by David R Cox
(c) 2003
KJV
Revelation 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.The problem with these passages of Scripture is that Greek scholars are not agreed on what the word for "Nicolaitans" (Greek Nikolaithv) means exactly. Some people take it to mean a specific group of people from a specific place (like Corinthians), but that is not very well defined. There is no place "Nicolas" that we can identify. Others take it to mean a group of people who held to a certain doctrine or practice.
If we define the word from the Greek words that make it up, then we have "nikos" meaning to conquest, subdue over somebody by force, and the word "Laos" which means people (possibly Laodicean). So the idea here is that God hates those who would presume to establish a ruling class (like the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church) which would seek to keep the church "laymen" under the control of the rulers.
Irenaeus mentions them in his treatise "Against Heresies" in the second century as the "offshoot of the knowledge which is falsely so-called," mentioning that they "lead lives of unrestrained indulgence."
ANY SEPARATE PRIESTHOOD CLASS IS UNBIBLICAL. We would have to agree that the whole concept of a priesthood separate and OVER the local church and laymen is unbiblical. God's teaching is that every Christian is a priest in himself before God, and every priest-believer has a ministry, and a responsibility towards God on an individual basis. This does not rule out the fact that God did leave some people in charge in the local church to rule.
We again reiterate a few key verses to keep a balance on all of this. First of all, the whole concept of "pastor, or shepherd" is to rule over sheep, to govern their lives such as to provide them with all the benefits and liberty from the dangers and disadvantages.
This involves several things, feeding the sheep (which is more a decision of where to go, as in what to preach to the church), warning and protecting the sheep from danger (which in the case of spiritual oversight, again has to do with sermon content), and pastoral visitation (which is an individual close up inspection to fix what is spiritually wrong in that person's life, more counseling than public preaching or teaching, but nonetheless a kind of teaching and preaching on an individual level). We cannot escape this definition of the word. It does mean exactly oversight, government, ruling, the making of executive decisions that influence and affect the life of others under that oversight.
KJV
1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. ("rule" - Greek proistemi - to stand before, preside over, to be over, to rule over.) We have to assume that it is God's will that some people in the local church are ruling, presiding, and standing before the group to organize its affairs and make executive decisions.KJV
Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Again we see very clearly that God gives the gift of ruling to the church. It is not unscriptural that people are ruling. But we WOULD HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH those who would establish a priesthood class and separate and exalt themselves over the "laity". What it means is that God has some people in charge.Harmony of Scripture. This principle means that God does not contradict Himself from one place in Scripture to another. We must understand that all the elements that present themselves in Scripture must be held together into a coherent whole. There must be a way to have rulers without conquering the people. Indeed there is.
ILLUSTRATION: Parents gone, elder brother in charge. How are we to reconcile these points then? It is better that we understand it in the context of a family with many kids. Mom and dad have to leave and go visit aunt Jenny in the hospital for a few days. They already have a lot of rules that they have established for their family, and most of them are written down on a piece of paper on the wall in the kitchen. Mom and Dad leave and leave the eldest brother (most mature) in charge to take care of the rest. Perhaps one of those rules is that they are not to watch scary movies. One of the little ones come into the living room and elder brother (the one left in charge) is watching a scary movie. The little one rebukes the elder brother. THIS IS TOTALLY LEGITIMATE! He baulks at her. She goes to the kitchen and pulls the list of rules off the refrigerator and comes back. She perhaps cannot read, but she knows it is on that piece of paper. The elder brother must submit to the rules, not because the little sister has authority over him, but because both she and he are under a greater authority. Later the older brother tells another brother to take out the garbage, that is his job. He refuses. The older brother insists, appealing to the authority of the parents, "I will tell mom and dad when they get home, and it will not go well for you." This is our situation between us and our brethren, some are in charge and responsible (therefore they have some greater degree of authority and responsibility over the rest) but everything is in a context of the overarching will and authority of the parents, that EVERYBODY INVOLVED MUST OBEY AND SUBMIT TO.
Some have greater authority, therefore greater responsibility. So even so some within the local church have a greater degree of authority (and responsibility, because God grants authority for them to carry our a purpose, and thereby they are more responsible). But those in charge have a limit to their authority. They cannot change the rules of God, nor alter, ignore, or add to the Word of God. They themselves are under that same Word of God, and what they do as a leadership has to conform extremely to the Word of God.
KJV
Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.This would seem to fit the Scriptures better than any other presentation. We are all under the over spanning authority of God's will, and those who are in authority in the local church have to make executive decisions for the group, but always with that idea in their minds that they are fulfilling God's will, not making up what is the end for these people in and of themselves. The church and the brethren are not a stepping stones for them to accomplish their own plans and goals, but they have to follow the plan and will of God that God has laid out for the church and nothing else can enter into the mix.
Last updated on 12/08/05
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