Hiding Behind Declaratory Acts

Hiding Behind Declaratory Acts

Without entering into the wisdom or otherwise of the initial Scottish church Declaratory Act, that of the United Presbyterians in 1879, it is interesting to note that it clearly suggests which issues do not enter into “the substance of the faith”:

“That, in accordance with the practice hitherto observed in this Church, liberty of opinion is allowed on such points in the Standards, not entering into the substance of the faith, as the interpretation of the ' six days ' in the Mosaic account of the creation: the Church guarding against the abuse of this liberty to the injury of its unity and peace.”

The one example that it gives is the interpretation of the days of creation. It does not envisage that someone could reject the doctrine of Christ’s sacrificial death and then claim that it does not enter into the substance of the faith.  That was specifically excluded by the first article:

“That in regard to the doctrine of redemption as taught in the Standards, and in consistency therewith, the love of God to all mankind, His gift of His Son to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, and the free offer of salvation to men without distinction, on the ground of Christ's perfect sacrifice, are matters which have been and continue to be regarded by this Church as vital in the system of gospel truth, and to which due prominence ought ever to be given.”

This article clearly stated that Christ’s death was a “perfect sacrifice” and a “propitiation”.  Of course to reject the death of Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice was not only to reject the teaching of the Declaratory Act, it is to reject the teaching and language of Scripture itself.

This initial Declaratory Act was changed and modified in its various forms before becoming the Articles Declaratory of the Constitution of the Church of Scotland (1929). Here the loose wording states that the church has the right to modify its doctrinal testimony “but always in agreement with the Word of God and the fundamental doctrines of the Christian Faith contained in the said Confession, of which agreement the Church shall be sole judge, and with due regard to liberty of opinion in points which do not enter into the substance of the Faith.”

The problem here is that the fundamental doctrines of the Christian Faith were never explicitly stated, (although the initial  paragraph was explicitly Trinitarian; but that has not prevented the Church of Scotland embracing Socinians like William Barclay), and therefore the “substance of the Faith” is a vague and thereby useless term.

It does strike me that progressive liberals in the Church of Scotland not only reject penal substitutionary atonement, but even reject the clear Trinitarianism of the first declaratory article. However, as the denomination now exercises no doctrinal discipline, it is not surprising that such progressive liberals are untouchable.

Interestingly, while evangelicals in the denomination now suggest that discipline is not necessary to a true church, (it may be of its bene esse but not its esse) - a rejection of the traditional  Reformed marks of the church - Article 7 actually states that the Church of Scotland recognises rightly exercised discipline as a necessary mark of the church. In regards to ecumenical unity the article states that the church:

“recognises the obligation to seek and promote union with other Churches in which it finds the Word to be purely preached, the sacraments administered according to Christ's ordinance, and discipline rightly exercised.”

The paradox now exists that the denomination has a standard, (the three marks of the church), by which it will judge other churches but which no longer applies to itself.

I should point out that the present Free Church of Scotland rescinded its own Declaratory Act of 1892 – our Confessional commitment is not now compromised or modified and men are not free to reject the fundamental truths of Scripture and the Confession.