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RTS - Church Polity > Basic Polity Definitions > Flashcards

Basic Polity Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

What are the marks of the church?

A
  1. ) Pure preaching of the Word
  2. ) The rightful administration of the Sacraments
  3. ) The proper exercise of Church Discipline
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2
Q

What are the basic ecclesiastical categories from Scripture and Confession?

A
  1. ) Attributes of the church are its unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity.
  2. ) The visible church is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  3. ) There are true churches and there are false churches.
  4. ) Among true churches, some are rightly ordered and some are not.
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3
Q

What was the formal cause of the Reformation? Material cause?

A

Formal: Sola Scriptura (the Bible is the only rule for faith and practice)

Material: Faith Alone

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4
Q

What is the regulative principle of worship?

A

We only do in worship what God has expressed.

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5
Q

What is Regulative principle of polity?

A

The test of polity is not antiquity, but Scriptural teaching and practice.

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6
Q

What makes up the Presbyterian Tripod?

A
  1. ) Doctrine
  2. ) Worship
  3. ) Government
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7
Q

What is the “divine right” of church government?

A

Church government is determined by apostolic teaching and practice.

Divine Right = Divine rule. God has the right to determine how his church is to be governed.

“It is not the result of human prudence, but sanctioned by divine approbation, established by divine acts, and enforced by divine precepts.”

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8
Q

How does the Christological Foundation of the Church inform the divine right of church government (Munus Triplex)?

A
  1. ) Prophet, King, Priest
  2. ) Doctrine, Discipline, Distribution
  3. ) Minister, Elder, Deacon
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9
Q

What are the essential principles of Presbyterianism?

A
  1. ) The supreme headship of Jesus Christ.
  2. ) The official equality of its ministers
  3. ) The office of ruling elders as representatives of the people
  4. ) The election of officers of particular churches by church members
  5. ) The authority of its several church courts
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10
Q

What are the 3 types of church government?

A
  1. ) Roman Catholic: Power is hiearchical (special office does away with general office)
  2. ) Congregational: power is democratic (general office eliminates special office)
  3. ) Presbyterian: power is in body and officers of the church
    - Minister: represents Christ as prophet
    - Deacon: represents Christ as priest
    - Elder: represents Christ as King
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11
Q

How is Presbyterian Polity a divine monarchy?

A
  1. ) Christ is the sovereign head of the church.
  2. ) Christ’s law is its only law.
  3. ) Officers are not to please men but God.
  4. ) Christ appoints his officers through the instrumentality of general office, but it is Christ, not the church, who clothes officers with authority.
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12
Q

What kind of power does the Church hold?

A

Ministerial and Declarative

  • the church only has spiritual power to minister and declare the Word of God.
  • The duty of the officers of the Church is to declare and execute the Word of the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ
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13
Q

How does the church minister the Word of God?

A
  1. ) It declares its doctrine
  2. ) It orders it worship and sacraments
  3. ) It disciplines its members
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14
Q

How does power reside in the body and the officers?

A
  • In the Body = Essence

- In the Officers = exercise

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15
Q

What is Jesus essential and mediatorial reign?

A
  1. ) Essential Reign = 2nd person of the Godhead. Unchanging and Unchangleable (Providential)
  2. ) Mediatorial Reign = Incarnate Son of God. This reign he assumed at his exaltation and extends to the universal church.
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16
Q

What are some church-state distinctions?

A
  1. ) Authority (from God as creator or Jesus as mediator)
  2. ) Rule for Guidance (light of nature vs. Word of God)
  3. ) Scope and Aim of Power (seen/temporal vs. unseen/eternal)
  4. ) Symbol of Authority (sword vs. keys)
  5. ) Civil discipline may be several but church discipline is always joint.
17
Q

What are the responsibilities of the officers?

A
  1. ) Pastor - labors to handle the word accurately
  2. ) Deacon - guards the honor of God who cares for the widows and orphans
  3. ) Elder - protects the flock from wolves and resolves conflict within
18
Q

Is the church a voluntary society?

A
  1. ) Yes, persons do not enter through outward compulsion.

2. ) No, membership vows include submission to the government and discipline of the church.

RTS - Church Polity (4 decks)

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