Let me openly say that I am a follower of men. Any Christian that is not a follower of men is in sin. Anyone seeking to follow Christ (one who was certainly a man himself, but not MERELY a man) must do so through the testimony and example of the Apostles and Prophets, who were men. The Apostle Paul said this:NKJ 1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
I can already hear someone saying, "yeah, but he's an Apostle! He's not saying we should follow uninspired men!" To that objector, I offer these texts:
NKJ 2 Thessalonians 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;
NKJ 2 Thessalonians 3:9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.
The "us" references Paul AND HIS COMPANIONS, such as Luke, Timothy, Mark, Titus, Barnabas, Silas etc.
NKJ Hebrews 13:7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
The author of Hebrews is commanding (not merely suggesting or encouraging) the disciples to follow the example of their godly rulers. Since it's a command of the Holy Spirit, to not do so is sin. We follow men when they are godly examples of Christ-likeness. Insofar as Calvin was an example of theological diligence and biblical excellence, I follow him, along with the other great cloud of witnesses throughout church history. Therefore, sin not and follow men.
It is commonly said that "I am not a follower of men". Well, that person is self-deluded. They are not only following men, they are following men when they utter the proposition "I am not a follower of men". They've heard other men say that and so they echo the idea. You are a follower of men whether you realize it or not. The question for the Christian is not whether you ought to be a follower of men, but which men should you follow and how far should you follow them?
2 comments:
Great post Tony. It is the hight of arrogance for someone to think they can do without those who came before us as if their is no benefit to their labor and faithfulness. And I agree such an attitude is to sin against Christ and his church.
Blessings,
Terry.
Hi Terry and others,
I agree that it is arrogant to think that we can do without the insight of those who came before us, even though the idea is dressed in false humility. Also, if you think about it, it's really a gnostic view rather than Christian. It's a pursuit of a disembodied spirituality that would nullify the embodied doctrine of scripture.
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