Covenant Reformed News – February 2021 • Volume XVIII, Issue 10
This article examines the apostolic authority in the early church, focusing on the apostles' ruling power including discipline, excommunication, ordination of office-bearers, and oversight of congregations. The author argues that apostolic authority was unique and foundational to the church, distinguishing it from the ongoing authority of elders and other church officers that continues today. The resource draws on New Testament texts to establish the biblical basis for understanding apostolic governance and its distinction from subsequent church leadership.
The Apostles’ Authority to Rule and Show Mercy Besides teaching authority, as we saw in the last instalment of the News, the apostles also possessed ruling authority under Christ and in His church. The apostles included in their office the authority of elders. Thus Cephas wrote, “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder” (I Pet. 5:1). Unlike elders, however, the apostles did not only serve one church; they itinerated. The apostles had the authority to discipline church...