Type of Doctrine: Typically Secondary
"11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."
-Ephesians 4:11-14 ESV
Why Does It Matter?
Apostles appear early in the New Testament with Jesus picking twelve apostles. Then, in Acts, other apostles are mentioned. In Ephesians 4:11-14, Paul seems to suggest that apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers will continue until the second coming of Jesus. However, throughout church history, some have claimed that apostleship has ceased. Others argue that the gift of apostle has continued. (Some argue that there is a distinction between the gift of apostle and the office of apostle)
So, should we expect to have apostles in church leadership today? This article will cover the different views on this topic.
This is typically viewed as a secondary issue since it does not affect whether one is a Christian, but it significantly affects church leadership structure (which often means it affects the church one chooses to attend).
What Is It?
The word "apostle" in Greek means to be a messenger who is sent out. Apostles can be thought of both narrowly and broadly.
Narrowly, it can be applied to the twelve apostles of Christ. (However, Judas is later replaced by Matthias.) Broadly, it can be applied to many others: (1) possibly the 70 (or 72) disciples sent out by Jesus in Luke 10; (2) Paul (Acts 14:14; Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 9:1-2; 15:9); (3) Barnabas (Acts 14:14); (4) possibly Judas (Barsabbas) and Silas (Acts 15:22); (5) possibly Titus and Timothy (2 Cor. 8:3; "messengers" in ESV is the same Greek word for apostle and could be translated "apostle"); (6) possibly Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25; also often translated "messenger"); and (7) Jesus is considered an apostle (Heb. 3:1).
Key Scriptures:
[Eph 2:19-21 ESV] 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
[Eph 4:11-14 ESV] 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
[2Co 11:13 ESV] 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
[Rev 2:2 ESV] 2 "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
[2Co 12:12 ESV] 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.
[Jhn 13:16 ESV] 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
[1Co 9:1-2 ESV] 1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Those who claim that apostleship has ceased will often point to 1 Corinthians 9:1-2, and they will argue that one has to be an eyewitness of Jesus to be an apostle. Some may argue from Ephesians 2:20 that apostles are foundation layers, and the foundation was laid in the early church.
However, the other side may argue from the texts about false apostles and testing apostles to make sure they are not false (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:13; Rev. 2:2; also there is a section in the Didache an early church document). They may say, "Why do we need to test for false apostles if the gift has ceased? Instead," they may say, "a list of the apostles could be given." Further, many will argue from Ephesians 4:11. Perhaps, Ephesians 4:11 is the most pivotal verse to those who claim that apostleship continues. Let's examine this important section of Scripture closely. I will put a few notes which demonstrates the argument from the pro-apostleship side:
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
*Note: Christ gave all of these gifts. Thus, can we pick and choose which ones continue?
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
*Note: All of the gifts are for equipping Christians to build up the body of Christ.
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
*Note: When will these gifts cease? We are told. They are given until we are all mature in Christ. And when will the church be fully mature? The second coming of Jesus.
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
*Note: The purpose of these gifts is to grow believers up into maturity (like Christ) and protect believers from deceitful teachings and teachers. Isn't this still needed?
[Eph 4:11-14 ESV] Thus, some claim that the gift continues while others claim it does not continue. (To be clear, none of the best representatives claim that one can be an apostle in the narrow sense. This is often referred to as the office of apostleship. No one alive today has been an eyewitness of Christ. No orthodox Christian believes that Scripture can be written by anyone today. Instead, the debate is typically over whether one can be an apostle in the broad sense as a spiritual gift or church planter.) Now, let's take a look at the different views on the gift of apostle.
Here are the three main views that I've seen.
The Three Main Views on the Gift of Apostle
View | Definition |
No, there are not apostles today. | Apostles write Scripture. They needed to see Jesus (1 Cor. 9:1). They also were meant to be part of the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). The office of apostle has ceased. Yes, church planters and missionaries should be sent out, but we shouldn't call them apostles (to avoid the scenario of providing them with too much authority). |
Yes, there are apostles today (i.e., church planters and missionaries sent out by the church). | Church planters and missionaries can be considered apostles (or apostolic). This view takes into account Ephesians 4:11, and it incorporates the wider usage of the term (i.e., being sent out). However, this view doesn't typically see church planters with apostolic authority over other churches. *All orthodox Christians agree that no one can write Scripture anymore. |
Yes, there are apostles today (i.e., highest form of church leaders in a hierarchy). | Church leaders with the most authority in a denomination, network, church, or informally (very influential or fruitful) can be considered apostles (or apostolic). *All orthodox Christians agree that no one can write Scripture anymore. |
Application
Regardless of one's view of church leadership and the gift of the apostle, these character qualities should be qualifications:
1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. [1 Tim. 3:1-7 ESV] Where Can I Learn More?
Bibliography:
-Devenish, David. Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission: Restoring the Role of the Apostle in Today's Church. United Kingdom: Authentic Media, 2011.
-Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020.
-Check out this article from Don Stewart titled, "Are There Still Apostles Today?"