The Christian’s Bill of Rights
Introduction
Jesus commanded us as leaders not to lord our leadership over the believers as the gentiles do and, as such, here are some basic principles of believers’ rights.
ARC GUIDE LEVEL 1
Ideal for those getting acquainted with our thought process at Ammi Ruhama Community.
(See: Matt. 20:25; Lk 22:25; 2 Cor. 1:24; 1 Pet. 5:3)
1. First, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which in theory or practice denies or replaces the identity of the Church as anything more or less than, “the people of God who have received mercy,” for the sake of human credibility, organizational convenience, or financial security. These identities include but are not limited to a governmental state, a for-profit business, a non-profit organization, or a self-proclaimed para-church organization.
(See: Hos 2:1; Matt 21:13; Lk 19:46; Rom 9:25)
2. Second, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which denies a believer’s equal standing in Christ by way of grading on a spectrum of spiritual maturity by the means of age, physical or mental ability, education, wealth, poverty, life experience, born gender, nationality, skin colour, prior church attendance, prior church involvement, regular monetary giving nor adherence to any other self-made religion, asceticism, or severe treatment of the body as a means of sanctification nor any other discriminating factor which would by way of presupposition cause the believer to be denied the right to pursue church involvement in any and all areas of leadership, service and ministry.
(See: Col 2:20-23; Gal 3:28)
3. Third, no tradition shall be taught or nor practiced which denies a confessing believer their immediate rite of baptism, without obstruction, interval, or any other impediment for the sake of human credibility.
(See: Acts 2:38-41; 8:26-40; 16:15; 16:33)
4. Fourth, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which oversteps, ignores, or otherwise denies the priesthood of any individual believer and thus usurp the high priesthood of Christ, causing them to inappropriately rely on any church leader for that which they themselves ought to be fully capable, including prayer, confession, communion, baptism, and discipleship.
(See: Heb. 7:26 , 1 Pet. 2:9)
5. Fifth, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which interferes with the natural course of Biblical sanctification in the believer’s life which may cause them to inappropriately put their trust in any person or persons, living or dead, nor their writings, creeds, confessions nor oaths to inform them of who God is, what God has done, who that makes them, and what they ought to do about it.
(See: Phil 2:12-13)
6. Sixth, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which by its practice denies a clear command in the scriptures nor outsources individual obedience to the Word to any person(s), nor organization, para-church or otherwise regardless of their skill, resources, training, or expertise.
(See: Matt. 15:3; Mark 7:8-9)
7. Seventh, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which demands of the believer that it is their spiritual service and duty to actively protest or boycott unbelieving person(s), due to their natural state of sin resulting in the failure to reach them with the message of reconciliation to the Father.
8. Eighth, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which demands of the believer by community agreement, code of conduct, or any other secondary document, compulsory monetary giving to any organization including the fellowship.
(See: Acts 5:1-11)
9. Ninth, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which screens access to the fellowship via oath, creed, or commitment to any secondary document.
(See: Matt. 5:37)
10. Tenth, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which protects and sustains any practice which is explicitly forbidden in the Scriptures nor that elective tradition which has lost its practical and theological meaning.
(See all passages detailed in Developing Biblical Traditions)
11. Eleventh, no tradition shall be taught or practiced which restricts the access of any believer to the whole number of individuals in the body of Christ within their ability to connect with them. This includes intentionally and unintentionally exalting commitment to a particular symbiotic organisation, tradition or leader over one’s commitment to the raising up of the whole body of Christ to full reproducing maturity in Christ.
(See: 1 Corinthians 3:21-23)
Ammi Ruhama Community 