42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The great Pastors suffered much to lead their flocks. Those egotistical saps who become preachers out of a desire for self glory and self righteousness are just so much chaff. The true leader in a church is a servant first. Just as everyone who graduates from college wants to be offered the presidency of a company without working their way up through the ranks, many who join a church figure they are deserving of some post within the church that makes them look good and seem spiritual.
A minister is not to be a Lord over the flock. He is to serve the flock.
1 Peter 5:1 ¶ The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
If any man be contentious about the meaning of an elder referring not to a preacher or pastor then notice that in the first verses of the second and third letter of John, he refers to himself as the elder. See above that Peter calls himself an elder. Any of the senior men of the church are elders, including the Pastor and Deacons.
Be an example, be a servant, but don’t try to be a king over the flock. That is Nicolaitanism, the doctrine of ‘victory over the laity.’
As for the ransom paid, the “fathers” of modern Bible versions, Westcott and Hort, were willing to consider that the ransom was paid to Satan, which is blasphemy. Those reprobates found the Biblical doctrine of the ransom for us paid to God the Father to be repugnant.(1)
Exodus 30:12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.
Jesus’ life is the only ransom sufficient for our sins, for those who have received Him. A man or woman must first realize that they have sinned against God. They are sinners. It’s a genetic thing and a spiritual thing we inherited from Adam and Eve. From the moment a person realizes the difference between good and evil he or she is guilty, just as Adam and Eve were, and he or she is dying in their sins until they are reborn by the risen Saviour.
You say, but it’s not fair. I was born that way. And I say, it is very fair because God has given you a way out of the inevitable fate of all human sinners. You simply receive the Lord Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh as your Saviour. You trust Him. You believe what He said about Himself. You let Him speak to you through His words in His Book and change you for His own purpose. But, it’s by His righteousness that you will get into Heaven and have eternal life. Your righteousness is and will always be garbage without Him.
(1) Arthur Hort, The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort (London: MacMillan & Co., 1896), 428. http://openlibrary.org/works/OL6571827W
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