Rogers-Yarnell Dialogue on the Great Commission, Letter #12

*Malcolm Yarnell and I have agreed together to post this second consecutive letter of his now, before my next letter, which will respond to both letters #11 and #12. --David

Enduring Submission to the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Dearest David,

The first evidence we have that Matthew 28:18-19 was identified as Christ’s "Great Commission" in the English language was apparently by Francis Johnson. He was a leading Separatist who exerted influence upon the earliest English Baptists, being the professor of John Smyth at Cambridge. In discussing Christ’s "last and great commission," Johnson stressed that all of Christ’s commands must be obeyed, no matter what others might say or do.1 The second reference to it was made my Robert Parsons, a Roman Catholic apologist for the papacy. But he believed the granting of the keys in Matthew 16 was the delegation of a plenitude of power to Peter, the presumed first bishop of Rome and his supposed papal successors. The final, evangelistic commission of Christ was not in Parsons’s mind.2

Intriguingly, it was a leading Particular Baptist, Benjamin Keach, who was the first to repeatedly and forcefully develop the idea that Matthew 28:16-20 is the Great Commission from which the Christian churches should live their lives.3 While Keach would agree with Johnson on the importance of obeying every one of Christ’s commands, the very order of the Great Commission was also inviolable to Keach. His response to a paedo-Baptist proponent should inform all who call themselves Baptists today,

Sir, All that are to be baptized, are, by virtue of the great Commission of our Saviour, to be first taught and made Disciples by teaching; and take heed you add not to his Word, nor attempt to invert the Order of the Charter and gracious Grant of the King of Heaven and Earth; nor go about, as you do, to make void his Commands by your own Traditions.4

I have exposited the Great Commission from Scripture elsewhere, and refer your readers, David, to that work,5 and to your own comments upon it. Rather than rehearsing that exposition, please allow me to focus in on at least one important implication of verses 18 and 19. This implication is what drives a lasting wedge between evangelical Baptists and other evangelicals. It is an implication that cannot be dismissed in the name of obeying Christ’s prayer for unity in John 17. Unity based on disobedience to Christ is not really unity in Christ but a spurious unity. "Bridge building" efforts, even if sentimental in emotion and loving in intent, that ignore the Great Commission of Jesus Christ are to be summarily rejected by true Christ followers.

The leading implication of the Great Commission proper that we must stress here is that it is Christ’s enduring commandment to the church. Indeed, Johnson is utterly correct in pointing out the Apostles planted the first churches upon the authority granted by Christ and according to the commands given by Christ. Johnson taught that Christ prescribed to the Apostles both "faith and order," and that Christians must be careful to stress both aspects in their teaching.6 We need to keep in mind here two ordered but coordinate essentials: First, obeying Christ’s "order" will not save you if you are not first born again by "faith" in Christ. In other words, we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone as a gracious work of the Spirit alone. Justification by God is necessary and prior to Christian obedience.

Second, however, true "faith" is immediately accompanied by obedience to the "order" of Christ. Speaking and expositing about the essential of one’s "faith" in Christ while dismissing the essential of obeying the "order" established by Christ is utterly sinful. The tendency known as Antinomianism, characteristic of especially the Lutheran and Reformed traditions, is to be identified by true Christian disciples as a perversion worthy of immediate rebuke and disciplinary exclusion by the truly ordered churches of Jesus Christ. Keach and the overwhelming majority of early Baptists (and their Anabaptist forefathers) understood this and acted upon it. This is why they would not hold communion with apostates or Independents or Presbyterians or Anglicans or Roman Catholics. Though these others might claim to be true Christians, they certainly did not (and do not) act as such.

I would agree wholeheartedly with our Baptist and Anabaptist forefathers. We must obey the Lord’s commission ourselves totally, even when others arrogantly or ignorantly refuse to submit entirely to Christ’s commands. Our forefathers suffered extreme persecution, including imprisonment, torture and horrendous execution from the hands of these other "Christians." It would be a betrayal of their witness to the truth that Christ’s Great Commission is to be obeyed in its entirety and according to its own order for Baptists to adopt open communion with those who subvert, pervert, or invert our Lord’s commands.

Yes, we need to unite around the essentials of the Christian faith, but we also need to unite around the essentials of the Christian order. Those Baptists who relegate the Christian order to a non-essential status significantly undermine the Great Commission of our Lord and Savior. Christ’s commands are essential for Christian obedience. Moreover, those Baptists who seek communion with disobedient Christians or naively refer to them as "Great Commission Christians" should repent.

We show love to others by pointing them to the grace available even to disobedient Christians (including ourselves) in Christ and by pointing them to the enduring nature of Christ’s orderly command. Let us love other Christians and ourselves by maintaining a distinct witness to the truth of the Great Commission and challenging all Christians to truly follow Christ. And if they will not follow Christ with us, let us weep over their hard hearts and pray that we do not likewise in this or any other area. Let us follow Christ, not men, even good men with whom we naturally desire Christian communion.

In Christ,

Malcolm

__________________________________

1"I proceed yet further to show that Christ that Prophet requireth not onely acknowledgment in word, but obedience indeed to all his ordinances given to his Church. This we learne both of Christ himself and of his Apostles. Of Christ himself, in his last and great commission given to his Apostles, when he sent them into the world, to publish his faith, and plant his Churches therein. In which he straitly charged them to teach all his people baptized in his name, not to acknowledg onely but, to keep and observ whatsoever he had commaunded them: and that even to the end of the world: not making any exception of Christian or heathen Magistrates, of theyr allowance or disallowance, or of any other worldly respects whatsoever. The Apostles also as they were commaunded, so they performed: both planting the Churches in that faith and order which Christ prescribed them, and requiring of the Churches so planted and of all other after them to the end of the world to keep that faith and order wherein they were sett, and to admitt of no other whatsoever, but to keep that without spot and vnrebukeable, untill the appearing of owr Lord Iesus Christ. And thus much concerning this matter." Francis Johnson, A treatise of the ministery of the Church of England (1595), 32.

2Robert Parsons, The warn-word to Sir Francis Hastinges wast-word (1602), 29.

3Benjamin Keach, The glorious lover (London, 1670), 256; idem, Pedo-baptism disproved (London, 1691), 1; idem, An appendix to the answer (1692), 1; idem, The ax laid to the root (1693), 21; idem, A counter-antidote (London, 1694), 1, 29; idem, Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness (1696), 54, 97, 229, 240, 305; idem, The Jewish Sabbath abrogated (London, 1700), 175-76. Cf. John Bunyan, Differences in judgment about water-baptism, no bar to communion (1673), 73.

4Keach, The rector rectified and corrected (1692), 78 (cf. pp. 27, 51).

5See http://www.baptisttheology.org/documents/TheHeartofaBaptist_001.pdf.

6Unfortunately, Johnson refused to follow the implications of his teaching and opposed the reintroduction of Christian baptism in the English churches.

Introduction

Letter #1, Two Requirements for a Universal Fulfillment of the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #2, A Steward must be Found Faithful, by David Rogers

Letter #3, Centripetal and Centrifugal, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #4, To Whom is the Great Commission Given?, by David Rogers

Letter #5, The Great Commission is Given to the Gathered Church, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #6, The End-Vision of the Great Commission, by David Rogers

Letter #7, Both the End and the Means are Established by the Lord, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #8, A Matter of Emphasis?, by David Rogers

Letter #9, Complete Obedience versus Hesitant Discipleship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #10, The Universal Scope of the Great Commission, by David Rogers

Letter #11, Freedom, Power and Authority in the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #12, Enduring Submission to the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #13, Obeying the Commands of Jesus, by David Rogers

Letter #14, John Gill on Romans 14 and 15:1-7, by David Rogers

Letter #15, The Illustration of the Hypothetical "Common Loaf Denomination", by David Rogers

Letter #16, A Condensed Response to Your Last Three Letters, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #17, Further Discussion on Cooperation and Obedience, by David Rogers

Letter #18 (Part I), Faith and Faithfulness: Truth, Love, and the Limits of Fellowship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #18 (Part II), Faith and Faithfulness: Truth, Love, and the Limits of Fellowship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #18 (Part III), Faith and Faithfulness: Truth, Love, and the Limits of Fellowship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #19, A Deep Division?, by David Rogers

sbc IMPACT!

On Sept. 1, a ground-breaking new group blog entitled sbc IMPACT! is set to begin.

According to the launch announcement:

sbc IMPACT! is the vision of a group of Southern Baptist bloggers who desire to host a truly edifying, thought-provoking, civil community for the examination and discussion of issues that affect Southern Baptist churches.

Instead of dwelling upon SBC politics and personalities, sbc IMPACT! will be a place where issues, even the tough issues, can be discussed and debated in a God-honoring manner. It will be a place where Southern Baptist ministries, churches, and missionaries can be highlighted and lifted up. It will be a place where differing views can be stated in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

In short, the contributors at sbc IMPACT! want to work to bring Christ-like character, honorable speech, and real ministry to the discussion of Southern Baptist issues in the blogosphere.

I am excited and honored to form part of the list of regular contributors, along with editors Geoff Baggett and Rob Ayers, as well as fellow contributors Hariette Peterson (SelahV), Bowden McElroy, Tony Sisk, Roger Ferrell, Les Puryear, and Cyle Clayton.

Since arriving in the States from Spain a little more than a month ago, I have not posted quite as often as usual here at Love Each Stone, due to the busyness of transition, and, intermittent internet access. I hope to get back to my regular rhythm of posting here soon, though, as well as my additional contributions about once every 10 days at sbc IMPACT!

For the meantime, I invite you to go ahead and check out the launch announcment for sbc IMPACT!, as well as the Purpose Statement and Standards for Posting and Commenting, which are already on-line.

Rogers-Yarnell Dialogue on the Great Commission, Letter #11

Freedom, Power and Authority in the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Dear David,

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:19).

The Great Commission proper begins with a verse many often brush over, perhaps because they consider it uncouth. A subject that some modern Christians consider inappropriate for conversation is neither "sexuality" nor "selfishness," which no longer seem to cause our culture to blush, but "authority." But this aversion to speaking about power counters our Lord’s own attitude.

Western culture considers power to be somehow unseemly, inherently evil, taking Lord Acton’s dictum much too seriously—"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." We have even turned an ungodly attitude—anti-authoritarianism—into an ideal worth pursuing, and the opposing mantra becomes "freedom" or "liberty." This is strange, for "freedom" may be synonymous with "power," as seen in the Greek word here, exousia, which may be translated as "freedom," "power," or "authority." Usually, by "freedom," we really mean uninhibited personal power, a truth that unmasks anti-authoritarianism to be nothing more than a deceptive personal power grab.

The Lord had a different attitude towards power, one we should hear and receive. Our Lord made a most audacious claim—"all authority has been given to me." He then compounded it by saying his authority was so total it included every power "in heaven and on earth." Is this indicative of a deluded megalomaniac, of which the world has seen too many examples? Or is the claim of Jesus that he rules the world and all spiritual reality, too, shockingly true? Scripture certainly believes so, as do true Christians.

The Creation of the Powers. The New Testament presents a theology of power that is nuanced and sobering. Every power in existence is created and instituted by God (Rom. 13:1). Even the power that proud Pontius Pilate wielded in the crucifixion of our Lord ultimately came from God—Rome may have been the instrument, but God assigned it to be this way (John 19:11). We thus learn that all created powers result from a gift, but the gift of authority may not be used in any way and for any purpose the created instrument pleases. While every power is given by God He desires it to be used for His glory and according to His commands. Indeed, every created being is held accountable for the use of its appointed authority.

The problem is that angels and men have used their granted powers for evil rather than good. This situation does not negate the sovereignty of God, but it shows an incredible complexity. Due to angelic and human rebellion, there exists a massive web of opposing and cooperating powers and authorities and freedoms. This web is so complex and turbulent that it sometimes appears to limited man that chaos has triumphed and that all claims to authority are arbitrary.

The Redemption of the Powers. Thus, when Jesus Christ came, the unique authority He displayed was considered unusual: His teaching was marked by power that others lacked (Mark 1:22). Luke tells us that Jesus was filled with the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), that He cast out demons with authority (4:36), that power went out from Him when he performed a miracle (8:46). Even after crucifixion, He was reputed to be a prophet mighty in word and deed (24:19). The "kingdom of God," which Jesus rules, is a motif too large to consider here, but we know that His kingdom is not of this world, that it has already come, and that it will triumph. The kingdom doctrines of Jesus are what finally turned the priestly, royal, and imperial authorities against Him (John 18:36; 19:11-21). The crucifixion was the apparent victory of the world and its ruler over the Messiah.

And yet, to the great confusion of the world, the "stumbling block" and "foolishness" of "Christ crucified" is actually "the power of God" at work (1 Cor. 1:18-23). This is the primary conflict between the way that true Christians think and the way that the world and false Christians think: Christian power is displayed in humility, the humility of a cross. The Jews and the Greeks of the biblical period, and the Secularists and the Muslims of modern times, and those "Christians" who slander and persecute others, cannot fathom the truth that God was rectifying all powers in the cross. The defeat of Jesus through an ignoble death is the victory of God over the power of sin.

The Consummation of the Powers. But the story does not end with the humiliation of the cross. On the other side of the cross is the resurrection, the juridical vindication of the crucified one (Acts 2:36). Indeed, Christians are called to take up their own humiliating crosses, because our hope is that we too will be finally vindicated (Phil. 2:1-11; 1 Peter 5:6). And beyond our present time, is the return of Jesus Christ in power to reign physically over all the earth and then bring final judgment (Rev. 19-20). After this, we are told by Paul that once Christ has subdued all the powers of creation, the Son in turn will deliver everything whole back to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24-28). At present, we are in a massive battle between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. But there is no need to worry: our Lord has all authority, and He will triumph.

"All" in this passage, by the way, means "all." Jesus Christ claimed all earthly and spiritual power for Himself. He may do and command anything and everything He wants. And He has decided to show mercy to the world by saving those who will believe in Him. Moreover, He has given specific instructions as to how to make His mercy known to all the world: He wants His disciples to be going, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching everything he has commanded to all people everywhere at all times. The universal nature of the Great Commission, of which you spoke in your last letter, is true.

However, in light of the universal nature of the authority of Christ, Christians should be very careful to follow His instructions exactly. In these days, when too many Christians are trying to separate the essential from the non-essential in Christianity, it should be said loudly and clearly: Every command of Christ is essential for true disciples of Christ to obey. There is no part of the Great Commission that is non-essential for a Christian church. If churches want to be defined as Great Commission churches, then they should follow Jesus Christ and treat His words as of final, specific, and utmost authority. Should they not?

In Christ,

Malcolm

PS I apologize for my extended delay in submitting a new letter to you and your readers, David. Unfortunately, after returning from shepherding the Oxford group, my car was hit by another that pushed me into the path of a truck. The car was totaled, and I suffered a concussion. First, catching up with the workload at the seminary, and then trying to work, read, and write with fatigue and nausea has put me behind. Thank you for your patience and prayers. I have learned experientially that I have so little power and that God has all power. I feel utterly helpless without Him.

Introduction

Letter #1, Two Requirements for a Universal Fulfillment of the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #2, A Steward must be Found Faithful, by David Rogers

Letter #3, Centripetal and Centrifugal, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #4, To Whom is the Great Commission Given?, by David Rogers

Letter #5, The Great Commission is Given to the Gathered Church, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #6, The End-Vision of the Great Commission, by David Rogers

Letter #7, Both the End and the Means are Established by the Lord, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #8, A Matter of Emphasis?, by David Rogers

Letter #9, Complete Obedience versus Hesitant Discipleship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #10, The Universal Scope of the Great Commission, by David Rogers

Letter #11, Freedom, Power and Authority in the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #12, Enduring Submission to the Great Commission, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #13, Obeying the Commands of Jesus, by David Rogers

Letter #14, John Gill on Romans 14 and 15:1-7, by David Rogers

Letter #15, The Illustration of the Hypothetical "Common Loaf Denomination", by David Rogers

Letter #16, A Condensed Response to Your Last Three Letters, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #17, Further Discussion on Cooperation and Obedience, by David Rogers

Letter #18 (Part I), Faith and Faithfulness: Truth, Love, and the Limits of Fellowship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #18 (Part II), Faith and Faithfulness: Truth, Love, and the Limits of Fellowship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #18 (Part III), Faith and Faithfulness: Truth, Love, and the Limits of Fellowship, by Malcolm Yarnell

Letter #19, A Deep Division?, by David Rogers

The Back to Jerusalem Movement and Unity

A couple of months ago on a post called Chinese Church DNA, I linked to a 7-minute video clip and the website of the Back to Jerusalem movement, which is the vision of Chinese believers to send out missionaries to “preach the gospel and establish fellowships of believers in all the countries, cities, towns and ethnic groups between China and Jerusalem,” including the majority of the most unreached countries and people groups in the world, located within the 10-40 window. After that time, when I was in Northern Ireland for an IMB-sponsored marriage retreat, I happened to see a copy of the Back to Jerusalem book (not to be confused with Ray Register’s recent release with the same title) in a Christian bookstore there. After reading through it, I believe it is must reading for anyone seriously interested in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

While we continue to pray urgently for our Korean brothers and sisters held as hostages in Afghanistan, I think it is enlightening to consider the following Back to Jerusalem quote from Brother Yun, imprisoned himself on four different occasions, and a victim of prolonged suffering and torture:

Don’t pray for the persecution to stop! We shouldn’t pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure! Then the world will see that God is with us, empowering us to live in a way that reflects his love and power.

Back to Jerusalem (p. 69)

Most assuredly, the perspective of our brothers and sisters in places like China is a bit different from ours in the United States. I have actually heard that believers in China are praying that God would allow us in the West to experience persecution, in order for him to refine us, and teach us some of the same lessons He has taught them. I myself could not even begin to speak with the same authority of experience of knowing what it means to suffer for sake of the gospel as these dear brothers in Christ. And, by no means am I suggesting that we should not continue to pray for the deliverance of our Korean brothers and sisters. However, I think it is important we listen to people like Brother Yun, and try to learn from them what God is teaching them. In this light, I think the following paragraphs on the Back to Jerusalem movement and unity from house church leader Peter Xu Yongze are especially signficant:

In the 1970s and early 1980s, we were all one church. There were no significant theological differences between us and no blockages to our fellowship. We had all been deeply touched by God’s Spirit. We went to prison together, were beaten together, and bled together. We also preached the gospel together.

But by the early 1990s many leaders who were once close brothers in the work of the gospel had become critical of each other. We had always stated that we in China would never form denominations like those in the Western church, yet we had all gone different ways and built walls between us. The Back to Jerusalem vision had been present for many years, but the house churches were not yet ready to fulfill this call. The Lord knew we could never be effective in our witness to Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus while we remained weak and divided.

God used Brother Yun to bring unity among the leaders of various house church networks. This was no easy task for years of silence between us had created unseen walls of bitterness and hostility. Many house church leaders believed their group possessed the truth and that other groups had gone astray and drifted into error. When Brother Yun first spoke to us about unity, he got a cold reception.

But God performed a series of miracles that led to a meeting of the leaders of several house church networks in 1996. It was the first time many of us had seen each other for years. At that first meeting the Lord broke through our stubbornness and pride and there were many tears of repentance. We all confessed our bitterness to each other and asked for forgiveness.

I stood up in the first unity meeting and said, “We don’t want to follow our own pet doctrines any more. We want to learn from one another’s strengths and change in whatever way the Lord wants us to change in order to make us stronger and closer to Jesus.”

Although not all differences were ironed out, the leaders came to appreciate their fellow leaders and saw they had far more in common than they had reasons to remain separate. They also found that their theological differences centred on things that weren’t essential to the faith.

Each group clearly heard how God was moving in wonderful ways among the other groups represented in the meeting and gave glory to God. We decided to speak in each other’s churches and to share Bibles and resources between us so that one or two groups would not end up receiving the majority of the help from overseas Christians, while other groups got nothing.

On the second day, all the leaders took communion together. It was the first time in more than fifty years that the leaders of China’s church had taken the Lord’s Supper in unity.

I believe that meeting in 1996, and the ones that followed, were some of the most important events in the history of Christianity in China, because the Back to Jerusalem movement would never have got off the ground while the house churches remained divided. It was no coincidence that it was after 1996 that the details of the Back to Jerusalem vision began to fall into place.

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head,running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." (Ps. 133:1-3)

When we talk of this unity, it needs to be understood that the reason we came together was not for the sake of unity in itself. It was unity for the sake of fulfilling the common vision God had given us – the vision of taking the gospel back to Jerusalem, thus completing the Great Commission and hastening the return of our Lord! That is why we started our unified gatherings. Although the various house churches still have different interpretations of some Scriptures and different practices, we recognize that we all share the common goal of sharing the good news with every person inside China and beyond.

When believers are united around a common goal, we can head there together, putting aside our petty differences. When we lose sight of our common vision, we stop looking forward and begin to look at each other. Soon we see each other’s weaknesses and faults, and instead of fighting for the kingdom of God we start fighting each other.

It’s quite simple to tell a strong church from a weak one. A strong church is one that is a spiritual baby-making centre. Souls are being saved and discipled around the clock and the church is a hive of activity. There is no time for believers to sit around and argue with each other. They are too busy just trying to clean up all the mess these newborn babies make while simultaneously trying to prepare more bottles of milk to keep them fed! As the father of two small children, I well know what a struggle this can be!

Some churches are full of people who think it is their calling to keep other people in line so that they don’t get polluted by the world. This may sound like spiritual activity, and the people who make the most noise about it may look pious, but if their words produce no spiritual life, it is all a waste of time. It is far better for us to concentrate on preaching the gospel and let God police his church.

(Back to Jerusalem, pp. 76-79)

Pray Urgently for our Korean Brothers & Sisters in Afghanistan

If you have been following the news, you are, no doubt, aware of the plight of our 21 Korean brothers and sisters in Christ who still remain as hostages of Taliban militants in Afghanistan. Already, 2 of the original 23 mission team volunteers--pastor and team leader Bae Hyung Kyu, and fellow team member Shim Sung Min--have been counted worthy to suffer martyrdom at the hands of their tormentors, and are in the presence of the Lord. The fate of the remaining 21 hangs in the balance, as their captors continue to threaten to take their lives as well.

We all need to pray urgently for these our fellow servants in the Lord's work, that God would strengthen them and give them courage to remain faithful to Him in the midst of this fiery trial. Pray for their deliverance, safety, and health. Pray for the bereaved wife and 9-year-old daughter of Pastor Bae, as well as the family members of the other hostages. Pray God would use the testimony of these His servants to dramatically proclaim the message of the sacrificial love of Jesus to many lost souls in Afghanistan, as well as other places where the news of their suffering spreads. Pray God would multiply the fruit of their labor of love in Afghanistan, and give courage to the Christian workers, and national believers with whom they were working. Pray that God would send conviction of sin to those who are holding them hostage, and lead them to repentance and knowledge of the truth. Pray as the Holy Spirit guides.

This story from Baptist Press does a great job of summarizing the most important details of this tragic situation. I strongly recommend that you read it prayerfully and carefully.