Dr. Sherlin has worked diligently to show the importance of elder rule. What he has done is restore us to sound principles that come straight from the Bible. His book is a must for every assembly that wants to remain strong rather than go the way of the culture. I cannot recommend his book enough. - Dr. Mal Couch In this work, the author sets out the biblical case for congregations being ruled by a plurality of Godly men, known as elders. This work is meticulously footnoted and documented making it an invaluable resource for the layman and scholar alike. - Dr. Andy Woods Keith writes in a manner that is precise and with a fluidity of understanding of current day church leadership. The tone of his writing is shared in love and there are no judgmental undertones that permeate his thoughts. I would wholly recommend this reading to all who profess Christ as their Lord. - Pamela Rogers Dr. Keith has presented a solid case for authoritative leadership in the church. His book is a call for us to return to biblical leadership and be presbyters instead of politicians. - Dr. C.V. Varnado Do you believe that your local assembly is full of conflict, confusion, and/or compromise? Are you familiar with the strategy of Satan and his methods to undermine the grace, love, and truth of Christ's body? This work makes a clear and convincing case that many problems in congregations occur because the body has adopted a flawed foundation of church government and doctrine that is more political than biblical. How much or to what degree has Satan made inroads into your spiritual family and leadership body? Read and judge for yourself and if necessary seek to apply the prescribed remedy to the problem.
Satan's Strategy to Curse Christ's Congregation
An Analysis of How Anarchy and Apostasy Develop in Christian Congregations & EldershipsBy KEITH A. SHERLINAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Dr. Keith A. Sherlin
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4520-7383-5Contents
Foreword: By Dr. Andy Woods.........................................................................................................................xixPreface.............................................................................................................................................xxiiiIntroduction: Satan Hates Christ and His Bride......................................................................................................xxviiChapter 1. Faith Expressed in Love: A Prerequisite to Any Presentation..............................................................................1Chapter 2. Satan's Stealthy Strategy to Saturate Saints with Sin....................................................................................7Chapter 3. Recognizing the Foundational Signs of a Healthy Church...................................................................................17Chapter 4. A Four Prong Church System of Non-Negotiable Essentials: Doctrinal; Epistemological; Hermeneutical; Apologetical.........................41Chapter 5. God's Revelation States Each NT Church Had Elders........................................................................................63Chapter 6. Voting In or Out Elders is a Sign of the Drift Towards Apostasy..........................................................................95Chapter 7. Some Main Arguments by Congregationalists Examined by the Testimony of Scripture and Logic...............................................103Chapter 8. Twelve Practical/Experiential Benefits of an Eldership Team..............................................................................139Chapter 9. Common Questions About the Doctrine of Eldership.........................................................................................165Chapter 10. To be a Church of Faith, Hope, and Love there must be Spiritual Parents to Rule in Love Over the Spiritual Children.....................181Appendix: Southern Baptists, An Unregenerate Denomination, by Southern Baptist Pastor Jim Elliff....................................................185Bibliography........................................................................................................................................197
Chapter One
Faith Expressed in Love: A Prerequisite to Any Presentation
Karl Barth, the famous liberal (Neo-Orthodox) theologian, once noted that a "theological work is a good work when it is permitted to be done in love. It is a good work only there (but nevertheless there with certainty) where it is resolutely done in love. Therefore, love alone counts." Though I'm personally a firm believer in the divine and verbal inspiration of Scripture unlike Karl Barth who erred and believed in a form of partial inspiration, it remains true that his point applies equally to all people alike today regardless of theological tradition—conservative, liberal, moderate, Catholic, Protestant, or any other persuasion or mixture of faith.
Regretfully, speaking from an evangelical position it appears that in many cases conservative, Bible-believing, evangelical Protestants have the right doctrine yet the wrong spirit or attitude, especially when defending some doctrine from the sacred Scriptures. Such attitudes have been noted by many others, such as within Roman Catholicism. Writer Philip St. Romain has noted that those coming from the "fundamentalist" version of Christianity often "tend to be very intolerant of others whose beliefs differ from theirs, and they don't always express this in respectful ways."
In the eyes of many, some defenders of the faith have presented their positions from a cold and less than loving demeanor. This act of defending the faith (Jude 3), which is certainly important, without a proper attitude of respect towards those with different views remains a "log in the eye" (Matt. 7:4) of many who claim the title of "conservative."
When such things happen, every true evangelical ought to agree that "Christian faith is not merely a matter of who has right doctrine, but of empowering people to know God in Christ and to love as he loved." For it was Apostle Paul who clearly stated, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6 ESV). Furthermore, it was Paul who said, "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest is love" (1 Cor. 13:13). As Barth noted, "love really counts. It builds up." A serious danger looms over the horizon for both the presenter and receiver when love does not lead the way of presentation.
Though it is recognized that Jesus Christ lived a very controversial life, probably the most controversial life known to earthly history, one must never use that as an excuse to intentionally cause a controversy. Should, within God's providential rule, controversy naturally arise from the presentation of the doctrine itself, even when done in the proper manner and right time, then a person may rest comfortably within the peace of God.
But to intentionally cause conflict violates the doctrine of love and such acts receive a sharp rebuke from God who said Christians ought to have "nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies" for such situations "breed quarrels" (2 Tim. 2:23). Interestingly, Paul's admonition rests within the context of counsel to "flee youthful passions" (2 Tim. 2:22). It may very well be that he, Paul, recognized how younger people in the faith (maybe even physical and spiritual age youthfulness) like to wage war against the people that are perceived to be antagonists towards the truth. Certainly Proverbs notes the strength in young men (Prov. 20:29).
Therefore, it seems probable and reasonable to believe that a youthful person in spiritual maturity will more easily engage in diabolical debate than, say, an older person would simply due to the emotional and physical levels of strength he or she may have.
Having noted that, however, one should not conclude that debate, dialogue, or even defense of doctrine automatically excludes love. Paul certainly stood as one of the most adamant defenders of the faith in his day. He defended the faith tirelessly in synagogues, within the city, and even within wayward geographical churches and did so in the Spirit of love. Sometimes people mistakenly assume that aggressive or avid articulation of some doctrine means a person is less than loving. One need not make such a hasty conclusion (Converse Accident error), which is in and of itself a violation of not only love but the philosophical principles that exist within the very concept of love.
Yet if such reasoning were allowed to stand without a swift denunciation one would have to conclude that not only was Apostle Paul unloving for defending the faith, but that even the God-Man, Jesus Christ, lived an unloving life, for he debated, denounced, and dialogued over doctrine throughout his entire ministry on earth, especially with the religious leaders of his day. Such ideology has grown from the root of postmodern philosophy that has blossomed under the practical emphasis known as the "New Tolerance." It attempts to assert that if a person defends one position as right above another position that he or she has become unloving and intolerant. As two authors have noted:
The new tolerance is defined as the view that all values, beliefs, lifestyles, and truth claims are equal. In the words of Edwin J. Delattre, dean of Boston University's School of Education, the new tolerance involves 'the elevation of all values and beliefs to a position worthy of equal respect ... In contrast to traditional tolerance, which asserts that everyone has an equal right to believe or say what he thinks is right, the new tolerance ... says that what every individual believes or says is equally right, equally valid. So not only does everyone have an equal right to his beliefs, but all beliefs are equal. All values are equal. All lifestyles are equal. All truth claims are equal. Such a view ignores how progression and maturity actually happen in the life of an individual or organization. As Proverbs 27:17 says: "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." If each person believes all ideas are equal and valid then no sharpening or shaping shall ever occur. Yet even well trained conservative Bible scholars have seemingly fallen into this when attempting to dialogue and defend the faith.
For example, one Protestant scholar, Greg L. Bahnsen, recognized how vague, indirect, and ambiguous another Evangelical Protestant scholar was within his defense of his particular view of the law of God. Bahnsen noted that Douglas Moo wrote in "dialectical, vague, and equivocal" language that "had no clear meaning in the first place." Bahnsen's criticism seems true when reviewing some of the language used by Moo, who no doubt has excellent academic credentials, but nonetheless seems to have fallen into such a soft approach of defense that it has exposed his "Achilles' heel" as Bahnsen noted.
However, I have also seen Bahnsen write and teach in such ways that it leaves me questioning if he truly had love in his heart towards those with whom he disagreed. He, like so many of us who attempt to fight for the truth, seems to have at times been overly harsh and overly dogmatic on issues that seem to be minor issues of the faith. We who are devout followers of the Bible and who believe in the law of God sometimes fall into this spirit. The Pharisee spirit lives within the conservative forms of Christianity. We, like the Pharisees, are sometimes fighting to get rid of the gnat while we fail to see the bigger issue at hand. Thus we swallow the camel and lose the larger war of love while we win the smaller battle of precise points. Jesus spoke to this issue (Matt. 23:23-24).
Though illusive and hard to achieve, it seems to many that mature Christians ought to defend the faith with clarity, conviction, and courage. Love does not mean cowardly or overly cautious presentations to the point where conviction yields to some spirit of false unity at the expense of truth. Love, unity, and truth, even when in debate, does not have to mean those ideas are mutually exclusive. Though rare, debate does not have to lead to rancor. A Christian can, if his or her choice of words, expressions, and mannerisms are reserved, defend a doctrine with passion without violating the law of love, which stands as the ultimate law God has commanded to his children (Matt. 22:34-40).
Paul explained it this way: "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:11-15).
The first President of Moody Bible Institute, Dr. James M. Gray, noted that the way you actually grow people and maintain the unity while in the process of growth, which includes teaching and defending truth, is explained by Paul in verse two of the same chapter where the Apostle urged the believers to walk in "all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love" (Eph. 4:2). The prolific writer and scholar Matthew Henry expressed the idea of Paul by saying, "We must walk with meekness and quietness of spirit, for this is 'in the sight of God of great price.'"
Hopefully this defense of the doctrine of a biblical eldership, though thorough and tenacious, contains the right spirit of love, a spirit that is broken for those who miss it, reject it, or misunderstand it. I have worked within religious circles where there was no official body of elders. I have served within spheres where the people ruled over the formal leadership. I have also worked within circles where an eldership existed yet it was out of balance with anarchy inside of the eldership. I have also served within elderships where there was balance, maturity, and structured levels of leadership inside of the eldership. These experiences have grown me and helped me to mature in Christ's character.
I prayerfully hope that this work will do the same for your growth in Christ. I hope that the areas where I challenge some longstanding traditions that as a reader you can harness any emotional reactions that may lead you to contempt before due investigation of the facts. Furthermore, I hope you will approach this subject with the presupposition that I am writing this in a spirit or attitude of respect for even those with whom I disagree. Many who hold different views than what is shared herein are my close comrades in other areas of truth. In those other areas we share a deeper bond in Christ that transcends any one subject or doctrine. This work does not seek to ridicule or belittle anyone. This work is an effort to persuade and promote a view that can bring much stability to the body of Christ wherever embraced. Yet, like anything else, love and patience with tolerance for grace to grow and mature us remains a vitally important character trait as we deal with one another in the process of transition from one view to another.
Chapter Two
Satan's Stealthy Strategy to Saturate Saints with Sin
Should it surprise any Christian that if Satan exists that he has a purpose to infiltrate the mind and hearts of people in order to propagate his ideas? Certainly it should not be a surprise, yet tempers often flare when anyone dares to suggest, imply, or even directly state that a fellowship of faith may be or is promoting false or demonic teachings. In some cases the educational institutions that are supposedly training men and women for the faith actually do the opposite and undermine portions of the faith.
For example, one empirical (pragmatic, research based) study conducted within the latter part of the 20th century inside the largest protestant denomination, the Southern Baptists, discovered that Satanic ideas has gained a stronghold over some within that group. At the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the survey revealed that as students progressed towards a Ph.D degree they became less and less inclined to believe in Satan. This study conducted in the latter part of the 1970's revealed that 15% of the student body thought it was "probable" that the devil existed; 32% thought the devil as "probably not true" and 15% actually denied that the devil existed. This problem is not merely within Southern Baptist circles. Satan works to do this with all higher educational institutions. If you think that study is bad, do the same type of study among the other mainline denominational universities in America and you will discover similar results.
Of course, some in defense mode among the Baptist body will be quick to point out that this is not the case now since the doctrine of inerrancy and inspiration has been recovered in the SBC life. That much is true, but one would do well to hear that one leading President of a Southern Baptist Seminary, Dr. Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has noted that the SBC has yet to be restored. He specifically said of the SBC, "Has there been a Restoration? Doubtful. Have we experienced genuine Revival? Clearly the answer is no."
I do not intend by the previous paragraphs to say that all Baptist Churches are impure. I know many Baptist churches where the gospel is preached and where elders do have a strong leadership role over the body. But of the 45,000 or so bodies in the SBC those that embrace a pure elder rule where the people do not vote in or out the elders is rare and certainly in the minority.
And there will likely be no biblical restoration until the authority of the Word is placed in the hands of elders who have the authority to implement the rule of the Word in the congregation. As to date, the SBC, as with many other congregationally governed bodies in the autonomous or free-church tradition, on the whole has yet to embrace the only biblical option for governing the body of Christ. The authority of the word has been embraced in theory, but the majority of the pastors in SBC churches have no authority to enforce the Word, to require obedience to the Word, or to discipline the spiritual children with the Word because the pastors are not able to pastor in the biblical sense of the term.
Consequently, Satan erodes the effectiveness of the eldership and congregation in its most essential goal of making disciples through the great commission. Satan's master plan undermines the rushing, mighty, cleansing river of love and grace into a trickling stream that is shallow, anemic, and ineffective in producing power. He leads the congregation into anarchy (multiple streams with little organizational unity) and even apostasy (a denial of key truths of the Bible). In either case (anarchy or apostasy) or in both cases the blessing of seeing men and women become true disciples of Christ dissipates and suffers.
That does not mean, however, that these existing leaders are not loving and good men in these positions. There are many. I have good friends who pastor churches within a system where the congregation has the ultimate authority. But good men as they are, they still have no authority over the body. The body still holds the reins of government or authority over those with the title of leadership. Even Dr. Akin, who I highly respect as a Dispensational brother, and one that I personally consider to be a great leader of the SBC, still holds to this unbiblical ideology, as he stated in his message, and until this is removed the plague of liberalism, anarchy, and apostasy will continue to haunt not only the SBC but also all other congregationally governed bodies in the world of Christianity.
To be sure, I am grateful and very thankful for my SBC heritage. For those who know me I like to joke with them and tell them that I am a seven point Southern Baptist. In curiosity many ask me what that means. Some have said they have heard of being a five point Calvinist or a five point Arminian but not a seven point Southern Baptist. By that I mean: (1) I was conceived by two Southern Baptist parents, (2) I was physically born within a Southern Baptist environment, (3) I was born again by Christ under the preaching of a Southern Baptist pastor, (4) I was baptized in a Southern Baptist church, (5) I was licensed and ordained to preach in a Southern Baptist church, (6) I was educated in a Southern Baptist undergraduate university, and lastly, (7) I currently live in the south, have a deep southern accent, and I too baptize by immersion! So I will forever be branded, for the good or the bad, by my beloved Southern Baptist heritage. I'm eternally grateful for what I did receive and learn from this community of saints.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Satan's Strategy to Curse Christ's Congregationby KEITH A. SHERLIN Copyright © 2010 by Dr. Keith A. Sherlin. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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