CHAPTER XVIII
The Notes by Which the True Kirk Shall Be Determined from the False, and Who Shall Be Judge of Doctrine
Since Satan has labored from the beginning to adorn his pestilent synagogue with the title of the Kirk of God, and has incited cruel murderers to persecute, trouble, and molest the true Kirk and its members, as Cain did to Abel, Ishmael to Isaac, Esau to Jacob, and the whole priesthood of the Jews to Christ Jesus himself and his apostles after him.
So it is essential that the true Kirk be distinguished from the filthy synagogues by clear and perfect notes lest we, being deceived, receive and embrace, to our own condemnation, the one for the other.
The notes, signs, and assured tokens whereby the spotless bride of Christ is known from the horrible harlot, the false Kirk, we state, are neither antiquity, usurped title, lineal succession, appointed place, nor the numbers of men approving an error. For Cain was before Abel and Seth in age and title; Jerusalem had precedence above all other parts of the earth, for in it were priests lineally descended from Aaron, and greater numbers followed the scribes, pharisees, and priests, than unfeignedly believed and followed Christ Jesus and his doctrine . . . and yet no man of judgment, we suppose, will hold that any of the forenamed were the Kirk of God.
The notes of the true Kirk, therefore, we believe, confess, and avow to be:
(1) first, the true preaching of the Word of God, in which God has revealed himself to us, as the writings of the prophets and apostles declare;
(2) secondly, the right administration of the sacraments of Christ Jesus, with which must be associated the Word and promise of God to seal and confirm them in our hearts;
(3) and lastly, ecclesiastical discipline uprightly ministered, as God’s Word prescribes, whereby vice is repressed and virtue nourished.
Then wherever these notes are seen and continue for any time, be the number complete or not, there, beyond any doubt, is the true Kirk of Christ, who, according to his promise, is in its midst. This is not that universal Kirk of which we have spoken before, but particular Kirks, such as were in Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, and other places where the ministry was planted by Paul and which he himself called Kirks of God. Such Kirks, we the inhabitants of the realm of Scotland confessing Christ Jesus, do claim to have in our cities, towns, and reformed districts because of the doctrine taught in our Kirks, contained in the written Word of God, that is, the Old and New Testaments, in those books which were originally reckoned canonical. We affirm that in these all things necessary to be believed for the salvation of man are sufficiently expressed.
The interpretation of Scripture, we confess, does not belong to any private or public person, nor yet to any Kirk for pre-eminence or precedence, personal or local, which it has above others, but pertains to the Spirit of God by whom the Scriptures were written. When controversy arises about the right understanding of any passage or sentence of Scripture, or for the reformation of any abuse within the Kirk of God, we ought not so much to ask what men have said or done before us, as what the Holy Ghost uniformly speaks within the body of the Scriptures and what Christ Jesus himself did and commanded. For it is agreed by all that the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of unity, cannot contradict himself. So if the interpretation or opinion of any theologian, Kirk, or council, is contrary to the plain Word of God written in any other passage of the Scripture, it is most certain that this is not the true understanding and meaning of the Holy Ghost, although councils, realms, and nations have approved and received it. We dare not receive or admit any interpretation which is contrary to any principal point of our faith, or to any other plain text of Scripture, or to the rule of love.
*******
The debate here is how we tell the true church from one that is not faithful to Christ. The authors of the Scots Confession argue that it has three attributes: faithful preaching from the Word, administration of the sacraments, and church discipline rightly administered.
But how to tell if these things are truly happening?
It takes time. We'd like to have a label on the outside of the church, telling us if these things are truly happening. But instead, we have to dig in, to discover if the Word is truly driving the church, if the sacraments are helping the people fall in love with God all over again, if we are being accountable to one another. And it takes discipline on each individual's part to commit to reading the Word and seeking the will of the Holy Spirit, for how is one to discover what is or is not present at a church if one isn't seeking to have God present in one's own life? How easy it is to let others do the work for us...
How hard it is to accept the challenge of discipleship and accept Christ's Lordship over ALL aspects of life. The church struggles with this as well, and we grow comfortable, allowing our life together to be driven by comfort, or laziness, rather than the hard call of discipleship. May those within the church be faithful to Christ in all areas, and may we form a community that invites others into the life-giving relationship that can be found only in Christ.
