‍Jesus never established an authoritative teaching church

  Gary Hoge  ·  November 4, 2026

‍Jesus certainly commanded his followers to preach the Gospel. But did he give them authority to teach in his name, or did he leave every Christian to decide for himself what Christianity teaches?

‍Consider what Jesus told the disciples he sent out:

‍Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me (Luke 10:16).

‍That’s a remarkable statement. Jesus didn’t merely tell his representatives to share their opinions or offer their interpretations of Scripture. He identified their teaching authority with his own.

‍And he made that authority even more explicit when he commissioned the apostles:

‍Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19–20).

‍Notice that Jesus didn’t tell the apostles simply to distribute the Scriptures and let everyone work out their meaning. He commanded them to teach, and he commanded their converts to obey what they taught.

‍Nor did he leave them to accomplish this mission without divine assistance. He promised that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13).

‍The Church Exercises Its Authority

‍We don’t have to guess how the apostles understood their commission. The book of Acts tells us.

‍When a controversy arose over whether Gentile converts had to observe the Mosaic Law, the apostles and elders assembled in Jerusalem to settle the matter (Acts 15).

‍They examined the question, reached a decision, and sent their judgment to the churches. Their letter declared:

‍It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements (Acts 15:28).

‍They didn’t simply tell the disputing Christians to study the Scriptures and decide for themselves. They settled the controversy and expected the churches to accept their decision.

‍And that’s exactly how their decision was treated. Acts 16:4 tells us:

‍As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

‍The apostles weren’t merely offering advice. They were exercising authority.

‍An Authority That Would Continue

‍Nor was this authority intended to disappear when the apostles died.

‍Near the end of his life, Paul instructed Timothy:

‍And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2).

‍Notice that Paul wasn't merely telling Timothy to preserve his teaching during Timothy's own lifetime. He was instructing him to entrust it to others who would be qualified to teach still others. That's four generations of Christian teachers, beginning with Paul himself. Clearly, the responsibility for preserving and transmitting apostolic teaching wasn't supposed to end with the apostles.

‍Paul also instructed Titus to appoint elders in every town (Titus 1:5), and required those elders to hold firmly to the trustworthy message so they could encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who opposed it (Titus 1:9).

‍And Christians were expected to listen to these leaders. The author of Hebrews instructed believers to “have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority” (Hebrews 13:17). Paul told Titus to “encourage and rebuke with all authority” (Titus 2:15), and instructed the Thessalonians to respect those who cared for them in the Lord and admonished them (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13).

‍These weren’t merely respected individuals whose opinions Christians were free to accept or reject. They were recognized leaders with authority to teach, correct, and govern the Church.

‍This wasn’t a system in which every believer was his own final authority on Christian doctrine. It was a Church with recognized teachers, entrusted with preserving and transmitting the faith.

‍And Paul described that Church as:

‍God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

‍So Did Jesus Establish an Authoritative Teaching Church?

‍The New Testament tells us that Jesus commissioned the apostles to teach in his name, commanded others to listen to them, promised them divine assistance, and established a Church in which their teaching would be preserved and handed on.

‍It also shows us that the apostles exercised that authority, settled doctrinal controversies, and expected Christians to obey their decisions.

‍The claim that Jesus never established an authoritative teaching Church isn’t merely unsupported by Scripture. It’s contradicted by Scripture.