LBCF Chapter 24: Of the Civil Magistrates

All right.

The Civil Magistrate and Separation of Church and State

Chapter 24 is very much related to the last chapter. And this is of the civil magistrate. This is a very important section as well. The civil magistrate, this chapter is divided into three parts, three paragraphs.

Again, a pretty short chapter. And this chapter refutes any document that says Christians should not be involved in civil government. Again, looking back at the Anabaptists. Today, the Amish, the Mennonites, who are Anabaptists, they will not work in the government.

They will have absolutely nothing to do with the government. They won't be police officers, et cetera.

OK?

It also shows the biblical doctrine of separation. What is the true doctrine of separation of church and state? That is perverted in our society today. But there is a true biblical doctrine of separation in church and state.

The first two paragraphs are virtually identical, word for word, with the Westminster and the Savoy Declaration. So the first two paragraphs are virtually identical. I think they are, in fact, word for word.

In the second paragraph, the word piety is omitted in the 1689.

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And you'll see why when we get there. In fact, when we get to paragraph two and we see the word piety, remind me if I don't highlight.

It.

Paragraph three of the Westminster Confession of Faith is omitted completely. It's not there. Paragraph three was substantially changed by the American Presbyterians. It was the original wording that the Baptists objected to.

And the American version of the Westminster Confession was written after the 1689 was completed and ratified. If the paragraph that is inserted in the American version of the Westminster Confession was written prior to the 1689, the Baptists very well may have adopted that paragraph, but not the original paragraph.

And you'll see why when, towards the end of this, I'll show you why. While the wording of paragraph four is quite different, the essence of the doctrine is substantially equivalent to paragraph three of the London Baptist Confession of 1689.

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So you can follow. The Westminster's got four chapters. Arch Confession has three. First two are virtually the same. Third one is eliminated. Fourth one is virtually the same, but the wording is just, I don't know why, but they just changed the wording completely on it.

The Divine Ordination of Civil Magistrates

So part one, the divine ordination of the office of the civil magistrate. Paragraph 1A is his design, I'm sorry, his ordained position. God, the Supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates to be under him over the people.

That's important. Civil magistrates are ministers of God for good.

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God has set them in authority.

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Romans 13. You have any questions, go back to Romans 13 and it kind of explains it all.

OK?

His ordained purpose, for his own glory, in other words, God set him up there for his glory and for the public good.

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His purpose, to this end he has armed him with the power of the sword.

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For defense and encouragement of them that do good and for the punishment of evildoers. That's the purpose of the civil magistrate. Now keep that in mind when we get to paragraph three of the Westminster.

Christians in Civil Government

Part two is the Christian's involvement in the office of civil magistrate. Firstly, in paragraph 2A is its ethical propriety. In other words, is it OK for a Christian to be involved in the office of the civil magistrate?

Confession makes no bones. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called there unto. Again, that's a direct reputation of the Anabaptists. And practically, by most of the evangelical church from 1900s up until the 1950s, 1960s.

Because I don't know if you're aware, but with the advent of dispensational theology, especially the original dispensational theology in the 1909 Schofield Reference Bible, the evangelical church backed away from having anything to do with government.

You wonder how we got to where we are? That was the main reason. And it was only in the 1960s and 70s with people like Jerry Falwell, who was a dispensationalist, but creating this silent majority and some of these other trying to get back into and influencing politics.

It's special concern in the management of as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace. There's the role of the magistrate. What is he to do? Maintain justice and peace. Interesting with what's going on in our country today.

Right?

Utterly abandoning their main function. They're doing a lot of other things that they're not supposed to do.

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According to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth. Notice the word, wholesome. In other words, if you're a civil magistrate and you're a Christian and there is an unjust law, what must you do?

Was there a question over there?

Yes, but I think I kind of answered it myself based on ethnology. This wasn't during.

All right.

It's special concern. Oh, here's the missing word. Ah, okay. This is what's in the Westminster Confession. Why did the Baptist take that out? I mean, isn't it a good thing for to advance and maintain piety?

Piety? Why would the Baptist object to that? It does, but that's not why. Yeah, exactly. What is the establishment of piety? That is talking about the moral character of individuals. It's not the government's job to monitor your moral behavior as long as you are not violating any of the civil laws.

That's the job of the church. So the Baptist objected. They took this. Other than that, this paragraph is the identical, word for word in the Westminster and the Savoy, but the Baptists were very, very concerned about the separation of church and state and not giving the government inroads into...

Could you imagine that? The government say, hey, you're an immoral person. We're gonna come in. We're gonna straighten you out.

No.

Okay. Paragraph, the peculiar prerogative. So for the end, they may lawfully now, under the New Testament, wage war upon just and necessary occasions. All right, now this is, again, remember what this is talking about, the Christian's involvement, right?

So it's okay if you have a Christian who is a civil magistrate, and by the way, civil magistrate is just a wide term for government officials. That comes under a wide variety of definitions. So if there is a just and necessary occasion, it's okay for one nation to wage war, and for a Christian even leading that nation to wage war.

Okay, why? Because the magistrate has what? The power of the sword.

Okay.

Obedience, Conscience, and Prayer for Rulers

Part three is the believer's objection to the office of civil magistrate. The duty of obedience is paragraph 3A, and what's the ground of this obedience? Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid.

Why should you listen to the civil magistrate if he's operating within his scope? Because he's there by God's appointment. So to obey the civil magistrate who is acting within the scope of his biblical description is to be honoring to God, okay?

The extent of the obedience, subjection in all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord. Lawful. The civil magistrate is telling him to do something unlawful, what is the duty of the Christian?

Disregard. I mean, what's the biggest example of that? Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin, stop preaching. And what did they say? Sorry. No can do.

Okay.

The nature of the obedience, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake. In other words, it's not just a question of being afraid of what the government can do to you, but for your sake of the conscience, if it's the right thing to do, you ought to be doing it.

So it's kind of like a two-edged sword there. And then we go into the duty of praying for the civil magistrate. If you're following along in Sam Waldron's outline, I've changed the last part of it. I know that's very presumptuous of me to change Dr. Sam, but I just felt it worked better this way.

So I know I'm different.

All right.

The duty of praying for the civil magistrates. We ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority. That's an obligation we have. And again, you've noticed how closely we try to follow this every Sunday.

We're praying, we do the same thing here on Wednesday, we're praying for our civil magistrates. Okay. And also we're letting them know that we're praying for them. We send letters out to the ones that we name and let them know that Hope Reformed Baptist Church has prayed for you this week.

And the motives of obedience and of praying for the civil magistrate, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Only makes sense, right? Okay. Now, I don't think we have time.

I'm not gonna show you that third paragraph of the Westminster Confession, all right? Just kidding.

All right.

Why the Baptists Rejected Westminster Paragraph 3

Here's the original version of paragraph three of the Westminster. This is the one that offended the Baptists. Now look carefully. The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the word and sacraments or the power of the keys for the kingdom of heaven.

No problem there.

All right.

But look as it goes further. Yet he has authority and it is his duty to take order that unity and peace be preserved in the church, all right? That the truth of God be kept pure and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed, and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administrated and observed.

For the better affecting whereof, he has power to call synods to be present at them and to provide that whatever, whatever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God. Do you see why the Baptists objected to this paragraph?

They were being persecuted. The 1689 only got ratified in 1689. It was actually in 77 when persecution was so bad they couldn't put their names to it. If the government has to respond to make sure that unity and peace are preserved and sound doctrine and stuff like that, guess who's out?

Us. Yeah.

Now, I would suggest that if you want to, you can read paragraph three of the American version of the Westminster. It's rather lengthy, that's why I didn't put it up here, but it's softened, but still, and like I say, it's possible that most of that could have been ratified by the Baptists in our confession, but that wasn't until 16 something, or no, maybe even the early 1700s, that that was ratified here in the United States.

So when our confession was ratified, they had no idea that that was being changed. Okay, but you can see here, this goes against everything that we hold true about separation of church and state and the government having, in fact, this is exactly what the government is doing now.

They're like in California, telling you can't worship, you can't sing and worship. If you do worship, you can't sing. Now, the government has to, we believe the Bible teaches that the government has no right.

The government should be protecting our right to function as a church. That's their job when it comes to the church. They should be telling everybody else, don't get away from the church, leave them alone.

That's God's covenant institution.

Yes?

Is this version of the Westminster,.

Is it still accepted in Europe?

I believe it is.

So America is the

As far as I know, I'm not an expert, but from my reading, that's the impression I get that it was only the American Presbyterians that changed. Somebody else?

Yes?

Wasn't this part of the struggle for Calvin dealing with the elders in Geneva, that the city elders were also the church elders?

Yes.

And that created a tension between him and their leadership over a number of different issues.

It did.

It absolutely did.

But I don't think he even ever came out and fully articulated there should be a separation of church and state. He wrestled with it, but I don't think he ever came fully out against it.

Any other questions? Let me put, gotta put my last slide up. Nobody would think to ask questions if it wasn't for that slide. Any other questions? Okay. Yes, John?

When an Anabaptist gets married, they don't take any kind of vows at all in their sermon?

They have some sort of sayings that they, you know, that's a good question. I don't really know. You know, that's interesting. I've never been to a Mennonite wedding or an Amish wedding, so I'm not sure.

Maybe it's the promise.

A little disappointed out of that.

What was that?

A little disappointed.

You don't know. There's a lot of things I don't know. I just, I don't know a lot of things about you.