An organization recognizes that the way they are currently running their business is not working. They recognize that changes need to be made.

The board of the organization asks some people from the board to do the hard and time consuming work of exploring, studying, and examining different possible ways forward.

A small group of people are tasked with finding new ways forward. They are even given an apt name for their work – Task Force.

The people on this task force diligently study, meet, discuss, explore.

• Dozens of conversations with other like organizations and how they do business.
• Dozens of conversations with other like organizations who are experimenting with new ways of doing business.
• Dozens of meetings to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different options.
• Hundreds of combined hours of discussing the merits of the different approaches and drafting a way forward to present to the board.

After hundreds of combined hours of service from the Task Force, the report and recommendations are presented to the board.

The board, seeing that the recommendations call for changes (that is what they asked for), decide they don’t like the changes.

• We’ve never done things this way before.
• We’ve always had a full-time executive.
• We’ve never shared staff before.

And in a matter of minutes worth of discussion by the board, the board rejects the recommendations and decides to continue doing business the way they’ve always done business.

Hmm.

• Hundreds of hours of work.
• Dozens of face to face meetings.
• Hundreds hours of conversations.

Mind you, changes that are necessary because the way the organization currently does business is no longer working.

Mind you, changes that were asked by the board because they recognized changes were necessary.

All dismissed within a few minutes of discussion by the board that asked them to do the work to begin with.

Now substitute the word “Board” with “Presbytery.”

Yup.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. However, not all opinions are the same.

I have coronary heart disease. I have had open-heart bypass surgery, multiple stents, too many angiograms to count. Without modern medicine and medical procedures I would not be alive.

My mom loves me. She has all kinds of opinions about how to “fix” my disease. Every time she reads something on the internet about heart disease, she’s on the phone to tell me if I drink this tea, eat this mushroom, or stop eating this or drinking that, I would be all good.

I love my mom. I know she loves me. She wants what’s best for me. But her opinions don’t have the same weight as the cardiologist or heart surgeon. Even though I know my mom loves me more, when it comes to dealing with my heart, my cardiologist and heart surgeon’s opinions have way more authority than my mom’s.

Sorry mom.

Every Christian is entitled to their opinions. However, not all opinions are the same.

For the Christian, there are three tiers of authority.

First tier have to do with two things that are non-debatable, non-negotiable. There are two things that Christians cannot disagree about:

1. Jesus is the only way to salvation
2. The Bible is our only authority

To be a Christian literally means to be a follower of Christ. That’s what “Christian” means. To follow Christ, means that he has to be leading. The only way we can know who to follow, what Christ stands for, who Christ is, what Christ taught is the Bible.

If one does not believe these two things, one cannot be a Christian. 

These are two things that Christians cannot disagree about. But then, what can Christians disagree about? Well, pretty much everything else. And Christians do.

The second tier of authority are things that are very important, but where people who love Jesus and stand under the authority of the Bible can disagree.

1. Historic Confessions of the Church
2. Books of Order – Constitution of the Church
3. Manual and Policies of the local church
4. The teaching of the local church

Christians can disagree on these things. These differences show up in multiple ways:

• The way we order the church as Presbyterians, Catholics, Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Assemblies of God, Independent, etc.
• Modes of baptism
• Women’s ordination
• Biblical sexuality
• Divorce
• Capital punishment
• War against terror
• Immigration
• President Trump

The second tier is important, but it is not essential. These are things which Christians who love Jesus and love the Bible can and do disagree.

The final tier of authority is personal interpretation. “What I think…” “What I believe…” That’s on the same level as drink this tea and it will rid you of coronary heart disease.

The problem is our culture has placed personal interpretation above all else. We would never do that when it comes to our medical issues. We would not do that with financial issues. We would not do that with technical issues. We would not do that with pretty much anything else.

But it is absolutely puzzling that we do this all the time when it comes to morality and spirituality.

• I know what the Bible says, but I believe….but I think….
• I know what the historical church has said for 2,000 years, but I believe….but I think…

It is ludicrous for creatures to say to to the Creator that we know better. And this is happening all the time.

Every Christian is entitled to their opinions. However, not all opinions are the same.

Christians submit to God’s authority by standing under Christ as the only way to salvation and the scriptures as the only authoritative way we can come to know Christ.

Christians stand under the authority of the Confessions of the church

Christians submit their personal opinions under the authority of Christ and the Scriptures.