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quote=rpcca.org]
The early church was based upon a pattern of representative government. The word Presbyterian comes from the Greek term presbuteros meaning elder. It refers to the Apostolic system of choosing leaders from among those who are the wisest members of the church, based upon biblical qualifications.
It literally means ruling by elders, based upon a representative system of government, that is, government by the consent of the people. As time passed, the church began to divert its government from a representative system to an Episcopal hierarchy in ecclesiastical authority.
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We know this much about the filling church offices from the Bible:
- The Twelve Apostles were chosen for their office by Jesus Christ himself, not by the consent of the body of his disciples.
- When Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle in Acts 1:15-26, the body of disciples proposed two candidates to the Apostles for this appointment and Matthias was chosen over Barsabbas by the casting of lots.
- In Acts 6, when the Church needed helpers (deacons) for the daily distribution of food the Apostles told the body of disciples, “[P]ick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.” Although the selection of these deacon candidates was done by the body of disciples, there is no indication that the Apostles were strictly bound to appoint those men. Also, this was not an office of preaching and teaching but an office to oversee the distribution of food.
So, I find no scriptural justification in support of the claim on the webpage that the early Church was a strictly “representative system of government…government by the consent of the people” with regard to the appointment of presbyters.
On the contrary, the Bible explicitly speaks against people choosing their own teachers:3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3)
Scripture shows that presbyters were appointed, not by the congregations, but by the apostles, as in Acts 14:23:23And when they [Barnabas and Paul] had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed. 24Then they passed through Pisid’ia, and came to Pamphyl’ia.
Or, presbyters were appointed by men sent by the apostles, such as Timothy and Titus:5This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you, (Titus 1:5)
Although the body of disciples may have had some role in proposing candidates to the office of presbyter, there is no indication that the Apostles or those appointed by them for the task were strictly bound to appoint the body’s choices. Paul’s instruction to Timothy in reference to the appointment of elders “not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1 Timothy 5:22) and that those who aspire to the office of bishop should “be tested first” (3:10) indicate that the ultimate choice of who is appointed a presbyter resides not with the body of disciples but with those already ordained, with the apostles or those appointed to the task by the apostles.
