Update: I no longer believe that the Lord wants for there to be elevated positions of authority in churches such as pastors or elders or deacons, given the commandments of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 23 and John 21.
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Consider for example these governance structures specified in the New Testament:
(1) Obedience to Christ and His apostles is the foundation of the church.
"If they listened to Me they will listen to you", Jesus observes, in John's Gospel (15:20).
We have the 27 books of the NT as the word of Christ's apostles. This is where the New Covenant between God and humanity is described.
(2) A huge range of types of divine evidence of church obedience and church disobedience is clearly described.
See for example John 8:31-47; Romans 1:16-31; 1 Corinthians 11:30-32; 2 Corinthians 3:1—4:6; Galatians 5:19-24; James 5:14-18; Revelation 2:19-23.
(3) Highly qualified elders pastor and oversee the church.
The necessary qualifications are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9. The NT describes a powerful and elegantly simple church-governance model: co-elders pastor and oversee together, they shepherd and manage God's household to be obedient, and the ones who are doing their work well are given a double honour (1 Tim. 5:17-18).
(4) The entire Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament, are taught to the church.
Knowledge of the Scriptures by the members of the church is vital for governance. Church members understand what is sin (and needs to be challenged), what is false teaching, who qualifies to be an elder, etc.
"The Word of the Christ must dwell abundantly in you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing yourselves, with psalms, with hymns, with odes spiritual in gratitude singing in the hearts of yours to the God." (Col. 3:16, CFB)
"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17, NRSV)
(5) Elders are rewarded (or penalized) through performance-based honours.
Consider for example 1 Timothy 5:17-18.
Οἱ καλῶς προεστῶτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν,
"The elders who are leading well must be deemed worthy of double honour,
μάλιστα οἱ κοπιῶντες ἐν λόγῳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ·
especially they who are working with the word and the teaching.
λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Βοῦν ἀλοῶντα οὐ φιμώσεις,
For the Scripture says, 'An ox treading you shall not muzzle',
καί· Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ. (SBLGNT)
and, 'Worthy is the worker of his wage.'" (1 Tim. 5:17-18, CFB)
This is a commandment that church members—not evangelists like Timothy, or the elders themselves!—have to carry out.
(6) Sin by members (or by elders) leads to explusion unless there is repentance.
(5) Elders are rewarded (or penalized) through performance-based honours.
Consider for example 1 Timothy 5:17-18.
Οἱ καλῶς προεστῶτες πρεσβύτεροι διπλῆς τιμῆς ἀξιούσθωσαν,
"The elders who are leading well must be deemed worthy of double honour,
μάλιστα οἱ κοπιῶντες ἐν λόγῳ καὶ διδασκαλίᾳ·
especially they who are working with the word and the teaching.
λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Βοῦν ἀλοῶντα οὐ φιμώσεις,
For the Scripture says, 'An ox treading you shall not muzzle',
καί· Ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ. (SBLGNT)
and, 'Worthy is the worker of his wage.'" (1 Tim. 5:17-18, CFB)
This is a commandment that church members—not evangelists like Timothy, or the elders themselves!—have to carry out.
(6) Sin by members (or by elders) leads to explusion unless there is repentance.
See for example Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.
(7) Christians are required to endure any consequence for the sake of love, work that includes the rebuking of false preaching.
See for example John 15:9-14; 2 Timothy 4:1-2.
In sum, layers of defence is what one finds. Furthermore, these layers of defence are mutually reinforcing.
But it all depends on knowledge of the foundational texts, especially the New Testament. One could say that disrespect of God's Word carries with it disaster, because perhaps none of the layers of defence will work without complete knowledge of the New Testament.
Indeed God's Word warns: "God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble" (Jas. 4:6b, CFB), and "Just as they did not deem the God worthy to have in knowledge, the God gave them over to an unworthy mind" (Rom. 1:28, CFB).
Mutually reinforcing layers of defence for churches:
(1) A brief text (circa 138,000 words) describes the New Covenant.
(2) All church members are to be taught this text.
(3) All church members are given a duty by Christ to prosecute sin until there is either repentance or expulsion.
(4) Elders must have multiple qualifications listed in the text.
(5) God provides evidence of obedience and disobedience to the New Covenant. This too is described in the text.
(6) Church members must doubly honour elders working well, especially those working with God's Word and teaching.
(7) Christians are commanded to give up anything and everything in order to protect each other's eternal salvation.
Now take a good long hard look at systematic deception. How are people led away from the New Covenant? How are people made defenceless?
Fraudulent "retailers" of God's Word (2 Cor. 2:17) pervert the church-defence system, by teaching a message that is at odds with the New Testament. Then people develop perhaps not at all as Christians, and could hardly ever hope to, so long as they believe in an anti-gospel, a false version of the New Covenant that sets itself in opposition to the actual New Covenant.
For example:
"Christ demands nothing from you except belief that He died for your sins."
"Obey your priest and your church, because only we can guarantee eternal salvation."
"We're all sinners and must not judge others. Only Satan wants us or others to feel guilty."
Such false preaching is the norm today. It is astounding to see the continual bassooning out of radically false, perverting, misleading messages about the New Covenant. It is rare to hear any opposition, in the form of a person quoting the New Testament accurately in order to lead people back into following Christ Jesus as lord, shepherd, king of kings, God in fact.
How often do you hear for example these warnings by Christ?
"Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God." (Rev. 3:2, NRSV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21, NRSV)
"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." (John 15:10, NRSV)
Astounding as the oceanic proportions of false preaching are, Christ Jesus warned of this from the start, as did other apostles like Paul and Peter:
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt. 7:13-14, NRSV)
"And if our good news is also veiled, it is veiled among those perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unfaithful, so that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine." (2 Cor. 4:3-4 CFB)
"For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths." (2 Tim. 4:3-4, NRSV)
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (2 Pet. 2:1-3, NRSV)
(7) Christians are required to endure any consequence for the sake of love, work that includes the rebuking of false preaching.
See for example John 15:9-14; 2 Timothy 4:1-2.
In sum, layers of defence is what one finds. Furthermore, these layers of defence are mutually reinforcing.
But it all depends on knowledge of the foundational texts, especially the New Testament. One could say that disrespect of God's Word carries with it disaster, because perhaps none of the layers of defence will work without complete knowledge of the New Testament.
Indeed God's Word warns: "God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble" (Jas. 4:6b, CFB), and "Just as they did not deem the God worthy to have in knowledge, the God gave them over to an unworthy mind" (Rom. 1:28, CFB).
Mutually reinforcing layers of defence for churches:
(1) A brief text (circa 138,000 words) describes the New Covenant.
(2) All church members are to be taught this text.
(3) All church members are given a duty by Christ to prosecute sin until there is either repentance or expulsion.
(4) Elders must have multiple qualifications listed in the text.
(5) God provides evidence of obedience and disobedience to the New Covenant. This too is described in the text.
(6) Church members must doubly honour elders working well, especially those working with God's Word and teaching.
(7) Christians are commanded to give up anything and everything in order to protect each other's eternal salvation.
Now take a good long hard look at systematic deception. How are people led away from the New Covenant? How are people made defenceless?
Fraudulent "retailers" of God's Word (2 Cor. 2:17) pervert the church-defence system, by teaching a message that is at odds with the New Testament. Then people develop perhaps not at all as Christians, and could hardly ever hope to, so long as they believe in an anti-gospel, a false version of the New Covenant that sets itself in opposition to the actual New Covenant.
For example:
"Christ demands nothing from you except belief that He died for your sins."
"Obey your priest and your church, because only we can guarantee eternal salvation."
"We're all sinners and must not judge others. Only Satan wants us or others to feel guilty."
Such false preaching is the norm today. It is astounding to see the continual bassooning out of radically false, perverting, misleading messages about the New Covenant. It is rare to hear any opposition, in the form of a person quoting the New Testament accurately in order to lead people back into following Christ Jesus as lord, shepherd, king of kings, God in fact.
How often do you hear for example these warnings by Christ?
"Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God." (Rev. 3:2, NRSV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21, NRSV)
"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." (John 15:10, NRSV)
Astounding as the oceanic proportions of false preaching are, Christ Jesus warned of this from the start, as did other apostles like Paul and Peter:
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt. 7:13-14, NRSV)
"And if our good news is also veiled, it is veiled among those perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unfaithful, so that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine." (2 Cor. 4:3-4 CFB)
"For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths." (2 Tim. 4:3-4, NRSV)
"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (2 Pet. 2:1-3, NRSV)
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NotesCFB: Scripture quoted from the Christ Family Bible. Copyright © 2017 by J.J. Thomas. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
NRSV: New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
SBLGNT: Scripture quotations marked SBLGNT are from the SBL Greek New Testament. Copyright © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software.
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