Apostolic Succession is Meaningless- Even if it Could be Proven

When people talk about their church being founded by the Apostles of Christ, as if their church is the continuation of the Apostolic churches in the first century AD, the burden of proof for that claim would be upon them if that actually mattered. Proof of such would be meaningless anyways. That is because the Apostles of Christ themselves did not see a church as automatically being recognized by Christ as His own just because they had founded it. They also did not see a church leader as being automatically, continuously of God because they had ordained him.

Overseers ordained by the Apostles fell away right within the very pages of the Bible.

It’s clear from the Book of 3 John that Diotrephes was an Overseer in an Apostolic first century church. Diotrephes turned against the Apostles due to the love he acquired of having the preeminence in the church. The Book of 3 John (read it) is basically John telling his friend Gaius to get out of Diotrephes’ church and start fellowshipping with Demetrius’ church (or perhaps to follow Demetrius in beginning a new church- Demetrius had stayed faithful to the truth and was obviously exemplary as a righteous man who had leadership capabilities).

In the Book of Revelation the risen Jesus confronts seven Apostolic churches (likely founded by the Apostle John who was exiled on the Isle of Patmos at the time and couldn’t minister to these churches in person). Jesus gave him a message which he was to write in a little book and send to these seven churches. It’s evident by reading Revelation chapters 2 and 3 that being founded by the Apostles didn’t make these churches godly. Jesus even threatened to remove the candlestick of certain churches if they didn’t straighten out quickly (which obviously implies that He would disown the church and no longer regard it as His own).

Revelation 2:5 (to the Church of Ephesus): “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Several other churches were given warnings with the same implication. It would be better for the church to disband and cease existing than for darkness to prevail within it. Longevity is also no reliable proof of a church which Christ recognizes as His own.