Exaltation of Men

In my judgment, when we look at the history of mankind, one thing stands out. With overloaded egos bursting at the seams, the Neros, the Hitlers, tyrants and dictators throughout history, we see the exaltation and elevation of men. With this adulation and the blind followers they create come woes, tears and death, the by-product, a consequence of exaltation of men.

From the better understood secular world and the adoration of men, we move to the lesser-known spiritual world, the church of the Bible. With the multitude of churches all claiming to follow the Bible, it has become for many honest people a most confusing situation.

According to New Testament Scriptures, each fully organized congregation of Christians in the first century was governed by a plurality of elders and deacons. Further, each congregation of the Lord’s people, Christians, were self-governing, independent of other congregations. Their source of authority and their guide was solely the Bible, the Scriptures. Absent were creeds of men, “think so’s” and opinions of men. No higher ecumenical bodies were over these congregations. Divisions and exaltations were condemned (1 Corinthians 1:10).

It is interesting to note that in early church history, exaltation of men led to the greatest change in the original scriptural church government. It is clear and verifiable that the apostolic churches had a plurality of elders or bishops. At first the elders of any particular congregation would select one of their number to preside at their meetings for the transaction of business, and in the course of time he came to be known as “The Bishop.” Little by little, he came to feel his importance till he was exalted above his fellow elders. No change, perhaps, in the whole history of the changing forms of church government can be specified as more destructive to the primitive constitution of the church, or more destructive to its spiritual interests. This entire perversion of the original view of the Christian Church, says Neander, was itself the origin of the whole system of the Roman Catholic religion—the germ from which sprang the popery of the Dark Ages. (Shepherd 54-55 & Schaff)

Would it be nice, and would it not make a world of difference, if men heeded the words of our Savior Jesus Christ? “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12).