Exploring the Westminster Standards

Chad Van Dixhoorn 0:00

Striking that in Acts 6 , verse 5 , we're told that these men are full of faith . A man is full of faith when he's also full of doctrine . You're full of faith when you know who it is that you worship , what he's done , when you know his works of creation , providence and his unique work of redemption .

David Nakhla 0:20

Welcome to the Reformed Deacon , a casual conversation with topics specifically designed to help local Reformed Deacons . There are nearly a thousand deacons in the OPC alone , so let's take this opportunity to learn from and encourage one another . We're so glad you could join us . Let's jump into our next episode .

Chris Cashen 0:42

Welcome to another episode of the Reformed Deacon Podcast . My name is Chris Cashin and I serve as pastor of Trinity Reformed OPC in Lanham , Maryland , and I also serve on the OPC's committee for diaconal ministries , and so I am overjoyed to have with us today Reverend Dr Chad Van Dixhorn . I am overjoyed to have with us today Reverend Dr Chad Van Dixhorn . He's an OPC minister who's currently serving as professor of church history and theology at Reform Theological Seminary in Charlotte , North Carolina .

Chris Cashen 1:15

Dr Van Dixhorn was the editor of a five-volume work entitled the Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly 1643 to 1652 . That was published in 2014 . Excuse me , the next publication was published in 2014 , and that is called Confessing the Faith A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith . That's a wonderful publication for use for families , much use for the church . It's a wonderful book and I would recommend it to everyone listening . And then , finally , he's just finished John Lightfoot's journals and that has given new information on the assembly that was not included in the first publication that I referred to . Dr Van Dixhoorn is married to Emily . They have five children , with one at home . Welcome , Chad , to the podcast this afternoon . Chad: Well , thank you , it's delightful to be with you Chris .

Chris Cashen 2:19

I are going to undefined discussing , in really broad brush fashion , the Westminster Standards .

Chris Cashen 2:25

I are going to be discussing , in really broad brush fashion , the Westminster Standards , and by that I mean the Westminster Confession of Faith , along with the larger and shorter catechisms .

Chris Cashen 2:32

These are the secondary standards for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church , the first , of course , being the Holy Scriptures , and we want to take a look at how the standards might be used to help our diaconate today . So , from time to time in this podcast , we want to take an in-depth look at Bible passages and theological topics like this one the broad brush study of the Westminster Standards to strengthen a deacon's understanding of and purpose for his office . In other words , we plan to invite some of our guests to open up the scriptures or doctrinal topics which have a particular application for the work of the Reformed deacon . And so , as Dr Van Dixhoorn has a particular expertise in the Westminster Standards , we thought he would be an excellent guest to help us and guide us through some of the benefits of this treasure of doctrine . So , Chad , let me begin by asking if you would give us a broad overview of the assembly that we know of as the Westminster Assembly of the 1600s . Who were these folks that came together and I think they're referred to as the divines and what was their purpose ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 3:45

The Westminster Assembly is a group called during a war , a civil war in England in the 1640s , to try and come up with a proposal or a bunch of proposals that would create peace in the church , in part by reforming what was seen to be wrong in the Church of England . The parliament called together a large body of theologians , about 120 different men , most of whom showed up at one point or another , some of whom died along the way because it lasted for so long and were replaced by others . And then this number was supplemented a few months later with some Scottish theologians who were equally interested in the Church of England getting reformed . If the Church of England was more reformed then they wouldn't meddle so much with the already reformed Church of Scotland . And so they met , starting in 1643 .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 4:36

They first tinkered with the 39 articles , making important changes

Understanding the Westminster Standards

Chad Van Dixhoorn 4:40

. That was abandoned when the Scottish people arrived Scottish ministers and then it began just work on one topic after another directory for ordination , what are ministers supposed to do , how are people to become ministers , how should ministers be called by congregations , and so on . Then they dealt with the directory for public worship and then they dealt with other aspects of church government and they wrote a confession of faith and created a Psalter and a couple of catechisms and put 140 documents overall letters , petitions , explanations and so on A few of which have become standards , if you will , in the Presbyterian world .

Chris Cashen 5:23

When was their work finished with regard to the confession and the catechisms ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 5:28

Yeah , the doctrinal and exegetical work was wound up in about five years and then they continued the work of examining ministers , just sort of this side project they took on until 1653 . The records of the assembly end in 1652 , but the assembly itself ended in 1653 . But most of the members left for political reasons and because they felt their work was done at the beginning of 1649 .

Chris Cashen 5:54

Wow , well , that was a long time ago , and so I think one of the questions that might be in the minds of our deacons is you know , how is this applicable to us today ? And so , as we continue to just give an overview of the standards , if you would just for a moment , consider that you're a pastor and you have a new deacon in training before you . We're going to call him Bob , and I'm not sure I know any deacons called Bob , but I'm sure there are . But who's fairly new .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 6:21

Bob Wright , how is Bob Wright for an example ?

Chris Cashen 6:28

Of course, yes, of course, sorry , but one who's fairly new to the Reformed faith and you've just given him a copy of the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church , that small gray book , so that he can prepare for his examination before the session . And now , as you give this volume to Bob , he asks you what is this ? How would you define the Westminster Standards for Bob ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 6:57

Yeah , so I think I'd say , well , it's often said that we have the Bible as our primary , as really our sole authority in the church . That's correct . And then we have secondary , even better , subordinate , standards . These are , in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church , the confession of faith and catechisms larger , smaller , and these historic texts are seen by us as excellent summaries , and historic summaries , of what the Bible teaches . Here we're capturing what we believe are the correct understandings of key doctrines and practices , material for doctrine , life , worship and government . And so if you want to ask what do we believe ? We're going to say we believe the Bible . You're going to say , what do you think the Bible teaches ? We're going to say , well , we think here's an excellent summary of what the Bible teaches and indeed this sort of captures what the leaders in our church , the ministers , the elders and deacons , believe that it teaches .

Chris Cashen 8:08

Very good . Well , Bob is not only a new deacon in training , but he is extremely inquisitive and he makes a bold statement before you . I have a Bible and I read it . Why do I need a confession ? Bob's question is valid . We call these standards in the OPCR confessional standards . Is it relevant to the office and work of deacons that we're a confessional church ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 8:36

Yeah , so it's relevant to all of us . So it's going to be relevant to deacons . I'd like to think a little bit more , probably in a minute , about how in particular , it's useful for deacons . But you know , confessions , deployed well , help us to be honest . You know , cults hide what they believe . We're we are those who openly declare what we believe . We're trying to be helpful by having these texts and it's helpful for deacons to know and use these things . We're also a unified church . This is not the Orthodox Presbyterian Churches . This is the Orthodox Presbyterian Church because there's a visible unity to the church .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 9:14

We minister together and while you can have a conference together with other Christians by believing in , say , biblical inerrancy , having 10 bullet points on a website in common , or holding to a historic creed those are good things .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 9:32

But for practical , meaningful ministry , a ministry that's involved not just in evangelization but in church planting and missionary sending and so on , you need to have a fairly robust understanding of what the scriptures are , who the God is that we've preached , how much grace we need . What's the difference between a ministry of manipulation and good pastoral care ? What does accountability look like ? Those are the sorts of things that are covered in our subordinate standards in our confessional standards . And then , on top of all that , you that not only do we need doctrinal maximalism for effective ministry and partnership . We also think that believing more doctrine leads to more doxology , that it leads to a healthier , more God-centered Christian life , and so we want our deacons to know these things , we want our membership to become acquainted with these things , really for the good of the whole church and our ministry and for our own spiritual good .

Chris Cashen 10:35

That's excellent . Well , you're not done with Bob yet , Because next month , after you've sent him back and asked him to study the confession and the larger and shorter catechisms , obviously along with reading , I can't even find the word deacon in any of them . Maybe these standards are not really for deacons . So Bob was reading carefully and the standards don't , to my knowledge , contain any specific reference to the office of deacon . I don't think they contain any reference to the office of ruling elder either . I did find the use of the word minister and the minister's office , but not with regard to the diaconate or the elder . Why would the standards be silent on those offices ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 11:44

Yeah , so I like Bob , he's got good questions .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 11:47

So there was mention of church governors in the Westminster Standards .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 11:51

But not only did the Westminster Assembly finish its Confession of Faith in 1646 , it finished its Directory for Church Government . And the Westminster Assembly intended that churches would have the confession and both catechisms but would also have the directory for public worship and the directory for church government . And indeed the Scottish Church , the Church of Scotland , initially adopted all five of those texts . Some Presbyterian churches still use all five of those texts , but in the American tradition we have created alternative directories for public worship and alternative directories for church government , understanding , as did the Westminster Assembly , that while ecclesiological principles were going to be pronounced in the confession , while there was going to be a churchly orientation to the larger catechism , the actual outworking of those principles in our polity was going to be found in a different document . And so , yes , deacons are not mentioned there , because it was expected , and indeed it has always been the case , that presbyterian churches have had directories for church government or something similar to that , a book of church order , a form of church government and so on .

Chris Cashen 13:12

Very interesting . I was not aware of that . That's very good information and I think that might satisfy Bob . But he continues . You have satisfied him on that aspect . Now he's saying to you look , pastor , I'm not seeking the office of elder . As a deacon I don't really need to be an expert theologian . So how would you generally counsel Bob at this point of his study and preparation and the benefit of having the confession in the catechisms ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 13:47

Yeah . So I'd want to return to that conversation we had a month ago about the purposes of confessions and so on and sort of gently sort of tee up those topics again . But then I also think it'd be helpful to take him to a couple of biblical passages striking that in Acts 6 , verse 5 , we're told that these men are full of faith . A man is full of faith when he's also full of doctrine . You're full of faith when you know who it is that you worship , what he's done , when you know his works of creation , providence and his unique work of redemption . You're a man of faith when you know what scripture promises about Christ , his continuing session , his eventual return . These are the kinds of things that are not always packed into a creed , although the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed has a lot of that . 1 Timothy 3 , verse 9 also says to hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience . That suggests to me , someone who studies the Bible and can summarize what the faith is that's articulated in the Bible and a wise man uses helps like our subordinate standards . I know too that our form of government .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 15:01

Chapter 11 , paragraph two . It says that a deacon's to be a man of great faith and later it says sound judgment . Again , this suggests someone who's an aspirational theologian . He doesn't need to be apt to teach , he doesn't need to do the same things with these doctrinal standards than an elder does . In a sense he's not required to be a theologian above that of a normal church member , but his calling is blessed and enriched and strengthened when he is . Which is why I think our form of government says that , and then we could go on the form of government chapter 25 , reminds deacons that they are to remind people of the constellations of Holy Scripture .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 15:47

Well , those are promises , but there's also doctrines . You have richer consolation when you have a thicker theology , when you can talk about who Christ is and what he's done , not just in broad brush terms , when you can talk about the ministry of the Holy Spirit not just in generalities but in specifics . And then he's also to adorn his work with sound doctrine , we're told . So again , he doesn't need to be apt to teach , but he is to sincerely receive and adopt the confession and catechisms of this church as containing the system of doctrine . So there's all those practical reasons , there are those biblical reflections , and then there's the fact , in the end of the day , he does have to sign up to this system of doctrine . We want deacons who are on board with the ministry of the church . So those are a few things that I'd want to add to the earlier comments in these enriching conversations with Bob .

Chris Cashen 16:42

Well , Dr Van Dixhoorn , you have sent Bob away now encouraged , ready to dig in and get ready for his exam , but also to get ready to be a deacon . So now that you've established for us that the Westminster standards are clearly significant for our deaconate , let's , if we can , just take some time and consider some particulars . How can the standards be used practically Because this is a practical podcast how can they be used practically to guide a deacon in his office ? And I just had some thoughts Maybe you could touch upon if a deacon is doing some financial counseling Can we find anything in the standards which might be of help ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 17:30

I think that the Westminster Larger Catechism's explication of the Eighth Commandment is helpful . So if we were to flip to the early 140s in the Larger Catechism , just the ways in which a sort of robust understanding of the commandment that says not only don't steal , but how can we do the opposite of that , not only what are we to sort of put off , if you will , in terms of habitual sin , but what might be put on ?

Deacons' Role in Practical Ministry

Chad Van Dixhoorn 18:01

And there the calling to financial prudence , seeking the welfare of our neighbors , the value of good work , all of these things are matters that deacons find themselves talking about . You know , there are many different reasons why people are struggling in their temporal needs , uh , in their financial situation , so on , and and people are , are often just struggling with the circumstances in which God has placed them in his own good , wise and holy providence .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 18:38

Sometimes the deacons are also put in situations where they're called to give wisdom , help and practical encouragement , and so there are sound biblical principles , with biblical texts attached to guide the deacon in his conversation about the value of work , caring for others , the legitimacy of saving and being financially prudent , looking after oneself and one's finances so well that one can also share with others who are in need . These are very biblical principles enshrined in these little summaries , summaries that launch from the commandment and roam the way through the scriptures , plundering as they go , finding out how we can not only not steal but bless with finances and a very kind of Pauline understanding of how to think about this topic . So I mean , that's how I'd think about counseling and financial matters . I mean , it's not why the document is established , but there's wisdom there for us that I'd hope our deacons would consider .

Chris Cashen 19:49

Yeah . So I'm glad you took us to the larger catechism . It's so much fuller than the shorter . But sometimes we get limited to the confession and don't consider what helps the catechisms can be practically Well , how about serving those in the church with mercy ? And then my next question is going to be what about those outside of the church ? So , in the church with mercy and then outside .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 20:18

So the first is a little more straightforward . You know the , the communion of the saints chapter , just a wonderful chapter . Chapter 26 of the westminster confession reminds us , reminds us , that if we're united to jesus christ , we're also united to each other . If we have fellowship with Jesus Christ , in his graces , his sufferings , his death , resurrection and eventually his glory , then we're also united to one another in Christ's graces , in suffering . We're united to one another in love , very practically , and that means that we share with one another in the gifts that God has given , in the graces that God has given , in the resources that God has given . And we're obliged the confession reminds us in this wonderful , sweeping summary of biblical teaching , teaching we're obliged to the performance of such duties , public and private , as do conduce , as do sort of work towards effectively their mutual good , both in inward and the inward and outward man . In other words , we're caring about people , we're praying for them , we're looking for their spiritual good , but we're also concerned about the outward man . Is someone hungry in our church ? Is someone grieving , which has inward and outward aspects to it ? Is someone in need , is someone weary , they're moving , they've got a difficult job , their marriage is tricky . There are ways that we could just encourage that are practical as well as spiritual . This is what the community of the saints calls us to these kinds of things . And then paragraph two kind of amplifies that , yes , we are bound to maintain a holy fellowship and communion in our worship . Preeminently that's where we're showing our communion with each other , but again , we're trying to edify each other , we're trying to relieve each other in outward things according to our different abilities and necessities . As god gives opportunity , we're to extend that kind of love to everyone who calls on the name of the lord jesus . So that's just right there in this wonderful summary , and again sort of richly supported with biblical texts on which these comments are based .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 22:34

And then you asked that the other question , that is , how about those outside the church ? Right , right ? So I think , if we are to consider seriously Paul's call in Galatians that we're to be especially mindful of the household of faith , the needs of the household of faith , the needs of the household of faith , everything I've said so far would angle in that direction . But the especially suggests that we are also caring for those who are outside the household of faith . Now there's two different views in the Reformed world .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 23:09

I suppose to be a little bit simplistic . One just says , yeah , that's the job of ordinary Christians to care for those who are in the household of faith and then also those who are outside the household of faith . The especially is not a limiter , it's a focus there to help the people of the church in their own needs and to help facilitate them in their broader ministry of mercy . Then if it's the job of an individual Christian to also care for those perhaps in the community who are not members of the church , then maybe it's the job of the deacons to facilitate that . Do that make sense ? Yes , of course . So if a deacon is not in a restrictive sense just to care for the saints , but it's also to facilitate the work of the saints in ministry , well then a broader view would suggest that we want to think about how our deacons might . If they have the work of the church in hand , if you will , if they are minding the household of faith , how can they help others ? Now , what's complicated about that ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 24:31

I think Van Damme is onto something and I want to own that in a way that I you way , that I think really just in the last couple of years I've been persuaded the rightness of that view . But I'm still mindful of 1 Timothy 5 and the way in which the Apostle Paul is very careful about who gets help . Even in the church there are widows who are more deserving than others , and so , given the discerning take on the deployment of financial resources that we see in 1 Timothy , I would think that where the church's resources are limited , given the care that the Apostle Paul mandates within the church , we need to be very discerning about how we're going to deploy resources outside the church . So I don't want that sort of general reflection that I think may be good consequence that Van Damme is drawing out to trample over the very specific care that Paul calls for in 1 Timothy 5 .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 25:32

So it needs to be done wisely and carefully , given what the Apostle Paul says about care of widows .

Chris Cashen 25:39

That's very helpful and insightful . I'm glad you brought Van Damme in as well . Well , another aspect of the practicality would be whether or not the standards give any help for the deacon , as he's ministering mercy , to also keep the spiritual needs and issues in mind for those that he's working with .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 26:10

I suppose the only way in which I see the standards speaking to that subject is just in the preeminence that they give to spiritual concerns , spiritual needs . That is to say , there's one relationship that lasts to eternity , yeah , and that needs to be established first . That is what we are caring about . And when you look at the directory for public worship and its paragraphs on the visitation of the sick so this is , this is not part of our current westminster standards , but the original westminster standards there's a real focus there , uh , when it comes to visiting the sick , on doing the six spiritual good . Now , that's in part because not many of the sick who are getting a visit from their pastor or their deacon are going to recover . Uh , this is uh before antibiotics and good medical care , but nonetheless it's also a reflection , a reflection of the preeminence of eternal concerns .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 27:08

So I don't see the Westminster Standards , the Confession and Catechisms really saying anything directly . But I think Thomas Peck is a 19th century Presbyterian . It's helpful when he reminds us that the deacon is involved in temporal concerns for a spiritual body , and there he's thinking both the persons whom the deacon is particularly focused on and there are two there too . I think he's also focusing on the fact that that , uh , even as we care about temporal matters , I always have the spiritual good of the body and mind , so I hope that's fair to him . Certainly , I think it's a helpful reflection .

Chris Cashen 27:49

Yeah , thank you . Any aspect of the standards which might be used by deacons as they conduct their Board of Deacons meetings Is it practical in that way .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 28:00

Well , I suppose the standards , uh teaching on the church , uh , could potentially be useful . Paragraph six of chapter 25 reminds us there's no other head of the church but the lord jesus christ , and so any authority , if you will , that a head of the deacons is trying to exercise in a meeting needs to remember that that authority that's being used , the way the meeting is being run , should be exercised in a servant fashion . Elders , not to lord their position over the flock . Surely a deacon should not be lording his position over , let's say , other deacons , uh , if he's the , you know , the elected head of the deacon board or committee , or over the people whom he's seeking to minister , he's a shepherd , uh , or he's a servant of the head of the church , and always remember that that any authority that he has to do his work , uh , the power and the gifts and the graces , they're all coming from Christ that are intended to honor the head of the church , and I think that's that's helpful . No other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ .

Chris Cashen 29:19

Yes , that is helpful .

Encouraging Deacons With Westminster Standards

Chris Cashen 29:21

One last practical question , and kind of getting back to ministering to those outside of the church the deacons are often the leading edge with regard to engaging those outside of the church , because many folks come to our churches for material assistance . So how might the standards be of help to a deacon who encounters a person who has , maybe , a false hope in their own righteousness , or maybe from a tradition other than ours which denies the divinity of Christ ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 29:56

Well , we could take that in a lot of different directions .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 29:58

I suppose they could start with a catechism question , right , and at least in their own minds , helping someone understand what their real purpose is , why they exist at all , orienting them toward their Creator . They could reflect on the rich doctrine we find in chapter 8, where the person and work of Christ is summarized . They could take people to the clear doctrine enunciated in chapters 11, 12 and 13 which sort of explain what it means to be justified by God . What it means to be forgiven . How we recieve those graces . You could take them to chapter 12 and say it's so much better to be part of the family of God . Consider what life would be like if you knew yourself as not one facing the judgment of God , but as a member of the family of God . And I also think that reflection even on chapter 13 , considering the importance of holiness , God's standards , what God requires of us , the trickiness of the Christian walk , that we're people who are on the way , and so on . So , whether you're helping a weak Christian , a person who's making up his own religion as he goes along , someone who's not sure what the purpose of life is , there's just rich doctrine there and I think the better we know that , the better we know the scriptures on which these summaries are based , the more effective we're going to be in those moments of unexpected witness or comfort .

Chris Cashen 31:32

Yeah , that's excellent , thank you Well , last question , and that is how might the standards be used as a means of encouragement to our diaconate ? And this is really just wide open .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 31:45

Yeah , yeah , I like that question , Chris . As we think about deacons , I think about deacons as those preeminently occupied with good works . Good works are undervalued in many ways in the Christian world , I should say in the evangelical world , in part because we're nervous to protect a doctrine , a salvation by grace alone , and so we get nervous about the idea of good works . And a deacon is all about trying to honor the Lord , not to earn a crown of righteousness , but to get the good commendation of our Savior that well done , good and faithful servant . We're seeking to please the Lord . Is that okay to do ? Is that something that's worth doing ?

Chad Van Dixhoorn 32:41

Chapter 16 is one of my favorite chapters , just emphasizing the way in which good works have so many useful purposes . How useful it would be for deacons to see that good works done in obedience to God's commandments are the fruits and evidences of a lively and true faith . That through these things , works deacons are doing and works deacons are encouraging because our deacons are facilitators , they're coordinators that through these good works , people are showing their thankfulness , strengthening their assurance , edifying others , adorning their profession of the gospel , stopping the mouths of the critics , glorifying God . We are created in Jesus Christ for good works . We're demonstrating all of that . This is just wonderful , and of course , we want to be mindful of the fact . So this chapter is also helpful to remind us that these works are not signals of our glory , testimonies of how wonderful we are , not signals of our glory , testimonies of how wonderful we are , evidences of our inward strength . No , we're depending on the Lord , but these are worthwhile . And then , finally , Chris , just to end this little ramble , we're also reminded here that not only are our persons accepted in Christ because we're united to him , but once we are accepted in Christ , even our works , our attempts to do good are also accepted in Christ , not just our persons , but also our works .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 34:14

And so when a deacon is trying to visit someone and he actually says something that he feels was really useful , he doesn't go home and just say , wow , I'm like the power deacon , I'm amazing . No , he says that work was acceptable because of Christ . When a deacon has a conversation with someone and he gets home and thinks I really botched that , I don't know how that could possibly be useful , he goes home and reads this and is just reminded no , actually this work is acceptable in Christ and the Holy Spirit can make it useful , in spite of who I am Not just me , but that last visit to the hospital that attempt to help that person in financial distress . I really need to get better at that , but that was acceptable in Christ . I think chapter 16 is a good deacon chapter . The deacons can help us all see what's rich and helpful in that chapter .

Chris Cashen 35:07

Well , chad , this has been a blessing for me and I'm fairly certain it's going to be a blessing for our deacons . Thank you for taking the time to discuss the Westminster Standards with us today . It's been a great blessing to hear your answers to these good questions and just a blessing to know how useful these standards are for us today . Thank you for being with us .

Chad Van Dixhoorn 35:29

Well , thank you for asking questions that have prompted reflections that I might not otherwise have had . So thank you , Chris .

Chris Cashen 35:36

Well , Deacons , we hope this episode was and will be encouraging to you and your labors for the Lord , and please continue listening .