6/13/14- Purpose and Limits in Councils and Assemblies

The cause, then, why general councils convened, was neither to make any perpetual law (which God before had not made), nor yet to forge new articles of our belief, neither to give the word of God authority ­ much less to make that to be his word, or yet the true interpretation of the same, which was not before by his holy will expressed in his word.[3] But the cause of councils (we mean of such as merit the name of councils), was partly for confutation of heresies, and for giving public confession of their faith to the posterity following: which both they did by the authority of God's written word, and not by any opinion or prerogative that they could not err, by reason of their general assembly. And this we judge to have been the chief cause of general councils. The other was for good policy and order to be constituted and observed in the kirk, in which (as in the house of God)[4] it becomes all things to be done decently and into order.[5]Not that we think that any policy, and one order in ceremonies can be appointed for all ages, times, and places: for as ceremonies (such as men have devised) are but temporal, so may and ought they to be changed, when they rather foster superstition than that they edify the kirk using the same.

5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. (Scots 20b) 

Thoughts: The purpose of a council is not to make rules for us. Councils are not to give or take away the authority of scripture by making contrary authoritative interpretations.  Nor do councils add to the sufficiency of the Word by their "interpretations."  Rather councils are meant to 1. refute false teaching, 2. confess the true faith of that generation; 3. to help things go smoothly (decently and in order) in the church.  Knox would be shocked and dismayed that people in the church he founded would try to make an interpretation of scripture which is opposite to the plain sense of scripture- in order to excuse a behavior.  

Prayer:  Lord, keep your people from over-reaching their authority.   Help us to have ears that will hear and hearts willing to obey rather than excuse.