Skip to main content

Are There Modern-Day Apostles?



Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection. 

Acts 1:21-22

What is an Apostle?

    There are some in the religions of the world that claim that they are apostles. There are some religions that believe in what is called “Apostolic Succession” (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, et al). So what does the Scripture say regarding such a claim? To begin with, we must define our terms. The term apostle (apostolos) means in the original Koine Greek “one sent, or one commissioned.” In a general sense, we understand our obligation of the great commission that is given to Christians (see Mark 16:15-16; Matt 28:18-20). We are sent out to teach, baptize, and teach more. Is this the same as the apostles of our Lord that we find in the New Testament? No, it is not the same, however, this term is used with specificity to a first century office.

Why a Replacement for Judas was Needed

    In the first chapter of Acts, after the Lord had ascended, the apostles of our Lord are named as being together in Jerusalem as they awaited the promise of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:8; 12-14). As they waited, Peter stood up and explained that there was a need for a replacement apostle after the falling away of Judas. Peter made the application from Psalm 69:8 of the need for the office to be given to another. The word used by Luke is episkopēn, which means overseeing. The function of the apostle will be to oversee the transmission of the Gospel to the hearers by the power of the Holy Spirit and carry out the mission they were sent to fulfill by the building of the Lord’s church on the foundations of the apostles and prophets with Christ being the chief cornerstone (see Eph 2:20).

Qualifications and Paul

    Two qualifications are set in Acts 1:21-22. First, the one selected must have been with Jesus and the other 11 from the time of John’s baptism to the time the Lord ascended. He must also be a witness of the resurrection. The one exception to this is the case of Paul. Paul explains in 1 Cor 15:5-8 that the witnesses of the resurrection included Cephas, 500 individuals, James, and, last of all, himself. From the passage, we find that Paul does meet the latter of the two qualifications to be an apostle in Acts 1, but not the first. When we look at the Scripture, we find a special purpose for Paul to be a messenger to the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). 

    In the Scripture, we do not see the pattern in Acts 1 being carried out thereafter. In Acts 1, Matthias is selected to replace Judas right before the day of Pentecost. However, as the 12 die, first starting with James brother of John (see Acts 12:2), we have no record of any taking his place, nor an additional special selection by the Lord. It is highly likely that at that time there were still those among the brethren that had walked with Jesus at this time and had witnessed His resurrection. Thus, it was not a lack of qualified individuals, it was a lack of purpose in the will of God to do such. 

An Office No Longer Needed

    The apostles of our Lord had a particular purpose in their ministry. They would receive the Holy Spirit and deliver the truth of the Word of God to man. They would be able to pass on the miraculous gifts exclusively to those who received them (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:14-17). We no longer have need of Apostles because the Word has been delivered once for all unto the saints (Jude 3, 1 Cor 13:8-13). There is certainly no one that is 2000 years old living today. Thus, one must conclude, there is no such thing as “Apostolic Succession” taught in the Scripture, and thus, no man can call himself an apostle. We do have the Word of the Apostles our Lord selected, and we can learn and apply it in all that we do. 


Grace and Peace, 

R.D. Beavers 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Raise an Ahaz

           Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel.   And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree . 2 Kings 16:2-4                   When was the first time you drove a car? What about the first time you jumped off a diving board or gave a speech? After that first time, it certainly became easier. What about the first lie you told? Did it become easier? King Ahaz of Judah was evil and far from the example of David. Ahaz was the first to offer child sacrifices to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jehoram and Accent

          Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab: for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD.       2 Ch 21:5-6       Regional accents are quite interesting when you consider all their quirks and differences from each other. However, as one who has lived in varying locations and cultures in the United States, my accent is sort of all over the place. When I was visiting some family in Eastern Arkansas, my cousin correctly introduced me as my cousin Ryan from Texas. However, the young lady to whom he introduced me said, "You're from Texas?" I affirmed yes. To which she replied, “You don't sound like you're from Texas.” Maybe it was the fact that I grew up right on the Rio Grande or maybe this girl just e...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Do I Know If I Am Right with God?

          How do I know if I am right with God? The question is simple, but it requires us to put some effort into figuring out an answer.  Since this takes effort, many people will ask the question and never look for the answer. This is an extremely dangerous way to live as you may be blissfully ignorant, but being blissfully ignorant of God’s word can lead to terrible eternal consequences. So, let’s answer the question in short. How do we know if we are right with God? To answer this we should ask ourselves some simple questions. Have You Heard?              The first step in the process is hearing the word of God. I know this seems like taking a step back from answering our serious question, but we have to address the fact that we need to hear God’s word. Logically speaking it all starts here, but as we move forward we need to continue to hear God’s word.           Romans 10:17 (K...
Post a Comment
Read more