When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus these
words
“And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ…”
We might come away at first blush with the premise that all
offices are in play up to the current time. I mean, certainly, it would seem by
all accounts that we have not: come to a unity (universality) of the faith,
our knowledge is still incomplete to bring us possibly to perfection and the
full stature we would have in Christ. So the conclusion is the offices of
Apostle, Prophet, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers must be not only present today
but essential in the operation of a fully functional church in any sense.
Well there you have it, the argument for Modern Day
Apostles, it is right there in the Bible written by perhaps the most revered
apostle, Paul himself. Let’s all pack our lunches and start finding places
where these guys are and set up shop.
This is the mindset of many and I have to be frank, I was
one of them at one time. Not to get nasty because I honestly believe these men
and some women (gasp) believe themselves to be apostles. Unfortunately, there
are requirements for them that are not so easily achieved. Paul met many of
these false apostles who on their part claimed credentials for the most part
that they were approved messengers from the esteemed leading apostles on the
counsel of the Jerusalem church. These men would enter the churches Paul had
established with these credentials and preached a false gospel that mixed the
pure gospel of Christ with circumcision.
In the New Testament there are actually two applications of
the word apostle:
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Primary – the primary usage surrounds the
actual apostolic call that was given to the original twelve and Paul. These are
men that were personally called by Jesus Christ to their ministry. We could
call them ‘Apostles TO the Church’ What
this means is covered below.
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Secondary – the secondary usage surrounds
those who accompanied and aided the Primary Apostle in his spreading of the gospel.
We could call them ‘Apostles OF the Church’
This is a good working definition of the usage of term ‘apostle’
as it is used in the bible in a grammatical, contextual and thematic way. One
thing to notice here is the Secondary group of apostles is dependent on the
presence of the Primary group. This secondary group either accompanied the
apostle or was sent as a messenger by the Primary apostle. Let’s stop here for a
moment and ponder this. I think the conclusion we could come to is there is not
necessarily a symbiotic nature to this relationship where both independent
parties find and share in ministries. No, the presence of the secondary group
can only exist as messengers ( the term apostle used in a more general sense
than the specific use of it when applied to the Primary group). For example, John
Calvin had this conclusion regarding Andronicus and Junias when the term
apostle is applied to them: “…he {sic
Paul} calls them Apostles: he uses not this word in its proper and common
meaning but extends it wider, even to all those who not only teach in one
Church, but also spend their labor in promulgating the gospel everywhere…”
(Calvins Commentary of the Epistle to the Romans). So the ‘wider’ usage of
the term is quite different than the primary term in the sense that one is sent/commissioned
by a Primary Apostle for a specified purpose. The key to understanding the
usage here is that we might better interpret the role of this secondary group as
a Relay/deputy of the Primary group.Ths can be said for any of the extraneous people who were mentioned as apostles or at least where mentioned when the term was used: Andronicus, Junias, Timothy, Silvanus, Epaphroditus, possibly Apollos and James. Taking all this into account, explains the
simple count of ‘apostles’ including both the primary and secondary group as
approximately 22 give or take. .
Here
is the first test: Can the ministry of an apostle exist on its
own, independent of any other human person? If it can, then that person qualifies in part as an
apostle in the Primary sense. In other words, their ministry is not dependent
on another person. Of all in the secondary group, we can say in most every
case, their ministry would not be possible without the Primary Apostle. This
discounts them into a secondary group as messengers not apostles in the Primary
sense.
Interestingly, the multi-ethnicity characteristic is
removed from the Primary group. All these men, the Twelve, Matthias, Paul, Barnabas, Apollos and James were Jews. This will become a lynch pin in the forthcoming analysis.
This does not directly address the question at the outset. ‘Are
there modern day apostles?’ In fact, there are many today that claim to be
apostles whose ministries we could say can survive on their own. But the above
does address one key issue, the secondary group of apostles (messengers), have
a dependence that their ministries lifeblood is in their association with a
primary apostle. In other words, where there is no primary apostle, there is no
secondary on either. While this does not address the key question, it is a
crucial point to note as was trudge on.
Now that we have separated the groups and defined the
nature of the Primary Group, we can better define this group. Let’s start with
the 14 Primary Apostles (I use 14 here at the outset).
Who were these? They were the original 11 plus Matthias.
These would could sub-divide as the Apostles to the Lamb. They had been with
Jesus through His Earthly Ministry, Had seen him resurrected physically, been
charged directly by the Resurrected Christ (save one Matthias who was chosen by
lot to replace Judas Iscariot) to preach the gospel to the known world at that
time. The thirteenth was Paul, who had also been commissioned by Christ and
witness to the physical resurrection of Christ. (Acts 26:16). Paul was born as
one out of time (1 Cor 15:8). This likened him to one premature born in the
sense that he was not a ‘developed’ as the Apostles to the Lamb since he had
not been trained by Christ during his earthly ministry yet seen as a peer to
his ‘brothers’ having the same One that commissioned him. Then there is
Barnabas. While known as a Cyprian Jew and his earliest mention in the
scriptures right before the ordeal with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:36). What we do not know is of his
commission by The Lord Jesus. We do not know if he was of the company that was
with Jesus during His earthly ministry like Matthias. What we do know he was
not chosen as one to cast lots for the lost office of Judas Iscariot. Frankly,
we cannot know by the scriptures if he even saw the resurrected Christ. In all
estimation, these have to go into account when we talk about his apostleship
and it’s nature. I have no doubt that he was separated with Paul for a work to
which they were called. I know that he was present with the working of miracles
in their ministry but this is still no proof of him being in the primary group.
An apostle? In some sense for sure but in my estimation and by the criteria
above, he does not qualify as in the primary group. One additional note is that
when there was a break with Paul, there is no more mention of Barnabas in
additional ministry other than re-visiting the churches He and Paul had established.
This in my mind relegates Barnabas to the Secondary grouping. Apollos was from Alexandria and by scriptural accounts was preaching the message of John the Baptist possibly during and definitely after the ascension of Jesus Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit to the church. So, we stand at fourteen.
The final reduction is Matthias, James the brother of Jesus and Apollos. While they meet
all the criterion, there is one key factor missing: There is no mention of
either receiving no documented personal calling by the resurrected Christ.
Specifically, James no doubt was seen as a key leader but the formal title he
held was bishop of the church at Jerusalem. He is credited with the writing of
his epistle and is to be considered as perhaps holding a unique case concerning
that. This is a true sign of an apostle which is that his teachings and works
are universally accepted as canonized. However the bible is not clear regarding
is personal call by Christ as the others. This is crucial since to be in the Primary
Group, the personal charge and choosing by the resurrected Son of God done in a
physical form, is essential. Apollos was from Alexandria and by scriptural accounts was preaching the message of John the Baptist possibly during and definitely after the ascension of Jesus Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit to the church. There simply is no record of Apollos receiving any direct charge from Jesus Christ and he in scripture is never associated with the term apostle in the primary sense. He deserves all honor but canonly be relegated to the secondary grouping, So in my estimation while apostles in the sense of
the general use, they are relegated to the secondary group. We are down to
twelve: The original eleven plus the Apostle Paul.
Here
is the second test: Has the person been an eyewitness to the
physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and in that same time space been
personally charged by Jesus Christ Himself to be a witness and carry His
revelation to the entire world. Now let’s pause here a minute and ask ourselves
what this really means. First of all, this is no vision. This is a physical
presence. He could be seen, heard and felt. He could be interacted with as Paul
actually had a conversation with Him in his calling. Is this a rare occurrence in
the Bible. Yes, one of the rarest. The number of theophany events that include
a personal manifestation of God are something you can count with your fingers
in recorded biblical history. It is rare, very rare. There has not been one I
know of that has been recorded in over two thousand years. Secondly, the
personal charge of Jesus’ revelation to bring into the world would simply mean
that they would not be repeating the truths already recorded and known but
would be revealing new revelation as they received it from Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit and
recording those revelations in holy writ. These men were innovators and were
actually the conduit for the holy writ to come into being. They were the
vehicles for God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.
So if we recap here in order to be a part of the primary group of Apostles, one
must be an eyewitness to perhaps the rarest of events. Can this take place in
modern times? Yes but it is a possibility not a probability. One thing we do
know, is one in the primary group would be able to add to the revelation of
Jesus Christ being so charged by Jesus Himself with that very task. To be
clear, this does not include the unlocking of the existing scriptures, it is
being directly involved in their composition.
So after the whittling down a bit we are down to twelve key
figures. These twelve have everything required in common as described. Here is
an interesting fact: they were all Jewish. That might be obvious at first
glance but here is what is not so obvious. Each was raised as a practicing Jew
and were well acquainted with the Jewish practices, traditions and each passed
the rite of transition into manhood where they lead the reading of the
scriptures in a synagogue. Paul perhaps eclipsed them all being a Pharisee, a
Jew of Jews. Why is this so important? It is because they were the products of
the collective Jewish people from the beginning point from Abraham on ( and
ever further back than that!). They knew the culture and the scriptures and how
those ancient writings could be brought into the revelation of Jesus Christ to
buttress and support it through examples and quotations inter-sprinkled in the
new revelation they were recording. They understood the prophetic heritage of
the Jewish people and were able to leverage it and emphasize the Lord Jesus
being the fulcrum upon which the entire creation rests. They were able to
reflect the nature of Yhwh into the person of Jesus Christ. These men were
bridges to an ancient culture where they were physically the roadway and
passage of the Revelation of God from the Old Testament to the New. These men
were walking miracles in my opinion. Their grouping is perhaps one of the most
unique in recorded history.
Here
is the third test: In order to be common to the primary group,
one must not only create teachings that extend the known revelation of God to
the world, they must have a perspective and human experience that reflects and
is common to the primary group. These writings as holy writ were confirmed by
the fact that they were universally accepted by the churches at large during
the first century and thereafter. This is a key factor to the proof one is
truly an apostle: their teachings are universally accepted by the church at
large. This is a challenge for any person who would propose that they are an
apostle – in fact history would show that there has been no one since that primary
group that has scribed anything to this scale. In addition, I would venture to
say that if one is not of Jewish origin, there can be no claim to be in the
primary group. That person simply has no basis or standing for it. Without these points, at best, those persons
must be relegated to the secondary group of apostles.
The twelve we have whittled down to all suffered for their
ministry. In most cases, each died a martyr for their Lord. Countless beatings,
shipwrecks, imprisonment, being exiled were the fate of these men. There is
suffering in modern times I know. But what must be compared are the degrees of
suffering using these men as a baseline.
Here
is the fourth test: In order to be in the primary group,
suffering must be documented that is to the degree documented in the bible of
the primary group. It is easy to say one has suffered but holding one’s
suffering to this standard and being able to compare them and conclude they are
comparable, is a requirement. If not, then that person must be relegated to the
secondary grouping.
This primary group was renowned for their spiritual power. This
can be listed as the working of signs and wonders that accompanied their
preaching the gospel to parts unfamiliar to the message as confirmation of the
truth of their words. This is the most difficult one to assess objectively by
the subjective nature we all hold about signs and wonders. What is a sign and
wonder to me might not be that to you. So in order to cut down the list of a
sign and wonder, let’s use the scriptures themselves to define what these are:
1
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A sign and wonder must be generally accepted
by all. The example here is the working of signs and wonders by the Apostles
Paul (primary) and Barnabas (secondary) in the city of Iconium. That caused the
people to call them deities.
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Miraculous deliverances such as Peter’s and
Paul’s deliverances for prison.
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Healings of people who had permanent disabilities
from birth.
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Raising people from the dead.
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Power over natural creatures: On the island
of Melita, Paul was snake-bit but survived.
These types are in a class by themselves that caused one
thing to happen, conversion of people of those cities to Jesus Christ resulting
in the establishment of churches.
Here
is the fifth test: In order to be in the primary group, a person
must have documented evidence that is generally accepted as miraculous that has
also been documented to have caused the revival of those places in which the
sign or wonder had taken place. This is because the main purpose of any sign
and wonder was documented to be in an evangelical action or effort or the result
or consequence of an evangelical action. Signs and wonders are done in the
field of service and not within church walls. So, a true apostle must be one in
the field actively working most of the time to even qualify for the potential
of manifesting a sign or wonder as a result of their intent to forward the
revelation of Jesus Christ to the world: If these are not evident and in
operation in a person, at best they must be relegated to the secondary group.
So, how did your candidate fare with the test?
Did he pass the test
as an Apostle in the primary grouping?
What about the secondary grouping?
I would venture to say that there are still twelve.
What about the secondary grouping. Maybe your candidate
falls more into the second grouping. Well, that might be true but the key here
as detailed above, the secondary group depends on the presence of a Primary.
Where there is no primary, there can be no secondary.
We still have twelve.
The
Final Analysis
The office of apostle has no legitimacy in this age because
the group is still twelve. There are no more. There will be no more. A person
can say they have ‘seen’ Jesus, any one can say that and often do. This is no
different than the false apostles (messengers) in Paul’s day who brought false
credentials in the name of the Council of Jerusalem to foist their additions to
the gospel message in the form for the requirement for post-repentance acts
such as circumcision. What one cannot do is be a bridge to a past that is no
longer is present. The space-time window for an apostle is over. There is no
being a bridge to transition the revelation of God from the Old to the New
Testament mainly because it has already been done. There can be no tie or heritage
or perspective to a culture lost to history. It is simply impossible. There
will be no universal acceptance of anyone’s teachings to the magnitude of the
works of the primary group. The scripture canon has been closed for almost two
thousand years in a formal sense. There is no new revelation and according to
John’s Revelation those that seek to add or take away will suffer dire
consequences. To continue, the suffering one can undergo in this day can be
heinous but is it ever to be to the degree of this primary group? I doubt it.
Finally, the working of signs and wonders although controversial can be clearly
legitimized as to the fruit those actions produce, namely people coming to
Jesus as a result of the sign or wonder. The whole point is, has your candidate
been enough in the field to produce even the possibility of these events
occurring?
So, let’s revisit the scripture in Ephesians that we
started with:
“And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come
in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…”
Our questions that we had at the beginning are still unanswered
at first take aren’t they. But let’s look again using the analysis above on the
office of apostle.
If there is no presence of an apostle made in the modern
church, it would seem that there is no progression of the Lord’s church to
reach full maturity. This is the conclusion of some and as such, they still
make a case for modern-day apostles. It would seem that this scripture is at
odds with the findings of the analysis thus far. What is the answer? The answer
comes in the subject of the verse. The church. It is for the church that Christ
gave the gifts unto men as he ascended to take His rightful place. These gifts
were to the church described here as in the ministries listed in this verse.
To
get it down to basics, there are stages to any building. There is preparation
of the building site such as the removal of brush and debris, perhaps
terra-forming to some site plan. There is also the building of a foundation
upon which that church will rest. There is the actual building, its occupancy
and maintenance. In this analogy, the office of apostle can be seen as the
building phase. They do the prep work and lay the foundation (see 1 Cor 3). The
primary role of the apostle was to establish the foundation of the Church of
Jesus Christ. This was through their life’s work of preaching and writing the
scriptures to establish the church and to provide its foundation. Once that
work is accomplished, the church is ready for the next step. All the while the
vision of Jesus for His church becomes more a reality upon that foundation laid
where the scriptures written provide the vehicles for unity and maturity. It is
not that we ever arrive at perfection. We will not in this life but the church
goes beyond life. What is pictured here is a life lived in a foundation built
that allows entry into the church, a life lived housed in the church of Jesus
Christ where the man enters and is established by that foundation and grows and
changes into maturity through their life and when their life is reaching
completion, they are ready for the next phase where the full stature and the
unity of the spirit are manifested, in the presence of their Lord and Savior.
This process of the saints within the church is balanced and confirmed with Ephesians
2:19-20:
“Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone…”
This scripture confirms a
general sense unity of the body as well given this is addressed to a gentile
based church. The emphasis of this scripture is that there is one unified body
and there is no difference between Jew or Greek. Both are built upon the foundation
of the apostles (New Testament) and prophets ( the Old Testament is also a part
of that foundation because the word of
God spans both time frames). Taking
these scriptures into account, the fact that the foundation is laid and there
can be no other ( 1 Cor 3). As a point of emphasis, the phrase ‘are built’ is in the aorist tense in particular
the first aorist tense. The aorist tense is used to set the action firmly at
some point in time in the past. There is no on-going or continuing action. It
is set firmly in the past.
The redeeming factor here is that in the analysis
presented, the ancient primary group is essentially active and present even
though their physical presence is not. They are most certainly there in
everything the church does, everything the church grows into and everything the
church will be. The same way a foundation is active in the sense it supports and
upholds all activity that will occur in a structure. I will mention in passing
that the teachers and pastors as well as evangelists play an active and
continuing role during the church age
but the role of prophet in the sense of writing holy writ and the role of
apostle as being a living personified force is long past.
The point being, there is no need for modern-day apostles because
the role of the primary group is STILL active and powerful as when they trod
this world. In eternity, there is no time. These are men of eternity, being a
bridge from an ancient past into the ever present. They are still with us so
there are no needs for their replacement.
So,
where does this put a modern day Apostle?
This has great implications for those who press the issue
of modern day apostles. There is no more shakier ground to stand upon than to
say the foundation of the church is flawed and needs supplements. In fact, the
assertion of the need for the continued apostolic office does not fully appreciate
the work of Christ for the church. In the words of our Savior:
It is Finished.