Proverbs 11:14, 15:22 & 24:6—“… in the multitude of counsellors there is safety”

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safey (Prov. 11:14).

Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established (Prov. 15:22).

For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety (Prov. 24:6).

COMMON GRACE ARGUMENT:

“The position the PRC hold with their distinctives (e.g. no common grace, no free/well-meant offer, unconditional covenant, etc.) is not a safe position to be in because it doesn’t carry the weight of support from the Reformed community or the Reformed tradition at large. Proverbs says that “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (11:14, 15:22 and 24:6). Our view (WMO/CG etc.) is the majority view. You may have answers to all the questions on the subject, but unless your answers carry the weight of historic Christianity, they are not worth anything. Stay safe, and stick with the ‘multitude’ of counsellors (like we do).”

(I)

Prof. David J. Engelsma

The way to determine the truth is not by counting noses. If counting noses is the right way, we must all become Roman Catholics.

The multitude of counselors is not the same as tradition. There is much in the tradition of the church that is in error. For many years from soon after Christ, the instituted church taught justification by works; the rule of the churches by Rome and its bishop; the forbidding of ministers to marry; inclusion in the Bible of the apocryphal books; and much more.

The authority over the church is not tradition, but Scripture. Scripture alone! I would have thought that the Reformation taught us this.

The instruction of the saying about the “multitude of counsellors” refers to the counselors in a true church, or in a denomination of true churches. Even here, sometimes a solitary figure is right, and the many are wrong. In the end, the Bible alone, as often captured by the church’s creeds, is the authority. See II Peter 1. But usually, a single minister does well to consult with his colleagues about controversial matters. They will keep him from rash actions and help him understand difficult issues. (DJE, 15/07/2019)

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(II)

More to Come! (DV)