A Sola the Reformers Missed - "Sola Ecclesia"
And he put all things under his feet and appointed him head over all things through the agency of the ἐκκλησίᾳ (church), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
I'll begin with a bold assertion:
"Sola Ecclesia" - The assembly of Jesus' people (i.e., the church) is the only legitimate form of human government in existence since the day Jesus ascended to his throne... and it is vastly different from the kingdoms of this world. If that shocks you—or even if you just "don't get it"—you may want to read the article below.
Hoping to persuade you that the reformers missed an important Sola, I'll start with a parable:
Have you ever watched a 3D movie?
As you walk into the theater, an usher hands you a pair of glasses with lenses polarized at different angles. Your left eye sees one image and your right eye another, bringing the movie to life in glorious full color, blowing you away with dramatic real-world depth and dimension.
Imagine now, if you will, that you're a famous movie critic. A rival studio knows you're coming to the theater. To ensure a bad review, they've bribed an usher to watch for your arrival. As you walk in, he hands you a different kind of glasses. They look like the ones everyone else has, but the left lens is blue and the right lens is red.
When the movie starts, instead of a blockbuster in glorious color and realistic depth, you see a flat and rather blurry distortion. Scenes that should leap out at you confuse you instead. Rather than merging, images are split, and you see two different things. At times, the rose-colored optimism of the red lens colors the story, while the mood at other times is falsely darkened by the blue.
We've been reading the bible through the wrong lenses.
In the parable above, the theater is our life. The blockbuster is the bible. Satan operates the rival studio, and the usher is a university-funded bible translation committee. Our understanding of scripture has been distorted by the lenses of several wrong turns in history and theological tradition.
Though they corrected a great deal, the Reformers missed this Sola. They were still seeing scripture through distorting lenses fitted when Constantine "legalized" Christianity. As a result of that sea change, the church got into bed with the kingdoms of Satan, resulting in an adulterous alignment of the church's interests with those of the human state.
My goal today is to give you a better fitting and functioning pair of lenses through which to read the bible. But first, a disclaimer.
What "Sola Ecclesia" is not...
Previous versions of "Sola Ecclesia" are not what I'm championing. Mine is not the "Sola Ecclesia" of the Catholic church. Nor that of Reformation Magazine. Nor that of the OPC. Nor any other "Sola Ecclesia" I'm aware of, or have so far located by searching, though I welcome any references you may offer for my ongoing study.
And I'm not asking you to embrace "Sola Ecclesia"—yet...
...but if you claim an "open mind," or aspire to life-long learning, then you needs must investigate new perspectives, right?
What I am asking is that you make a sincere effort to understand "Sola Ecclesia" and keep this alternate pair of lenses—a different prescription—on hand. As you read the scriptures daily, pick up these "Sola Ecclesia" spectacles from time to time and ask yourself, "How would I understand this passage differently IF this prescription turns out to be better than my old one?"
At this point, you're probably thinking...
"So, give me the lenses, already..."
I already have. The proper lens to view scripture through is the assertion in the preface to this article:
"Sola Ecclesia" - The assembly of Jesus' people (i.e., the church) is the only legitimate form of human government in existence since the day Jesus ascended to his throne.
However, for clarity, I'll restate and expand on that statement in several different ways, beginning with this article, and (God willing) I'll dive deeper in some articles to come.
The assembly (Greek: ἐκκλησίᾳ)—known to you all your life as "the church"—is the only governance structure authorized by Jesus/God at the present time. What most of us have previously thought of as "civil government" is in all truth Satan's kingdom in action. God intends that his assemblies supplant and displace satanic rule, not participate in or attempt to reform it (Luke 22:24-30).
What does this mean for our bible reading?
When in the New Testament you read of rulers, officials, governors, etc., you've been conditioned to assume certain passages are about 'civil government.' However, you may actually be reading about the Assembly of Jesus and his followers, i.e. about the church and its members and officials (e.g. Titus 2:11-3:7).
ONLY—if the context makes it unequivocally clear—should you conclude that an earthly government is being spoken of. And, in some of those cases, you'll find it's quite clear that the rulers are demonic powers (e.g. Ephesians 6:10-13, 1 Corinthians 2:8).
Earthly governments are, of course, in view in historical narratives that explicitly mention, for example, Roman military personnel, named tyrants, or synagogue rulers (e.g. Matthew 27:1-2). Otherwise, please (especially when reading the letters written to the saints by Paul, Peter, James, and Jude, and when reading Hebrews) try to start with the assumption that the governance being discussed or described is that of the assembly (church) itself. See how that change of perspective would change your understanding of the passage.
"But isn't this blatant eisegesis?"
No more than what you're already doing. Be honest with yourself; you're already bringing a systematic theology to your reading of scripture. Besides, your entire life history as a believer, all your social and political experience, has preconditioned you to interpret the bible in a certain way. If nothing else, trying to see scripture through a different lens may help you toward the general goal of better understanding other viewpoints. And, why worry? You're only doing this on a trial basis, right?
So, remove your "standard-issue" spectacles,
at least for a while. Admit they may be causing you to see things that aren't there. Switch glasses momentarily and open your mind just enough to understand this possible alternative.
Stop (for a change) viewing the world as dichotomized into "church" and "state," "heavenly kingdom" and "earthly kingdom," "sacred" and "secular." For just a little while, especially stop thinking in reformed/Calvinist terms of "church government" versus "civil government." Consider the possibility that these constructs may (at least since Calvin’s 16th Century writings) be mere assumptions and traditions.
Equally mind-sapping false dichotomies are those of left versus right, donkey versus elephant, commie versus (your choice) democracy or republic, etc. This kind of thinking serves only to distract you from the real dichotomy, the one magnificently and clearly expressed in Psalm 2. These petty quarrels are the result of Satan whispering in your ear, "Look, over here!... Pay no attention to that truth behind the curtain."
Try on a pair of "Sola Ecclesia" glasses.
With the right pair of glasses, you can relegate all human governance as we've known it to its proper place. You can begin to see all territorial states as endless variations on the satanically controlled kingdoms of this world age. While some "forms of government" (e.g. democracies, monarchies, republics) may be better or worse than others, they are all corrupt and irremediable enemies of truth and righteousness.
Instead, as you read the New Testament, think in terms of God's Kingdom versus Satan's kingdom. Consider the unbridgeable gap between these two kingdoms. Consider leaving Satan and all his minions—human or otherwise—to their own devices. Stop participating in politics and instead focus on creating and building up Godly governance systems as Jesus' beloved people, guided by the Word of God. We can show the world "how it's done," and in the process attract lost humanity to a new and better way of life.
For me, this perspective change has made all the difference.
My global, holographic view of scripture and life has become more sensibly consistent than ever. I'm ready to help create and participate new and Godly governance groups (i.e. the assemblies formerly known as 'churches') that dynamically advance the Kingdom of God in this world. How about you?
Can you begin to see it?
We'll explore more of the meaning of "Sola Ecclesia" in upcoming articles, God willing. How this viewpoint better harmonizes all of scripture, and what it might mean—practically speaking—in our churches and in our day-to-day lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Duncan has been haunting libraries since the age of two, and is a habitual science
fiction reader. His innate drive to know what makes things tick has driven him to
dismantle and decipher both technological artifacts and systematic theologies.
A Jack of all trades, Duncan has been a carpenter, technical writer, engineer, and political pundit, though he has since abandoned politics for pure crypto-thearchy. His current passion is reading through the New Testament in Greek and attempting to persuade fellow Christians of the incredibly Good News that the Kingdom of God can be a here and now reality if only we would begin to realize and live for it.
To discuss the Kingdom of Heaven with Duncan, you can reach him on his blog or by email at creator@sidefire.com.