DENOMINATIONAL DOCTRINES: Apostles of Christ Today?

It is not uncommon to hear religious people referring to modern-day “apostles.” I have seen church signs with the name of the preacher on it as “Apostle So-and-So.” Many charismatics speak of apostles in their preaching and writing circuits. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—the Mormon church—believes that they have twelve men who are the modern-day equivalents to the twelve apostles of Christ.

One writer called himself the leader of the “New Apostolic Reformation” which he described as a “great work of God at the close of the twentieth century to restore both apostles and apostolic churches to Christianity.” He teaches that there are apostles today who are equal in authority and function to the twelve apostles we read of in Scripture. He even asserts that these modern day apostles have the authority to speak for Christ the way that the twelve did and claims to have received revelations directly from God the way that the apostle Paul did.

This man is not alone in the religious world in what he is teaching. There are many who make claims similar to his. They are usually found in the Charismatic-Pentecostal groups but they pop up in other man-made groups as well. And it is a dangerous, thoroughly unbiblical concept. Let us just examine the nature of New Testament apostleship and see if we can answer the question: Are there apostles of Christ today?

Following His death, burial and resurrection from the dead, and prior to his ascension to heaven back to the Father, Jesus gave the Great Commission to the apostles. “Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20). This is Matthew’s account of the Great Commission.

Earlier, Jesus had given His followers a “limited” commission to go only to the house of Israel: “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give”(Matt. 10:1-8).

This commission is known as the limited one because the disciples were only being sent by Christ to the people of Israel. The Great Commission, recorded later in Matthew’s Gospel, included both Jews and Gentiles.

Matthew 10 is the first time there is mention of “the twelve” disciples in the book of Matthew. Twelve was a significant number in the Jewish mind. There were twelve sons of Jacob in the Old Testament, who became the twelve tribes in Israel. Jesus connected the twelve apostles with the twelve tribes of Israel, seemingly demonstrating that the tribes were a type in this regard (Matt. 19:28). These twelve apostles—with the exception of Judas, who was later replaced by Matthias—were the ones Jesus sent to do the work of the gospel. Matthew 10:2 informs us that these twelve were called apostles, a title meaning “sent ones.” This is the only time the word apostle is used in Matthew.

The fact that Paul was an apostle, ultimately making thirteen, does not detract from the symbolism of the apostles being answerable to the twelve tribes of Israel, for there were in fact thirteen tribes when Joseph’s two sons were made separate tribal heads. Paul’s calling made thirteen actual apostles, for his apostleship should be interpreted as being equal with that of the twelve. Paul was not, as many religious thinkers have asserted, an apostle in some secondary sense (1 Cor. 15:1-10).

The apostles were ambassadors of Jesus Christ in a unique way. The mission they had was unlike any other given by Christ. In the directives of the limited commission, Christ sent them out two by two as an extension of his ministry in Galilee. This commission was evidently when they were first called apostles. “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach” (Mark 3:14). On their return, “the apostles gathered together with Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught” (Mark 6:30).

This limited commission was preparatory for the final one given before his departure from the earth. At that time, he would send them out to be his “witnesses” to the uttermost parts of the earth (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8). The only one not included in the final commission, who was included in the limited one, was Judas. The Book of Acts records the apostles’ selection of Matthias to take the place of Judas, thus bringing the number of apostles back to twelve (Acts 1:23-26).

Others in the New Testament are called apostles in a general way. Jesus used the idea of apostleship generically when He referred to those who follow him in obedience: “Truly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him” (John 13:16). The ones who were charged with taking church contributions and putting them into the charities set up by Paul were called apostles—“messengers” in the KJV: “Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 8:23). Messenger is the same word as apostle.

Even Jesus himself is called an apostle by the writer of Hebrews because of his role as God’s unique messenger who was sent into the world: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (Heb. 3:1).

In discussing the resurrection of Christ, Paul said, “After that, he was seen by James; then by all the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:7). This statement reveals a group of general apostles rather than the twelve, for in verse 5, Paul had already made reference to Christ’s appearance to them. That there was a general group of apostles is also evidenced by Paul’s reference to a miraculous function given by Christ after his ascension to some other than the twelve (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11). In these passages, apostles are listed with prophets and other believers. There are no apostles like this secondary group today either. No one has the miraculous gifts of the Spirit today.

What was the role of the Twelve? How were they different from the others called apostles? “The Twelve” is a term used to describe Jesus’ closest followers. These were chosen after Jesus had prayed all night: (Luke 6:12-16). Prior to Christ sending this group out under the limited commission, they were disciples—a word meaning a learner or pupil.  Discipleship had to do with the fact that they learned from and followed Christ. Upon being sent out by Christ to preach and heal, they were called apostles. Apostleship had to do with their being sent. Christ was with these apostles in an extraordinary way.

All Christians are disciples in that we are learners and followers of Christ. The word apostle could be used today in the sense of delegation. If a local congregation sends a missionary into a foreign field, then technically such a one could be called an apostle. But that would be very unwise and misleading. All Christians are “sent” by Christ in one sense to live for him in a wicked world. What we must be clear on, however, is the fact that there are no apostles like the twelve in the church now. There were certain qualifications they possessed which prohibit the succession of the office, making it impossible for there to be apostles in this sense today.

First, the apostles were chosen by Christ. Jesus personally picked the apostles (Luke 6:13; Acts 1:2). There was no mere human selection of these men, but they were selected by Christ himself. Even when Matthias was chosen to replace Judas after the ascension of Christ, the apostles asked God to show them the one he had chosen to succeed Judas (Acts 1:24). There is a distinction, then, in God’s election of all the saved through the gospel (2 Thes. 2:13-14) and Christ’s selection of his special ambassadors. No one today has received a personal commission from Christ to be an apostle.

Second, they were eyewitnesses. The apostles witnessed firsthand the glory of the Lord in his incarnation (John 1:14; 1 John 1:1-4: Acts 1:21-22; 1 Cor. 9:1). No one today can bear eyewitness testimony to the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord. We are not “witnesses” in the sense that the apostles were (Acts 1:8), for they were able to say, “We saw him alive after his resurrection with our own eyes.” We were not there in person, so we are not qualified to be literal witnesses of any kind, much less apostles. We can bear testimony to what Christ has done for us, but we cannot be eyewitnesses to his resurrection.

Third, their message was inspired. The apostles did not learn their message from men or from words that other men had written in a book as we do today, but miraculously from God himself. It came by “the revelation of Jesus Christ,” not from man (Gal. 1:12). The Holy Spirit inspired these eyewitnesses in their teaching because he brought to their remembrance the things which Jesus had taught, and guided them into all truth by showing them “things to come” (John 14:26; 16:7-13). We learn the message of God’s truth today by studying and knowing the words of the Bible. The apostles learned it directly from God. This is why their words were inspired by God (Gal. 1:8-12; Acts 28:23; 1 Thess. 2:13; Acts 1:5-2:36).

Fourth, the message of the apostles received miraculous confirmation. The apostles had the ability to work miracles to prove that they were who they claimed to be and had been given the authority by Christ which they claimed to have. The truth of the “apostles’ doctrine” was confirmed by miraculous signs (Acts 2:42-43). “Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Cor. 12:12). “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?” (Heb. 2:3-4).

Fifth, the apostles had the power to confer miraculous gifts. The apostles had the power to lay their hands on others and give miraculous power thereby (Acts 8:14-18; Acts 19:1-6; Rom. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:6). Philip the evangelist could preach the gospel, baptize converts, and work miracles, but he could not bestow miraculous powers to others. Peter and John, two apostles, had to come to Samaria where Philip was preaching and baptizing to bestow the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit to those whom Philip had baptized (Acts 8:14-18). No one today has the power to confer miraculous gifts.

The Great Commission was given to the apostles. They were the ones who would be Christ’s missionaries and ambassadors to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:1-8). Their work was a continuation of the work which Christ had begun. They were to “bear witness” of Jesus because they had been with him “from the beginning” (John 15:27). In the commission of Christ recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, as well as the accounts given of it in Mark, Luke, and John, Christ told these men to go into all the world, preaching the gospel and baptizing those who believed it. They were subsequently to teach the baptized believers to observe everything that Christ had commanded (Matt. 28:18-20).

The power with which the apostles were blessed would enable them to preach with authority and prove that their message and witness were from God (Acts 18:9-10; Acts 26:15-18; Gal. 1:12). There are no successors to the apostles of Christ today.

Dewayne Dunaway