I Love Being Presbyterian! - James McManus
I love being Presbyterian! In this day and age when it’s popular to loudly and boldly let other people know what you stand for, I’ll say it again for the people in the back row - I LOVE BEING PRESBYTERIAN!
I am a later convert to being Presbyterian. I was first raised in a non-churched home where we eventually started going to a Southern Baptist church in my hometown of Sumter, SC. Because of the wonderful ministry of that church, I will always be grateful to the SBC for their emphasis on the Gospel, loving Jesus and His word. It was in college at Winthrop University that I got involved with Reformed University Fellowship, which led me to a local Presbyterian church. That was the beginning of the end for me! From that point, I have been immersed in all things Presbyterian, and, I will say again, I love being Presbyterian!
A friend of mine, John, tells the story of his journey becoming a Presbyterian. He, like me (and maybe some of you as well), was raised in a Southern Baptist church. For college, he ended up at Columbia Bible College, now known as Columbia International University. Through different classes and professors, my friend was exposed to Reformed theology and Presbyterian ecclesiology. Somewhere along the way, John realized he was no longer a Southern Baptist, but had been “converted” to Reformed Presbyterianism! This shook him up, so he went to a trusted professor and friend to talk this through. They had a good discussion, and at the end of the conversation, this professor said to my friend, “John, if you’re going to be a Presbyterian, then be a good Presbyterian to the glory of God.” That bit of advice has stuck with me since my friend, John, shared that story with me.
What does it mean to be a good Presbyterian to the glory of God? How can we winsomely (a favorite Reformed Presbyterian word!) love being Presbyterians? I offer a few categories to think through:
Biblical
We are good Presbyterians to the glory of God when our Presbyterianism is rooted in the Scriptures. We think of Acts 15 and the church leaders meeting together as a council to discuss a Biblical issue in order to advise and direct as a council. Much like how Presbyterian synods and assemblies and presbyteries operate now, we take from Acts 15. The church officers were chosen by the people - we see that in the story of Matthias in Acts 1. When talking about church officers, Paul would use the term “presbyteros” meaning “elder." These were the men who were called by God and chosen by their congregations to spiritually lead that particular congregation. We also see in Paul’s letters that there were a plurality of elders in the church. There are other scriptures that we could go to that shows the Biblical precedent of Presbyterianism. All told, we are good Presbyterians to the glory of God when we are Presbyterians because that is what Scripture teaches for church government.
Historical
We are good Presbyterians to the glory of God when our Presbyterianism is respectful of its history. We have been blessed with a rich history. Starting in Scripture, going through the Reformation in Germany and especially Scotland, coming over to America and down the Scots-Irish trail, the Lord has blessed Presbyterians with a history that proclaims His gracious providence and sweet sovereignty. As a Presbyterian in South Carolina, I am surrounded by this history! I pastor a church that was founded in 1823, and live a few miles from the Mother Church of the ARP, the Old Brick Church in Fairfield County. From the Piedmont to the Upstate to the Midlands to the Pee Dee to the Grand Strand to the Lowcountry, we South Carolina Presbyterians are blessed with history right at our back doors. This is a history we look to for guidance and direction and to help us forge a path into the 21st century. Those who have come before us have left us examples and teachings we can learn from - and mistakes for us to not repeat.
We are good Presbyterians to the glory of God when we are Presbyterians when we appreciate our history and learn from it so we can better live now for the glory of God.
(On a side note, in honor of this being posted on World Beard Day, Presbyterians have a great history of really good Presbyterian beards!)
Experiential
We are good Presbyterians to the glory of God when our Presbyterianism is lived out. I once heard it said, “I am a simple Presbyterian. I love and follow the Scriptures, and I know and I adhere to the Westminster Standards … and this helps me avoid about 98% of mistakes!” To this, I add a hearty amen! Presbyterianism is technically a form of church government, but it has also become a catch-all phrase for Presbyterians who are Reformed in conviction and adhere to Westminster Standards in doctrinal standards. Which means, being a Presbyterian is a lifestyle. It is adhering to that particular church government, and it is living your life in the light of God’s glory in His sovereignty and works of providence. It’s having an orthodoxy that leads to orthopraxy. It’s a Calvinism that is lived out for the glory of God and the enjoyment of Him forever. Being a Presbyterian isn’t always just about a session and diaconate and presbytery and synod … it’s also about being Biblically Reformed in the style of the Westminster Standards in all of our life.
It reminds me of the story that B.B. Warfield told, “We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: “What is the chief end of man?” On receiving the countersign, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”—“Ah!” said he, “I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!” “Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,” was the rejoinder.” That is the experiential result of being a good Presbyterian! We are good Presbyterians to the glory of God when we are Presbyterians when we live out the doctrines and standards of Reformed Presbyterianism.
If you are reading this and are a Presbyterian, then I hope you can join me for the same reasons of loving being a Presbyterian. We’re not meant to lord it over our friends and brethren in other denominations. Rather, it's like what Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings sang, “American by birth, Southern by the grace of God” … we are Christian by faith, and Presbyterian by the grace of God! May we all rejoice in the faith entrusted to us, and, whatever denomination we are a part of, thankful that God has placed us there for this time. And, if you are Presbyterian, then praise God that much more for calling you to be a Presbyterian ... so you can say with me, “I love being a Presbyterian!”