Scriptures Which Stress Having an Interpreter:
2 Peter 3:14-18 – Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 1:12-15 – Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder.
Acts 8:30-32: – So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
Luke 24:25-27 – And he said to them, ‘”O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Sirach 6:32-33 – If you are willing, my child, you can be disciplined, and if you apply yourself you will become clever. If you love to listen you will gain knowledge, and if you pay attention you will become wise.
Sirach 8:8-9 – Do not disregard the discourse of the elders, for they also learned from their fathers; because from them you will gain understanding and learn how to give an answer in time of need.
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-14 – Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate.
Deuteronomy 32:7 – Ask your fathers and they will tell you, your elders and they will declare unto you.
Proverbs 22:17: Bow down your ear to the words of the wise.
Sirach 9:15 – Let your conversation be with the wise, and all your discussion in the law of the Most High.
Sirach 14:20-21 – Blessed is the man who meditates on wisdom and who reasons intelligently. He who reflects in his mind on her ways will also ponder her secrets.”
Sirach 37:19 – There is one who is wise and teaches many, and yet is unprofitable to himself.
Sirach 6:36 – If you see an intelligent man, visit him early; let your foot wear out his doorstep.
Sirach 7:30 – With all your might love your maker and do not forsake his priests.
Malachi 2:7 – The priest’s lips keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth.
Jeremiah 3:15 – “And I will give you shepherds after my heart, and they shall certainly tend you with knowledge.”
Jeremiah 6:16 – Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Sirach 39:1-4 – He who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be concerned with prophecies; he will preserve the discourse of notable men and penetrate the subtleties of parables; he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and be at home with the obscurities of parables. He will serve among great men and appear before rulers.
Sirach 8:8-9 – Do not slight the discourse of the sages, but busy yourself with their maxims; because from them you will gain instruction and learn how to serve great men. Do not disregard the discourse of the elders, for they themselves learned from their fathers; because from them you will gain understanding and learn how to give an answer in time of need.
Authority of Bishops:
Matthew 16:18 – And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 18:15-18 –“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
John 20:23 – “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
Luke 10:16: – He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
Ephesians 4:11-15 – And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ….
1 Corinthians 11:16 – But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
1 Timothy 1:2-3 –To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.
1 Timothy 4:11-16 – Keep commanding and teaching these things. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
Titus 2:1, 15: But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine…. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
2 Timothy 2:2: The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
1 Timothy 3: It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of bishop, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 A bishop, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Matthew 24: 42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. 45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master made ruler (kurios) over his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51 and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 12:39-48 – 39 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house (oikodespotés) had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” 41 Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will make ruler (kurios) of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him ruler of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
John 21:17 – He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Acts 1:20 – For it is written in the Book of Psalms: “Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it”; and, “Let his bishopric pass to another.”
Titus 1: 5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the bishop must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith.
James 3:1: Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
Hebrews 13:17, 24: 17 Obey those who rule (hégeomai) over you and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you… 24 Greet those who rule (hégeomai) over you and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.
Acts 23:4-5 – And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?” Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler (archón) of your people.’ ”
Acts 20: 17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
Acts 20: 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Acts 14:23: And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
1 Peter 5:1-4: Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
1 Corinthians 12:28 -And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
1 Timothy 5: 17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” 19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. 20 Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. 21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. 22 Do not lay hands upon anyone hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.
Isaiah 60:17 – I will give your rulers in peace, and your bishops in righteousness
1 Corinthians 3:3-10 – For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it.
Titus 3:13 – Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.
3 John 1:9-12 – I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
3 John 1:13-14 – I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face.
2 Thessalonians 2:5 – Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
1 Corinthians 11:34 – The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.
Revelation 2:13 – ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.'”
Acts 15:19 – Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles….
2 Thessalonians 2:15 – So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 – Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.
1 Corinthians 11:23 – For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.
Colossians 2:8 – Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Mark 7:8-9 – For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things. Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
Are Bishops Priests?
“But isn’t Jesus our high priest?” Yes, but having a high priest doesn’t exclude the existence of lower priests who serve under the high priest.
2 Kings 23:4 – And the king commanded Chelcias the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and them that kept the door, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and all the host of heaven, and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kedron, and took the ashes of them to Baethel.
“Aren’t all Christians priests?” Yes, but that doesn’t exclude the existence of higher priests and lower priests. It just means we all offer sacrifices to God. But it does not imply that all Christians are of the same rank. We know that God not only told all Christians that they are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, but also the whole nation of Israel!
1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
Exodus 19:5-6 – And now if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Did all of the Israelites have the same rank? No. Thus, being a kingdom of priests does not necessitate that a hierarchy of priests does not exist. But we have a precedent for a group of men hearing God say that the whole nation is a holy nation of priests and taking it to mean there is no authority structure:
Numbers 16:1-3 – And Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—sons of Reuben— rose up before Moses, and two hundred and fifty men of the sons of Israel, leaders of the assembly, those called of the assembly, men of renown. And they assembled against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “It is enough for you, for all the assembly—all are holy, and the Lord is among them; so why do you exalt yourselves over the congregation of the Lord?”
Numbers 16:28-30 – And Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for it is not from myself. If these die according to the death of all men, and the visitation of all men visits them, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Hades, then you will understand that these men have provoked the Lord.”
Numbers 16:31-33 – And it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground which was under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households and all the people who were with Korah and all their possessions. And they went down, they and all that belonged to them, alive into Hades, and the earth covered over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
People who tout their equality to God’s bishops and refuse to submit to their authority are just like Korah, who insisted that he was equal to Moses due to being of the same royal priesthood. They think they can be their own shepherds, and they reject the authority of God’s church.
Jude 1 – My most cherished friends, although I intended to write to you about the salvation we all share, I’m instead constrained to write for the following purpose: to urge you to fervently fight for the faith which was delivered once and for all time to the saints! It seems that certain men were able to infiltrate (when we had already given public notice about these damned people long ago), godless men who twist God’s goodwill toward us into sexual savagery, those who deny our only Dictator and Master: Jesus Christ…. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries…. How unfortunate for them! They’ve followed down the same road as Cain; they’ve rushed headlong into Balaam’s delusion for profit; and they’ve been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion! These are the hidden reefs in your love feasts; who fearlessly eat with you, acting as their own shepherd.
Elsewhere, God says that we must not speak evil of the rulers of our people, which applies to both the Old Testament and New Testament.
Exodus 22:28: You shall not revile the gods, and you shall not speak evil of the rulers of your people.
Paul confirms that this law about reviling the rulers of your people refers to priests, because he connects the two:
Acts 23:5: Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not curse of a ruler of your people.’”
And we still have priests who rule over us, but priests of the new covenant.
Hebrews 13:17: Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
A stubborn person might say we are all priests, so a bishop is no higher than we are. But if the bishop is an “OVERseer,” he is certainly higher, making him a high priest, while we are laic priests.
Timothy and Titus are given the same job by Paul: appointing elders as overseers in other cities to assist in the ministry. Both Timothy and Titus are granted great authority in their respective regions, allowing them to appoint elders independently, without anyone else being able to override their decisions. They also have the ability to depose an elder from their position and the authority to command and teach these things with full authority. Most members of the anti-Christ church would acknowledge that this role does not fit either the teacher-preacher or the elder/bishop. They claim that this role is an entirely new position that existed for a limited time and then vanished. Conveniently, they do not apply this belief to the office of elder/bishop or “teacher,” but they do about the office we call “bishop.”
In the end, they have to admit that this office fits the description of bishop in every way: Timothy and Titus have authority over vast regions, they hold the power of ordaining elders to the episcopate, these elders assist in preaching, and they are to exercise all authority as the heads of these regions. However, they have no way of proving that this office suddenly disappeared! We know that Timothy and Titus had the authority to appoint elders/bishops, but do regular laypeople have that authority? Where does it say that in the Scriptures? If it’s not explicitly stated, you cannot assume that people can elect their own apart from the office possessed by Timothy and Titus. It is clear that they were bishops themselves because the apostles who oversee them are bishops, and the elders they ordain become bishops. Therefore, Timothy and Titus are overseers themselves, having authority given by the apostles, not just a voluntary desire to preach, as seen in your teacher-preacher office.
Consequently, you have no authority to appoint anyone as an elder-bishop. When you see that multiple bishops are being ordained by the apostles and by men appointed by the apostles, you should not assume the middle role is anything other than bishop, because the Scriptures never give any explanation of a new role besides “bishop.” Instead, you should assume that some bishops have authority over others. Oh, you think that’s wrong? Well, sorry! You already believe the apostles have authority over other bishops, and the apostles themselves are bishops, according to the Scriptures. Therefore, according to Scripture alone, one bishop can have authority over another bishop as his superior!
We have this confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt when we see Timothy and Titus individually appointing not a single bishop to succeed them, but many bishops throughout Ephesus and Crete. They exercise all authority over them, even receiving accusations against them from other congregations. Why would they be receiving the accusations and have the responsibility to rebuke those elder-bishops if they didn’t have authority over them? Obviously, if they appointed them, they can depose them. Whoever is in charge of hiring can fire the ones he hires.
Furthermore, in the Old Testament, we see that bishops (overseers) have varying sizes of congregations. Some are over large congregations, while others oversee small ones. For instance, Numbers 31:14 states, “And Moses was angry with the captains (overseers) of the host, the heads of thousands and the heads of hundreds who came from the battle-array.” Remember that both Jesus and Paul refer to the overseer (or steward) as a “head” over the household of God, and here in Scripture, we are told that some of those overseers are heads over hundreds, while others are over thousands. This understanding is consistent with the church’s tradition.
Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience, and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All are not prefects, nor commanders of a thousand, nor of a hundred, nor of fifty, nor the like, but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. – 1st Clement, Chapter 37
Clement then says there are still high priests, priests, and Levites in the church:
These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behooves us to do all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things, being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen. Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him. – 1 Clement, chapter 40-41
Just as there are priests and Levites, there are bishops and deacons. And just as there are big bishops and little bishops, there are regular priests and high priests. Just because presbyters and bishops are technically both “bishops” doesn’t mean there’s no distinction in the offices. “But they’re both bishops, so they have to be the same office!” That’s like saying high priest and priest are the same office just because they’re both priests!
Answering Counter-Arguments:
“Jerome says bishops and presbyters are the same!”
Rebellious Presbyterians desperately try to debunk apostolic succession by attacking the office of bishop. One Presbyterian apologist says, “St. Jerome himself saw and KNEW that the office of a bishop being higher than presbyter/priest was a human innovation, not from God, neither taught in Scripture, but contradicted by Scripture.” They cite an often-quoted passage (and usually omit some key sections):
In this very citation, Jerome says that at the time of Mark the evangelist, while the apostles were still alive, the custom of having a head-bishop was already in force. To call this an “innovation” is like calling the office of “deacon” an innovation, just because the apostles ordained deacons a year after Christ’s ascension and not five minutes after Jesus’ ascension!
He also says in the same letter “In fact as if to tell us that the TRADITIONS HANDED DOWN BY THE APOSTLES were taken by them from the old testament, bishops, presbyters and deacons occupy in the church the same positions as those which were occupied by Aaron, his sons, and the Levites in the temple.”
So this distinction between greater and lesser bishops DOES come from the apostles.
“I only need the Holy Spirit to guide me!”
- John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
- John 16:13 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
To say the Holy Spirit alone is sufficient for all teaching actually undermines the necessity of Scripture. So much for “sola Scriptura!” Now you’re saying NO instruction whatsoever is necessary! I guess we just need to believe in Jesus and we’ll automatically understand all doctrines!
So let me ask you, has that happened? Do you understand all of the Scriptures? You understand every single one of Jesus’ parables? You understand every chapter of the Bible? Every verse? You’ve never been wrong about anything? No? So you haven’t been led into all truth. So either you don’t have the Holy Spirit, or this promise simply isn’t for every believer. “Well, I’ll understand it all eventually.” After how many years? Ten years? Are you saying it’s not possible for someone to be in a heresy for ten years before they’re guaranteed to arrive at all truth? That’s pretty dangerous. You could die in those ten years! I know people who’ve been in heresy for 50 years before realizing it! Surely, God must have provided a way for us to know with certainty that we’re in the truth.
This promise is only for the apostles. All of us didn’t get to hear Jesus’ teachings, so we can’t have his words “brought to our remembrance,” nor are we promised to be guided into all truth in the same way the apostles were, who knew literally everything. The apostles were the teachers of the entire church! They WROTE the Scriptures! You, on the other hand, are a learner, who’s coming along 2000 years later. How ironic that you think you’ll be guided into all truth, when you don’t even think the APOSTLES attained this, but will say things like, “We actually know more than the apostles did, since we have the full canon of Scripture.” You insult the apostles as if they were ignorant of many things. Far from having all knowledge as the apostles did, on the contrary, God promises that you will NOT understand His words if you are carnal, despite having them sitting right in front of you:
- 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 – Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Clearly, the apostles were tasked with teaching. It’s in the great commission!
- Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
People have always needed help understanding the Scriptures:
Ezra 9:48-49 – Jesus and Anniuth and Sarabias—along with Iadinus, Iacubus, Sabbataeus, Autaias, Maiannas, and Calitas—and Azarias, Iozabdus, Ananias, and Phalias: these Levites were teaching the Lord’s law. They read the law of the Lord to the crowd, explaining the meaning as they went.
1 Corinthians 14:35 – If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.
But God has explained to us how we will attain the unity of the faith: THROUGH SHEPHERDS AND TEACHERS:
Ephesians 4:11-16 – And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Notice that the UNITY OF THE FAITH is the END goal of having all these teachers. If unity of the faith is achieved, that means the church is doing a great job at preserving Christ’s teachings. They could only arrive at such unity if they were all preserving the things they had preserved the same tradition!
“The church fathers ALL fell away from the faith!”
So you believe the early church was UNITED in heresy? But they teach the same things on virtually every doctrine. How could Satan convince them all to agree? Is that something Satan does? He tempts everyone to be in agreement?
1 Corinthians 1:10 – “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
Ephesians 4:11-15 – And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ….
1 Timothy 6:3-5: – If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Galatians 1:8-9 – But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
- 2 John 1:9-11 – Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
YOU NEED AN INTERPRETER:
2 Corinthians 3:
12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
- Proverbs 1:5-6:
- “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.”
- Acts 8:30-31:
- “So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
- Luke 24:25-27:
- “And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
- Luke 24:44-45:
- “Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 6:32-33:
- “If you are willing, my child, you can be disciplined, and if you apply yourself you will become clever. If you love to listen you will gain knowledge, and if you pay attention you will become wise.”
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 8:8-9:
- “Do not disregard the discourse of the elders, for they also learned from their fathers; because from them you will gain understanding and learn how to give an answer in time of need.”
- Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-14:
- “Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate.”
- Psalm 119:18:
- “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
- Proverbs 2:1-6:
- “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
- Matthew 13:10-11:
- “Then the disciples came and said to him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ And he answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.'”
- Matthew 13:13-15:
- “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’”
- Colossians 1:9:
- “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
- 2 Timothy 3:14-15:
- “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Paul says, “Continue in the things you’ve learned, KNOWING WHOM YOU’VE LEARNED IT FROM!” You see, the one you learn it from IS important! Timothy didn’t learn these things from Joe Schmo off the street. He learned it from someone who was trustworthy. If it comes from a reputable source, it’s reliable. If it comes from some independent source, someone who leans on their own understanding, it’s not reliable. That’s what Paul is telling you here. Learn the faith from the appropriate persons, not from just anybody. Who receive it from matters!
1 Corinthians 11:16: But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
For Paul, this form of argument is enough to end the whole dispute, whether it’s female head-covering or ANY other issue. Paul appeals to the universal practice of the other churches! He tells you that YOU should be looking at the universal practice of the other churches when you’re wondering whether your practice is correct or not! He doesn’t say, “The practices of the other churches don’t matter.” Rather, he says, “If you can CLEARLY see that ALL the other churches share the same practice, and it’s different than yours, that should convict you!” We are not to isolate ourselves in a bubble and rely on our own understanding.
- Matthew 22:29:
- “But Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.'”
- Mark 4:34:
- “He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”
- Hebrews 5:12-14:
- “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 38:24:
- “The wisdom of the scribe depends on the opportunity of leisure; and he who has little business may become wise.”
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 39:1-3:
- “He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients, and is concerned with prophecies; he preserves the sayings of the famous and penetrates the subtleties of parables; he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs and is at home with the obscurities of parables.”
- “He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients, and is concerned with prophecies; he preserves the sayings of the famous and penetrates the subtleties of parables; he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs and is at home with the obscurities of parables.”
- Proverbs 22:28: “Remove not the landmarks, which your fathers have set”
- Ecclesiastes 10:8: “Whoever breaks through a fence a serpent shall bite him”
- Sirach 8:14: “Go not to law with a Judge”
Matthew 23:2-3: The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
- Though Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for hypocrisy, He acknowledges the authority of the church’s teachers.
Luke 10:16: The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.
- Here, Jesus makes it clear that His disciples are His representatives, and their teaching carries His authority.
John 13:20: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
- Jesus reaffirms that those sent in His name—whether apostles or other righteous men—should be obeyed as if one is receiving Jesus Himself.
Matthew 10:40-42: “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
- Jesus doesn’t say, “Only receive the apostles, but don’t receive anyone else.”
“I’ll just take my chances and study on my own to find the truth!”
- Ephesians 4:15 – So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
- Sirach 5:9-10 – Do not winnow with every wind, nor follow every path: Stand firm for what you know, and let your speech be consistent.
- Sirach 34:4 – From an unclean thing what will be made clean? And from something false what will be true?
- Wisdom of Solomon 7:25 – For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
Teachers Following Personal Revelations:
Jeremiah 23:30: “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another.”
Ezekiel 13:3: “Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!”
4 Responses
Do you believe that bishops and presbyters are the same office (elders)?
Peace to you, Jeremiah.
Nowhere in Scripture is “elder” ever referred to as an office. “Bishop” is an office. An elder is an old person. Abraham and Sarah are called “presbyters” in the Bible, not because they held an office but because they were elderly. No one is ever called an overseer/bishop unless they were put in charge of others.
In the church, bishops were chosen out of a group of elders who had established themselves as wise and virtuous men, well-instructed and capable of teaching others. This is what Paul means when he tells Timothy and Titus to ordain elders to act as bishops over the cities. For this reason, almost every single bishop was an elder.
When the apostles call themselves “fellow elders,” they don’t mean they were ordained one day as “elder,” as if “elder” were an office. Rather, bishops were selected from old men, and one of those old men was chosen to preside over the others.
Some of the confusion comes from the fact that multiple elders are called bishops while all living in the same city (Acts 20:17). The reason for this is that even elders who have been elected to assist the bishop of a city are mini-bishops, since they oversee smaller congregations, while the big bishop overseers the entire city and even the other elders.
Many protestants abuse the writings of the early church by maliciously teaching that bishops and elders are the same office in order to dissuade people from obeying the bishops of the early church. They say, “There were never singular bishops of entire cities! Instead, there was a plurality of elder-bishops who formed a council over the churches of each city.” There’s always an agenda behind every heresy. They just despise authority.
It’s clear from all of the earliest records that Clement of Rome, Ignatius, and Polycarp were bishops over vast regions of land (Clement over all of Rome, Ignatius over all of Syria, as he says in his epistle, and Polycarp over Asia, as his martyrdom account says). You also have more objective sources like Josephus saying James was the leader over the Christians in Jerusalem. Why would a Jew make that up? The Acts of the Apostles is also clear that James was the one who gave the final “judgment” at the council of Jerusalem.
It’s very fitting for there to be a high bishop and many smaller bishops assisting him, just as there was a high priest and many other priests assisting him.
First of all, you can’t deny that a bishop or elder is a priest because God already called His people a kingdom of priests. So you already believe yourself to be a priest. Or else, what, do you think all Christians are priests except for bishops?
It’s easy to prove that some bishops have more authority than others. Aside from the fact that all Christians are priests (and yet we know some priests are higher in authority than others) and also ignoring the fact that Jesus and Paul and Peter and John all say that a single bishop can be the head of a household, consider the fact that all of the apostles are bishops (Acts 1:20 – “Let his bishopric pass to another…”), implying they’re higher bishops than the bishops they appointed in the cities. The apostles have more authority than the bishops they ordained, so they are an example of a higher bishop. Likewise, some shepherds are above others. “When Christ, the CHIEF shepherd appears….” But if anyone thinks that since Christ is our chief shepherd, there is no diversity of ranks beneath him, consider that Christ makes “some apostles, some prophets, some teachers.” Who would be so audacious as do say the apostles were the same rank as Timothy and Titus, or that Timothy and Titus were of the same rank as the ones they were ordaining to be bishops?
Clement of Rome says there are still Levites, priests, and high priests in the church (referring to deacons, presbyters, and bishops):
These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behooves us to do all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things, being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen. Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him. – 1 Clement, chapter 40-chapter 41
“If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, or anyone of the catalogue of the priesthood…” – Apostolic Constitutions, book 8, Canon 9
Just as there are little bishops and big bishops, there are regular priests and high priests. Just because presbyters and bishops are technically both “bishops” doesn’t mean there’s no distinction in the offices. “But they’re both bishops, so there’s only one office!” That’s like saying high priest and priest are the same office just because they’re both priests! The elder who assists the bishop in charge is ordained to that office while recognizing the authority of his superior.
You should watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjF8MOg_pM&list=PLyqzUejgGmxUTNmysYrPIJHBA9lUybvpN&index=11
Thank you for your reply, but, what do you mean that Josephus said that James was the bishop of Jerusalem? As much as I have read of Antiquites (Those being books 18-20) He never mentions James being in any position, but he only says he was “the brother of Christ” and was stoned thanks to Anani Ananus.
You’re right, he doesn’t explicitly say that he was the bishop, but he confirms the importance of James, implying he’s their leader when he says the Jews who were trying to root out Christianity targeted James specifically. With so many witnesses from the early church, even from non-Christian sources, it’s astonishing that some rebels still deny the existence of a singular bishop over each city from the beginning.