Quickly, now, where's that padlock??
My sense is that God's authority rests where it needs to in order to accomplish God's purpose at the moment. It appears somewhat like a status because it abides on the mature and the stable among us.
Paul fallen away into sin would not have remained the apostle we know.
He was an apostle because he was faithful.
(P.S. Definitely need more smilies at some point but, please, not the one with the automatic weaponry...)