I seem to be being induced to try and study the church officers as mentioned in the New Testament church. You don't see a lot of them around at least in the circles I travel in and I have to wonder why the church does not seem to support the infrastructure as laid out when the church was a gleam in the Apostle Paul's eye...the bishop seems to be a high calling and even Jesus was mentioned as being the Bishop of our souls...

1Ti 3:1 This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; Titus 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Clement of Rome



"Through countryside and city [the apostles] preached; and they appointed their earliest converts, testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers. Nor was this a novelty: for bishops and deacons had been written about a long time earlier" (Epistle to the Corinthians 42:4-5 [A.D. 80]).

"Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife for the office of bishop. For this reason, therefore, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those who have already been mentioned, and afterwards added the further provision that, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry.

"As for these, then, who were appointed by them, or who were afterwards appointed by other illustrious men with the consent of the whole Church, and who have ministered to the flock of Christ without blame . . . we consider it unjust that they be removed from the ministry" (Epistle to the Corinthians 44:1-3 [A.D. 80]).

Clement was a disciple of the Apostles.


Didache:

"Elect for yourselves, therefore, bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, humble men and not lovers of money, truthful and proven; for they also serve you in the ministry of the prophets and teachers. Do not, therefore, despise them for they are honorable men." (15:1 [A.D. 140, possibly as early at A.D. 70]).

Ignatius of Antioch

"Take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God and with the presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me." (Epistle to the Magnesians 6:1 [A.D. 110]).

"Take care, therefore, to be confirmed in the decrees of the Lord and of the apostles, in order that in everything you do, you may prosper in body and soul, in faith and love, in Son and in Father and in Spirit, in beginning and in end, together with your most reverend bishop; and with that fittingly woven spiritual crown, the presbytery; and with the deacons, men of God. Be subject to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was subject to the Father, and the apostles were subject to Christ and to the Father, so that there may be unity in both body and spirit" (Epistle to the Magnesians 13:1-2 [A.D. 110]).

Irenaeus

"It is necessary to obey those who are the presbyters in the Church, those who, as we have shown, have succession from the apostles; those who have received, with the succession of the episcopate, the sure charism of truth according to the good pleasure of the Father. But the rest, who have no part in the primitive succession and assemble wheresoever they will, must be held in suspicion" (Against Heresies 4:26 [A.D. 180]).



Take note that these are from men from only 45 years after Christ was crucified to around 145 years after. These are from the men who were taught by the Apostles. The earliest church had a definite hierarchy which firmly established authority. Starting from the Holy Spirit, to the Apostles and then to those appointed by the Apostles. There is nothing in all of history or Scripture that indicates that God changed this plan.

God BLess,
K.D.

Yes, the Bible does mention bishops but not in the same capacity as today's religious establishment.

Like the word "saints", the word "bishop" has been commonly misunderstood. Many think of of a bishop as a minister of superior rank, having authority over a group of other ministers or churches. This idea is reflected in the word "cathedral", which comes from cathedra, meaning "throne." A cathedral, unlike other churches, is the one in which the throne of the bishop is located.

But turning to the Bible, all ministers are called bishops--not just ministers of certain cities. Paul instructed Titus to "ordain elders in every city" (Titus 1:5), and then went on to speak of these elders as bishops (verse 7). When Paul instructed "the elders" of Ephesus, he said: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to the flock over which the Holy Ghost hasth made you overseers (bishops), to feed (pastor) the church of God" (Acts 20:17,28). This word translated "overseers" is the same word that is elsewhere translated bishops. The word "feed" means the same as the word translated pastor. --all of these ministers were referred to as elders, bishops, overseers, and pastors--all of these expressions referring to exactly the same office. Plainly enough, a bishop--in the Scriptures--was not a minister of a large city who sat on a throne and exercised authority over a group of other ministers. Each church had its elders and these elders were bishops. This was understood by Martin Luther. "But as for the bishops that we NOW have", he remarked, "of these the Scriptures know nothing; they were instituted... so that one might ruler over many ministers." (Durant, The Story of Civilization: The Age of Faith, pp.786,787)

Even before the New Testament was completed, it was needful to give warnings about the doctrine of the "Nicolaitines" (Rev.2:6). According to Scofield, the word "Nicolaitines" comes from nikao, "to conquer", and laos "laity", which, if correct, "refers to the earlist form of the notion of a preiestly order. or 'clergy', which later divided an equal brotherhood (Mat.23:8), into 'priests' and 'laity'." (Durant, The Story of Civilization: The Reformation, pg.23)

The word "priest" in a very real sense belongs to every Christian believer--not just ecclesiastical leaders. Peter instructed ministers not to be "lords over God's heritage" (1Peter 5:1-3). The word translated "heritage" is kleeron and means "clergy". As the Matthew Henry Commentary explains, all the children of God are given the "title of God's heritage, or clergy...the word is never restrained in the New Testament to the minister of religion only.

In rejecting an artificial division between "clergy" and "laity", this is not to say that ministers should not receive proper respect and honor, "especially they who labor in the word" (1 Tim. 5:17). In the New Testament, the full work of a church was not placed on one individual. Churches were commonly pastored by a plurality of elders, as numerous scriptures show. "The ordained elders (plural) in every church" (Acts 14:19-23) and in "every city" (Titus 1:5). Expressions such as "the elders" (plural) of the church" are commonly used (Acts 20:17; James 5:14).

All who have been washed from their sins by the blood of Christ are "priests unto God" and are a "royal priesthood" (Rev. 1:6; 1Peter 2:9). The priesthood of all believers is clearly the New Testament position. But as men exalted themselves as "lords over God's heritage", people were taught that they needed a priest to whom they could tell their sins, a priest must sprinkle them, a priest must give them their last rites, a priest must say masses for them, etc.
They were taught to depend upon a human priest, while the true high priest, the Lord Jesus, was obscured from their view by a dark cloud of man-made traditions.

Unlike Elihu who did not want to give flattering titles unto man" (Job 32:21), those who exalted themselves as "lords" over the people began to take unto themselves titles which were unscriptural, and --in some cases--titles that should belong only to God. As a warning against this practice, Jesus said, "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. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Mat.23:9-12)

It is difficult to understand how a church claiming to have Christ as its founder--after a few centuries--would begin to use the very titles that He said NOT to use. Nevertheless, the bishop of Rome began to be called by the title "pope", which is only a variation of the word "father."

-Nitevision

The usual thought provoking and informative rendering of the scripture...thanks and I see the slant against Catholicism...I am reminded that "isms" are related to works of men...."ity" is a work of God...I will continue in prayerful study on this topic with the added weight of this instruction....it is an area in which I am weak....



I was wondering about the Nicolatians just a few days ago and wondering why it is said by the glorified Christ to John the revelator that it is a thing which Christ hates and yet it is not detailed in order that one might perceive the reason behind the statement..." which thing I hate." (Rev 2:15)