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Brief Statement of 1932 ;#30. The Original and True Possessors of All Christian Rights and Privileges -- Since the Christians are the Church, it is self-evident that they alone originally possess the spiritual gifts and rights which Christ has gained for, and given to, His Church. Thus St. Paul reminds all believers: "All things are yours," I Corinthians 3:21-22; and Christ Himself commits to all believers the keys of the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 16:13-19, 18:17-20, John 20:22-23, and commissions all believers to preach the Gospel and to administer the Sacraments, Matthew 28:19-20, I Corinthians11:23-25. Accordingly, we reject all doctrines by which this spiritual power or any part thereof is adjudged as originally vested in certain individuals or bodies, such as the Pope, or the bishops, or the order of the ministry, or the secular lords, or councils, or synods, etc. The officers of the Church publicly administer their offices only by virtue of delegated powers, and such administration remains under the supervision of the latter, Colossians 4:17. Naturally all Christians have also the right and the duty to judge and decide matters of doctrine, not according to their own notions, of course, but according to the Word of God, I John 4:1; I Peter 4:11.
How the False Doctrine on the Church and Ministry Endangers Other Plain Teachings of the Bible
This Scriptural Position We Still Hold (Theses on the Doctrine of the Church and Ministry)
Essay - Distinguendum Est! ;(An essay on the proper distinction of certain points regarding the Doctrine of the Church and Ministry)
Essay - Congregational Autonomy -- And Fellowship
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