Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Epley
Not to answer every nuance but a general answer is this:
1. The local church is instituted by God and the authority is authorized by scripture. Thus passages like Heb. 13:7,17,21 applies.
2. NO scripture teaches or validates a organization thus the offices are unscriptural so there is NO divine authority being disobeyed.
Apples and Oranges if you please.  |
Bro. Epley,
If the local church in question belongs to an organization, the pastor is subject to a higher office. As a matter of fact, pastors being subjected to a higher office is scriptural. Please allow me to provide scripture. We read in
Galatians 1:6, Paul is addressing the church of Galatia for entertaining false teachings.
Take notice, Paul doesn't address the pastors alone, but he addresses the pastors and congregants as a whole as "you foolish Galatians." This leads me to believe that:
1) Pastors and congregants can have truth, and can begin entertaining unscriptural teachings and be classified as fools.
2) If these Galatia pastors hadn't detoured to fulfill their own agenda, and fulfilled their responsibilities, Paul wouldn't have addressed the church of Galatia as fools.
3) Leadership must be subjected to higher leadership, which leaves me wondering if these independent pastors are being rebellious to what clearly the bible identifies as scriptural. Paul stated be imitators of him, and obviously he praticed pastoralship subjection to a higher office.
We also read within multiple text, including in
Acts 14:23, Paul had appointed pastors, and these pastors were subject to a higher office, thus, we see this same structure within an organization, which is scriptural.
So yes brother Epley, you said well when stating:
Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account........
When these brethren pulled out of the UPCI, after being advised not to by their leaders, and yet they still left, they're found in rebellion to their leaders and the word of God. This also leaves me wondering if these pastors are backslidden and going to hell, just as they accuse those individuals that leave their groups!
hmmm..........
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