“Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum... A Church Reformed, Always Being Reformed ACCORDING TO THE WORD”
- with emphasis on 'secundum verbum'...
We are in dire need of a new Reformation.
Yes, the Church desperately needed reforming in 1517 when a relatively young Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the cathedral door in Wittenberg. There were incredibly serious issues to be dealt with then; in the last couple of years, it's become clear that we still have some very serious issues to deal with.
I've become persuaded that the issues we face today result from some fundamental hermeneutical errors that the Reformers made, errors that persist today.
Hence, we need another Reformation.
I, Duncan Cary Palmer, humbly request that you try to be a good Berean.
Please consider the implications of each of the 9.5 Theses below. Think about how life would be different if each of the following theses were true and observed.
I ask you to make every effort to set aside your theological preconceptions and prepare to deal with some cognitive dissonance as you read on...
Martin Luther at the Threshold of a New Age (source)
A New Reformation? My 9.5 Theses
by Duncan Cary Palmer
We need a New Reformation.
Yes, the Reformers got some things wrong—get over it, already!
We will also undoubtedly make some errors, but we can't allow that likelihood to dissuade us from proclaiming what we see in the Word of God. It's past time that we sift the traditions of men out of our practices as the people of God...
If I were to judge "by the numbers" alone, protesting the status quo—in hope of achieving a new Reformation—ought to be considerably easier this time than in the 16th century. I don't think we need an additional 95 Theses to pull it off...
Perhaps, as a start, these 9.5 Theses will do?
Here is my short list, published by hammer and nail today on the Virtual Door of the Cathedral of Cyberspace:
"Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, virtual nobody Duncan Cary Palmer, humble Student of the Scriptures, and (very) ordinary blogger about them in cyberspace, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally (those who can know who you are) shall do so in their absence by interaction in the comments below. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
- The Kingdom of God/the Heavens is already here, having arrived some two thousand years ago (Matthew 3:2)
- The Kingdom of God is invisible (Luke 17:20,21), entirely foreign to the satanic kingdoms of this world (John 18:33-36), (1 Timothy 6:13), and is gradually permeating and displacing those earthly kingdoms (Matthew 13:33)
- King Jesus alone possesses all power and authority, ruling all the earth from his heavenly throne at the present time (Matthew 28:18, (1 Timothy 6:14-15), Luke 22:69, Ephesians 1:20, Psalm 110:1-2)
- The assemblies of Kingdom citizens (i.e. churches) are Jesus' local/city (i.e. Greek polis) governments on earth at the present time, and God intends for them to supplant and displace satanic rule, not participate in it (Luke 22:24-28)
- The only central authority our assemblies (i.e. churches) need is our head, King Jesus (Ephesians 1:17-23)
- We must make "the good confession" (1 Timothy 6:13) as did Jesus before Pilate; namely, that our Kingdom is not of this realm, but is rather of an utterly different kind (John 18:33-36)
- Ecclesiastic versus civil government is a false dichotomy... The true distinction is that between the Kingdom of the Heavens and the satanic worldly kingdoms that presently claim territorial jurisdiction and are terrorizing the planet (1 John 5:19)
- The satanic kingdoms of this world (what the Reformers called 'civil government' and the 'civil magistrate') have zero legitimate authority. Though they may—at some times, and on some occasions—get some things right, all they truly possess is raw, tyrannical power—i.e., the ability to hurt us (John 19:11)
- Godly governance is the mutual voluntary submission of God's people to one another, and must be holy, i.e. separate, set apart from, and neither part of nor participating in satanic worldly kingdoms (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
And, for the final half thesis:
- Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 are NOT grants of power to satanic earthly kingdoms, but rather descriptions of the proper operation of the Kingdom assembly (i.e. church) form of governance
These are my theses, and I'm sticking to them... until and unless you bring your 'A-game' of scriptural ammunition to refute them.
"And the government shall be upon HIS shoulder." - Isaiah 9:6
For further background, elucidation, and explanation of these 9.5 Theses, please peruse the growing library of articles to be found here:
'The Kingdom of Jesus/God/The Heavens' Library Shelf
And, by all means, raise your issues, ask your questions, and engage in debate (in person if you know me) and/or in the comment section below.
=FIN=
