You wrote:
“But, no, you may wish to “reduce everything” to something that Rome has taught, but it is clearly not definitive.”
Actually it is definitive. Even heretics, right up until a few hundred years ago, admitted there was an organization/institution established by Christ. The “invisible church” crowd resorts to its belief precisely because it is the only possible way to trick or fool someone into not believing the obvious truth: Christ established a visible Church.
“In I Cor., Paul is arguing that the Grecian penchant for polished speakers had clouded their recognition of good, solid doctrine. Apollos may have been better on his feet, and smoother with his tongue, but Paul had been taught directly by Jesus. How could there have been a need to explain if everyone knew that there was just one central authority?”
Because people are sinners and sometimes do stupid things. Is Jesus a central authority? If He is, then why didn’t the APostles believe Him when He said - three times in ever greater detail - that He would be put to death (and would rise again)? The very Apostles who had known Jesus for three years, watched Him perform miracles, walk on water, raise the dead, etc. didn’t believe Him.
“Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians is to the solidarity of the Gospel itself, not his right to control nor to Apollos’ eloquence or superior wisdom. Both just watered/planted, God caused the growth. Paul even notes that some groups did not recognize his apostleship but that did not stop him.”
It did not stop him from proclaiming his Apostleship either. The very word apostle shows that he was sent. And before he began his great career as one who was sent he stayed with Peter. Paul operated with the authority given to him.
“Titles and roles meant little to him and he would publicly spank Peter(Gal. 2).”
No. His own title of Apostle obviously meant quite a bit to him. At the same time, he rebuked Peter to his face and was right to do so.
“And, this kind of wrestling to see the truth, my FRiend was done in all the ekklasiai (plural). Read the whole story. There was not a neat and clean little “headquarters”. There were multiple “gatherings/assemblies”, not a central organization.”
No. The Church was one, but had many “assemblies”. Still does. The Church was the central authority and it was clearly an organization/institution established by God.
Well put, thanks for posting.
>>>”Christ established a visible Church.”
That’s the bottom line and one can’t read Acts and Paul’s letters without realizing this.
Well, we shall see when this is all over who is correct...the monstrosity called the RCC, or the small gatherings which teach the Gospel.