Quote:
Originally Posted by nateswift
Don't even use the "call no man Father" verse, they don't believe that either. Seriously, it is painfully obvious from many references that each person is responsible for his own relationship with God and that any supervising done by the body of elders was not by any means as the kind of authority that dictates behavior, but none of that will make an impression. As I have pointed out in other areas, truth is not in question, only doctrine.
|
It's just too easy...predictable...but easy.
Call No Man Father - A Protestant Myth Busted
Argument from History
First, some background: In Jesus time, there were a number of Jewish sects: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. These sects had schools or houses of teaching within them. Within the Pharisees there were two famous rival houses. They were the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel. The individuals that these houses were named after were considered the "father" of the house.
Jesus warns the apostles not to be fathers to "separate" houses—for there is but one house of the Lord. Jesus also says to call no man "teacher" or "master." This is interesting because the Apostle Paul was taught by Gamaliel (cf. Acts 22:3), a Pharisee from the House of Hillel. Gamaliel, the grandson of Hillel, was known as an elder and had the title of "Rabban" which means "Our Master." This title explains why Jesus also said call no one "master"; there is but one house and one master of all. Jesus prayed for unity (cf. John 17) and did not want the apostles to set up separate houses or schools of thought.
This is clearly expressed in Paul's complaint in 1 Corinthians 1:10-15 when he describes how some are arguing their superiority after being baptized by, and belonging to, Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, etc. Paul goes on elsewhere to warn against factions and divisions and stresses the importance of one mind and unity of doctrine.
The meaning of "call no man father, teacher, or master" concerns unity and consistency of doctrine and has nothing to do with the commonly used references that are seen elsewhere in scripture or everyday use.
Argument from Logic
If we followed the "Call No Man Father" prohibition literally, then no human on earth would have that title, and we would have lost the feel for the meaning of fatherhood since the word would have been expunged from our vocabulary and our conscience.
Think not? Consider how the trappings of European royalty have no meaning for Americans, and I think you'll get some sense of how this happens.
Now,
if we had no understanding of what it means to have or to be a human father, the "Fatherhood' of God as revealed to us by Him would be completely sterile.
Argument from Scripture
Jesus Violates This Command
Luke 16:24
24So he called to him, “Father (Gr. pater) Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”
Jesus tells a parable in which He has one of the characters speak to “Father Abraham” which would obviously be a bad example for His audience. Does Jesus contradict Himself?
Paul Violates This Command
Romans 4:1-18
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?
In this passage, Paul refers to Abraham as a spiritual father eight times. This is a terrible precedent to establish if Jesus has prohibited us from using the term “father.”
1 Corinthians 4:14-15
14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers (Gr. pateras), for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
In this passage, Paul refers to himself as the spiritual father of the Corinthians. This is a terrible precedent to establish if Jesus has prohibited us from using the term “father.”
Ephesians 4:11-13
11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers (Gr. didaskalovs), 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that God has established some people as “teachers” in the Church; this appears to be a direct violation of Jesus’ prohibition against calling anyone “teacher”. Does God contradict Himself?
James Violates This Command
James 3:1
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers (Gr. didaskaloi), my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that not many believers should presume to be “teachers.” This implies that a few (though not many) should and would rightfully have that position. Does God contradict Himself?
James 2:21
21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, refers to the spiritual fatherhood of Abraham. This is a terrible precedent to establish if Jesus has prohibited us from using the term “father.”
Stephen Violates This Command
Acts 7:2
2To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me!
Hope this helps!
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
