The Biblical Case for Apostolic Succession

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Is Timothy Paul's successor in Ephesus?

[00:00:02]>> Yes.

[00:00:02]>> Okay. Did Paul say, "I didn't appoint anybody else." You're the appointed person in Ephesus.

[00:00:07]>> Yes. And for disputes among the elders, he tells them to go to Timothy.

[00:00:11]>> Yes. Exactly. So, if that's the case, and then he also tells Timothy, you yourself don't lay hands on anyone hastily unless they be etc, etc. A good person, a good a man of good report.

[00:00:23]Because he says, the Holy Spirit is given through the laying on of hands.

[00:00:28]Right.

[00:00:29]>> Yeah. Okay. Can you name a Protestant church or denomination that teaches that there's a historical giving of the Holy Spirit through the laying audience?

[00:00:43]>> What's up, man?

[00:00:43]>> Hey, what's up, Jake? Um, so I come from a Church of Christ restorationist background and I've been studying up on orthodoxy a lot and I the the biggest thing that um that I'm coming across that I'm having trouble understanding is the three-fold hierarchy of bishop, priest, and deacon. From my research, the no matter how far back I I seem to be able to go, I can only see like elders or presitters and deacons.

[00:01:17]>> Yeah, but elder and preser and presbitter can be used for either a bishop or a priest. So that that itself doesn't tell us anything. And the basis if you if you want to go back the model is from the Levitical model. So you got high priest, you got priest, and you got Levi. That's the three-fold model that you see in the New Testament.

[00:01:41]>> But it seems like Jesus fulfills that type of the the high priest.

[00:01:46]>> Have you read Have you read Ignatius?

[00:01:48]Have you read Ignatius's epistles?

[00:01:50]>> I have. And doesn't he say the Doesn't he say the >> Doesn't he say the bishop? The bishop.

[00:01:56]>> Yeah. and and and I understand that he's trying to get people to unite with the bishops who are connected with, you know, the apostles or the disciples of the apostles as a way to create unity to battle against Gnostics and and docitus and that type of thing. But it seems like that's almost a it it just seems like it's a change from what Paul and Timothy and Titus and guys like that went around setting up. How is it a change when it's literally based on what Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus? Paul says, "I appointed you Timothy in Ephesus." Nobody else has that authority. So, isn't Timothy Paul's successor in Ephesus?

[00:02:37]>> Yes. But he also tells Timothy and Titus to, you know, set what is in order in each city and go and then move on to the next city.

[00:02:45]essentially not to stay there as a bishop, but to basically train up these men to be elders and lead those congregations.

[00:02:54]>> No. So that >> where does he say not to Oh, no. No.

[00:02:56]Where does he say not to stay in Ephesus just because he tells them to ordain bishops in in all the provinces?

[00:03:03]>> I'm talking specifically about uh Titus, not necessarily Timothy.

[00:03:06]>> Okay. So, was Timothy the is Timothy the bishop of >> Ephesus?

[00:03:10]>> Okay. Is Timothy Paul's successor in Ephesus?

[00:03:14]>> Yes. Okay. Did Paul say, "I didn't appoint anybody else." You're the appointed uh person in Ephesus.

[00:03:20]>> Yes. And for disputes among the elders, he tells them to go to Timothy.

[00:03:24]>> Yes. Exactly. So, if that's the case, and then he also tells Timothy, you yourself don't lay hands on anyone hastily unless they be etc, etc., a good person, a good a man of good report.

[00:03:38]because he says the Holy Spirit is given through the laying on of hands. Right?

[00:03:44]Remember that?

[00:03:45]>> Yeah.

[00:03:46]>> Okay. Can you name a Protestant church or denomination that teaches that there's a historical giving of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands?

[00:03:57]>> Uh not in the authoritative way that you know orthodoxy sees that. You know, people will say, "Well, Larry's just bestowing spiritual gifts or the ability to do miracles or something."

[00:04:08]>> No, no. He said, he says, "You after yourself." He says, "Commit what I gave to you in the presence of many witnesses what you heard from me for three years."

[00:04:19]Because Paul was catechizing and teaching for three years in Ephesus according to Acts 20, day and night. And he says, "Don't ordain them too fast because if they're a new convert, they'll be puffed up." And he says, "The ones that you do choose, commit that that I that I taught you, that catechesus, unto them." And he says, "Because the giving of the Holy Spirit is through that." So he's not just talking about charismatic miracles. He's talking about the successor after Timothy in Ephesus. I mean, do you agree or not?

[00:04:46]>> No, I I agree. I'm I'm just thinking, >> right? So So here's the challenge on that point. Name any Protestant confession or denomination that teaches that there's a giving of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.

[00:05:02]>> Right. Yeah. To my knowledge, there's not one.

[00:05:04]>> Exactly. So, no Protestants actually believe what Paul is saying to Timothy because their whole arguments are predicated on doctrinal succession.

[00:05:14]That's what almost all of the Protestants at least classically have argued. And specifically, their arguments rest in denying an actual >> laying on of hands that transfers the Holy Spirit. But why would they do that unless their whole position was actually predicated on denying the historical continuity?

[00:05:31]>> Sure. Yeah, that makes sense.

[00:05:32]>> Okay. So, in Acts, right, are you aware that it says, "Let another take his episcopacy."

[00:05:38]>> Where where is that >> in Acts? When it says in ver Acts 1 verse 20, when Judas dies.

[00:05:47]>> Okay. And in verse 20 it says, ' Let another take his office. The word is episcopose, which is where we get episcopal church government from. Why is there a successor to Judas on the Protestant position >> for the Protestant? I can't speak for Protestants, but it it would be that there would have to be, you know, the the 12 apostles uh that are establishing doctrine and setting up the church.

[00:06:11]>> But why does there have to be >> the type of the 12 tribes of Israel?

[00:06:15]Okay. But when the apo on the Protestant position, when the apostles die, that's it. So why would they elect a successor to a fallen apostate apostle? I mean on the Protestant position, is there a su they don't believe there's a successor to Peter. So why is there a successor to Jesus?

[00:06:31]>> Yeah, I mean that's that's a good question. I don't have an answer, but that is a good question.

[00:06:35]>> So when Jesus says to the apostles, >> he who hears you hears me. And then Paul says to Timothy, I appointed you and he who hears you hears me, Paul. Right?

[00:06:48]>> Is that not the point that we're making?

[00:06:50]So it goes from Jesus to Paul to Timothy and then Paul says, "You Timothy do the same thing to those after you?" This is the end of the Protestant position.

[00:07:00]>> Yeah. So basically it's that Timothy and Titus are bishops. And the the premise or the idea would be that even as like specifically in Titus's case, it when he went around to other cities, the the elders that he would or the priests that he would establish there would continue to appeal to him as their bishop. Correct.

[00:07:23]>> Uh I'm sorry, I was look somebody said something to me in the chat here. Could you repeat that? Say that again.

[00:07:29]uh the like especially in Titus's case, it the position would essentially be almost that as Titus went around Creed or other places to other cities.

[00:07:43]>> Yeah.

[00:07:43]>> Uh setting up, you know, establishing churches and >> appointing, you know, priests. They would even as he traveled around, they would continue to appeal to him as their bishop. Right.

[00:07:56]>> Yes. until until there was a local episcopacy established.

[00:08:02]>> Sure.

[00:08:02]>> And that's why when we when we go to Ignatius, we see the same thing, right?

[00:08:06]We see the exact same basic idea of Ignatius saying where the bishop is, there is the church. The bishop represents God the Father to the congregation.

[00:08:16]>> Gotcha. I appreciate it, Jake. That's all that's all I had. Thanks for the explanation.

[00:08:21]>> Yeah. No, great questions. Uh really good questions. Appreciate those.

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