Hierarchy among christians
Intro
Hirarchy among Christians.
False Christians will come to you and demand that you accept them to be above you in some kind of christian hierarchy.
They might be antichrists who are demanding that you are subject to them or they might demand to be a pastor over you. These are notional Christians that have not been saved and that try to get approval by comparing themselves among themselves and putting themselves above the true believers.
Basically there is no hierarchy among the true believers.
(Jeremiah 31:31-34 [KJV])
[31] Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
[32] Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
[33] But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
[34] And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
As you can read above in Jeremiah 31:32 it is not according to the covenant that God made with their fathers but they shall all know God (Jeremiah 31:34).
So there is no need for hierarchy in the new testament covenant. Its not like in Deuteronomy 1:15, see below.
(Deuteronomy 1:12-17 [KJV])
[12] How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
[13] Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
[14] And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
[15] So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.
[16] And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.
[17] Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
Basically in this covenant we all have our own connection to God through the mediator Jesus Christ. So each Christian holds the head himself. The head being Jesus Christ.
Some might say, well what about deacons?
(I Timothy 3:8-9 [KJV])
[8] Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
[9] Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
That was for maintaining order in the congregations, not for disciples.
But false Christians believe in hierarchy.
(Mark 10:35-45 [KJV])
[35] And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
[36] And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
[37] They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
[38] But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
[39] And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
[40] But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
[41] And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
[42] But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
[43] But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
[44] And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
[45] For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.