"In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them 'their own position of teaching authority.' Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time." -- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 77
BIBLE QUESTIONS FOR PROTESTANTS: APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
BIBLE QUESTIONS FOR PROTESTANTS: APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
"Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me…" Matt 28:18
Question 1: How much power did God give to Christ when He sent Him to earth?
A: All power in heaven, but none on earth
B. Some power in heaven and on earth
C. ALL power in heaven and on earth
"As you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world…" John 17:18
Question 2: If God sent Jesus into the world with all power (see Question 1), how did Jesus in turn send his Apostles into the world?
A. In a different way, with different power
B. In the same way, with the same power
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Matt 28:19-20
Question 3: The Apostles had authority to teach and administer sacraments.
A. True
B. False
Question 4: The need for teaching and sacraments will last until the end of the world.
A. True
B. False
Question 5: The authority to teach and administer sacraments must last as long as the need lasts (always, until the end of the age).
A. True
B. False
Question 6: Christ will not be present in His Church at some point before the end of the age.
A. True
B. False
"Amen I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." John 13:20
"The words you gave to me I have given to them…" John 17:8
"Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Luke 10:16
Question 7: Receiving the words and teaching of the Apostles is the same as receiving it from God's own mouth.
A. True
B. False
"Amen I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matt 18:18
Question 8: Does God here promise to ratify any decision of the Apostles to bind and loose?
A. Yes
B. No
Question 9: Can God ratify or approve that which is false or erroneous?
A. Yes
B. No
Question 10: Does that then necessarily mean that any decision of the Apostles to bind or loose must be protected from error by God so that He may ratify it?
A. Yes
B. No
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the spirit of Truth…"
Question 11: The spirit of Truth will remain with the Apostles always.
A: True
B. False
"The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name - he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you." John 14:26
Question 12: The Advocate, which is the spirit of Truth, is the same thing as the Holy Spirit.
A. True
B. False
Question 13: This spirit will be with the Apostles always (see question 13)
A. True
B. False
Question 14: This Spirit, who will remain always, will teach everything to its possessors and remind its possessors of truth they already learned.
A: True
B. False
"But when he comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you to all truth." John 16:13
Question 15: The Holy Spirit will be a guide.
A: True
B: False
Question 16: The Holy Spirit will guide its possessors to:
A. Confusion and disagreement
B. Some truth, with an admixture of error
C. ALL truth
"And when he had said this he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven and whose sins you retain are retained." John 20:22-23
Question 17: How did the Apostles receive their power?
A: From Scripture
B: Directly from Christ, by the gift of the Holy Spirit
Question 18: This power includes the authority to forgive sins and retain them, a power that had previously been reserved for God alone
A. True
B. False
"I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me." John 17:20-23
Question 19: The unity of those who believe in the Apostles' word should be comparable to the unity of God Himself.
A. True
B. False
Question 20: This unity should look like what to the world?
A. An invisible number of believers known only to God that is visibly divided over doctrine, practice and morals.
B. A visible unity that is so astonishing to the world that through it they come to believe in Christ's mission and that God loves His Church as much as He loves Jesus.
"For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'Let his encampment become desolate and may no one dwell in it' and 'May another take his office (episcopen in Greek, literally "Bishopric")…Then they prayed, 'You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.' Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles." Acts 1:20, 24-26
Question 21: Judas' position needed to be filled after he died.
A: True
B: False
Question 22: Judas's position is called an episcopen, or bishopric.
A. True
B. False
Question 23: After taking this office, or bishopric, Matthias filled the position of Judas' apostolic ministry.
A: True
B: False
Question 24: After taking this office, or bishopric, Matthias was considered:
A: Inferior to the original apostles
B: Equal to, but essentially different from the original apostles
C: Equal to the original apostles, taking the place of apostolic ministry from one who had died.
"This saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of Bishop desires a noble task" 1 Tim 3:1
Question 25: a Bishop holds an office:
A. True
B. False
"Command and teach these things. Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching." 1 Tim 4:11-13
Question 26: Timothy, a Bishop, has authority to command and teach his flock.
A. True
B. False
"For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you received through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control...Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us." 2 Tim 1:6, 14
Question 27: Timothy, as a Bishop, possesses a gift from God that he received from:
A. Reading the Scriptures
B. A congregational election
C. The imposition of an Apostle's hands
Question 28: The nature of this gift includes an indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
A. True
B. False
Question 29: Timothy, a Bishop, possesses the same Holy Spirit as the Apostle Paul.
A. True
B. False
Question 30: The Holy Spirit the Apostles received is the Spirit of Truth, that would always remain with them and guide them into ALL truth.
A. True
B. False
Question 31: This Holy Spirit that indwells both the Apostles and the Bishops will help them guard the rich trust of the norm of faith, which is the words of the Apostles.
A. True
B. False
"And what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well." 2 Tim 2:2
Question 32: Timothy has the authority to pass on the rich trust (See question 31) of Apostolic teaching to others.
A. True
B. False
Question 33: The people Timothy appoints to guard this trust will be able in turn to teach others.
A. True
B. False
"For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint Presbyters in every town as I directed you…For a Bishop as God's steward must be blameless…holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and refute opponents. For there are also many rebels, idle talkers and deceivers, especially the Jewish Christians. It is imperative to silence them…Therefore, admonish them sharply, so they may be sound in the faith…" Titus 1:5-13
Question 34: Titus, a Bishop, was to appoint presbyters (from which word we derive the modern word 'priest') in every town.
A. True
B. False
Question 35: Titus, a Bishop, was to oversee these presbyters, or priests.
A. True
B. False
Question 36: A Bishop is a steward of God.
A. True
B. False
Question 37: A Bishop who holds fast to the Apostolic teaching has authority to exhort with sound doctrine and refute opponents.
A. True
B. False
Question 38: Heretics such as rebels and deceivers should be silenced by the Bishop.
A. True
B. False
Question 39: A Bishop's admonitions should be heeded as:
A. Good suggestions
B. One possible interpretation out of many
C. Instruction to make one sound in the faith
"Say these things. Exhort and correct with all authority. Let no one look down on you." Titus 3:15
Question 40: How much teaching authority did Titus as a Bishop receive from the Apostle (See Questions 1 and 2)?
A. Very little
B. Some, with an admixture of error
C. All authority
"After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned." Titus 3:10-11
Question 41: Titus as a Bishop has the authority to admonish heretics, then break them off from the Communion of the Church. (See also Matt 18:17)
A. True
B. False
"We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of Truth and the spirit of deceit." 1 Jn 4:6
Question 42: We can know the Spirit of Truth for certain in this world.
A. True
B. False
Question 43: The spirit of deceit is that which refuses to hear the teaching authority of the Apostles.
A. True
B. False
Question 44: If the Apostles passed on this teaching authority to the Bishops (see Question 39) how would we distinguish the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of deceit after the death of the apostles?
A. Every Christian now possesses the Spirit of Truth for himself
B. There is no sure way to distinguish it anymore
C. Those who heed the teaching authority of the Bishops follow God, but those who refuse to heed it follow the spirit of deceit
"The Presbyter to the chosen Lady and to her children whom I love in truth - and not only I but all who know the truth - because of the truth that dwells in us and will be with us forever…Anyone who is so progressive as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son." 2 Jn 1-2, 9
Question 45: The truth dwells in the Apostles
A. True
B. False
Question 46: The truth will be with us forever
A. True
B. False
Question 47: Those who remain in the teaching Christ gave to the Apostles will have God
A. True
B. False
"Then the apostles and the presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church, … This is the letter delivered by them: 'The apostles and presbyters, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings… It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities…if you keep free from these, you will be doing what is right." Acts 15:22-29
Question 48: The apostles and presbyters, those whom they appointed, met in council to decide a doctrinal dispute.
A. True
B. False
Question 49: The decision they made, both the apostles and those whom they appointed, carried the full authority of a pronouncement by God.
A. True
B. False
Question 50: Their decision not only defined a doctrine, but also established Church rules for moral living that was binding on all the believers everywhere.
A. True
B. False
From these premises of Scripture alone, we see that Christ appointed leaders who would wield His own authority on earth, with the power to teach authoritatively, administer sacraments, and even forgive sins.
These leaders received their authority from the Holy Spirit, which indwells them. This Holy Spirit will remain forever, and its function is to teach, remind, and guard the truth, leading its possessors into ALL truth, and the truth that it gives will be a visible source of great unity comparable to the unity of God Himself. This Spirit of Truth will be recognizable, and will be with us forever.
The Apostles passed on this gift of the Spirit to others by the laying on of their hands. Those they appointed also have the authority to pass on the trust to others. Those who receive this gift have ALL authority, as the apostles did, to teach, correct, administers sacraments, and appoint others after them.
The doctrinal decisions of those who possess this Spirit, both the Apostles and their successors, are infallible, guarded by the Holy Spirit and ratified by God in heaven, and binding on all Christians everywhere.
This teaching we see in Scripture, but is it an accurate understanding of Scripture? What is the historical practice of the Church?
"Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and that there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect foreknowledge of this, they appointed those ministers already mentioned, and afterwards gave instruction, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry". - Pope Clement, "1st Epistle to the Corinthians", 96 AD
"For we ought to receive every one whom the Master of the house sends over His household, as we would do Him that sent him. It is manifest, therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we look upon the Lord Himself, standing, as he does, before the Lord." - Ignatius of Antioch, "Epistle to the Ephesians" 110 AD
"It is within the power of all, therefore in every church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world; and we are in a position to reckon up to those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the churches, and to demonstrate the SUCCESSION of these men down to our own time…" - Irenaeus, "Against Heresies", 190 AD(emphasis mine)
"Since by the imposition of hand we receive the Episcopate, that is, the Holy Ghost as a guest of our heart, let us offer no cause of grief to Him who shares a dwelling with us." - St Cyprian, "Epistle 66", c. 245 AD
The writings of the Church Fathers, even in the first two centuries of the Church, clearly demonstrate that the idea of the bishop as a lawfully appointed successor of the apostles, with the authority and dignity of Christ Himself, ordained by the imposition of hands, and a guardian of the Apostolic Tradition, is not only biblical, but is consistent with the practice of the Church even as early as the first century AD, while the Apostle John was yet living.
