Should the title of "reverend" be given to a church leader?

Closely associated with ordination by man, is the giving of the flattering titles, "Reverend," "Father," etc., to the ordained one. Since this practice is so universal in Christendom, it likewise needs to be examined by Scripture.

It is striking that the word "reverend" is found only once in the Bible, and that in reference to God. It appears in Psalm 111:9: "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name." This verse clearly tells us that God's name is reverend and we never find any other name in Scripture called thus. How then can any mortal man, be he ever so godly and worthy of esteem, be given or take a title which is only given to God in His Word? Reverend is an attribute which only belongs to God. The word is never used in connection with any servant of God in the Old or New Testaments. Therefore this title should never be used by any servant of God today or be given by anyone to any minister.

The Word of God surely teaches that Christ's servants and ministers should be esteemed and honored. I Thessalonians 5:12, 13 says: "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." And I Timothy 5:17 exhorts that even "the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine." But nowhere is there even a hint given that they who labor thus should be called "Reverend," etc. Our esteem and honor is not to be shown by giving them a title that only belongs to God. This is irreverence to Him and certainly displeasing to Him to whom all honor and glory belong.

Such titles as Rabbi (Teacher) or Father or Master (Leader) are neither to be given to men, nor are men to accept them. The Lord is plainly speaking in a spiritual sense, for of course a natural father is entitled to be called such by his children. But designations which put one in any place of spiritual prominence are to be totally refused. Men may invent variations of these such as "reverend," which is worse, for the title means "worthy of reverence."

On the other hand, scripture is clear that there are those who are in a spiritual way "fathers" (1Cor.4:15), "teachers", "Pastors," "evangelists" (Ephesians 4:11), and "leaders" (Heb.13:17--J.N.D.trans.), but to give or to accept a title as such is strictly forbidden by the Lord. Only Christ has a right to the title "Teacher" or "Leader," and only God the Father in heaven is entitled to being designated "Father." "All ye are brethren," He insists; that is, none are above others, but on the same plane.

A. As the word in question simply means "fearful," "dreadful," "terrible," and is so translated elsewhere in the O.T., it will be obvious that it applies to God as manifesting His ways of old, not at all to its modern usage. There is no real ground therefore for charging the clerical class or its supporters with profane application of Jehovah's title, as is sometimes done. For they give or take the title in the quite different sense of respect paid to a consecrated class. As a matter of fact "reverend" seems a prefix of courtesy in use rather late, not legal or canonical. Its assumption was thus open to the officials of all denominations, without definite right or sanction. Hence as some pious dissenting chiefs despised what the more vulgar seized with eagerness, so the established clergy began sixty years ago to fall back on the more legal style of "clerk," or their distinct ecclesiastical status of vicar, rector, etc., as the case might be. The question was raised in the Courts of Law, and decided in favour of a dissenting tombstone inscription, in which a widow claimed it for her deceased husband. It was proved, it seems, that ancient usage gave "reverend" as a title to lawyers! before it was also accorded to men of ghostly pretensions; so that any exclusive application was invalid. But all such contention was clearly of the world. Therein titles of earthly and present honour have their place. But Christians are not of this world, as Christ is not. God set in the church as He chose; but apostles, prophets, teachers, etc., were not recognizable in the world. And the Lord had solemnly warned His disciples on this head. See Matthew 23:8-12, Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:24-27. When the cross lost its power both in truth and in practice, flesh asserted itself unblushingly, and the offices of His servants in the church were turned into badges of rank in the world: a chaos which reigns everywhere really, but more or less conspicuously, to this day. Hence the haughtiest offender, even when flaunting his peacock feathers, proclaims himself "servus servorum Dei." Who can wonder that, when carnal vanity and worldly pride (arrogating the right to beat or anathematise fellow-servants) took the place of love and lowliness, hypocrisy and hatred came in like a flood over Christendom! Nor is there real escape from the evil save in unfeigned self-judgment by Christ's word, and cleaving with full purpose of heart to Christ's name, not as Saviour and Lord only, but as centre and Head.

Only once in our English Bibles does the word, reverend, occur, though the Hebrew word, of which this is a translation, occurs no fewer than 376 times, under such headings as fear, dread, terrible, and kindred words. This is very impressive, showing that the word refers to God alone. We read, “He sent redemption to His people: He has commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name” (Ps. 111:9).

If the gift of an evangelist was not, in New Testament times, conferred through any human channel, it is equally true that it brought no human distinction or title with it. To assume such was forbidden by Christ to His servants (Matt. 23:8-9). Yet professed servants of Christ claim a title which, unlike that of Rabbi, really belongs to God alone. "Holy and reverend is His Name. Others insist on being called "Father -," in defiance of our Lord's prohibition.

The overseers of the Bible are one thing; the bishops of the present day with mitre, cope, chasuble, alb, pastoral staff, often ornamented with precious stones, with their sacerdotal jurisdiction, their stately palaces, their seat in the House of Lords, quite another thing. All their worldly pomp and ritual is far removed from the simplicity and unworldliness of the Scriptures. Indeed, the whole system is a copy of Judaism and Paganism in many of its features. We read in Scripture of overseers, elders, deacons, a holy priesthood, but where do we get pope, cardinal, archbishop, archdeacons, canon, reverend? The word “reverend” is only applied to God in the Scriptures, and yet man dares to adopt it as a title of his own.

There is a simpler class among the free churches, styled ministers or pastors, dressing in an attire peculiar to themselves, styling themselves Reverend, an adjective only once used in Scripture and applied only to God: “Holy and reverend is His name” (Ps. 111:9).

The words of C. H. Spurgeon are worthy of note in this connection: "There are a great many reverend, very reverend, and right reverend sinners in the world. For myself I desire to be known henceforth simply as a servant of God, and I want my walk and conversation to prove that I am His servant indeed. If I, the servant of God, am to be esteemed in any measure by my fellow Christians, it shall not be because in front of my name, an attribute stolen from God has been placed by an ordaining council, neither shall it be because my collar is buttoned at the back, or my coat is clerical in cut, but only for my work's sake."

God spoke of Moses in these words-"My servant Moses ... is faithful in all mine house" (Num. 12:7). What a great honor this is: to be called by God, "My servant"! So the apostles in prayer to God spoke of themselves as "thy servants" (Acts 4:29). And in Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timotheus call themselves "the servants of Jesus Christ." Surely this is honor enough. The Lord said to His disciples: "be not ye called Rabbi (Master or Teacher) : for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters; for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matt. 23: 8-11). Certainly these words are plain enough against all present day ministerial titles.

(2) Such were the Jewish leaders: among the disciples Jesus enjoins them that such things were not to be. They were not to be called Rabbi, but to be all brethren; with Christ alone their real Teacher. There was to be no authority among them but His own; no claim of spiritual fatherhood but for the Heavenly Father; nor of leadership, again; for any but Christ. The "leader" here (kathegetes) is more than teacher: he is the teacher who may have many teachers under him. All this, as it plainly calls for most serious attention on the part of all who call Christ Lord in truth, so also it needs wisdom in the application: for all these terms, "teacher," "father," "leader,*" are applied in Scripture itself to disciples, and cannot be meant, therefore, to be in an absolute way forbidden. But it was in Israel then; as it has come to be so largely in the Christian Church today, that those who should have been the servants of their brethren claimed to be masters, and stood between the consciences of men and Him who is alone the Lord of the conscience. Neither the Church as a whole nor any class of men in it can claim aright authoritative place for their teaching, which Scripture alone (as the word of the Lord) has; and yet this is what, with many modifications, is continually being done, and the people of God also are on their side not merely allowing but prompting the claim. In this way the word of God loses irreparably; it is made plastic in the hands of men; and, dethroned from its place of authority, it becomes subject to the reproach which attaches to all human handiwork: infidelity finds its own in this degradation. The louder and more authoritative the Church's voice, the more that of God through His word becomes silenced and unheard.

Surely also we can and ought to take the moral profit of our Lord's censure of the scribes and Pharisees: for what is the heart! We have to beware of imposing on others that which we are remiss to observe ourselves. We have to watch against doing works to be seen of men. We have to pray against the allowance of the world's spirit — the love of pre-eminence, both within and without (vers. 4-7). Hence the word is, "Be not ye called Rabbi; for One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no one your father upon the earth; for One is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters; for One is your Master, even Christ." The question here is not of the various gifts which the Lord confers by the Holy Ghost on His members in His body the Church, but of religions authority in the world and a certain status and respect by virtue of ecclesiastical office or position. But the great moral principle of the kingdom (which is always true) is enforced here: "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (vers. 8-12). The cross and the heavenly glory would but deepen the value and significance of these words of the Saviour; but even before either, and independently of the new order of things in the Church, they bore His stamp and were current for the kingdom.