Jesus Christ Build His Church: Biblical Authority Without a Papacy

J.A.O. Vergara | January 2026 

For many seeking to follow Christ today, the most vital question is: How did the first generation of believers live out their faith before the rise of complex traditions and centralized institutions? 

This article does not intend to devalue established institutions or the history of Christian traditions; rather, it is written to encourage believers in the absolute Lordship of Christ, affirming that He alone is the head of His church. 

The history of the Christian faith is a rich tapestry woven with centuries of tradition, devotion, and growth. For many believers today, there is a profound and respectful interest in exploring the earliest chapters of this journey—the foundational years of the first century. This article seeks to explore the scriptural and historical landscape of that era, not to diminish the developments of later centuries, but to celebrate the enduring Lordship of Christ as the head of His church. By reflecting on the "blueprint" found in the New Testament, we can appreciate the vibrant, decentralized fellowship of the early believers who were united by a shared passion for the Gospel and a commitment to the teachings of the Apostles.

1. The Spread of the Gospel: Beyond a Single Center

While history often focuses on the role of Rome in later centuries, the Bible shows that the light of the Gospel radiated from Jerusalem to every corner of the known world with remarkable speed. Before Christianity was granted "official" status by any government, believers were already flourishing in diverse cultural hubs, meeting in homes and marketplaces as a spiritual family rather than a political organization:

• Antioch: This city was a massive cosmopolitan center where the followers of Jesus were first called "Christians" (Acts 11:26). It served as the primary sending base for international missions, proving that the early church looked to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and local leadership rather than a distant Roman capital.

• Ephesus, Corinth, and Philippi: These were thriving centers across Greece and Asia Minor where local churches were established through the preaching of the Word. Each congregation was taught to be self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating, long before any centralized hierarchy or "mother church" in the West attempted to claim authority over them.

• Africa and Asia: Early historical accounts and oral traditions suggest that the message reached as far as Ethiopia and India through the work of Apostle Philip and Apostle Thomas. These communities operated for centuries entirely independently of any Western influence, preserving the original simplicity of the faith in cultures vastly different from the Latin-speaking world.

2. Leadership in the New Testament: A Network of Equals

A close reading of the New Testament reveals that the early church functioned as a network of autonomous local bodies. Leadership was not a top-down pyramid or a monarchical system, but a fellowship of "laborers together with God," where every leader was accountable to the Word.

The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15): This was a pivotal moment in the early church's history. When a dispute arose regarding whether Gentile converts needed to follow Mosaic Law, the leaders did not appeal to a single supreme human head for a final decree. Instead, they gathered in Jerusalem for a collective deliberation characterized by prayer and scriptural reflection.

During this council, Apostle Peter shared his experiences with the Gentiles, Apostle Paul and Apostle Barnabas reported on the miracles occurring among the uncircumcised, and Apostle James (the recognized leader in the Jerusalem congregation) provided the final scriptural judgment. The resulting letter was sent out in the name of the "apostles and elders, with the whole church" (Acts 15:22). This demonstrates that authority was shared, collective, and rooted in a consensus guided by the Holy Spirit, not in the dictates of one man.

The Incident at Antioch (Galatians 2): Even the most prominent leaders were held accountable to the Truth. When Apostle Peter acted inconsistently with the Gospel by withdrawing from Gentile believers to appease a certain group, Apostle Paul corrected him "to his face." This event serves as a powerful biblical reminder that in the eyes of the early church, the Truth of the Gospel was supreme over any individual’s status or office. There was no concept of an "infallible" leader who was beyond the reach of fraternal correction.

3. Entrusting the Truth: Biblical Authority Without a Papacy

A vital question for Bible-seekers is how authority was passed down once the Apostles were no longer present. While some traditions argue for a centralized "apostolic succession" through a single office like the papacy, the New Testament establishes a different, more localized pattern for preserving the faith through generations.

• Succession of Truth, Not Just Office: The New Testament emphasizes the passing on of sound doctrine rather than a mystical transfer of power to one supreme individual. Apostle Paul instructed his protege in 2 Timothy 2:2: "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." The "succession" here is the faithful transmission of the Word from one generation of teachers to the next.

• The Authority of Local Elders: The Bible establishes that the governance of the church belongs to local elders (also called bishops or overseers) within each congregation. In Acts 14:23, it is recorded that Apostle Paul and Apostle Barnabas "appointed elders for them in each church"—not one bishop for an entire region, but a plurality of leaders for each local body.

• Direct Biblical Mandate for Local Leaders: To encourage local church leaders, the New Testament provides clear mandates regarding their authority and responsibility:

• Acts 20:28: "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." This verse confirms that a local leader’s authority is given directly by the Holy Spirit to care for their specific congregation.

• 1 Peter 5:2-3: Apostle Peter himself instructs local leaders: "Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care... not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." * Titus 1:5: Apostle Paul told Titus, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you."

• The Sufficiency of the Word: This model ensures that the church remains "Bible-based." By having local leadership accountable to the local congregation and the written Scriptures, the church avoids the risk of a single point of failure or the corruption of a centralized human hierarchy.

4. Understanding Apostle Peter: Biblical Role vs. Historical Dogma

A common point of discussion among Christians is the role of Apostle Peter. It is important for the Bible-seeker to distinguish between Apostle Peter’s vital ministry as a pioneer in the New Testament and the later, more expansive titles attributed to him by institutional history.

• The Biblical Record: Biblically, Apostle Peter was indeed a "pillar" of the early church (Galatians 2:9) and a lead speaker during the day of Pentecost. However, the New Testament does not describe him as a "Pope" or as having supreme jurisdiction over the other Apostles. In his own writing, he identifies himself not as a "Prince of the Apostles," but simply as a "fellow elder" (1 Peter 5:1).

• The Council Authority: As documented in Acts 15, Apostle Peter did not issue the final ruling at the Council of Jerusalem; that role fell to Apostle James. This further supports the understanding that Apostle Peter operated as part of a council of equals, where his voice was influential but not absolute.

• Correction and Accountability: The rebuke in Galatians 2:11-14 reinforces that Apostle Peter was subject to the same scriptural accountability as any other believer. When his behavior strayed from the "truth of the gospel," he was corrected by Apostle Paul, showing that there was no human leader above the Word of God.

• The Historical Timeline: The formal recognition of Apostle Peter as the "First Pope" is a product of development over many centuries. While early writers like Saint Irenaeus (c. 180 AD) listed Apostle Peter as a founding figure in the Roman church alongside Apostle Paul, it was not until the First Vatican Council in 1870 that the Roman Catholic Church officially and dogmatically defined the "Primacy of Peter" and Papal Infallibility as mandatory beliefs.

5. Why the Papacy is Not Universal to All Christians

While the Roman Catholic Church views the papacy as a universal office intended for the entire body of Christ, a vast number of Christians throughout history and today do not recognize this claim. Their stance is rooted in clear historical and scriptural realities that show the early church was far more diverse than a single Roman center would suggest:

• Jurisdictional Independence: In the first several centuries, the Christian world was organized into several major centers known as the Pentarchy: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. Each was considered a "sister church" with its own local authority. The Eastern churches viewed the Bishop of Rome as a "first among equals" in honor, but they never accepted the idea that he had the power to command churches outside his own Western territory.

• Geographic and Cultural Isolation: Many ancient Christian communities—such as the Church of the East in Persia, the Saint Thomas Christians in India, and the Ethiopian Orthodox in Africa—existed entirely outside the Roman Empire. These groups flourished for a millennium without any administrative connection to the Roman papacy, following the original decentralized pattern of the Apostles. Their existence proves that Christianity was never intended to be tied to one specific city or political ruler.

• Language and Governance: The early church was linguistically diverse, speaking Greek, Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian. The push for Roman "universal" authority was largely a Latin-speaking phenomenon that gained momentum as the Western Roman Empire began to collapse. Eastern believers maintained that the "head" of the church is not a man in a specific city, but Christ alone, who governs His church through His Word and Spirit everywhere.

• The Lack of Scriptural Warrant: Bible-based Christians highlight that the New Testament contains no command for the believers in Ephesus, Galatia, or Colossae to submit to a bishop in Rome. The letters written by Apostle Paul were addressed to local congregations, instructing them to be self-governing under local elders (Titus 1:5) and the authority of the Scriptures, with no mention of a central earthly headquarters.

6. From Persecuted Sect to Global Institution

For the first 300 years, Bible-based Christians met in homes, catacombs, and simple gathering places. They were a "persecuted sect," which kept the focus on spiritual purity, shared brotherhood, and the expectation of Christ's return rather than political power or ornate architecture.

The transition began in the 4th Century (around 313 AD) when the faith was legalized in the North-Western region of the empire—specifically in Rome—by Saint Constantine (Emperor Constantine). This period saw the formal establishment of the Roman Catholic Church as a state-sanctioned institution. While this ended the era of martyrdom within the empire, it also marked a period where the church began to adopt the administrative structures, secular titles (like Pontifex Maximus), and hierarchical styles of the Roman government. The church building often became a Basilica—originally a Roman courthouse—and the leadership began to mirror the Roman civil service.

Crucially, many congregations located outside the borders of the Roman Empire—in regions like Persia or further East—did not follow this path of centralization or "Romanization." These communities continued to adopt and maintain the 1st-century church structure, remaining independent of the Roman political and religious system. This historical reality teaches the modern seeker that the Church of the Bible existed and thrived long before it was ever organized into a state-recognized institution.

7. Returning to the Pattern

For the Bible-based Christian, the goal is to look past the layers of human tradition and political structures that accumulated over the centuries and return to the original simplicity and power of the New Testament. This involves embracing three core pillars that defined the faith of the Apostles:

1. Christ as the Only Head: (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) Recognizing that no man on earth holds supreme authority over the global body of believers. Our allegiance is to the King of Kings alone.

2. The Bible as the Only Rule of Faith: (2 Timothy 3:16) Trusting that Scripture is "breathed out by God" and is sufficient for teaching, reproof, and training in righteousness without the need for additional "official" dogmas or human decrees.

3. The Priesthood of All Believers: (1 Peter 2:9) Understanding that every believer has direct access to God through Christ. Every Christian is called to be a minister of the Gospel, not just a passive observer in a hierarchy.

By focusing on these principles, we align ourselves not with a specific earthly headquarters or a human organization, but with the eternal "Church of the Firstborn" and the faith that was "once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3).