The idea of a paid ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ has always seemed a potentially problematic situation to me.  There are extreme instances of this sort of thing going very wrong.  One of these is the area of televangelists.  A well-known example of this is Jimmy Swaggart.  But this is not the focus of this post.

What is of interest in this post is the more basic environment of having a paid ministry and pastors leading groups of Christians.  Is this a good idea?  What are the implications?  Is there a better way?  Two areas of Church impacts are addressed. They are the effects of having a paid ministry on member and Church growth.

Effects on Member Growth

The work of ministering to the members of the church and others within the extent of the Church is taken from the membership and consolidated into one or a few who are paid to take on this responsibility.  This removes opportunities that the members might have had to learn how to become like Jesus Christ through ministering to others.  There are potentially other ways that members might get this experience, but this basic opportunity provided within the Church itself is removed from the members.

The natural result of this would seem to be less spiritually knowledgeable members about others’ needs and of how to be of assistance with those needs.  Also, the obtaining of the personal growth that would come from these types of experiences is lost.  Church members are to become like Jesus Christ, which implies that every member should be a minister to those around them.  With a paid ministry, this opportunity is reduced or lost.

Effects on Church Growth

A paid ministry means that some of the Church’s money that might be used for missionary outreach work, “Preaching the Gospel,” is diverted to that paid ministry.  This means that the commission of Jesus Christ to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) is limited by this paid ministry.

A Better Way

It seems obvious that there must be a better way.  The gospel should be preached and ministering done without the expectation of payment to pastors or others.  This is certainly possible and is seemly more in line with what Jesus Christ would want for us in terms of our effective discipleship.

Conclusion

Bible references that support “Paying the Pastor” and the thoughts of a Christian who says that, “There is no Biblical Defense for Paid Pastors/Elders”.  Judge for yourself.

“Once Saved, Always Saved,” is said to be a biblical doctrine by some (e.g., Got Questions Ministries, All About God, ). This is known as the doctrine of eternal security. Much information about this doctrine can be obtained by using Google with “once saved always saved” as a search term.

The doctrine asserts that, “When people come to know Christ as their Savior, they are brought into a relationship with God that guarantees their salvation as eternally secure” (see Got Questions Ministries).

This doctrine is problematic. The following provides an explanation of why.

Salvation Is a Process

Salvation Is Not about Finding Jesus Christ

Salvation does not occur at a point in time:

Mathew 10:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (see also Matt 10:22; Mark 13:13)

Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. … Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Salvation Is about Becoming like Jesus Christ

Salvation is a process that occurs over time:

2 Thessalonians 2:13 … God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

It Is Possible for the Disciple to Fall Away

A disciple must decide to follow Jesus Christ through the sanctification process. It is possible that he may not choose to complete this process:

Hebrews 5:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Logic Incompatibility

You may know someone who accepted Christ and was, therefore, “Once Saved,” and then later turned away from Christ and His gospel. Does it even make sense to ask if he was ever saved? Or is still saved? This doctrine does not appear sound just on thinking about it logically.  Even if you believe this doctrine you have no assurance because it may happen that you will fall away and be lost!

Conclusion

The “Once Saved, Always Saved” doctrine does not appear to be in harmony with the Bible. It can potentially lead to less of a Christian life than might otherwise be possible.  This seems a doctrine to be avoided.  Also see web pages like, “Know God’s Word” and “Let God Be True!.”

This post provides thoughts about whether it makes sense to embrace/support the Trinity Doctrine (Wikipedia).

It Is Clearly a Doctrine of Men

The Bible does not mention anything specifically about this doctrine.  In particular, nowhere is the term “Trinity” to be found.  This is a word made up by men.  This doctrine was voted into existence at the Council of Nicea.

However, there are groups which defend the Trinity Doctrine such as the Christian Apologetics Alliance.  Also, see the The Gospel Coalition (TGC) webpage titled, “The Doctrine of the Trinity: No Christianity without It”.

Men Do Not Agree on this Doctrine

Consider the following artifacts, which are anti-Trinity doctrine:

• The Trinity Delusion: An Expose of Christendom’s Golden Calf
• The Trinity – Fact or Fiction?
• Testing the Trinity
• Three Common Sense Reasons Why the Trinity Is a False Doctrine
• Objections to the Doctrine of the Trinity
• The Trinity Doctrine Is Pagan

You can find a lot of information saying the Trinity is a false doctrine by using Google with “trinity false doctrine” as a search term.  The point here is just that this doctrine is not a well agreed upon statement of belief.  Men do not agree on whether the doctrine is true or not.  Here is a link to a webpage that has both anti and pro Trinitarian articles.

No One Knows What the Doctrine Means

In descriptions of what this doctrine means one finds statements like, “How can [God] be one yet be three persons? This is the unexplainable mystery.”  You can find many references to this sort of thing by using Google with the search term, “what does the trinity doctrine mean”.  The point is that even those who support the doctrine don’t have any idea what it could possibly mean.

Why is there Support for the Trinity Doctrine at All?

It is difficult to understand why the Trinity Doctrine receives support at all, since it is clear that men created it, do not agree on it, and do not understand what it means.  There seems no reason to embrace or support this doctrine.