ALONE WITH GOD------

QUESTION: Is it right for one to be bearing "Bishop" as a name?

ANSWER: I presume the questioner in this case has reference to "Bishop" as a title in connection with one’s name such as, "Bishop John Doe." First of all I would point out to all of us that we should never identify the scriptural term "Bishop" in the New Testament with the term as used in modern Christendom with all its attached pomp and preeminence. They are far different in their usage and meaning. It would certainly be wrong for an humble saint minister to attach that title to his name in its modern usage and meaning.

However, the term "Bishop" is a scriptural term found different times in the New Testament and in connection with "Overseer," "Oversight," and "Elder" all of which derive from the same root word. These words occur a number of times in the New Testament, and refer to the same office. "Bishop" does refer to an office in the Church and not to any particular individual. In I Timothy 3:1, Paul says, "...If a man desire the OFFICE of a bishop, he desireth a good work." I do not recall any of our brother ministers attaching the term "Bishop" to their name so I am not used to it and it would probably cause me a little shock and a little raising of my eyebrows and wrinkling of my forehead to see it. However, several of our brethren have attached the term "Elder" to their names which is the same thing.

In Titus 1:5, Paul says, "For this cause left I thee,...that thou shouldest...ordain ELDERS in every city,..." Then Titus 1:7 says, "For a BISHOP must be blameless, as the steward of God;..." It is evident here that "Elder" in verse 5 and "Bishop" in verse 7 are used interchangeably and refer to the same office. We also see here that a "Bishop" was the "Steward" of God. In I Corinthians 4:1, Paul declares himself to be a minister of Christ and "Steward" of the mysteries of God. Then Paul was a "Bishop" though he never attached that term as such to his name. Paul continues in I Corinthians 4:2, "Moreover it is required in STEWARDS, that a man be found faithful." In I Timothy 1:12 he said again, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me FAITHFUL, putting me into the ministry." Again in Luke 12:42 we read, "And the Lord said, Who then is that FAITHFUL and wise STEWARD, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?" This verse is important because it makes it clear what the duties of a "Steward" ("Bishop") are to give the household of God their portion of meat in due season. Or as Peter puts it in I Peter 5:2, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [or "Bishopric"] thereof,..." He continues in verse 3, "Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

Oh, how different this is from the modern ecclesiastical "Bishop" in his pomp, preeminence and position of "LORD" over God’s heritage. In Luke 12:43 Jesus said further concerning the "FAITHFUL" and good "Steward" (Bishop), "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Paul said in Titus 1:7 that a "Bishop" was the "Steward" of God and in Luke 12:42-43 the term "Steward" (Bishop) is used. These terms are used interchangeably which makes it clear that a scriptural Bishop is a servant not a lord.

I will say again in closing that I have never known of any of the brethren attaching the term "Bishop" to their name or signature. Neither do I recall any place in the New Testament of any of those brethren using it either such as Bishop Paul, Bishop Peter, Bishop Timothy, etc. though all of these were Bishops. We have one case where Peter referred to himself as an "Elder" (I Peter 5:1) and "Bishop" and "Elder" were interchangeable terms in the New Testament usage and referred to the same office (Titus 1:5 and 7). However, I think that perhaps Peter referred to himself as an "Elder" here not so much to emphasize his eldership as to equate himself with the other elders. His statement here is, "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,..." He was placing himself right among them and not above them.

Some of the brethren have used the term "Elder" and some "Pastor" attached to their name and signature. I think the most of them just sign their name without any other identifying term attached at all. I don’t know that we could have any scriptural quarrel with anyone who used any of these terms Bishop, Elder, or Pastor in their signature because they are all scriptural terms and identify the office and position of the individual. Perhaps the reason our brethren have not used the term "Bishop" is because of the pomp, honor, and position it signifies in the modern religious world today which is entirely foreign and strange to the humble, lowly servants of the Church to whom it was applied in the New Testament.

I feel inclined to insert a few thoughts in this space in discussion of what I consider to be a topic to saints; the idea of a clear perspective, a deeper comprehension, and a more thorough understanding of the standards of God’s Word for Christian living and the abundant supply in the economy of God’s grace for attaining to high standards of holy living.

Gregory Mantle in the introduction of his book Better Things from Above inserts a quote from Faber which says, "The devil can fight as successfully against God with low views as with mortal sins. Low views of the privileges and possibilities of the Christian life result inevitably in slackness and weakness."

Low views produce low standards for the life which, in turn, results in only limited blessings from God and a limited measure of divine grace which, in turn, robs us of victories which we might otherwise have and the richness and fulfillment which should be realized in Christian living. This is true because we have low views of Christian standards and consequently settle for a low plane of living with whatever degree of blessings, joy and grace that affords. Therefore we do not expect much of ourselves nor demand much of ourselves in the way of Christian living and do not expect much from God in the way of divine aid to raise our standards of living and do better and gain greater victories. Thus we live our lives on the defensive and always have our defenses out and are loaded with excuses for our failures when we are overcome in the trials and tests of life. My answer to those who live this way is that whatever excuses you have for your failures in being what God wants you to be and failing of the grace of God in the test; you better be thinking up some good ones because you are going to have to meet God with those excuses some day. The good news I bring you is that you do not have to go through life this way on short rations because the same God who wrote the Bible and set up the standards of holy living outlined in those holy scriptures, set up an economy of grace to go along with those scriptures to supply every person with a sufficiency of grace to enable every Christian person to come up to the full standard of every principle of truth taught in the New Testament if they will just humble their hearts and submit to God and go down and get it.

It is appalling and downright pitiful and tragic that many people get all involved in worldly activities after the worldly mold and patterns even to the extent they allow those things to hinder them from their Christian duties and attending church services, etc., and they still affirm they are keeping victory and living for God and pray all the time whether they are in service or not and God is blessing them right along. What I fear is that some people get all caught up in these things and carried away with them and get all elated and feel a strong sense of satisfaction in themselves over what they are doing and actually honestly mistake this for spiritual blessings. Folks, I affirm this is not true and cannot be true in God’s setup of things. It is certainly low views when we think we can mix up our lives between the Lord and these worldly activities and feel this to be acceptable to God and that He blesses our lives right on. We can defeat ourselves; yea, even destroy ourselves with our thinking low views.

We can see many signs of compromise (low views) among the people today immodest dress, bodily adornment, jewelry, worldly fashions, cutting and frilling the hair, worldly amusements, etc. These things belong to the outward life and we can see them and all of them are an important part of the general let down and departing from the "faith once delivered to the saints." However, there is another type of compromise which is more subtle and hidden which we do not see on the outside and therefore it gains its ground and does its fatal work in the soul without our knowing it until it is done. That is a type of compromise hidden in the heart involving attitudes, feelings, bitterness, unforgiveness, resentments, pet peeves, etc., and God’s Word says there are many defiled with these things. (Hebrews 12:15-16.) For one to have these things in his life and retain them and cherish them and excuse them because of circumstances and how he was treated and still feel himself clear before God and justify himself in them is a clear, direct compromise of the scriptural codes for holy living and will render him ineffectual in prayer and dry up his prayer life and bring him to total defeat in his purpose to live for God and be saved. We must be healed of our hurts, wounds, bitterness and critical and bad attitudes if we expect to prosper in our spiritual lives and get to heaven in the end. Let us all seek to encompass in the scope of our thinking and perspectives the possibilities of the healing of our souls and total victory over all these things through the abundance of God’s grace. Let us not entertain any low views here.

The good news I bring you today is that you do not have to be a victim of circumstances. You can, through the grace of God, rise above them. Read Romans 8:35-39. Neither do you have to live under the cloud of hurt feelings, offences, mistreatment, spitefulness, misrepresentations, etc., but can rather abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 31:20 says, "...thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." Job 5:21 says, "Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue:..." The margin says here "When the tongue scourgeth."

Some people could stand an actual whip lashing better than a tongue-lashing. When hard and sharp things are said to them, it cuts them down and they can never get over it. It is a peculiar kind of pride that causes people to be so sensitive to what people say to them. By the grace of God you can be healed of this sensitiveness and rise above it and overcome it. Read Matthew 5:43-44 and then settle it that whatever God tells us to do, He has already provided the grace and strength to enable us to do it. It begins with humility and denial of one’s self. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6.) Let us never say we can’t do this or that God instructs us to do. Only say we have not been able to do it yet but we are on our way.

If you are down under or plagued by any of these things, you don’t have to be. You are thus because you have settled for it that way. You have concluded you are just that way and that is your natural makeup and you can’t help it. However, under God you can. You can appeal to God and submit yourself to Him and He can heal you of that defect in your nature and make you over new ALL NEW. (II Corinthians 5:17.)

One of the things in which the children of Israel displeased God and brought His judgment down on them was that they limited the Holy One of Israel. (Psalm 78:41.) Let us therefore beware lest we fall after the same example of unbelief. Let us not limit the Holy One of Israel nor discount what His grace can do for us and just plain quit thinking we can’t rise above these things and every other thing that is contrary to us and detrimental to our spiritual lives and would hinder us from fulfilling the Bible standards for holy living and boldly declare "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil 4:13.

"The Bible is the greatest book in the world. It has been a greater influence on mankind than all other forces put together. It is the most significant literary work existing in the world because it excels in beauty, power, and depths of contents. In this Book are infinite wisdom and infinite love. Between its covers are the mind and heart of God; for man’s good, for his guidance, and his spiritual nourishment. It is a book of faith, a book of morals, and a book of religion; but it is also a book which teaches man his own individual responsibility, his own dignity, and his equality with his fellow man.

"The Bible teaches us how to find joy in sorrow, strength in weakness, and light in darkest days; how to bear adversity and scorn and how to fight life’s battles courageously. The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of thinking, and the most comfortable way of growing. The Bible is God’s chart for us to steer by; to show us where the harbor is; helping all who come to it to live above the problems and troubles of life.

"The Bible stimulates the conscience and defines principles of right and wrong. It strengthens the will and this forms character. It can restore to us faith in the values of truth, beauty and goodness. Points of view found in the Bible have their value for today.

"Men cannot be well educated without the Bible, for knowledge of the Bible is a liberal education. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and origins have found in the Bible words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration, and it has been to them a fountain of strength and an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the mind and soul. The more we read the more it will become plain to see what things are worthwhile and what are not and what things make men happy. The Bible can give men fortitude and steadiness of faith and vision. It has continued to be a source of power in the lives of men.

"To the influence of this great Book are we indebted for all the progress made in civilization.

"In II Timothy 3:15, Paul wrote, ‘And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation...’ The eighth chapter of Proverbs glorifies wisdom throughout. Beginning with verse 22 it goes on to tell how wisdom was with God when He created the heavens and the earth and all things therein.

In II Timothy 3:16-17 (And here I insert the full text which was not in the original manuscript): ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.’ "Since God inspired all of the holy scriptures, we see that the Bible expresses the thoughts of God and is a source of true wisdom.

"In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said, ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.’

"Colossians 3:16 says, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;...

"I Corinthians 1:25 says, ‘Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men;...’

"I Corinthians 2:6-8 says, ‘Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.’

"Job 28:12 says, ‘But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?’ Then Job 28:28 says, ‘...Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ (And let me insert right here that you read all the intervening verses between Job 28:12 and Job 28:28, extolling wisdom.)

"The Bible shows us ourselves. It is the only dependable mirror in which we can see ourselves as God sees us.

"May God teach us to cherish the beauty and greatness of His wisdom and how to live so as to bring joy and blessings into the lives of others. Any may God lead us on to the highest wisdom; to know ourselves and to know Him." (And I insert here my own ‘Amen’ to this thought.)