By Ezekiel Kimosop
Today we have several pentecostal and charismatic church leaders who refer to themselves as apostles.
Evangelical traditions insist that there is no living Apostle....
Which position represents the biblical standing on this issue?
My submission is that there are no living apostles today and here is my biblical thesis for this conclusion.
1) The total number of apostles called by Christ were initially 12 in number. Mathias was appointed by the Jerusalem Church to replace Judas Iscariot. This replacement was predicted by Psalm 65:25; 109:8. The two Scriptures were cited by Peter as an authority for the apostolic replacement of Judas.
2) Paul was later called by Christ in person in Acts 9:1-19 as an apostle to the Gentiles, bringing the number of persons appointed to apostolic office to 13 before Acts 12:2.
3) Peter was the head of the Jerusalem church with an apostolic council consisting of himself, Apostle John and Apostle James who was martyred in Acts 12:2.
4) During the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, James the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ had risen to prominence and was the one who delivered the resolutions of the Council. He was nowhere described or introduced in Scripture las an apostle.
5) James later wrote the Epistle of James in which he never laid any claim to apostolic stature or office.
6) None of the early church fathers considered James as an Apostle. He was therefore not an apostle of Jesus Christ within the meaning of Acts 1.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR APOSTOLIC OFFICE
Now let us return to the passage of context of Acts 1:1-23 which describes the appointment of Matthias.
The rules for the appointment of an apostle were outlined by Peter in the passage of Acts 1:21-22 where Scripture teaches that a person entitled to apostolic office must satisfy the following:
A) He must be "one who accompanied us". This implies that the candidate should be a member of the Jerusalem church community as then existed, and was identified with the disciples from the commencement of Jesus' earthly ministry, starting with the baptism of John until the ascension of Christ.
B) He must have witnessed the Risen Christ in person.
Justus and Mathias met these requirements and Matthias was picked through the casting of lots.
Several other disciples could have satisfied the requirements as well but only one was required to replace Judas.
Unfortunately, none of the present day claimants to the title and office of apostle can meet the strict requirements set out in the above passage!
At best, they are qualify as bishops.
SHOULD CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES BE CONSIDERED APOSTLES?
Now to respond to the view that other apostles were appointed and sent by the Holy Spirit.
Yes Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, Tychicus, Priscilla, Aquila Apollos and several other Christian missionaries and disciples mentioned in the New Testament Scripture were no doubt led by the Holy Spirit in their missionary journeys.
This leading is true of missionaries and church ministers today as well.
There is however no reference to their apostolic stature, not even in Romans 16.
None of those listed in that passage such as Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, Epaenetus, Mary Andronicus and Junias etc are introduced or even remotely mentioned or identified as apostles.
Paul was careful in his letters to indicate his apostolic title but used other references to introduce his fellow ministers such as Timothy or Titus that he fondly referred to as "faithful minister", "beloved brother" "yokefellow", etc.
This distinction was significant. These ministry companions of Paul were not called by Christ into apostolic office and were therefore not apostles in the context of Acts 1:1-23 or Acts 9.
Only two of these non apostolic ministers wrote New Testament Scripture. These are James and Jude who respectively introduce themselves as "a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1) and "a bondservant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" (Jude 1:1).
CONCLUSION
It appears from our analysis that ministers who today adorn apostolic titles may have watered down the distinction between those sent into church missionary service and those specifically called into the apostolic office by Christ in person and who are established in accordance with the rule in Acts 1:21-22.
Only Paul's case was exceptional as can be identified in Acts 9:1-19. Paul was called by Christ in person and his apostolic stature is not in doubt.
There is also no evidence in Scripture to suggest that the Holy Spirit calls leaders into apostolic office.
The Holy Spirit simply leads us in our walk with God and in ministry service.
The fact that the Holy Spirit spoke concerning the setting apart of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:1-3 does not constitute an apostolic appointment. If this were the case, why was Barnabas not henceforth referred to as an apostle alongside Paul?
If we ignore or dismiss clear rules outlined in Scripture for our convenience we shall end up distorting biblical truth to agree with our narrow denominational or sect doctrines.
My humble submission is that there are no living apostles today in so far the revelation of New Testament Scripture is concerned and that the office of apostle ceased after the New Testament period.
I further submit that there is no historical evidence of apostolic succession after the New Testament Church period. None of the church fathers made any mention of an Apostle serving in their time.
The requirements for persons to be appointed to the office of Bishop/Overseer and Deacon are outlined in 1Timothy 3:1-13 and in Titus 1:6-7. Even under these passages, no mention is made of the appointment of apostles in church congregations.
The mention of the office of apostle in Ephesians 4:11 along with other church ministry offices cannot be a justification for continuing apostolic office in total disregard of the authority in Acts 1 and Acts 9.
At the time that Ephesians was written, most of the apostles were still alive and were rightfully part of the New Testament Church officers.
It is my hope that this statement clarifies the scriptural position on the apostolic office.
Of course I am aware that some will disagree with my submission and that's perfectly in order. I would welcome a biblical reasoned dissenting opinion on this topic.
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