Tom Burke

January 2025
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1 Timothy 2:5 (New International Version)For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

The New Testament reveals much about the structure and operations of the early church. If you have read these records, perhaps you’ve been struck by the many differences between that church and the one we see today. If so, you are not alone.

The origin of many of the traditions, concepts, and practices seen in modern Christian worship is certainly not a mystery. A study of the early Christian writers¹ reveals that these things were firmly in place within a century or two after the time of the original apostles.

So, the question is not when they were adopted, but why? And why do other earmarks of the original church, like its power, appear to be absent?

Modern-day apologists claim that this was all part of God’s plan: that God gradually revealed new truths through those early centuries, and that He removed supernatural power from the church once the New Testament was written. Some might say, however, that these additions amount to what Paul called “another gospel.”²

Consider the central position of what we refer to today as the priesthood, or the clergy. Perhaps as early as the end of the first century these men³ began to be recognized as the bridges between God and mankind. In other words, it was believed that they and they alone spoke for God. In addition, they came to be viewed as the believer’s only access to God.

This position was reinforced due to the fact that once Christianity became acceptable within the Roman Empire, the Scriptures — originally written in Hebrew and Greek — began to be translated primarily into Latin (the language of Rome). With the fall of Rome,⁴ Latin became a “dead” language, as it remains today. But it continued to be the language of the church.

At this point, then, only those who represented the church — the clergy — could even read the Scriptures.  This was welcomed, because it had already been established that only the clergy could properly understand the Scriptures. Thus, keeping them in Latin was a “blessing” to common people, to guard them from misunderstanding and even possible heresy.

In addition, due to the former political primacy of Rome, the bishop of Rome soon became “the man of God” to the world. Because of a misreading of Matthew 16:18,⁵ Peter was believed to be the one man — and the only man — upon whom the church was built. And Peter was spoken of as being the first bishop of Rome,⁶ thus making each of his successors the new man of God — the Pope.

Below the Pope were other “men of God” — cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests — each deriving authority from those above him. And, as a whole, these men were believed to be (and generally believed themselves to be) the believer’s only hope for understanding God, pleasing God, or even reaching God.

This was the state of the church for well over 1000 years.

In the early 1500s Martin Luther of Germany and contemporaries in other nations, collectively known as the Reformers, began considering the Scriptures and challenging many of the longstanding traditions of the church. Among other things, they recognized that no man or woman required a priest in order to be reconciled to God. Perhaps most significantly, they recognized the right, indeed the necessity, of all Christians to have access to the Scriptures, and efforts began in earnest to both translate and distribute native-language Bibles.⁷

The effect of the Reformers’ work can still be seen in the Christian church today. Most of the traditions which they challenged remain absent from modern Christian worship.⁸ Bibles are available in a multitude of languages. Many teach and most recognize that no priest is needed for the forgiveness of one’s sins. No other man or woman is required to present me to God.

But who is my representative from God?

Sadly, in spite of the many positive changes brought about by the Reformation, virtually every manifestation of the modern church still looks to “the man of God” for teaching, guidance, and assurance. Some search the internet in a quest for a man of God for the entire world. Others look locally for the true man of God in their city. Only one name is displayed on most church marquees — the name of the recognized leader.

Some believe that this is simply an issue of church structure. I would suggest that it is a doctrinal issue, and a serious one, as it keeps the church with one foot forever planted in the Old Testament.

Indeed, the Old Testament abounds with records of the man of God. In some cases, this is a reference to angels, but at other times, it is speaking of flesh-and-blood men. For example:

Of Moses:   And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.   (Deuteronomy 33:1)

Of Samuel:   Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.   (1 Samuel 9:10)

Of Shemaiah:  But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,  (1 Kings 12:22 )

Of Elisha:   And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?  (2 Kings 8:8)⁹

These men, and others like them were indeed appointed by God to speak for Him to His people. They were commissioned to teach, guide, and warn the people of Israel. To equip them for this task, God put His spirit upon them.¹⁰

However, as even the most casual student of the Bible knows, the Old Testament was not the pinnacle of God’s intended purpose for mankind. He was anticipating and, via Israel, building toward something much more glorious, something which the epistle to the Ephesians calls “the purpose of the ages.”

 Ephesians 3:11 (Young’s Literal Translation)According to a purpose of the ages, which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The accomplishment of this purpose required the birth, death, and resurrection of the promised Messiah. By this substitutionary work, the Lord Jesus Christ made both freedom from sin and righteousness before God possible. This was something that the Law could never accomplish. And it is now freely available, not exclusively to Israel, but to all.

Having risen, Jesus then ascended to a seat of glory in heaven, from where he poured out the spirit on the day of Pentecost. Not on one man, not on two men. But on all men and women who believed on him (Acts 2:37–39). That same spirit is freely given to all who believe on him today.

An even more magnificent result of his completed work was later revealed to the apostle Paul.

Ephesians 1:19–23  (King James Version)And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right  hand in the heavenly places,

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

In short, though seated in the heavenly realm, Christ is still very much present here on earth via his church, the members of his body. Each member is equal in rights, privileges, and abilities. But in addition, each member has his or her own grace-given gift — the spiritually-endowed ability and authority to serve in a particular capacity.¹¹ And in that capacity, the believer directly represents our Lord.

What does this mean in practice? It means that no single one of us is expected to or entitled to do it all. No single brain knows all that Christ desires to do in his church. No single voice is his sole mouthpiece.

To insist otherwise is to rob God of the glorious church which is central to His purpose of the ages (Ephesians 5:25–27). To limit ourselves to one earthly head is to deny Christ of his rightful place as head of the body. To enforce the acknowledgment of one “man of God” here on earth is to deny all other believers of the joy and privilege, and yes, of the responsibility, of directly obeying the one whom they have declared to be Lord.

The miracle of Christ working in each member can be experienced in the local church. But it will require “the few” to recognize that, like all other Christians, at base they are still simply sinners saved by grace. It will require “the many” to take the lordship of Jesus Christ seriously. And it will require all to look beyond the flesh and “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21, New International
Version).

This does not mean that the church is to become a free-for-all. Some have been called to lead: we should follow them. Some have been called to teach: we should listen to them. But all, including leaders and teachers must recognize that every Christian is equally a member of Christ. And at any moment, we may be required to submit to them.

Indeed, the truth — the glorious truth — is that today there is one, and only one, who can be called the man of God, locally, nationally, internationally: the Lord Jesus Christ. We, however, like Timothy,¹² can aspire to be men and women of God who represent the man of God here on earth.

2 Timothy 3:16,17  (Holman Christian Standard Bible)All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

So that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God’s Word could not be clearer regarding what He desires to see in His church and how He has designed it to operate. As we each choose to truly elevate truth over tradition, we, as men and women of God, can begin to experience, in our everyday lives, the beauty of this glorious church which God planned for and Christ died for.