In this part, I want to show the other side of the argument. The side against having covenants within the church. I am going to use a fair amount of quotes in this post because I feel that they are well said and I couldn't say it better myself. I will give a list of the articles that I quote and have found useful at the bottom of this post.
"When we become Christians, God places us under the New Covenant, which is a covenant of grace. By grace, God actually takes believers out from under law and its condemnation and places them in Christ Jesus where there is no condemnation." 1
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
"To create another covenant - a man-made covenant - that repeats what is already in the New Covenant between all believers and God seems to be a way of saying that one doesn't take the New Covenant seriously. Another covenant - one that the Bible never mentions - must be added on top of Jesus Christ's New Covenant. Church covenants and membership policies are fundamentally legalistic. They are, after all, a set of laws that a member binds himself or herself to keep. Such covenants and policies are clearly asking Christians - who are now supposed to be under grace and not law - to put themselves back under a law. This is to be absolutely disobedient to Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." 1
"A church membership/covenant is, in essence, saying that the grace of the New Covenant, the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and faith are insufficient. To these we must add a law...In response, I say with Paul,
Galatians 3:1-5
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Galatians 2:21
I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
"Even when their rules agree with those of the New Covenant, they still directly contradict the principles Paul teaches in such passages as Romans 14. They inherently cause us to judge one another and to not trust that God is leading a believer on a walk that is between him or her and God." 1
Romans 14:4
Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
"A church covenant or church membership policy, then, is a legalistic usurpation of the grace of the New Covenant. Quite frankly, I believe these covenants/policies to be attempts by the leadership of local churches to control the behavior of members with laws because the leadership does not have the faith to believe that Christians can be left to the care of the Holy Spirit and God's Word. It seems to come down to a matter of control." 1
“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
James 5:12
But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.
I have looked at so many different church covenants and membership policies and surprisingly many are the same. Often stating in various ways that we will "work towards the fulfillment of the purpose and vision of the church" or "to guard the peace and unity of the church" or "To honor the leadership of the church through Christlike submission".
What happens when the purpose or vision don't line up with the purpose/vision of the bible? And God never chooses unity over truth, so what happens when truth is being squashed or twisted? "A Christian in obedience to Christ will not set out to cause disunity in the body of Christ, however sometimes it is a result of defending God's truth, honor, purity of His Word and proclaiming His true gospel of repentance." 2
Further, "It makes one wonder why leaders of a church feel like they need to require their members in ministry to sign a document stating they will submit to the leaders. If a christian is rightly related to God, they will have a spirit of submission to biblical spiritual authority, but it will not be to a leader who is not following the Holy Spirit's lead. It will not be to a minister or a church leader who does not follow the Word of God. And it should not be to leaders who replace the leading of the Holy Spirit for man-centered pragmatic techniques and the latest trends in church-growth methodology." 2
"Before you're confronted to sign a covenant ask yourself this question - Why does a christian need to make an additional commitment to another man to abstain from sin and remain obedient to God when he has already committed his whole life in submission to Jesus Christ and to sanctification by his Truth which is His Word?" 2
"Previously the Ten Commandments would have been taught, now they are replaced by new church laws which are subjective and potentially heretical. Previously these churches would have taught that Christ won on the cross liberty from the laws of men, and that the conscience is subject to God alone. The Reformed church used to teach that man lives by faith, and through His strength man is able to keep His commands. Now a new structure has been erected, with man-made laws, and man-directed accountability....." 3
"Oaths and covenants are a new form of legalism entering the church like a flood. They require more of us than Scripture requires. It is a horrible new form of bondage, accomplished in the name of a new church for the 21st century. This is a “transformation” not a “reformation.” ....This movement did not arise from God, but from the rapacious desires of evil men." 3
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few. Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool. When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.
On to my conclusion...
Articles to read...
http://www.wordofhisgrace.org/mempolicyqa.htm 1
http://thinkerup.blogspot.ca/2006/08/should-you-sign-church-covenant_30.html 2
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/04/shepherding.htm 3
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/2003/1-purpose.htm
http://rickwarrenquotes.blogspot.ca/2010/04/saddleback-membership-covenant.html
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/Our%20Church%20covenant.htm
http://www.aibi.ph/articles/oaths.htm
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