IQ: As it turns out, that was not the case. It took several hundred years to settle on the canon.
I made that very clear in my post on the compilation of the NT.
the Church is not a disembodied spirit, it is the Body of Christ present on earth. Christ founded only one Church that had a defined leadership
Exactly. Every church (as a building) under a bishop provides fullness of faith and sacraments, regardless of size or location. Individual churches are not "body parts," but one and the same Organism.
The Canon was no problem for the local churches.
It was only a problem for the intellectuals.
I made that very clear in my post on the compilation of the NT. the Church is not a disembodied spirit, it is the Body of Christ present on earth. Christ founded only one Church that had a defined leadership
The early church was made up of house churches.(Rom.16:5)
Once the Apostles faded out at the end of the 1st century with the death of John, the local church leadership was composed of individual Pastors (Bishops) and Deacons (1Tim.3, 1Pe.5)
Exactly. Every church (as a building) under a bishop provides fullness of faith and sacraments, regardless of size or location. Individual churches are not "body parts," but one and the same Organism.
There are only two ordinances, adult Baptism (once, as a symbol of faith-1Pe.3:21) and the Lord's Supper, done in remberance of what the Lord did and His physical return to set up His kingdom (1Cor.11).
As for the church, it is a spiritual body, made up of all true believers,(who have believed in the saving work of Christ by faith alone-Rom.5:1, Gal.2:16), making up the Bride of Christ (Eph.1:23, 5:30)
The Roman Catholic system did not even come into existance until the 4th century and has been evolving (leaven-Matthew 13:33) ever since