Due Process: A Plea for Biblical Justice Among God’S People

Copyright © 2015 Daniel C. Juster, Th.D.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2305-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2304-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015920352

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/18/2015

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1    Injustice Among the People of God

Chapter 2    Justice and the Hebrew Scriptures

Chapter 3    The Justice of God in the New Testament

Chapter 4    Justice and Mercy

Chapter 5    Accountability and Liberty

Chapter 6    Practical Instruction for the Body

Chapter 7    Illustrations Revisited

Appendix I:    Letter of Transfer

Appendix II:    Transfer When Not in Good Standing

Appendix III:    Refusal of Transfer

Appendix IV:    Letter of Divorce

Appendix V:    Membership Categories

Appendix VI:    Provisional Membership

Appendix VII:    Gross Doctrinal Error

FOREWORD

Daniel is right on target in his book Due Process. His thesis could not be more timely – or necessary. The influence of the Church has been tragically impotent despite the growth of so-called super churches, apparent numerical growth in general, and other quantitative statistics. In fact, if anything, the church has been more and more inculturated by its secular environment so that it is often indistinguishable from the world. In its effort to be relevant, it has increasingly modified its standards to conform to the world it is attempting to influence.

Holiness, without which no one will see the Lord … is no longer sought after. Equipping the laity for ministry has been reduced to programs and methods, rather than training in righteousness, for which purpose the Scriptures were inspired (2 Timothy 3:16).

For all practical purposes, the church has ceased to influence the contemporary culture – spiritually, morally or ethically.

Richard C. Halverson

Former Chaplain of the United States Senate

INTRODUCTION

With regards to the Body in America at the beginning of the 21st century, the words of the prophet certainly hold true: "They do not know My ways" (Psalm 95:10, cf. Hebrews 3:10). Today, most people who claim to be followers of Jesus do not understand God’s standards of righteousness and justice. It is not that we are striving toward that standard and falling short. Rather, we do not even know what our Father expects of us. Our Christianity has taught aspects of the basic gospel using modern media, but most members of the Body are creatures of shallowness. They have not delved into the Scriptures to understand the ways of God. Popular conceptions of God’s ways are at war with the teachings in the Scriptures. The Body is called to be a city on a hill, a light shining in darkness, and the salt of the earth. We are instead a laughingstock of fallen clergy and people full of slander, with children in rebellion and compromise with the dominant culture. The character of the Body in America is at a low ebb, and it shortly will be shaken to the core, revealing the foundation or lack thereof of everything in it.

Who am I to make such a statement? Have I been a rabble rouser in the Body? No, such is not my nature. My motive stems from a deep love for the many streams of the Body. At twelve years of age I accepted Jesus as Lord and Messiah. My early years of discipleship in an evangelical Reformed Church and in fundamentalist Bible Clubs introduced me to people who were sold out to the Lord. I have known many who were the salt of the earth. A righteous elder in this Reformed Church was instrumental in leading me into the experience of immersion in the Holy Spirit. At the King’s College in Briarcliff Manor, New York, I met righteous professors whose love for the Lord and conformity to His character were more central than academics. I continued to find people with these character qualities at Wheaton College and at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Some, even in these highly academic atmospheres, sought the presence of the Lord, faithful character traits, and a walk with Him more than all other pursuits. My spiritual father at Wheaton, Chaplain Evan Welsh, was the most righteous man I have ever known. He was without peer in love, character, and saintliness. Our Lutheran pastor in Wheaton, Theodore Laesch, was a servant of great faithfulness and love. Yes, I have had disappointments in the Body, but my experiences by far have been good. It was through the influence of Chaplain Welsh that I was ordained into the Presbyterian denomination. Providentially, Dr. Welsh was the instrument of my entering into my life’s work: seeking to win and nurture those of the house of Israel.

Upon entering the Presbyterian pastorate, I knew that I was entering a denomination that had drifted from its Scriptural roots. I hoped to be an influence in its return to these roots. Although not all the emphases in historical Presbyterianism are my cup of tea, many wonderful and exemplary things can be said for historic Presbyterianism. My taking leadership in the growing Messianic Jewish congregational movement (from 1972 to the present) eventually made my leaving the Presbyterian denomination a practical necessity. These ties were sadly left behind. Additionally, my desire to identify with the rest of the Body caused me to seek fellowship with groups of leaders who pastored independent charismatic congregations.

As part of my responsibilities with the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, I was traveling extensively to interdenominational conferences and to congregations of all stripes throughout America. It was a great shock to discover the state of many of the congregations, both in my own city and around the country. It was especially so in the charismatic groups to which I most wanted to relate. A sloppy agape’’ where almost anything goes" had become pervasive in the Body.

Nothing that will last can be built without standards of righteousness, justice, and due process. Otherwise we will cancel out one another’s efforts in competition and mistrust. It will not be long before satan attacks and sends difficulty. Along with prayer and spiritual warfare, establishing God’s standards of righteousness and justice are absolutely essential if the Kingdom of God is to prevail. However, God has promised that His Kingdom will prevail. Therefore I have to believe that His standards will be established again among His people.

My understanding of the Body is a radical one. I believe that we are to be a company of committed people who were soundly converted to the Lordship of Jesus. As a result, we are to be a people who have two primary goals in mind. Our first goal is to be conformed to the character of Jesus, as well as His charisma – Holy Spirit life, faith, and gifting. Secondly, we are to love the lost, that they might come into a covenant and relationship with Jesus. Our initiatives and activities must foster these goals. Out of them issue all other righteous goals, including influencing society toward righteous standards, reflecting the glory of God in the arts, discovering more about His world in the sciences, and any other worthy goal. However, all is to flow out from a people who consider the pursuit of the first two goals as the way in which we live, move, and have our being. The character of Jesus includes the first great attribute of righteousness: to love the LORD with our all. It is to know Him and make Him known. Scriptural liberty is never the right to do as we desire, rather a change of our desires so that what we want to do is according to His holy standard. This change is a product of His life in us. This is true freedom in the Scriptural sense.

We read of the Messiah in Isaiah 42:3c-4 – "He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law." If what these verses describe is the orientation of Jesus, it should be ours as well. If justice is to be established on the earth, His followers must be a community of love and justice.

We now turn our attention to answering this question. May the Lord use this modest book in some measure to turn His people toward the righteous pursuit of justice. May our motive of this endeavor be love!

Addendum to Introduction

Since the first publication of this book in the early 1990s, we still have not seen a shift in the Body on the issues of character standards, congregational discipline, due process, and discipleship. Dallas Willard and others have written passionately about discipleship and its foundation in obeying the commandments of Jesus. Yet discipleship is rare, and the definition of love as indulgence is increasing. Love itself is wrongly defined, along with forgiveness, leading the indulging people into sin. We still have a continuation of leaders of very large congregations and ministries falling into sin. Additionally, the sensual culture is influencing us at a very alarming level. The statistics on the Body and internet pornography are alarming to say the least! Millennials, who claim to be disciples, may support homosexual marriage and other cultural directions that are contrary to Scripture. Indeed, many seem confused about the very foundational teaching that the Scriptures are indeed the Word of the LORD and fully trustworthy as the foundation of our teaching and practice. A mighty revival includes a depth of repentance of sin, but without the Scriptures how shall we define sin? May God use this book to make some contribution toward the path of righteousness.

CHAPTER 1

Injustice Among the People of God

The following illustrations are true, and the names have been changed for obvious reasons.

Illustration #1

It was the most blessed fellowship of pastors I had ever been privileged to attend. Ten to fifteen pastors met together weekly. The meeting was simple. Together we worshiped and shared the joys, victories, struggles and disappointments of the ministry. We prayed for one another, and the Spirit moved in prophecy to heal, encourage, and motivate. Within our fellowship were Presbyterians, Messianic Jews, Methodists, independent Charismatics, Catholic Charismatics, and some from a recently formed Charismatic Association of Churches. We truly felt love for one another.

After these brothers had met for a year, a new pastor joined the group. Pastor James was leading a newly formed independent charismatic congregation. During this period, the leader of the pastors’ fellowship, Bill Nelms, began to share his love for a charismatic association of congregations in the state. He expressed his need for deeper commitment of building together beyond the fellowship. He desired to be more intensively related to this organization as well as to be a minister with a relationship to a pastors’ fellowship. He invited others who would be interested to investigate this association. He assured the group that he loved the pastors’ fellowship and would continue in his commitment to it. The fellowship was assured that he was not seeking to make the fellowship part of this charismatic association, for he understood that others had different denominational ties and other associations. However, it was possible that a local expression of this association might root itself in the county if others followed him into this commitment.

Most of the brothers received his sharing graciously and were supportive. However, Pastor James raised his suspicions and mistrust for that association of congregations. Indeed, at a later meeting he brought another pastor friend who had not had any relationship to the weekly fellowship. This pastor, Pastor Jacobs, was extremely antagonistic to the association of congregations that the fellowship leader sought to join. Pastor Jacobs claimed to have had bad experiences with the leader of this association of congregations and with another association of congregations that related to the first. They were all into the shepherding movement, he asserted. He also claimed to sense a hidden agenda in in the motives of Pastor Nelms, the fellowship leader.

Many accusations were made; some answers were offered. However, the agenda of the devil was fulfilled. Such