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Saturday, August 03, 2013

Church leaders


Heb 13:17 ("Obey your leaders and submit to them") refers back to vv7,9 ("Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God…Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings"), which–in turn–refers back to 2:3 ("It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard"). So, in context, that involves a chain-of-custody, where their leaders are faithful custodians of the deposit of faith. And that stands in contrast to the "strange teachings" of false teachers who don't preserve the deposit of faith.

By analogy, laymen should submit to his pastor's teachings insofar as those teachings faithfully transit the deposit of faith. A number of scholars (e.g. F. F. Bruce, David DeSilva) take that position. To quote some others:
The formulation [Heb 13:7] indicates that the leaders were a link in the chain of tradition that accounted for the reliable transmission of the message of salvation to the audience. According to 2:3, the word of salvation began to be spoken by the Lord. Those who heard him subsequently became the preachers who certified to the community the saving word he spoke, God himself endorsing the integrity of their message with signs and wonders (2:3-4). W. Lane, Hebrews 9-13 (Word 1991), 527.  
The last in the series of commands is "Remember your leaders who taught your the word of God" (13:7). By the "word of God," the author has in mind the message of salvation "first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak" (2:3). Presumably, these "leaders" are "those who heard him speak," comparable to Luke's eyewitness reports…from the early disciples" (Lk 1:2)…These "leaders who taught you the word of God" at least belong to the apostolic generation. J. R. Michaels, Hebrews (Tyndale 2009), 465. 
In Hebrews these leaders are identified as the ones "who spoke the word of God to you." This is a regular NT expression for missionary proclamation and preaching within the Christian community. but given the profound importance in Hebrews of "the word of God" (2:12; 4:2,12; 6:1) and the activity of speaking (particularly by God himself), the designation is highly significant, and probably points to the initial proclamation of the word to the listeners. These same persons are most likely referred to in 2:3, where the gospel "was confirmed to us by those who heard [the Lord]." P. T. O'Brien, Hebrews (Eerdmans 2010), 515-16. 
Leaders speak the word of God (13:7) over against "all sorts of strange teachings" that might erode the listeners' faith (13:9)…Leaders speak the word of God, yet Hebrews assumes that each person is to develop capacities as a teacher of the faith (5:11-14).The leaders are, however, identified by their function: speakers of the word of God. Hebrews affirms that God spoke to the community (1:2), but not in an unmediated way. Human messengers brought the divine message that engendered a community of faith (2:3-4). Therefore, in considering the leaders, one must consider their message, which is the center from which faith and community life come. C. Koester, Hebrews (Doubleday 2001), 75,566.
Other scholars (e.g. F. F. Bruce, David DeSilva) take the same position. Finally, for one more apt comment:
We know that St Paul emphasizes in various places (especially 1 Corinthians and 2 Thessalonians) the 'delivery' or handing-on of the gospel message by the apostles to their converts, who are bidden to hold this 'tradition' fast; and in 2 Timothy 2:2 he commands that it be entrusted to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. In this last place he is probably thinking especially of ordained presbyters. Paul's ideas were developed by Irenaeus and Tertullian, in their controversy with the Gnostics, by claiming that the tradition of doctrine handed down by the bishops of churches of apostolic foundation was more reliable than that found in other churches - which, at that early period, may well have been true. Here was a real apostolic succession - a succession of teachers…However, the only apostolic succession which clearly goes back to the New Testament is the apostolic succession of teachers. Here the apostolic succession was a valuable safeguard, but not one which could remain safe over long periods of time. Roger Beckwith, The Churchman 111/2 (1997). 

2 comments:

  1. This is a great survey of this concept Steve.

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  2. It is "authority" in the hands of church leaders that first got the church into trouble during the second century. It is the notion, held by second century bishops to the effect that "I'm the boss of you because I hold a title" that first sunk the church into everything from which it needed a Reformation. Christians should tread very carefully telling other believers what they need to do.

    Consider Luther's speech at the Diet of Worms: “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scripture or by evident reason – for I trust neither in the Pope nor in the councils alone, since it is obvious that they have often erred and contradicted themselves – my conscience has been conquered by the Scripture, which I have mentioned, and I am captured within the Word of God. Therefore I cannot, and will not, revoke, because it is neither safe nor beneficial to do anything against one's conscience. God help me. Amen!”

    If popes and councils have erred, how much more pastors of local churches? What do we have in that case? "my conscience has been conquered by the Scripture" and "it is neither safe nor beneficial to do anything against one's conscience".

    God has built-in safeguards, especially for people who are "captive to his Word."

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