...
Institutionalists preserve this erroneous understanding of the institution of the church. I'm not saying they do so with ill will, but in their good intentions to keep the church united, they have in effect achieved the opposite. By vilifying people who simply stand for the truth just because they declare the institution of the church to be in the wrong , have they not created divisions in the church? Have they not divided the people of God? It is not dividing to seek the truth, but because the institutionalists view people seeking the truth and declaring the error of the institution of the church as rebels, they seek to put them to the side and in extreme cases completely excommunicate them from the church.
The existence of Truth
If you are a Christian, then by necessity you believe in absolute truth, since you believe in God the declarer of this absolute truth.
Absolute Truth is truth by definition, not due to the status of the person declaring it, but by its very nature. Therefore, if the worst of sinners declares the Truth and the most saintly individual to ever walk the earth declare the same truth, their personhood does not change the fact that they both declared the same truth. Truth is not more true because a saint said it, and Truth is not any less true because a vile person said it. Truth exists on its own and holds its power in its own.
Bringing this back to the above discussion.
When a rule violates the Truth, then itself becomes a non-truth; an anti-truth. If someone who "is not worthy" recognizes the anti-truth and points it out, his statement is correct independent of his "worthiness" status. And if a worthy person justifies the anti-truth, his statements are wrong irregardless of his status. Truth exists independent of a person's status:
| Tip | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God. |
There is no respect of persons with God. Just because the Holy Synod agreed on a falshood doesn't make their agreement a truth. It is still a falshood. And just because a layman declares the truth, which contradicts the Holy Synod's false statements, doesn't make the layman's declaration any less of a Truth. There is no respect of persons with God.
| Tip | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! |
I ask again, if a group of people no matter who their status is agree on false statements, isn't the above applied to them?
| Tip | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. |
Conclusion
It is, therefore, my conclusion that the Institution of the Church must be viewed independent of the Church of God. The Church of God is the body of Christ, the Institution of the Church is a man made hierarchy which its sole purpose is to edify and protect the Body of Christ. Therefore, the institution of the church exists to serve the body of Christ and not the other way around.
If this institution ceases to perform its function it must be corrected. It doesn't matter from where this correction comes from, from within or without the institution, it must be accepted by the institution. The institution bust be humble enough to recognize the truth and amend their ways without justifying their erroneous ways to make them seems less erroneous.
It is my belief that institutions are needed and are good as long as they serve their function and they cease to be good when they stop serving their function. People are not obliged to follow that which is false just because an institution declares it to be the opposite.
I thank God, that there is no practical way for the Institution of the Church to force these erroneous rules on the body of Christ. However, they have shaped the psyche of generations and distorted the image of God in the eyes of many generations by their insistence on falsehoods. For that they must stand before the Almighty and give account.