This is my reply to an essay shared by a friend on the subject of restoring the Biblical balance to church government.
The word spiritual is loaded. For the Christian spiritual always properly means of the Holy Spirit. Other spirits with powers of influence include Satan and his minions. Rightfully, all power and authority are Christ’s.
These all have power and authority, but as with Paul argues with the Corinthians in his second letter, his rightful spiritual authority is only useful to them if they accept it.
All men are always subject to power and authority, somehow within God’s absolute sovereignty—a logical tension we will never really understand, and to assume we can presumes upon the secret counsel of our God, a symptom of the original sin and not sound reasoning.
Which authority has power over us depends on whom we accept—God or demons. How do we know a given person represents God or demons? By his words and actions, the fruit of his life, as again Paul commonly argues in both Corinthian letters. All Biblical authority is reciprocal between those over and those under it. Another rightful tension.
How far does human authority go? It goes as far as it represents Scripture and its fruit, by which we know it. Since all men are sinners, God does not give us an easy answer as to whom and when we submit. His goal is our spiritual maturity. Here enters the divine disadvantage of faith. Our recourse is direct appeal to our God, and then trust that we hear Him. We may not, and then suffer consequences. We may even suffer bad consequences when we decide rightly. Then we think of God’s admonition to Cain, though he refused it. Accept the correction and move on again in faith.
The whole point of this system of God’s is not to lean too heavily on men. Ultimately, we need no other teacher than the Holy Spirit. Yet we much benefit from human teaching. Again, a tension that requires faith and constant appeal to our Lord and Savior.
Union is better than schism (per 1 Cor). Work through differences amicably if possible. The local church and civil structures we submit to by faith are not absolute. And both most properly exercise themselves when they represent God’s order. In civil government, that means justice by God’s standard. And remember, the most fundamental and Biblical form of civil government is self-government (Deut One). A true theocracy (government by God) is not external, man- and power-centered, but is truly liberty under law—a spiritual government by the power of the Holy Spirit in the corporate individuals. In the church, that means sound teaching, and limited practical education in the form of structures in practice, teaching us how to live and worship as mature believers. In this, the formal church is an end and a means. The body of Christ consists of lively (active) stones. Both activity and structure.
Limiting pastoral authority to authority over demons, does not ring true. The Word of God and its equipping for the ministry is even more central. I would argue that the miraculous engaging of demons is primarily for spiritual frontiers where demonic forces still predominate, as with witchcraft in Uganda.
My practical conclusion for the model church as an institution is the traditional college—a place where you live and learn in fellowship with teachers and fellow learners, preparing for real and independent life (though always in covenantal community—the equal ultimacy of the individual and the community, both of which we must protect, a created reflection of relationships among the Persons of the Godhead). Thus, both rugged individualism and faithful serving of the community is requisite. The American founders understood this at least obliquely, as found in every element of the American system and summarized in the word federalism. Without this understanding, we will never see either the local church or civil society completely mature in Christ.
This collegiate community includes constant unity- and truth-driven discussion and debate to help keep all, including teachers, on the narrow path that leads to life. Lively stones again. When one has a prophecy—a Biblically-based correction of mindset and activities—the rest judge it. This view and its model forbid both capricious top-down government and supposed individual gad-fly ministries to correct everyone else.
I further argue that there is no proper secular authority and represents a false dichotomy. Everything (except the occult) is either spiritual, of the Holy Spirit, or not, depending upon our mindset (Don’t call it a conspiracy, says Isaiah). The difference is not vertical as with Greek thinking, but horizontal. Therefore, godly civil government can never ignore God on His terms. God uses bad governing models as chastening for correction or judgment among a wayward people. He grants greater liberty and justice to those capable of self-government in Christ. The Law is for the lawless. Randall Terry’s recent NPI book Divine Correction is excellent on this subject.
And yes, leadership is serving, and that according to Paul to Timothy by example.