Does a church that doesn't believe in apostolic succession make it a false church?

Answer 1

NO, TRUE!

Answer 2

Of course. Because that would mean they have no authority from God to do what they choose to do.

Jesus gave power, authority, and specific responsibility only to the men he selected to establish his Church, a Church that he promised to bless and keep, until the end of the age.

And unless he planned for those same men to live forever, and to do all the work themselves, God would have to rely on an orderly system of succession, where the power of God would be passed along to carefully chosen successors.

In the prototype, the old testament Levitical priesthood, power and authority was passed down in a similar fashion, but through blood relatives.

A Gentile Church would need to do it differently, and according to the authority God gave to his apostles and his Church, the system of apostolic succession, by anointing and the the laying on of hands, worked pretty well ... and it still does today.

The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, headed by Jesus Christ, and led here on earth by the Pope and the bishops, is the supreme faith authority for the new covenant age of grace.

Nobody has the power to TAKE authority from God, or to claim that a mere book, even a holy book, GIVES them any specific authority, especially authority that seeks to undermine that which rightly belongs only to the Church.

The Church selected apostolic succession as the correct way of safeguarding the sacred deposit of faith, and carrying its' great work forward.

Those who, due to belief in the faulty faith traditions of men, fail to respect this, simply don't get it.

Answer 3

Part of your question - - "Does a church...? seem to refer to many "churches" in our present day, right?

First, we have to bear in our mind that there should only be one church. And this one true church was established even during the old testament times. But of course, only few people followed it.

This true church was re-established in the new testament times - - "And upon this rock I will build my church...!" And this church has indeed an apostolic succession - - From God to Christ...from Christ to the apostles...from the apostles to a couple more younger ones (like Timothy). After them?...no one else! They were ordered by Christ to "spread the gospel until the ends of the earth" But of course, they only lived for less than a hundred years so they made sure that the gospel would be written for us now to read. Therefore, the bible itself is the continuation of the apostles' preaching...Peter and company - to the jews, and Paul and company to us Gentiles! Listening from the bible means listening to them.

But unfortunately. many people today still attempt to preach what has been preached in the bible...many still prophecies what has been prophecied before...they even established what has been established before? That is the very reason why there are so many "churches" today!

Now tell me - - which of these many churches is false?

Here is a couple of clues - - that true church established on the Rock (which is Christ) does not use images as worship tools,,,not listening to baseless traditions but to the Word alone...condemned pagan festivities like December 25 and Good Friday...etc...

Which one?...

Answer 4

Remember that it was Jesus that did not silence some who were preaching about him who were not of the 12. He let them continue. Remember that it was Paul and Peter who preached about the priesthood of all believers and God who ripped the temple curtain in two when he died- signifying that now all who chose- by His blood could enter into the holy of holies. Jesus said where two or three gather in my name- there I am among them. He did establish the body, but even Paul split from Barnabas over John Mark. They cared for each other but could not agree on what to do over John Mark who has left them. So the went different directions. The church needs to be purified and sometimes that needs to happen from the outside.
On the other side I would argue that any church that does not encourage the priesthood of all believers could be a false church.

Answer 5

No. In fact, If a church believes in apostolic succession, I think it would be a false church. Because it would be based on human authority, and attributing divine authority to that which is human.

Answer 6

Absolutely Not --- the Word of God clearly teaches that the gifts and callings of God are set in the Church by Him and given as He wills. He set some apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers etc, nowhere does it say that there is only ONE apostolic succession. His body is many members but only ONE head - Christ. The hierarchy of the "pope-hood" as in the Catholic Church is simply NOT Biblical. There is only ONE CHURCH or BODY of Christ and that is made up of people who have their sins washed away in the blood of Jesus, no matter what individual "Church name" is above the physical door.

Answer 7

A church that doesn't adhere to the teaching of Christ and the Apostles is a "false church". A church that claims to be "THE" church denies what the Bible teaches, that the true church of God is the spiritual body of Christ made up of all born again believers. The so-called "first Pope" wrote about that to the various congregations scattered about in the 1st century AD.

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.....23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Answer 8

A church that doesn't believe the BIBLE as the inspired Word of God OVER church tradition is a false church.

Answer 9

Best question of the day.

If we believe that the Church is the Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head and all baptized persons are the members - and that the Holy Ghost filled that Body on the first Pentecost...AND that the same Spirit inhabits that Church when she meets in ecumenical Council....then - YES!

The Creed of Nicea is clear: "We believe One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."