Puritan Sailor
Puritan Board Doctor
[quote:2a3eac42d7][i:2a3eac42d7]Originally posted by fredtgreco[/i:2a3eac42d7]
Given the current plethora of controversy regarding the Reformational principle of justification by faith alone, I commend to you this overture drafted by elders in the OPC:
Overture on Justification [/quote:2a3eac42d7]
OPC members of the Puritans Board, we've been discussing this issue of Justification on the Board quite frequently the last few months.
In the last OPC General Assembly, a disciplinary trial was conducted regarding a ruling elder who was found guilty by his session and presbytery of teaching justification by faith and works. The General Assembly overturned these rulings but stated they did not think the elder was teaching heresy but instead using poorly worded language. The problem was that the General Assembly did not clarify the doctrinal position of the OPC after reversing the decisions of the session and presbytery nor clarify the errors of teh elders statements. This has therefore caused confusion regarding the doctrine of justicification as held by the OPC.
Because of this several elders are presenting this overture to the Prebytery of Philedelphia in the hope that it will go to the General Assembly and force them to clarify the OPC's position on Justification. After hearing about this overture I contacted Jeff Sheely, the pastor of the OPC church, whose website is posting the Overture. He is also a signer of the overture. I included here an email correspondence with Pastor Sheely for the benefit of all the OPC members here. He has given me permission to post this and requests help of any who are concerned about this matter. Hopefully, this will also be beneficial for others here on the Board too.
[quote:2a3eac42d7]
From: Patrick Severson
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 11:28 PM
Subject: Overture
I found out about this overture you all have written and I would like to know if I could help move something like this through my own presbytery to the GA. I belong to an OPC church out here in Illinois in the Presbytery of the Midwest. Would it be helpful if I used this same overture and ran it through my own session and hopefully presbytery? The incident that sparked your reaction in this overture also concerns me but I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help as just a member in the church. What I was thinking is that if I could somehow get this issue through my presbytery here then it would provide more support to you and force the GA to give it more consideration. Is there a proper way to go about this? Like I said if there is anything I can do to help this along I would love to help.
In Christ,
Patrick Severson
[email protected] wrote:
Patrick,
Thanks for your email! We really appreciate your concern for our denomination and the truth of the gospel. We believe that it is imperative that an overture on justification be presented to the General Assembly in June.
You can help us by having your session present our overture to your presbytery. Either a session or a minister or ruling elder can bring it before presbytery. Presbytery then must debate it and vote whether or not to send it on to General Assembly.
We do need to have other presbyteries do this. We are not sure that we have enough votes to pass it in our presbytery (Philadelphia). If you can help to send it through you presbytery it would be a great blessing.
Thanks for all your help and let's pray that the Lord will be pleased to use this overture for His glory.
In Him,
Jeff Sheely
Puritan Sailor responds:
I will contact my session ASAP and submit this overture to them. Also, I belong to a reformed theology discussion group online called the Puritan Board. Many members there have expressed the same concern over this issue, in fact it's through them I heard about it. There are several OPC members in this group. With your permission, I would like to post your email there and ask the OPC members there to also submit this overture through their sessions and presbyteries. Do I have your permission to do this?
[email protected] wrote:
Patrick,
That would be a great idea. It sounds like you know some people who should be contacted about the overture. Thanks for your help. We are glad to have others join with us in getting this overture to General Assembly.
Thanks again.
Jeff Sheely
[/quote:2a3eac42d7]
Please feel free to contact Pastor Sheely to confirm this correspondence. His email is noted above.
I have posted this so that all OPC members here can help. If you agree with this overture and the surrounding issues please take action. All you have to do is submit the overture to your session and ask them to vote on it. If they approve it then it will go up to your presbytery. If the presbytery approves then it will go to the General Assembly to be addressed.
If you are a minister or elder you may submit this overture directly to the presbytery.
Please check with your local session as to the proper "legal" ways to go about submitting this since there may be some peculairities in each session or presbytery.
It is important that this makes it passed the presbyteries to the General Assembly or the confusion over justification can lead to many more serious errors, many of which we have discussed on the Board in detail.
Finally, remember this is the Lord's fight. We are not to be cruel or veangful but in meekness and fear, out of love for our Savior, His gospel, and His Church, we are to pursue this in all humility and sincerity.
Patrick
Given the current plethora of controversy regarding the Reformational principle of justification by faith alone, I commend to you this overture drafted by elders in the OPC:
Overture on Justification [/quote:2a3eac42d7]
OPC members of the Puritans Board, we've been discussing this issue of Justification on the Board quite frequently the last few months.
In the last OPC General Assembly, a disciplinary trial was conducted regarding a ruling elder who was found guilty by his session and presbytery of teaching justification by faith and works. The General Assembly overturned these rulings but stated they did not think the elder was teaching heresy but instead using poorly worded language. The problem was that the General Assembly did not clarify the doctrinal position of the OPC after reversing the decisions of the session and presbytery nor clarify the errors of teh elders statements. This has therefore caused confusion regarding the doctrine of justicification as held by the OPC.
Because of this several elders are presenting this overture to the Prebytery of Philedelphia in the hope that it will go to the General Assembly and force them to clarify the OPC's position on Justification. After hearing about this overture I contacted Jeff Sheely, the pastor of the OPC church, whose website is posting the Overture. He is also a signer of the overture. I included here an email correspondence with Pastor Sheely for the benefit of all the OPC members here. He has given me permission to post this and requests help of any who are concerned about this matter. Hopefully, this will also be beneficial for others here on the Board too.
[quote:2a3eac42d7]
From: Patrick Severson
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 11:28 PM
Subject: Overture
I found out about this overture you all have written and I would like to know if I could help move something like this through my own presbytery to the GA. I belong to an OPC church out here in Illinois in the Presbytery of the Midwest. Would it be helpful if I used this same overture and ran it through my own session and hopefully presbytery? The incident that sparked your reaction in this overture also concerns me but I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help as just a member in the church. What I was thinking is that if I could somehow get this issue through my presbytery here then it would provide more support to you and force the GA to give it more consideration. Is there a proper way to go about this? Like I said if there is anything I can do to help this along I would love to help.
In Christ,
Patrick Severson
[email protected] wrote:
Patrick,
Thanks for your email! We really appreciate your concern for our denomination and the truth of the gospel. We believe that it is imperative that an overture on justification be presented to the General Assembly in June.
You can help us by having your session present our overture to your presbytery. Either a session or a minister or ruling elder can bring it before presbytery. Presbytery then must debate it and vote whether or not to send it on to General Assembly.
We do need to have other presbyteries do this. We are not sure that we have enough votes to pass it in our presbytery (Philadelphia). If you can help to send it through you presbytery it would be a great blessing.
Thanks for all your help and let's pray that the Lord will be pleased to use this overture for His glory.
In Him,
Jeff Sheely
Puritan Sailor responds:
I will contact my session ASAP and submit this overture to them. Also, I belong to a reformed theology discussion group online called the Puritan Board. Many members there have expressed the same concern over this issue, in fact it's through them I heard about it. There are several OPC members in this group. With your permission, I would like to post your email there and ask the OPC members there to also submit this overture through their sessions and presbyteries. Do I have your permission to do this?
[email protected] wrote:
Patrick,
That would be a great idea. It sounds like you know some people who should be contacted about the overture. Thanks for your help. We are glad to have others join with us in getting this overture to General Assembly.
Thanks again.
Jeff Sheely
[/quote:2a3eac42d7]
Please feel free to contact Pastor Sheely to confirm this correspondence. His email is noted above.
I have posted this so that all OPC members here can help. If you agree with this overture and the surrounding issues please take action. All you have to do is submit the overture to your session and ask them to vote on it. If they approve it then it will go up to your presbytery. If the presbytery approves then it will go to the General Assembly to be addressed.
If you are a minister or elder you may submit this overture directly to the presbytery.
Please check with your local session as to the proper "legal" ways to go about submitting this since there may be some peculairities in each session or presbytery.
It is important that this makes it passed the presbyteries to the General Assembly or the confusion over justification can lead to many more serious errors, many of which we have discussed on the Board in detail.
Finally, remember this is the Lord's fight. We are not to be cruel or veangful but in meekness and fear, out of love for our Savior, His gospel, and His Church, we are to pursue this in all humility and sincerity.
Patrick