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Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances

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As I reflect on Calvin: Theological Treatises, “Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances,” I am reminded of a judge adorned in a black robe with a gavel at hand pounding on his bench and saying in a thunderous voice, “Order in the Court.” Order. Order is a small word that can calm a raging sea. It provides structure and organization. According to Webster’s Dictionary, order means to “give an authoritative direction or instruction to do something”. How many times a day does someone tell us what to do? How often do we stop ourselves from doing what we want, because we know that this action is prohibited or wrong? In the United States as well as in the church, we have rules, laws, and regulations to govern or oversee almost everything we do. In court …show more content…

So why must we have order in the church? As aforementioned, the Bible gives us our first glimpse of order in the church. It is our basic structure. In fact, God established order or government for the good of all people. Romans 13:1-2 tells us that, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed by God.” The Scripture goes on to say that if we reject God’s order or governance, then we reject God. Scripture also tells us that order was instituted in the church for God’s glory. All things exist under the sovereignty of God and serve not only the good of people but also God’s ultimate purpose to bring glory to His name (Psalm115:1-2; Proverbs 16:4, Isaiah 42:8). Therefore, government or order has been instituted by God not only for our good but also for the glory of His own name. Perhaps Paul sums it up best in the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians, when he was speaking to the church in Corinth. He said, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” In putting this verse into perspective, Paul is reminding the people of the church that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace within the body of Christ or the local church setting. Calvin took on the same mindset as Paul. In reading, Calvin: Theological Treatises, the “Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances,” Calvin gives us an explanation …show more content…

Paul’s guidance on the standards of these roles should not be taken lightly; as one should be called to have a leadership role in the church. The governmental structure in the Bible is like a pyramid with the Pastor as the head and the elders beneath him. The pastor’s role according to scriptures is similar to the role of the elder and that is to care for and feed God’s flock (Ephesians 4:1). The New Testament only refers to the pastor’s role one time; which we can conclude that the pastor and elder in a Biblical sense are one in the same. In Calvin’s Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances, there are four orders of office instituted by the Lord for government of the church: pastors, doctors, elders, and deacons. The pastor’s role in the Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances is similar to the Bible. Its role is to, “proclaim the Word of God, to admonish, exhort and censure, both in public and private, to administer the sacraments, and to enjoin in brotherly corrections along with the elders and colleagues.” Doctors of the Ecclesiastical Draft role is to instruct, teach, and lecture on true doctrine. There is no mentioning of doctor’s role in the Bible and the Presbytery Book of

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