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 Bro.
Turner:
Must
a preacher be “sent” forth by a church to preach? Please
explain Rom. 10:15. IQ
Reply:
In
Rom. 10: Paul. is saying that all (both Jew AND Gentile) may
call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. He then reasons,
how call except they believe, and how believe except they hear,
and how hear without a preacher or proclaimer, and how preach to
both and Gentile except GOD send messengers to all
nations. Paul is saying that GOD sent messengers to ALL NATIONS,
as it had been prophesied He would do.
The
passage first cited by Paul is “How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace —” and this is from
Isa. 52:7, clearly a Messianic prophecy, and one that says
further, “Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of
all the nations: and all the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.”
Paul
further reasons: “Have they (i.e., all nations) not heard?”
And he answers, “Yes verily, their sound (i.e., the proclaimer’s
sound) went into all the earth —.” (Rom. 10: 18) Paul then
shows (vs. 19-20) that Jews should have known that God was going
to send messengers to the Gentiles, for both Moses and Isaiah
had said that this would happen.
The
person who uses Rom. 10:15 to prove (?) that a church must “send”
a preacher before he is “authorized” to preach, shows very
little regard for the context of
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Rom. 10:11-21.
Our
High Priest, Jesus Christ, has as a “priesthood” all saints:
any and every child of God. These “lively stones are built up
a spiritual house a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices —” or “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, —” (1 Pet. 2:5,9). Christians have no “clergy-laity”
distinctions, but “one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye
are brethren.” (Matt. 23:8)
The
Holy Spirit “sent forth” Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:4) and
the church at Antioch but encouraged and wished them God-speed
in that work they would have been obligated to do, even if
Antioch had disapproved. Note 3 John where a church refused to
aid God—approved workers. Churches should encourage and
support those who go forth preaching the Word (Phil. 4:15f) but
each saint is obligated to the Lord to serve in keeping with his
ability, and needs no other “authorization” than this.
Sometimes
the above question comes to the front when there are differences
in judgement concerning the starting of a new congregation, or
judgement as to the most opportune time or place for some work;
or even judgement concerning someone’s qualifications to
preach here or there. We must not confuse matters of judgement
and expediency with Bible truth concerning the “right” to
preach. And it would be hard for me to respect the “judgement”
of those who sought to “advise” me —on the basis that I
had no “authority” to preach the gospel of Christ until some
church or “board of elders” laid hands on me. RFT
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