The Captive Church
by R.C. Sproul Jr.

"My conscience is held captive by the Word of God. To act against conscience is neither right nor safe. Unless I am convinced by Sacred Scripture or plain reason I cannot recant. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God." So reads Luther's heroic response at the Diet of Worms. Luther, you'll remember, was summoned to this august meeting to answer charges of promulgating heresy, one lonely monk facing the juggernaut of Rome. What few remember is that Luther did not stand so bravely at first. When commanded to recant Luther didn't utter the above brave words, but murmured, "Can I have 24 hours to think about it?" Luther used the time well, spending it in prayer. Having been thus fortified, he gave his response the next day.

I'm glad Luther took the time to think about it. Had he been around today no doubt he would have thumbed his nose at the Diet, and not bothered to attend. After all, just who did those Roman prelates think they were? Luther's doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, thanks to what Nathan Hatch calls "the democratization of American Christianity," has been twisted beyond all recognition. In fact it resembles more the "popehood of all believers." We seem to believe at the same time in both the infallible interpretation of each believer and the fallacious interpretation of each believer. That is that when we look to the Word and interpret it we say, "That's my interpretation" as if such is the same announcing that I'm speaking ex cathedral. Because it's mine, you can't say anything against it. Then when you make a claim that the Bible teaches x, I respond, "Well, that's your interpretation." While we might fall short of claiming, "And therefore it is wrong," we do claim, " And therefore it is not binding to me." To paraphrase Luther, we are all anabaptists now.

The anabaptists argued then and now that the Reformation did not go far enough. The only solution to an infallible earthly authority that erred was to have no earthly authority at all. Any ecclesiastical authority, they reasoned, would always lead to tyranny and error. They eschew creeds and councils. And we have been swept up with them.

Paul writes to Timothy that, "I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet." And that puzzles us. On more than one occasion my dear wife has corrected my understanding of the Word. Were we in sin? It happens all the time. Just yesterday a lady friend corrected me on a small error. Historically the anabaptists have take this passage very literally. Women were utterly silent anytime men and women discussed the Bible. And liberals have completely gutted this passage. Is there no middle ground? We can't find the middle ground because we have no concept of teaching with authority. We lost that in the Reformation.

When a woman suggests, "Hey, have you considered this understanding of that passage?" she is not teaching with authority. When Priscilla spoke with Paul, she was not teaching with authority. But when I stand up in the pulpit, I am teaching with authority. There's a fundamental difference there. The difference lays in the duty of the listener. When I am in conversation with a lady, I have a duty to be polite, to keep an open mind, to consider what is said. When I am sitting in a pew, listening to the Word preached, I have a solemn duty to attend to what is said very carefully, to be a noble Berean, but one whose posture is that of a student. I need to know that I am being taught by a man with authority. Of course preachers err. But we should reach that conclusion slowly, painfully, cautiously.

We have forgotten that all authority operates from the top down. The Bible is our full and final authority. What it teaches, that we must believe. And it teaches that God has instituted lesser authorities, including shepherds and councils. Those lesser authorities cannot, in exercising that authority, cut themselves off from the source of their authority, and retain that authority. Whenever anyone says, "I don't care what the Word says, I'm the boss and this is what you must believe," then you have a cult, whether that someone is an individual believer in the local church, David Koresh or the Roman church.

We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church. The church is anywhere that the apostolic faith is upheld. And the apostolic faith is the faith of the Bible, what they wrote down for us (and not what they whispered to each other, and to others as Rome and Constantinople affirm)

Luther acted with courage because he was forced to choose between the lesser and the greater authority. He chose wisely, because God Himself heard his prayer, "I am ready to lay down my life for Thy truth, patient as a lamb. For it is the cause of justice- it is Thine! I will never separate myself from Thee, neither now nor through eternity! And though the world may be filled with devils, though my body, which is still the work of Thy hands, should be slain, be stretched upon the pavement, be cut in pieces, reduced to ashes-my soul is Thine! Yes, I have the assurance of Thy Word. My soul belongs to Thee! It shall abide forever with Thee. Amen. O God! Help me! Amen."