The Apostles
Introduction
Another important and fundamental aspect of a local church are its various offices and roles. God established and directed these offices by His wisdom; therefore, it is vital that a local church understand and fill these positions with qualified men and women. A thorough study of the New Testament will reveal the following positions and roles, which we will seek to understand in this study: High Priest, King, Head, apostle, prophet, teacher, minister, evangelist, elder, pastor, bishop, deacon, saint, and Christian.
Christ's Ambassadors - The Apostles
As we observed in our study of the work of the church, Jesus provided the universal church with certain "gifts" to aid the completion of its work (Ephesians 4:7-16). This gift is partly comprised by the abilities that are graciously given to those who fulfill the offices and roles described in verse 11:
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." Ephesians4:11
The first in this list of spiritual offices is that of apostle. Some of the confusion that about apostles is because the word for apostle was a generic Greek word that meant ambassador, or "one sent". Consequently, the word could, and was sometimes used in a general sense to refer to ambassadors representing an ordinary organization, men, or group of people (for example, "one sent" by a local church - Acts 13:1-4; 14:14). However, the word apostle in the Bible is most often used in a special sense, as a spiritual ambassador representing Christ. It is this specialized, spiritual office that we will seek to understand by examining a few Bible passages on the subject.
"Who Were the Apostles?"
From Luke 6:13-16, we learn that Jesus, during His earthly ministry, chose twelve men to be His apostles. Some of the better known apostles included: Peter, James, John, and Judas Iscariot. The nature of their office is best described by Jesus in His commission to them:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20
From Mark's parallel account, we learn that the apostles did just that.
"And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following." Mark 16:20
"What Made the Apostles Unique?"
Many people today teach and preach the gospel of Christ, so what made the apostles unique? Well, they were specifically and directly chosen by Jesus (Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:23-26), but the apostles also had two other qualities that made them different from preachers of the gospel today. First, they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. We learn this from the following passage, which was taken from Jesus' speech to the apostles before He sent them on a limited mission to preach to the Jews only:
"You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." Matthew 10:18-20
After the apostles returned from this limited mission, Jesus promised them that after His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, they would be given the Holy Spirit, who would lead them into "all truth."
"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." John 14:25-26
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13
Later in the Bible, we find that the apostles did indeed receive the Holy Spirit, who provided them with "all truth" (I Corinthians 2:10-16; II Peter 1:2-3). Moreover, we learn that as we read the Bible, we can gain the same knowledge and understanding that they had (II Timothy 3:14-17; Ephesians 3:3-5), although this requires diligent study and an attitude of love for the truth (II Timothy 2:15; Matthew 5:6; II Thessalonians 2:9-12). The apostles represented Christ by speaking for Him, in His place and by His authority. It was through this inspiration that the apostles were able to serve as ambassadors for Christ, proclaiming His will in His stead, "binding" and "loosening" tenets of the faith (John 13:20; Matthew 16:19; 18:18). They made Jesus' will known on all subjects through infallible inspiration; therefore, the apostles were unique from fallible preachers and teachers today who gain their understanding not by inspiration, but through study of the apostles' inspired writings - the Bible.
Second, the apostles were unique in that they were witnesses of Christ. Of course, all Christians can in a sense teach of Christ, but none can bear witness as the apostles. They were to be "eye-witnesses" of Jesus. They could attest of His miracles, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. It is in this special sense that the Bible speaks of the apostles as "witnesses" for Christ (Luke 24:45-48; Acts 1:8; 21-26; II Peter 1:16-21).
In addition to Christ's specific selection, it was these two qualities which made the apostles unique and defines their role and office. They represented, and still represent, the will of Jesus on all matters, in addition to providing eye-witness testimony to His miracles and resurrection.
"Do We still Have Apostles Today?"
Well, yes and no. Yes, the Bible teaches that there are apostles today, but no, it is not an office that continues to be filled by modern people. In fact the Bible teaches that the same twelve apostles are still apostles today:
"Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matthew 19:27-28
We can note two important points from this passage: First, the number of thrones was limited to twelve as there were twelve tribes of Israel. Second, the reign of the apostles was in conjunction with Christ's reign. It began with His and would continue for the duration of His. Therefore, the same apostles reign today that reigned during the delivery of the New Testament. Moreover, please note that no one can today fulfill the other qualities of an apostle: inspiration, and eye-witness of Christ's ministry and resurrection. Therefore, there are no modern apostles - only those who have reigned since ancient days.
"Fourteen Apostles?"
In apparent contradiction, the Bible mentions a total of fourteen men who served as apostles. How can this be reconciled? In addition to the original twelve, the thirteenth apostle, Matthias, filled the office of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. From Acts 1:15-26, we learn that Judas "fell by transgression" from his office, and Matthias was appointed to the vacant office. Therefore, the thirteen apostles actually represented twelve because Judas was no longer an apostle. Please notice that the office did not become vacant because he died, but it was because of his falling by unrepented transgression. This is in harmony with the above passage from Matthew that teaches that death did not remove the apostles from their office. Their reign was in conjunction with Christ's rule.
The second "odd" apostle is Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament. However, his position as the fourteenth apostle is reconciled by examining Jesus' statement in Matthew, "upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel". A light survey of the the Old Testament will reveal that there was indeed thirteen tribes of Israel. Each of the tribes of Israel were called by son of Israel who fathered the respective tribe. However, the tribe belonging to Israel's son, Joseph, was split into two more tribes, named after Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Mansseh (Genesis 48:1-6). In spite of their being thirteen tribes, the tribes of Israel continued to be called the "twelve" after the twelve original sons of Israel (Genesis 49:22-28; Exodus 24:4). Likewise, the office left vacant by Judas was split into two offices, which were filled by Matthias and Paul. This similarity is enforced by Jesus who linked their reign upon twelve thrones to the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:27-28). Therefore, there were and are twelve apostles: eleven original, and the twelfth office being split into two - just as the twelve tribes of Israel.
The ancient finality of appointing new apostles is seen in a statement made by the last apostle, Paul. Speaking of the different people and apostles who saw Jesus after His resurrection, Paul wrote:
"After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." I Corinthians 15:7-8
Just as the youngest child in a family may be born "unexpectedly" and several years after their older siblings, so was the apostle Paul as "one born out of due time". However, if many more apostles were appointed after Paul, then the image of this verse would become meaningless. Please notice, it was the subject of apostleship to which he was referring because he continues the discussion of apostleship in the next verse ("least of the apostles"). Therefore, there were only twelve (thirteen) apostles who were appointed by Jesus and remain so even today.
Conclusion
The spiritual office of apostle is a vital office that demands a Biblical understanding. Some people have believed that there a modern apostles, while others dismiss the authority of the ancient apostles. Both of these beliefs constitute dangers for us. Those who believe in modern apostles subject themselves to the authority of men, who may be perverting the true gospel, jeopardizing their own souls and the souls of their followers. Others fail to heed the writings of the Bible because of their failure to understand the authority of the true apostles. This may lead them to dismiss the importance of the Bible pattern because of their failure to appreciate the position of the apostles who recorded it. Therefore, we must be careful to understand the nature of the apostles, so that we may properly understand God's will for us and appreciate the authority of God that is behind the writings of the apostles.
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