body. Going against God’s Word is an act of suppression of the truth, an act of willful disobedience, an act of anarchy against His sovereignty and it is of no benefit to anyone.
Presbyterian churches are elder-led churches, and even if the new Form of Government redefines the office of minister of Word and sacrament as that of teaching elder, we cannot escape the reality that the vast majority of elders are laymen. We are the watchmen against error and theological drift; a faithful line of defense against the presentation of false and misleading teachings.
The PCUSA is at a pivotal point in its history, having adopted new ordination standards that permit God’s standards for Holy living to be set aside in order to accommodate a particular special interest group, and has approved a new Form of Government which modifies the doctrines upon which the denomination is based and the manner in which the faith is collectively practiced. This is error, and the doctrines are estranged from that which has been given us from the saints who have gone before us. It is now up to the members of the church, the lay people, to stand for the Word of Scripture, to call sin out for what it is, and to tell the church of the dissentions of doctrine contrary to the teachings of God, and call it to repentance. Your job is not to “save the church” – God has already saved the Church. Your job/our job, is to come to Jesus for salvation and follow Him in obedience to God. This is our imperative.
Forrest A. Norman III is a member of Hudson Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Hudson, Ohio. He is chairman of the Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Lay Committee.