When the Roman eagle cast its shadow over the nations of the ancient world, her military tactics were what enabled the legions to march largely unimpeded to victory. As opposing armies neared each other there would be the inevitable crash of the two armed groups. Here the Roman soldiers' long practiced discipline of fighting as a cohesive unit, rather than as individuals, contributed significantly to their victory.

While their enemies often would storm against the Roman line, the legionnaires would "lock shields," forming a seemingly impenetrable wall of steel. The frenzied enemy would attempt to penetrate that formation by getting a legionnaire out of position, either by pulling him from the front rank, isolating him from his cohort where he could be overwhelmed and thus opening a breach in the line, or by taunting him, inciting him to rush forward in anger or bravado and thereby compromise the integrity of the unit.

It is not hard to imagine then how crucial it was for these legionnaires to do whatever was necessary to main­tain their integrity as a fighting unit. Some have depicted legionnaires even gripping the leather harness of the soldier immediately in front of them to prevent that soldier from being yanked out of the line or foolhardily rushing forward to face the enemy alone. No doubt such means, accompanied by communication and encouragement, were keys to military success.

This imagery presents us with an excellent example of how the militant church of God is to operate. As a spiritual cohort, Christians are to be clad in the armor of God (Ephesians 6). As a congregation, we are not to operate independently but to lock our shields of faith together forming a defensive wall representing "the unity of faith" (Eph. 4:13a). While this "shield wall" of faith collectively confronts the enemy, extinguishing the fiery darts of unbelief, the congregation should deploy across the entire body the "two are better than one" principle of Ecclesiastes 4:10, 12. Like Roman legionnaires, we need to keep a firm hold of one another, encouraging each other to "hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works ... exhort­ing one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:23-25).

Where does this encouragement and collective coop­eration find its source? From the Son of God, who establishes His Christian cohort as He "gathers, defends, and preserves to Himself, by His Spirit and Word ... a church chosen to everlasting life, agreeing in true faith."¹One specific way Christ daily defends His church is by providing a plurality of active office bearers in an effort to ensure that "all tyranny and lording may be kept out of the church of God, which may sooner creep in, when the government is placed in the hands of one alone, or of a very few."²Not only does Christ grant this safeguard against possible oppression within the church, but He simultaneously intends it to be an active, supportive network, since it is "also the duty of elders ... in all occurrences, which relate to the welfare and good order of the church, to be assistant with their good counsel and advice, to the ministers of the Word, yea, also to serve all Christians with advice and consolation."³This is what Solomon means when he says: "In the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14b). Elders are to actively assist ministers and all Christians with biblical counsel. Further, all Christians, the entire armed multitude, the complete Christian cohort, is to be part of this active, supportive network, since all of God's true children are called to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another ... with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3:16).

In a broad sense, every member of Christ is to exhort, encourage, and counsel one another in love within the multitude, constructively promoting growth among the entire body. There should not be a handful of counselors in the multitude, but the church should be a multitude of counselors. The church should be comprised of a network of individuals surrounding one another, each having one another's best interest in mind. Each member is called to be a counselor to the others, so that in the multitude of counselors there would be safety. (Of course, for this to be truly the case, hearts need to be changed through the power of God. The church remains a mixed multitude, constantly reliant on God for grace to form the congregation from "what is" to "what should be.")

How is this counsel to function in the multitude of Christ? God addresses the congregation collectively as one flock, one fellowship, one family, "every one, who believes, being members of Christ, are in common, partakers of Him, and of all His riches and gifts (and) everyone must know it to be his duty, readily and cheerfully to employ his gifts, for the advantage and salvation of other members.''[1] ⁴These God-given gifts are to be deployed for the edifying of all believers. "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10).

So the multitude of counselors provides safety for each and every member of the congregation — for the ministers, the office-bearers, the laymen, the babes in grace, the young men and young women in grace, and the fathers and mothers in grace (1 John 2:12-14). If you've ever observed a herd of wild animals, you've witnessed how it is all but impossible to surprise them. Invariably, the herd has scores of eyes keeping watch for danger, warning the entire body if anything seems amiss. So the church should "exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13). Every member is to be so protected.

In what spirit should such mutual counseling be used? Such counsel should be Word-based, not drawn from the mere opinions of men. True counsel requires the spirit of humility and love and much prayer. As Christ, our Lord and Master, indwelt the dust of the earth and took the lowest place, so we are to selflessly serve others with the gifts we have been given by God. Do all with the humil­ity of a servant, in the Spirit of Christ, for even He came not to be served, but to serve, and that unto death (Matt. 20:28). "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (Phil 2:3). Paul Tripp explains succinctly why we are to have this approach when he reminds us,

You are most loving, patient, kind and gracious when you are aware that there is no truth that you could give to another that you don't desperately need yourself. You are most humble and gentle when you think that the person you are ministering to is more like you than unlike you. When you have inserted yourself into another (that is, into a different, separate) category that tends to make you think you have arrived, it is very easy to be judgmental and impatient (and as a result, a lousy counselor).⁵Crossway), 23.

Perhaps this is why so much counseling seems to come to naught. The spirit in which it is given or received chokes it out before fruit can be seen. Counsel certainly cannot prosper in an environment in which anyone thinks he has already arrived at perfection or attained some higher level of Christian maturity. Such cement will never allow anything to grow. Again, quoting Tripp:

Arrival tends to produce self-sufficiency. If you think you're wise, you don't seek out the wisdom of others. If you think you're mature, you don't hunger for the protection of others. If you see yourself as a person of mature faith, you don't seek the courage-giving encouragement of others. If you don't see your sin, you won't see the value of confessing it to those who can counsel and warn you. If you think you're up to whatever temptation will be thrown at you, you don't ask for other eyes to watch out for you and other hearts to pray on your behalf. Arrival, whether conscious or not, will always begin to cut you off from the essential protecting and sanctifying minis­try of the body of Christ ... When you think you've arrived, you are quite confident in and proud of your opinions. You trust your opinions ... You will fail to see that in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom. You will fail to see the essentiality of the ministry of Christ in your life. You will fail to recognize your own bias and spiritual blindness.⁶

In short, you will become "blind leaders of the blind" (Matt 15:14). So we are to counsel, "not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14).

When we demonstrate genuine concern for the spiri­tual and physical welfare of others, we remove all barriers to fellowship and mutual counseling. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). Perfect love abides no fear on the part of either party. In a healthy congregation, the counseled need not fear a judgmental, pharisaical spirit and the counselor need not fear rejection or retribution. Safety from judgment produces freedom to grow and flourish without negative results. There should be a trust within a congregation that allows for humble confession of sin, for mutual account­ability, for spiritual encouragement, for vulnerability that does not fear. Each member must heed James: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20).

Such counsel should permeate the congregation. It should reach from pastor to parishioner and back again. Too often, pastors are placed in a category by themselves, almost isolated from the congregation. Some treat them as super-Christians who are above temptation and beyond human concerns. In reality, pastors are as fully human as any of us, sinners subject to the tyranny of time. As a congregation we do well to remember that our pas­tors need our support and encouragement, particularly through prayer but also in actual demonstration. We need to listen to the command: "And we beseech you, breth­ren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves" (1 Thess. 5:12-13). It is particularly important that we seek their welfare, because as goes the physical and spiritual health of the pastor, so goes the physical and spiritual health of the congregation. We should marvel that even the mighty apostle Paul pleaded, "Finally, brethren, pray for us..." (2 Thess. 3:1).

In the event that things go poorly in a counseling situ­ation, Christians are to reflect the resiliency of love (read 1 Cor. 13:4-8a and see how incredibly resilient real love is). Just as in David and Jonathan's friendship, when hearts are knit together in love, we are to be willing to demur an earthly crown and place it on our brother's head.

Note also that in the multitude of counselors, safety is provided for a purpose. The safety found in the multitude of counselors is not provided for the ease of the whole. It is not meant to reduce vigilance, to dial down concern, or engender a relaxation of spiritual concern. Instead, it implies an added measure of safety, an environment of mutual support for collective and supportive service in which each member can engage his or her God-granted gifts and talents for the welfare, and even the salvation, of others. From each according to gifts and grace received, to each according to his daily care and need.⁷

This is how the multitude of counselors should operate among Christians. There should be mutual support of one another with no one ever experiencing isolation. Shouts of encouragement and support, admonition and exhortation, are to be freely shared in the thick of daily battle. Each soldier of Christ should keep firm hold on his neighbor in mutual support. We should be bolstering the line where it is weakened. Members who are weary should feel the reassuring hand of support at one's back. I am your brother not because you are flesh and blood like me, but because you wear the same livery, the same belt of truth, and because you too have been purchased with the blood of Christ. We should anticipate another's need and be there before they are overcome. We should bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, which is love. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34).

None of us has any wisdom or the ability to counsel naturally. The soliloquy we must hold is: My "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9). And the answer should be, "No one, but God." We need the true counsel and wisdom that is only poured out through a vertical relationship with Christ, so that it can flow down upon members and out horizon­tally among the entire congregation. This is where the true source of safety in the multitude of counselors is found.