Not so long ago, someone asked the question: “Is it of greater meaning when an officebearer speaks than when some other member of the congregation does so?”

The Word of the Lord may and indeed must dwell richly in the congregation. It has not been entrusted to officebearers alone. We should not think that the administration of grace belongs exclusively to the task of the minister. The administration of grace has a much broader action base: The Word has been given to the congregation. In many different ways and places we administer the Word to one another. But just when we rediscover this truth, the question arises: “Is there a difference between the speaking of an officebearer and that of any other member of the congregation? Does it make any difference if an officebearer comes with the Word, or if a brother or sister does so?”

Some people think that it makes no difference by whose mouth we hear the Word, though they will rightly maintain that for the preaching in the church services, a specially trained minister is indispensible. They oppose the thought that the speaking of an officebearer is value-added, when compared to that of a brother or sister in the congregation. Their opinion is: “Christ Himself opens the door by means of people who serve. Thus the Word by the mouth of the one is not of greater worth than by the mouth of another”.

He Who Is Sent⤒🔗

I have thought long and hard about this question. It is a good thing that these people seek to have the offices function to the fullest amongst the congregation.  I also fully agree with them that the authority of the office is nothing other than the authority of the Word which the officebearer administers. They are correct when they say that the worth of the gospel does not rest in the office, but in the Word itself.

Yet I struggle with the notion that it makes no difference who should come with the Word: a brother in the congregation or an officebearer.  Ought we not to take into consideration that the officebearer is sent of Christ, called by Him to speak the Word? (Hebrews 13:7). It struck me how the Lord Jesus frequently refers to the fact that He was sent by the Father, to call for faithful acceptance of the Word in the hearer (compare John 3:34, 5:38, 7:16). Paul, in the opening words of his letters, repeatedly points to his divine calling in order to have his words of exhortation and comfort heard and accepted (compare Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:1).

The Lord Jesus Christ spoke as the One sent from the Father and Paul speaks as called apostle. Divine calling however is also there, where the office bearer speaks in the congregation. Our forms for ordination in the Book of Praise states that God Himself has called these brothers to holy service. It is God’s call, which has a brother take up a position as minister or elder in the congregation.  That person is called or sent. To him apply the words of Hebrews 5:4 : “And  no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.”

Bucer and Calvin, the architects of reformed polity concerning the office, strongly held that the office bearer represents Christ Himself. In doing so they pointed to texts such as Luke 10:16 ”He who hears you hears Me, He who rejects you rejects Me”. On this point we never did disagree with Rome, though we do with respect to the manner in which this representation brings itself to bear. Bucer and Calvin connected the work of the officebearer wholly to the Word of the One who sent them. Calvin says: “When shepherds faithfully preach the Word, then they are the mouthpiece of God taking the place of Christ.” When an office bearer in accordance with his divine calling speaks, then Christ comes to us through him - through him we are dealing with his sender!

Greater in What Way?←⤒🔗

We can agree that the worth of the gospel does not become greater when a minister brings it. The office adds nothing to the authority of the Word. The Word is of itself living and powerful (compare Hebrews 4:12). The officebearer does not enhance its power. Yet, all this does not imply that it therefore makes no difference from whom we hear the gospel. Granted, the message may be the same. A brother may tell me to repent concerning a specific matter in my life and the elders, at a home visit may speak with me about that same repentance. So, we have exhortation by way of the officebearers and we have mutual correction (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:14). The difference does not lie in the message, nor in any value-adding to the gospel when it comes by the mouth of an officebearer. The difference in my view is found in the manner in which the Word comes to us. When the office bearers speak, they speak who are called and sent. We are dealing with ambassadors of Christ (compare 2 Corinthians 5:20). The brother who exhorts me is no such ambassador. The officebearers have been especially called by Christ to tell me this.  In them, I am dealing directly with Christ. By reason of their being sent by Christ, the exhortation comes to me with even greater urgency, heightening my personal responsibility. When I turn a deaf ear, I reject Christ Himself (compare Luke 10:16). The Form for the Ordination of Ministers of the Word (Book of Praise) rightly exhorts the congregation to accept the words of the office bearer, spoken in accordance with the Holy Scriptures “not as the word of men but as what it really is, the Word of God”.

I would like to ask the question: If it makes no difference who addresses us with the Word, why does Paul so emphatically state to the Corinthians that he and his fellow workers speak as ambassadors of Christ (compare 2 Corinthians 5:20)? And also: Does this text not say something with respect to the speaking of office bearers of today?

As I already wrote, I thought long and hard about this. It’s not so straight forward to clearly put it into words. For now, I stick with the premise that within the context of God’s calling, we are bound to acknowledge a difference in who administers the Word to me.

When the ambassadors of Christ exhort or comfort me, the Word comes to me with even greater urgency, increasing my responsibility. If I am already to listen to exhorting brothers (compare Matthew 18:16) how much more when God speaks to me through his ambassadors!