The Biblical Priorities of the Church
Five Biblical Principles which control the relations of rulers and ruled, masters and servants, employers and employees.
Scripture: Ephesians 6:5-9
“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
Based on Biblical principles the business of the church is always to deal with conditions in the church. The church’s task primarily is to evangelize, and to bring people to a knowledge of God. Then, having done that, she is to teach them how to live their lives under God as His people. The church is not here to reform the world, for the world cannot be reformed. The business of the church is to evangelize, to preach the Gospel of salvation to men who are blinded by sin and under the domination and the power of the devil.
The moment the church begins to enter into the details of politics and economics, she is doing something that militates against her primary task of evangelism. Suppose the church speaks out aggressively against communism, she will be effectively closing the door for any effective evangelism among communists. The communist will say, “Your Christianity is just anti-communist and pro-capitalist; I am not going to listen to that message.” Therefore you cannot evangelize him. The church is to preach her Gospel to all and sundry whatever they are, and to bring them to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. She must refrain from entering into details lest her primary task of evangelism be impeded and hindered, and lest she herself shut the door against the very thing she claims she should be doing.
Principle 1: Christianity does not abolish our relationship to existing social, political and economic conditions. Some early Christians erred at this point, and there are many who still do so. There are those who still think that once a man becomes a Christian he is no longer bound to his wife if she is not a Christian. Hence Paul had to write the 7th chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians. It was happening on both sides. The man, for instance, would argue in this fashion: “We were married when we were pagans in unbelief, but now I am a Christian and I see everything differently. My wife is not a Christian, so I am not bound to her any longer, for that would hinder my Christian life.” Similarly with the woman. The converted were tending to leave unconverted partners. But Paul writes to them and tells them not to do so. There were children who were tending to behave in the same way. They had been converted but their parents remained pagan, so they said, “Of course our parents are pagans, and therefore we must no longer submit to them and their guidance.” But Paul teaches them otherwise. And so it was with the question of servants in their relationship to masters. We find in the 3rd chapter of Second Thessalonians, that there were some Christians who even stopped working. They argued that they were now in a new realm and were to spend their time in looking for the return of the Lord. So they abandoned their daily tasks and were just looking to the heavens and waiting for the appearance of the Lord. The Apostle has to tell them quite plainly that “if a man will not work, neither should he eat”. What they were doing was due to a lack of understanding of Christianity.
In the case of the relationship of servants and masters, the tendency was to argue wrongly from the fact that we all are equal in the eyes of the Lord, and to say, ‘Does not the Apostle Paul teach that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; ye are all one in Christ Jesus?” We are all equal now. There is no difference between men and women any longer, and no longer should servants be subject to their masters. The fact that we are Christians has abolished the old relationships’. Again, a complete misunderstanding of Christianity! What Paul teaches is that there is no difference from the standpoint of the possibility of salvation. But that does not do away with the orders of society, it does not abolish the inherent difference between a man and a woman, or these various other relationships.
The history of the Christian church shows that people have constantly fallen into this error. The sect known as the Anabaptists, which arose in the sixteenth century in England, did so, and said that Christians should have nothing to do with the State or Federal government. They tried to cut themselves off, to segregate themselves from the world in every respect. This resulted from a failure to see this first principle – that the fact that we have become Christians does not dissolve or abolish our relationship to the government, and to social, political and economic conditions.
Paul even goes so far here as to say that our becoming Christians does not even automatically bring slavery to an end. He does not tell slaves that because they have become Christians the former conditions are abolished; indeed he says the exact opposite. The slaves are to go on as they were before, but with the new standpoint and attitude which he here teaches. In his epistle to Philemon he teaches exactly the same thing. But the clearest statement of all is found in 1 Cor. 7: 20-24 – “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant (a slave)? Care not for it; but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant (slave), is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant (slave). Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants (the slaves) of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God”. That is the classical statement on this whole matter. “Art thou called being a slave? Care not for it.” Do not allow that to be the big thing in your life; do not become anxious about it; do not let it absorb all your attention; do not allow it to occupy the center of your thinking. “Care not for it; but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.” The fact that we have become Christians does not abolish our relationship to social, political and economic conditions.
Principle 2: Christianity not only does not change our relationship to these conditions, it does not even condemn such things as slavery directly as being sinful. This has been a great stumblingblock to many people, and particularly during the 19th century. But our business is to understand Scripture. People argue that slavery is patently wrong and sinful, therefore Christianity must of necessity denounce it. They say, “But it is obvious, everyone can see that it is wrong; even a man who is not a Christian can see it; any man who has a sense of fairness and righteousness, and a view of the dignity of man, must see at once that it is altogether wrong”. Yet the plain fact is that the Bible does not condemn slavery as such directly. If it intended to do so, Paul would surely do it here; but he does not. In writing to Philemon he does not do so, and he does not do so elsewhere. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not do so.
This is something which the natural man simply cannot understand at all. He cannot see that it is a man’s relationship to God that matters fundamentally, and that once a man has seen that, everything else, including slavery, becomes different to him. Though he is still a slave he does not view that as he did before; he is now “Christ’s freeman”. It is because the natural man is blind to the supernatural, blind to the spiritual, because they see nothing but this world, nothing but this life, that the whole of their thinking is corrupted. Christian thinking is unlike natural thinking at every point. Christian thinking focuses on relationship with God and the eternal rewards.
Principle 3: While Christianity does not condemn slavery it does not condone or justify it either. Here, once more, there have been frequent misunderstandings. There have been Christians who have thought that Christianity is but a justification of the ‘status quo’. After the Second World War the Roman Catholic church spoke out vociferously against Communism, and invited all Protestants, and all who used the name Christian to join with them in doing so. Those who accepted the invitation did not see that Roman Catholism was mainly concerned to defend her own particular form of totalitarianism. It was simply a case of one totalitarian system against another, a defending of the ‘status quo’. Christianity never does that. It does not condemn slavery, but neither does it not condone or justify slavery. What is its attitude then? What Christianity is interested in is the way in which a Christian slave behaves himself towards his master, and how the master behaves towards his slave. It does not deal directly with the questions of slavery per se.
The trouble today is that the leaders of the Christian church are spending much of their time in dealing with these things directly. They are preaching about them, sending messages and protests to governments, taking part in processions. Direct action! Issues such as drugs, alcohol, divorce, homosexuality, war, right to life, etc. What the Bible is concerned about is how the Christian on the two sides of the problem and the situation conduct themselves. We must not take up a position of antagonism towards those whom we want to win for Christ. If we spend the whole of our time talking against them we shall never win them. The business of the church is not to denounce alcohol; it is to get the alcoholic to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; because that alone can deliver him. The business of the Christian church is not to defend any particular system – political, social or economic. Christianity, while it does not condemn slavery does not condone slavery. Its attitude is the detached one which looks on and is concerned about principles.
Principle 4: The Bible’s concern, Christianity’s concern is how the Christian should react to these things, and how he is to live in such a world as this. That is the essence of the teaching, and we have it here in Ephesians 6:5-9. Paul, when he comes to ‘servants and masters’, does not begin to give his views as a Christian on the question of slavery. ‘Servants’, he says, ‘be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice…’ In other words his one interest is as to how they are to conduct themselves as Christians in that situation. Likewise with the masters. ‘You masters, do the same unto them, forbearing threatening.’ He does not tell them to give up their slaves; instead, he says, ‘Do not threaten them, do not be unkind, do not be cruel to them, “knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him”.’
We have the same teaching in 1 Peter 2:18 – ‘Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear’ and notice – ‘not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh’. He does not tell the slaves to rise up and rebel against the masters. The Bible never does so. But it is very interested to assert that a Christian man should never abuse his position – ‘not using your liberty as a cloak for maliciousness’ (1 Pet. 2:16). That is the danger, that the Christian may use his Christian position as a cloak for the malice that is in his heart; in the home, the church, and the work place. That has often been done and, indeed, continues to be done; things done in the name of Christianity that should never be done at all. And that does untold harm to Christianity. It is because employees and employers (men and masters) forget that their duty is to God, their Master who is in heaven. Our business, as Christian individuals, is primarily to relate ourselves correctly to the position in which we find ourselves (1 Cor. 7:20).
In Romans chapter 13 we find the same teaching. There Paul tells Christians ‘to be subject to the powers that be, for the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation’. These words were written to people who were under the power of the Emperor Nero, of all men. But that is what the Christian has to do. His primary concern is to be a servant of God and of Christ. Whatever his position, whatever his circumstances, whether he is master or servant, employer or employee, husband or wife, king or subject, it does not matter. They are all to submit themselves together, and to see that in every way they are behaving as Christian people. They are not to be primarily concerned about the situations and the conditions as such; their concern as ‘pilgrims of eternity’, as ‘strangers and pilgrims’, is to be true to their Master, and to be preparing for their everlasting home; to be ‘working out their salvation, with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12).
Principle 5: It is not the business of the church to be concerned about improving conditions; her business is always to be concerned about instilling these Biblical principles. She should never attack the circumstances and the conditions directly. But, at the same time, that does not mean that the individual Christian, as a citizen of a country, should not be concerned about improving conditions. The individual Christian is never to take the law into his own hands. But he is certainly entitled as a citizen of a country to which he belongs to take part in improving the circumstances and conditions in which he and others live.
The Christian message is primarily concerned to produce Christians and help them to grow in spiritual maturity. It preaches the Gospel of Christ, it convicts men of sin, it calls them to Jesus’ blood, it brings them to this Word by which they can be born again by the power of the Spirit, it changes men. Then, having changed them in that way, it goes on to teach them these great principles. That is the direct task and business of the church. But as the church does that, she is indirectly doing something else; she is obviously influencing the whole personality of such people – their mind, their thinking, their understanding. And the moment that begins to happen to men they begin to see things in a different way and they begin to apply their thinking to daily living.
Throughout history the ministers and evangelists through whom the Holy Spirit brought revivals were preaching the gospel of Christ and Him crucified for our sins. Always as a result of revivals the thinking of men changed and the conditions and circumstances within communities and countries were greatly improved. The preachers were always dealing with men as men, and the result of their preaching was that people were changed and converted. They became Christians, they were born again. What was the result of that? They began to use their minds. They had not used them before. They had been living in sin, engaging in all the various sinful activities. But now having been awakened spiritually, the whole man became awakened. They found that they had minds. The first thing they desired to do was to read the Bible, but many of them could not read, so they asked that they might be taught how to read; not in order that they might set up political and social organizations, but that they might read the Bible. Thus they were awakened and enlightened, and they began to realize the truth about man, and man’s personality and dignity. And having gone so far they went further; they began to look at the circumstances and conditions in which they were living. They began to ask whether such conditions were fair and just and right, and coming to the conclusion that they were not, they proceeded to take measures to change them.
That was right and good; and entirely in accord with the Scriptural teaching. That teaching does not denounce slavery, and it does not condone it. It does not expect men to rise up and change it; neither does it simply maintain the status quo. It deals with the man himself first, and then, under the influence of this teaching, and with this new understanding, the man himself begins to examine the position and to deal with it.
The church does not command any of these changes; it should never do so. There is not a word in the Bible which tells men to abolish slavery; and yet we know that it was Christian men who eventually brought that to pass. And that is exactly in accordance with Biblical teaching. There is no command to do it; the Bible does not deal with these things directly, and yet when men become Christians they begin to think, and they think on both sides of the question.
The tragedy is when the church is talking about these particular problems and dealing directly with politics and economics and social conditions; then, no Christians are being produced, and the conditions get worse and the problems mount. It is as the church produces Christians that she changes the conditions; but always indirectly. The pastor or religionist who gets the television exposure and the newspaper headlines is wasting his breath for change and, is indeed, turning people against Christianity. It is the pastor who is diligently preaching the gospel of Christ through which people are being converted who will indirectly produce the greatest change in both the church and society. As an individual Christian, it is only when you are in the right ‘spirit’, the right relationship with God, that you are capable of producing positive change, of bearing fruit for Christ.
Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home and Work by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What is your primary concern? Is it the social and political conditions in which you find yourself, or is it your relationship to God and eternity?
