ONE MUST REGARD ANOTHER HIGHER THAN HIMSELF
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from the Afrikaans Version: Die een moet die ander hoër ag as homself.
Translator: Lynda Botha
Someone wrote to me, and between the lines I read, that this person's shepherd conveyed to him that he, the shepherd/pastor is an anointed of God and as such should not be questioned.
Let me first say something about the "anointed" as I understand it:
Under the Mosaic Law the high priest was the "anointed" of the Lord.
I give two examples below, although I could have given more.
LEV 8:12: “Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and making him holy for his work.”
EXO 29:5-7:
5 “Dress Aaron in his priestly garments – the tunic, the robe worn with the ephod, the ephod itself, and the chest piece. Then wrap the decorative sash of the ephod around him.”
6 Place the turban on his head and fasten the sacred medallion to the turban.
7 Then anoint him by pouring the anointing oil over his head.
In later years, Israel also implemented this part of the Mosaic law for their kings, of whom Saul was the first to be anointed, simply because he was the first king of Israel.
If we were still under the Mosaic law, the moderator of the church would have been the “anointed". Thank goodness though, that we no longer operate under the Mosaic law, but under God’s grace.
JOHN 1:16: “From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.”
JOHN 1:17: “For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.”
It’s wonderful to know that when I follow Jesus in full that:
ROM 6:14: “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”
GAL 5:1: “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”
I have a major concern with a minister, pastor, or whatever he wants to be called, if he is in the occupation as an anointed of the Lord and regards himself in one or another higher than you or because of his "status" regards himself higher in our Lord status as you.
Unfortunately, it is so that some pastors of churches perform their careers in an autocratic way.
No child of the Lord is regarded as better or higher with our Lord than others and neither should it be any different among us as His children.
On the contrary:
A minister, moderator, or whatever he wants to be called, should, as a child of the Lord, live by the New Testament which was compiled for the Christian, by living as follows:
PHI 2:3: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”
1 PET 5:3: “Don’t lord over the people assigned to your care but lead them by your own good example.”
JESUS, Teacher and Lord, who washed His disciples' feet himself, said:
MAT 23:11: "The greatest among you must be a servant.”
MAT 23:12: “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
In the Old Testament things worked differently but if you replace the Old Testament with the New Testament, the New Testament is deemed as the standard that must be lived by.
The Word of God says the following in this regard:
HEB 8:13: “When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.”
Jesus wrote us a New Testament a “new covenant” and I quote from an older version:
MAT 26:27: “And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it,”
MAT 26:28: “For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remissions of sins.”
Of course, there are people, who sometimes out of ignorance but sometimes because it’s just simply their kind of lifestyle, that applies some aspects of the Mosaic Law out of context to themselves and we read about them in the Word of God in:
2 COR 3:14-16
14 “But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.”
15 “Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.”
16 “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
The writer to the Hebrews explains this issue of a valid and invalid testament as follows:
HEB 9:15-18
15 “That is why He is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.”
16 “Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead.”
17 “The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.”
18 “That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal.”
I would’ve liked to conclude my letter with the whole Scripture ROMANS 12:6-21, but in order to make this letter not to lengthy, I sufficed with only the following verses:
ROM 12:10: “Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other.”
ROM 12:16: “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
ROM 12:21: “Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.”
Greetings,
Sakkie