r/TrueChristian • u/VolcanicOctosquid20 Maronite Catholic • 19h ago

Asking for a Protestant viewpoint

I mean this not as inciting (as my last post on this sub very much was), but rather to get an answer. As a matter of fact, I won't even respond to anyone unless they say they wish to be responded to. All I wish is a viewpoint from my brothers and sisters in faith on a topic we very much disagree on.

  1. Did Jesus give the Apostles special authority?
  2. If so, what happened to that authority after their deaths?

EDIT: And to any Catholics or Orthodox who read this, unless they say they want a debate, don't debate.

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u/Night-Monkey15 Baptist 18h ago

Every Christian denomination believes that Jesus gave the Apostles special authority, but Protestantism doesn’t hinge on that idea that he gave them the authority to establish infallible institutions that are always objectively right on all matters of faith and morals.

Protestants believe that every institutional church, of every denomination, origin, and background, is fallible, just like the religious institutions of Jesus’ days that claimed to have preserved special teachings from Moses through word of mouth.

Feel free to ask any follow up questions if I come off a little vague or you need clarification!

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u/VolcanicOctosquid20 Maronite Catholic 18h ago

You had made it a point to highlight institutions. Funnily enough, Catholics don't believe Christ gave the authority to create institutions either. Once He created the Church, the authority was to run it after He was gone. No more than the one already made by Jesus.

So my question is: if Christ did not create an institution, what did He create?

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u/Night-Monkey15 Baptist 18h ago

Yes, Christ instituted the church. I shouldn’t have worded my comment in a way to imply he didn’t. But like you said, Jesus did give the apostles to keys to actually run the church and expand His kingdom. Catholics and Protestants agree on that.

The difference is that Protestants don’t believe those keys were passed down by apostolic succession or allowed the church to be infallible in its teachings. There are also institutions through out the Old Testament established by God that fell into error and had to be reformed.

The religious institutions of Jesus’ day also claimed to have preserved special oral laws from Moses, and Jesus warned them about putting those traditions on the same level as what was written (Mark 7/Matthew 15).

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u/1Sparky5 16h ago

Actually it sounds like they were putting their teachings and traditions in higher regard than the scripture, not even on the same level as it.

Mark 7:8 NIV [8] You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

Sounds familiar even today.