Corollary Two and Response

THE SECOND COROLLARY

Note:  to print a hard copy of this material, simpy
click on your "print" icon.

 
THE SECOND COROLLARY 
 
Calvin's Doctrine of Office 
     The Reformed view of church office is based on the work of John 
Calvin. Calvin's definitive view of the church and its offices appears
in book IV of the Institutes, the 1559 edition. According to Calvin's
position, Christ is the sole Head of the church and rules it by his 
Word and Spirit. The means Christ uses for governing his people are 
true preaching reinforced by proper administration of the sacraments,
which is why he regards Word and sacraments as the two marks of the 
true church. Both of these institutions he places at the disposal of 
men, "because he does not dwell among us in visible presence." (FN #5)
Calvin is careful to qualify this by saying that this happens "not by
transferring to them his right and honor, but only that through their
mouths he may do his own work - just as a workman uses a tool to do his
work." (FN #6) Using human beings in his place for this work is a way
of both testing the obedience of his people and accommodating himself
to their weaknesses, for they could not endure eeing Jesus Christ in
person. The ministry is thus of utter importance to Calvin, because it
was put in place by Christ as a way of governing and sustaining his
church. Thus, the office deserves honor and esteem, but only for Christ's
sake. While he goes on to elaborate a number of related topics (number
of offices, definition of offices, calling to office, history and 
corruption of office, councils, and even the right and power of councils
to formulate doctrines and ordinances), Calvin states in many ways and
places in the first ten chapters of book four that authority in the 
church rests only in the Word of the Lord, not in the person or assembly
that stand under the Word. In fact, either the minister or the 
council/synod can depart from the Word, in which case they deserve no 
honor or esteem for they have then forsaken Christ. (FN #7) 
     Calvin's doctrine of the sole Headship of Christ in the church has
 been followed by Reformed theologians and professors of church polity
subsequently. 
     The simple but profound question that arises is this: if the 
authority resides in Christ's Word and not in the person or the assembly,
what does gender matter? Gender is a dimension of our personhood, not
of the Word! When a Reformed doctrine of office and authority are 
correlated with the women in office issue, the possibility of women
serving as pastors, evangelists, and elders is enhanced. 
 
 
 5. John Calvin, "Institutes of the Christian Religion," 2 vols., ed. by
John T. McNeill and trans. by Ford Lewis Battles; "The Library of 
Christian Classics," XX and XXI (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960),
II, p. 1053 (IV, iii, 1). 
 
 6. Ibid. 
 
 7. I have worked out more fully Calvin's position on ecclesiastical 
authority in a series of unpublished Reformation lectures given in 
Ottawa, ON, in 1993 entitled "The Church in a Time of Change." Cf.
"Lecture 3, The Question of Authority," the subsection on "Calvin's
Insights." 
 
 
[This statement of the second corollary is found on pages 21 and 22
of Dr. DeJong's "Freeing the Conscience."] 
 
 
 
RESPONSE TO THE SECOND COROLLARY 
 
     A pivotal statement within the second corollary is found in the
very last paragraph: "The simple but profound question that arises
is this: if the authority resides in Christ's Word and not in the
person or the assembly, what does gender matter?" The key part here
is "not in the person . . ." I believe the reason this is crucial
to Dr. DeJong is based on the history of the debate to date. The 
traditional position has held that God's design includes a differ-
ence of roles between men and women. This difference involves the
matter of authority. If authority resides only in the Word and not
in any person as Dr. DeJong claims, then this issue of who has 
authority, men or women, disappears and he is probably at that point
correct to say that the possibility of women serving as pastors etc.
is enhanced.  
  
     There is a problem with this claim, however, that there is no
authority in any person. In Calvin we also read, "The purport of 
these and like passages is that the mode of governing and keeping 
the church through ministers (a mode established by the Lord forever)
may not be ill esteemed among us and through contempt fall out of 
use." ("The Institutes," page 1056.) Here Calvin talks about ministers
governing. Again we read, "Those who preside over the government of 
the church in accordance with Christ's institution are called by Paul
as follows: first apostles, then prophets, thirdly evangelists, 
fourthly pastors, and finally teachers [Eph. 4:11]." (Ibid.)  
 
     A third time we find:  
     "But in the letter to the Romans [Rom. 12:7-8] and in the first
letter to the Corinthians [I Cor. 12:28], he lists others, as powers,
the gift of healing, interpretation, government, and caring for the 
poor. Two of these I omit as being temporary, for it is not worth-
while to tarry over them. But two of them are permanent: government
and caring for the poor. 
     Governors [I Cor. 12:28] were, I believe, elders chosen from the
people, who were charged with the censure of morals and the exercise
of discipline along with the bishops. For one cannot otherwise inter-
pret his statement, 'Let him who rules act with diligence' [Rom. 12:8,
cf. Vg.]. . . . Now experience itself makes clear that this sort of
order was not confined to one age. Therefore this office of govern-
ment is necessary for all ages." ("The Institutes", page 1061.) 
 
     Here again Calvin speaks of government which he claims is perm-
anent. He also quotes Scripture which speaks of "him who rules." It
is quite clear from these quotes that for Calvin there was indeed a
sense in which humans govern, rule, have authority.  
 
     How is one to make sense, then, of Calvin's thought on this 
matter? Is the authority in the Word or do humans have authority?
It must be both. Ultimately the authority is in the Word of God.
But it is also true that in order for God to rule and run His 
church He deploys authority through His ministers, elders and 
teachers etc. Romans 12:8 ("Let him who rules . . .") is clear 
biblical evidence that certain humans do have authority.  
 
     This being the case, the second corollary is de-railed because
it claims humans do not have authority.  
 
[This response to the second corollary was written by Herb Kraker.]
 
 
 
 
EVALUATION 
 
     You can contribute to this "electronic dialogue" if you would
kindly send in your evaluation. Automatic email links are provided 
below for your convenience.  However, it is a general policy that
individual responses will be kept in strict confidence. (With the
exception, of course, of insights contributed to be considered 
for inclusion in future material.) 
 
      Additional input containing insights into this particular 
facet of the discussions can be included in the body of the 
response to the addresses below. 

      For the sake of keeping tallies with respect to the Christian 
Reformed Church, please indicate if you are a member of that
denomination when sending in your evaluation. Thank you.

      If you would like to receive future emails as they are sent
out, please respond to: subsribe@dialogos-studies.com.

     To register AGREEMENT WITH COROLLARY TWO, please respond to: 
corollary_2@dialogos-studies.com. 
 
     To register AGREEMENT WITH RESPONSE TO COROLLARY TWO, please
respond to: response_to_2@dialogos-studies.com. 
 
     To register as UNDECIDED, please respond to: 
undecided_2@dialogos-studies.com. 
 
 
      
 
                          THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!!