Posted on 02/12/2019 9:41:27 AM PST by NRx
bump
Apostolic Succession:
The doctrine that God needs man.
never bought into it....perfect for those that want to control....hence...Rome
Just for the record, the author is not Roman Catholic. He is Eastern Orthodox and is not under the Pope.
Just for the record, the ELCA and Episcopalians follow this doctrine...so much so that they have been known to ordain each others priests.
Apostolic Succession:
The doctrine that God needs man.
_______________________________________________________
How would evangelization take place without man? It seems - at the very least - man IS needed for that.
How were orthodox Christian beliefs even founded to begin with? By listening to those who were Apostles or closely connected to the Apostles.
Now today it seems a lot less necessary. And certainly degenerates in the hierarchy of Catholic and Episcopal churches makes us question the wisdom of loyalty to such institutions. But at one time it was positively essential in identifying truth from error.
Apostolic Succession:
The doctrine that God needs man.
How about, rather, that God has chosen for us to need man in our relationship with Himself.
Mat 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
The Lord cannot possibly let men (i.e. Peter) make decisions helter-skelter and then say, “I’ve got your back.”
With regard to another comment that a benefit of the hierarchy is to reduce/prevent apostasy, the independance of separate congregations (with no hierarchy above them) is better able to fend off apostasy since the local eldership can resolve to maintain the preaching of the Word and only the Word. As we have seen, pollution at the top of hierarchies tends to dribble down to pollute those entities below them.
The sheep know the sound of The Shepherd’s voice.
They come to His voice when he calls.
He knows His sheep and His sheep know him.
Do we now say that the sheep must verify the shepherds?
Consider that Christ said’I will build my church’
Christians are called to be witnesses.
Doesn’t the Holy Spirit cause men to seek him?
Otherwise doesn’t it allow man to proclaim’I saved …..’?
II. What Apostolic Succession Is Not
To clear the floor I note ....A. Apostolic succession is part of the papal theory or it is the thesis that all bishops are to be successors of the Pope going back to St. Peter. etc.....
Do we now say that the sheep must verify the shepherds?
_______________________________________________
At one time they answered this question with an emphatic “Yes!”. Paul’s acceptance as a teacher of Christian doctrine hinged upon his claim that he had encountered the Risen Christ. There’s a reason the Gospels were written by the Apostles or close associates of the Apostle’s (as in the case of Mark). No?
Put another way, what happened when some Joe-schmoe who “felt the Spirit” started preaching things not agreed upon by the Apostle’s? In some cases their beliefs were embraced by huge numbers of adherents (like Arius and Marcion). Ultimately, the Church HAD to have some source of authority BEYOND what different groups of Christians felt in their hearts. That’s where the need to appeal to Apostolic guidance occurred. Even the Bible itself was constructed and edited under the rubric of which books were authentically written under Apostolic supervision.
See post 15.
:: Ultimately, the Church HAD to have some source of authority BEYOND what different groups of Christians felt in their hearts. ::
This is so wrong in every theological aspect. Too much there to dissect and destroy on this forum.
Be at peace Bishop.
“a lot of Protestant thinks this all happened by like “magic”; do you know how many Roman cults there were after the Resurrection?”
Gosh, that kinda rings a bell. A cult... based in Rome... commandeering the story of Jesus resurrection.
I know it’ll come to me...
That’s what I said.
It is a doctrine that says God needs man to accomplish his will.
You are absolutely correct, those following the teachings along with believing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ were considered a cult within the Roman Empire.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.