Today’s devotion comes from Acts 20:28-31.
“28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” Acts 20:28-31.
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Remember that in today’s Scripture Paul is addressing the elders at the church of Ephesus. Acts 20:17. Overseers is another term to express the same position as elders.
Overseers (or elders) have responsibility to shepherd the church, which includes protecting it from false teachers. How can they fulfill their duty?
Two major things that elders do to protect the church is teach sound doctrine and discipline. Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
How can elders teach sound doctrine if they only have Scripture? Every man can claim that his own interpretation of Scripture is sound doctrine. As a paraphrase of the old saying goes, “Every heretic has his own text.” In other words, no false teacher completely ignores Scripture, but rather claims that his own teaching is based on Scripture.
Therefore, creeds are important. In distinguishing sound doctrine (true teaching) from false teaching, we should not have to “reinvent the wheel” each time. As stated by Presbyterian minister G. I. Williamson, “The Bible contains a great wealth of information. It isn’t easy to master it all – in fact, no one has ever mastered it completely. It would therefore be foolish for us to try to do it on our own, starting from scratch. We would be ignoring all the study of the Word of God that other people have done down through the centuries. That is exactly why we have creeds. They are the product of many centuries of Bible study by a great company of believers. They are a kind of spiritual “road map” of the teaching of the Bible, already worked out an proved by others before us.”
I have a tag at my web site titled “Plea for Creeds” largely based on an article written by Rev. Ronald Hanko, in his article “A Plea for Creeds”, states the importance of doctrine and creeds.
In addition, also at my web site, in the right column under “Links”, you will find four Creeds which are also known as Reformed Confessions: Belgic Confession, Canons of Dordt, Heidelberg Catechism, and Westminister Larger Confession. They are all organized and easily readable. I particularly recommend that you start by reading the Canons of Dordt, because it focuses on the specific subject of salvation and is the distinctive heart of Reformed Doctrine.
So, what should elders do when they conclude that someone is teaching false doctrine? There is a whole range of discipline possible from a private reprimand to public excommunication. Regarding public excommunication, which term I could not find in Scripture, but which means to throw out of church, Paul appears to recommend it when he states: “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Galatians 1:9.
Restoration should also be considered in discipline. Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”
Wolves teaching “perverse things” to the whole church obviously need to be treated more severely than those caught in some personal sin that affects less people with less harm. But, the purpose of this devotion is not to present a full discussion on this topic, but rather the purpose is to briefly touch this subject.
In conclusion, sound doctrine and discipline are two of the three marks of the true church. According to Article 29 of The Belgic Confession, “… The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin: in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church. Hereby the true Church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself. …”
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 