All Articles For Decency and Order

In our last article we stated that we believed that the current practice of permitting the minister to decide calls received from other churches is correct. We base this upon the fact that the call is addressed to him and not to his consistory. It is a call for his person, gifts, talents and services. The calling church through its call-letter urgently requests him as an individual servant of Christ to come over and help them.

The word “good has a wide variation of meaning depending upon how the term is used. It may mean perfection as, for example, when we say that God is good. He is Light and there is no darkness in Him. He is the sum total of all virtue and perfection. In this sense there is none that is good but one and that is God. 

Among the many labors of the pastor is the important duty of visiting the sick as prescribed in the call letter.

We have observed that the calling of the minister is to bring the word of God in different ways and under various circumstances. Among these is his task to bring the word in a disciplinary manner unto those that walk in sin. In general this is also done through the ministry of the Word in the public assembly of the people of God on the Lord’s Day where the minister must “say unto the righteous that it shall be well with him, for he shall eat of the fruit of his doings and woe unto the wicked!

Article 11. “On the other hand, the consistory, as representing the congregation, shall also be bound to provide for the proper support of its ministers, and shall not dismiss them from service without the knowledge and approbation of the classis and of the delegates of the (particular) synod.” 

“The Consistories shall see to it that there are good Christian schools in which the parents have their children instructed according to the demands of the covenant.”—Art. 21. 

“The office of the professors of theology is to expound the Holy Scriptures and to vindicate sound doctrine against heresies and errors.” Article 18, D.K.O.  It is not necessary in this connection to discuss the status of professors of theology. We wrote about this in connection with Art. 2, Vol. 29, pg. 381 of the Standard Bearer. Here we briefly reiterate the following points: 

To the functions of the minister of the word belong also the task of instructing the covenant seed catechetically in the word of God according to the faith (belief) of the church. Although this function is not specifically mentioned in Article 16 of the Church Order, it is certainly included in “the ministry of the word.” Catechism instruction is that spiritual labor of the church, bestowed upon the children of the covenant performed through the minister or elders, in which the word of God is officially ministered unto their needs.

The difference between the official preaching of the Word by the ordained minister and the unofficial speaking of the word of edification by the unordained student or candidate may be variously illustrated. And oft used illustration is that of the ambassador who is sent by the government to a foreign country. Let us suppose, that the government has a very important message which it wishes to have conveyed to the head of another country. Two men are equally informed of this message. Both are fully qualified to deliver it.

Two questions remain for us to answer in regard to Article 56 of our Church Order. You will recall that this article deals with the sealing of the covenant of God unto the children of Christians by means of the sacrament of baptism. We have pointed out that the administration of this sacrament should take place as soon as feasible after the children are born. There should be no unreasonable delay due to certain matters of superstition.