The Will of the Majority
For our final week of study on knowing the will of God, we pause to consider decisions of a different sort. Up to this point, we have dealt primarily with the decisions borne by individuals. We look now to "corporate" decisions--those made by a group of individuals. Often times we find ourselves in such a group setting, whether at a church business meeting, a home-based Bible study, or some other gathering of believers. Can we know and do the will of God in situations where we are not the ultimate decision maker?
While the same principles that we have studied thus far can be equally applied to the decisions of a larger group of people, there are some unique differences. Chief among them is the question of how we deal with disagreement. What happens when two or more equally sincere individuals possess differing visions of what they believe to be the will of God? The answer, more often than not, is chaos.
Many churches have adopted a standard approach to resolving this type of conflict: take a vote. Indeed, given the democratic ideals that have permeated western culture it is not hard to understand how modern-day churches have adopted similar systems of governance.
E. B. White once noted humorously that "democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time." While the will of the majority may be a satisfactory basis for decision making that encompasses a wide-range of constituents, this is certainly not the case for believers who claim the headship of Christ in their churches.
A recent church newsletter proudly announced the results of a nearly unanimous church vote on a particular issue saying it had "confirmed God's clear direction" in the matter. But did it? As I read through the article, I couldn't help but think of a few headlines that might have appeared in church newsletters going back to ancient times . . .
"ISRAELITES VOTE IN LANDSLIDE TO ELECT NEW LEADERSHIP AND RETURN TO EGYPT" (cf. Numbers 14:1-4)
"SEARCH COMMITTEE VOTES 83% AGAINST INVASION OF PROMISED LAND" (cf. Numbers 13:1-33)
"CHURCH VOTE CONFIRMS DECISION TO CAST IDOL IN THE SHAPE OF A CALF" (cf. Exodus 32:1-10)
"ELDERS OF ISRAEL VOTE UNANIMOUSLY FOR KING" (cf. 1 Samuel 8:1-9)
"PRIESTS, PROPHETS, AND PEOPLE ALL AGREE--JEREMIAH MUST DIE!" (cf. Jeremiah 26:8)
"PRIESTS, PROPHETS, AND PEOPLE TO JEREMIAH: 'JUST KIDDING!!'" (cf. Jeremiah 26:16)
You see the point, of course. The majority is not always right. In fact, there are times when the majority is dead wrong. Ten of the twelve spies sent out to explore the Promised Land advised against invasion--and paid for having spread a "bad report" with their lives (Numbers 14:36-7, cf. 13:32).
It seems that most modern-day churchgoers have become so accustomed to "having their say" in matters outside the church, that the concept of submission within its walls seems almost foreign. Lacking a clear direction from God or the spiritual maturity to discern it, individuals tend to orchestrate their own agenda and focus on what seems good and right to them. This sort of pious scheming is then felt to be vindicated once it is "confirmed" by a majority vote. But to view a majority vote as a confirmation of God's direction is biblically groundless. Furthermore, it sets a dangerous precedent. For many churches, however, it would seem the Holy Spirit has been edged out in favor of the majority for guiding believers "into all truth" (John 16:13).
This is not to cast doubt on decisions that are made to the satisfaction of the majority. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to believe that the majority is always right. Hence, a "majority rules" type of approach seems destined to stray from the will of God, at least on occasion. There must be a better approach to corporate decision making.
The answer may well be found in a song. Paul, in writing to the believers at Colosse, quotes the words of what appears to have been an early church hymn. Listen carefully to its words, as it speaks about the role of Christ in all things.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)
Here we see Paul reaffirming the rule of Christ over "all things," perhaps in response to the false teachings that had begun to surface in the church at Colosse. These false teachings appear to have been influenced by what may have been the early origins of the religious movement known today as Gnosticism. In any event, Paul reminds the Colossians that Christ is supreme over all and serves today as head of the church. This is an important concept that Paul expresses elsewhere, such as in his letter to the church at Ephesus (Ephesians 1:22-23). It should be noted that the "church" Paul refers to here is not one of the local churches at Colosse or Ephesus in and of themselves, but rather, the worldwide assembly of all believers. This church is referred to throughout the New Testament as the "body" of Christ.
Understanding the critical link of a local assembly to the larger church as a whole makes it increasingly difficult to embrace a decision-making process that does not account for the leadership of Christ as its supreme ruler. But how can this be done in a local church setting?
I think there are three key elements:
First, the leaders must become followers. The leaders of a local church have the ability--but not the right--to guide a church according to their own will. If a church desires to follow the will of God, the leadership must be willing to relinquish their control of the church's destiny and seek instead to follow the leadership of Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:22, 5:23, Colossians 1:18).
Second, the people must grow spiritually mature. If the congregation of the church is apathetic or immature, it will be incapable of discerning the difference between its own will and the will of God. It is essential for the members of the local church body to grow in their love and "depth of insight" if they are to "discern what is best" (Philippians 1:9-10).
And third, the will of God must be valued above the will of the majority. Only when the church leadership has submitted to the headship of Christ in His church and the people are spiritually mature is a congregation able to venture out in faith. Valuing the will of God will require making very uncomfortable choices at times. It means giving up desires and goals, however righteous they might seem, in order to seek first the kingdom of God (cf. Matthew 6:33). It means parting with the will of those who would seek to manipulate circumstances to their own advantage in order to accomplish their own agenda. We can be glad that God is sovereign over all decisions, both good and bad. But how often do we settle for "good" and miss God's "best?"
In his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul pleaded for them to agree with one another:
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Paul wasn't asking that the believers merely "agree to disagree." He wanted them to truly be united. When a church, committee, or a group of believers seeks to ignore the will of the majority and seek the will of God, a funny thing happens. Another majority begins to develop. A majority that is formed by the unity of believers guided by the Holy Spirit and committed to following the expressed will of God. A majority that is created not out of people who agree with each other, but rather, of people who agree with God.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)
Copyright © 1998 Tim A. Krell. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.