Dispensationalism and the Westminster Standards, Part 1: WCF

I recently finished reading through the Westminster Confession of Faith (ARP edition), cover to cover, and while this was not my goal, I was pleasantly surprised to find many statements in the WCF that contradict Dispensationalism, which I had never noticed before. Below, I’ve posted all the parts of the WCF that I believe a dispensationalist would have to take exception to in order to subscribe to it. I plan on reading through the Larger and Shorter Catechisms next, and will the parts of those documents related to dispensationalism, as well.

As a side note, I believe it would be beneficial to have “cheat sheets” like this for different doctrinal errors, so that if a candidate were to hold to an errant view on, say, paedocommunion, those examining him would have a handy guide with which to challenge him and note any and all exceptions he would have to take to the Standards.

Sections of the Westminster Confession of Faith related to Dispensationalism:

WCF 7.6, “There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.” (Gal 3:14, 16; Acts 15:11; Rom. 3:21-23, 30; Ps. 32:1 with Rom. 4:3, 6, 16-17, 23-24; Heb. 13:8.)

WCF 8.4, “and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.” (Rom. 14:9-10; Acts 1:11; Acts 10:42; Matt. 13:40-42; Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4.)

WCF 20.1, “all which were common also to believers under the law;” (Gal. 3:9, 14.)

WCF 25.2, “The visible church…is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Matt. 13:47; Isa. 9:7.)

WCF 25.5, “there shall be always a church on earth to worship God according to his will.” (Matt. 16:18; Ps. 72:17; Ps. 102:28; Matt. 28:19-20.)

WCF 25.6, “The Pope of Rome…is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all this is called God.” (Matt. 23:8-10; 2 Thess. 2:3-4, 8-9; Rev. 13:6.). ***NOTE: This wording is not the in the ARP edition of the WCF, but was part of the original WCF. I’ve included it for historical perspective, and because I do believe this statement to be correct. It obviously contradicts the Dispensational idea of a future antichrist.

WCF 28.1, “Baptism is…to be continued in his church until the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:19-20.)

What happens when Elders don't do their job?

Elders: want to know what happens when you fail in your duties to guard the purity of the Church? Want to know what will become of the flock God has entrusted into your care when you don't study the current theological controversies in your denomination; when you think "it's better for my pastor to deal with this"? Then, take a look at Al Mohler's latest blog post titled "Vanishing Christianity -- A Lesson from the Presbyterians."

Mohler makes some sad but accurate points. Based on the latest "Presbyterian Panel" survey (2008), only 36% of PCUSA church members either "disagree" or "strongly disagree" with the statement "only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved." Mohler points out that elders are slightly more "conservative" than other church members, but does it even matter any more?

"Theological compromise appeared first among the pastors, theologians, church executives, and seminary professors," Mohler writes. Elders: are you on Candidates and Credentials committees? Do you take an active role in examining what Pastors and Professors seeking ordination in or transfer into your Presbytery (and denomination) believe? If you don't, you can expect that in less than 100 years, your denomination will look exactly like the PCUSA.

"Make no mistake," Mohler concludes, "in the end, vanishing theological boundaries will amount to vanishing Christianity."

Books for Ruling Elders

Though by no means comprehensive, I've started to compile books related to the office and work of the Ruling Elder. Feel free to suggest others I may have missed. (All synopses/reviews are taken from Monergism Books.)

The Elder and His Work by David Dickson
"The Elder and His Work, originally written in the mid-1800's, is a classic that conveys the gravity and importance of the elder's calling. Nineteenth-century author David Dickson provided this brief, complete manual describing the qualifications and duties of elders. According to Dickson, an elder is a shepherd of Christ's flock and a student of God's Word - a man growing in the gracious disciplines of the Christian life."

The Ruling Elder by Samuel Miller
"One of the most complete treatises ever written on the Presbyterian system of church government, this book examines the scriptural qualifications for holding ecclesiastical office."

Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Church Leadership by Alexander Strauch
"This is the definitive theological work on biblical eldership. It is really a one-stop shop for accurate teaching on oversight. If we probed all the churches across the world, interviewing pastors who had read this work we would pile recommendation on recommendation because it is the very best available. If you are an elder and you have not read this book, you need to read it. If you are a new congregation and are looking to position elders, you need to read it. If you are part of the church, you need to read this book! No theological library can be complete without it. It is an essential course in accurate theological knowledge." -Monergism Books Review

The Elder: Today's Ministry Rooted in all of Scripture by Cornelis Van Dam
"To rediscover God's gift of eldership for the church today, we need to go back beyond the New Testament to the origins of the office of elder in ancient Israel. There we discover the enduring principles that guided the elder in antiquity - and that guide the church today. In this book you will develop a renewed understanding of the office of elder and of godly discipline."

Called to Serve: Essays for Elders and Deacons edited by Michael G. Brown
"Sixteen chapters cover topics such as the qualifications of elders and deacons, their duties and tasks, the history of the Reformed churches, infant baptism, the Lord's Supper, worship, rules for meetings, church discipline, family visitation, and the ministry of mercy. A plan and study guide incorporate readings from Scripture and the confessions. Includes recommendations for building a basic elder's library."

REs and Heresy

TE Wes White has a new post at his blog addressing the question "Are Teaching Elders More Qualified to Deal with FV [Federal Vision] than Ruling Elders?" It is worth reading. He makes some great points, such as:

1. TEs are no more qualified than REs to deal with heresy (specifically, Federal Vision). This is especially true when TEs don't do their homework and read up on issues.

2. TEs tend to run in cliques (or at least, have a tendency to do so), based on the fact that many TEs may have attended the same seminary, gone through the same ordination/examination process, have to face similar issues in their churches (like pesky REs getting in their way).

3. REs have lead the charge against FV and have been some of the most determined opponents of it.

4. REs have to sit under the teaching of TEs who do hold to heresy, so there is a personal interest in seeing doctrinal issues dealt with.

In light of these things, I ask you, Ruling Elders: have you read through your denomination's reports on Federal Vision? Do you read your denomination's Standards? Are you familiar with Robert's Rule of Order? If the answer to any of those is "no" then you've got some work to do!

REs and Spiritual Warfare

RE Bill Mueller (PCA) has posted an article at The Aquila Report on the topic of Spiritual Warfare. It's a quick read, but also a good reminder that there is more to being an elder than procedural reports and Session minutes.

Interestingly, at the Bible study I lead last night, we discussed Matt 26:41 ("The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."). I said that, in my opinion, that verse could be the motto of the Christian life: a constant struggle between the New Man and the Old. Elders are called upon more than others to bare the burdens of those in the churches in addition to their own struggle. Therefore, "Watch and pray."

News Round-Up

Here's a round-up of recent blogs and news related to Elders and Presbyterian Government.

First, Dr. Scott. Clark has an interesting analysis of Tim Keller's "Multi-Site Model" of church planting. Here's a tidbit to get you interested:

The collegiate model that Tim articulates sounds like a sort of parallel presbytery where one session is the presbytery or classis for multiple “collegiate" congregations. How does this model relate to what we’ve traditionally considered presbyteries and classes? What oversight does the presbytery or classis actually have over these various bodies that are de facto congregations but nominally a single congregation?"

Second, here is a great chronology of the matters happening in the Siouxlands Presbytery of the PCA up til now. Note that one of the (former) members of that Presbytery who voted NOT to approve the committee study condemning the Federal Vision is now a professor at Erskine. I didn't know that until reading this post. Also, note how long it has taken to deal with this issue. (The chronology starts back in April of 2005). Presbyterian government moves slowly, most of the time. Elders need to be patient and persevere!

Third, a discussion was started on the Puritan Board when someone asked "What minimum age should a Ruling Elder be?" Of course, Biblically there is no minimum age, as the requirements for Elder are spiritual maturity. Some other good points are raised in the discussion, as well.

Ruling Elder Exams

Although Teaching Elders are put through more rigorous exams, Ruling Elders also need to be examined by the Session before taking office. Areas of examination may include: Biblical knowledge (knowing the books of the Bible, themes of books, where key passages are located, etc), theology (theology proper, anthropology, soteriology, eschatology, etc), familiarity with the creeds and confessions of the church (Westminster Confession, Shorter and, more importantly, Larger Catechism, what does it mean when the Apostles Creed says "descended into Hell"?, etc).

Of course, there are more than just academics that have to be taken into account, but these are good starting points.

The ARP has a "Study Questions for Presbytery Examinations" here. I believe this is intended for Pastors, not Ruling Elders, but it could just as easily be used to examine a RE.

Over at A Puritan's Mind, there are two study guides for examining potential elders (Exam 1 and Exam 2). They are longer than the ARP guide, but again, could be adapted for use in examining Ruling Elders.

Remember, the difference between a Teaching Elder and a Ruling Elder is function, not knowledge!