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
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