In the absence of the apostles, the church began to drift toward the organizational patterns of the surrounding culture. Part of this influence came from Judaism and the Synagogues, but the most damaging influence came from Roman imperialism. We believe these influenced the existence of the “church” as we know it today and it offers a clear contrast from the unique simple pattern developed by the apostles. Again, this change should not be surprising, given the warnings that end the revelation of Scripture. At the very least, whatever pattern that emerges after the apostles should be carefully tested.
God’s people had been given the notable teachings of Christ that were preserved in writing. They had been given the Holy Spirit to guide them through the work of the Apostles and through the spiritual gifts. No difficulty existed in understanding how to behave in the house of God, the church of the Living God. The difficulty came when men differed in their interpretation of Christ’s nature and other controversial issues and felt compelled to defend their understanding of the doctrine of Christ. Eventually, an organization of men, with the authority to call the shots, was developed that resembled the Jewish priesthood. It was designated as “the church.” They knew to take seriously the need for uniformity of teaching and practice. Control is their greatest concern to ensure this uniformity. In its absence, the result would be religious chaos. With so much confusion, the “church fathers” had to establish their presence as authority figures that would fix the order among all who claim to be Christians. Much of the writings of the fathers reveal that they sought to establish order in a way very similar to Paul. If they (the church hierarchy) couldn’t be somewhere in person, they wrote letters in response to those who were influenced by perceived false teachers. False teachers were heretical and strongly denounced once the decreed label was affixed. In this way, the church (which is now redefined to mean an organization or institution) may control what is the true doctrine of Christ. In other words, they became the defenders of orthodoxy. To be successful in controlling errors, the push for the authority of bishops was a huge priority. In the midst of other religious influences (Ex. Gnostics), and a divided front, the church fathers, even as early as Ignatius, demanded that each geographical area be placed under the power or control of a leading bishop who had the complete authority of practice and doctrine. According to him, nothing could be done without their presence.