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How the Bible describes an apostle of the original twelve? There were 12 men that were with Jesus throughout his ministry who were called to be the foundation of the Church after he ascended. The Scriptures describe these as apostles, chosen men commissioned by Jesus for a unique role in a particular time-period of the start of the church (whose names are found in Scripture and written in heaven.) The apostles were given authority to perform special miracles. The Lord confirmed by His signs that validated their position and authority. They defined the faith for the whole Church as the Holy Spirit gave them the written word, which is our New Testament, by the gospels, the book od acts and the letters and last the book of Revelation. This is not something that can be repeated or added to. When the original group of twelve became eleven because of Judas’ suicide, the apostles sought another to take his office, but he needed to meet specific requirements. Acts 1:21-22: “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time the Lord Jesus went in and among us beginning from the baptism of John to that day He was taken up from us. One of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” They picked the new apostle from only two men among them, showing the office was restricted. This permanently closed the group of twelve men for leadership in Israel. Later on, Paul met the latter qualification to be an apostle because he saw Jesus after He resurrected, in his glory (Acts 9 and 1 Cor. 15:8). He then met the second requirement of a foundational apostle, a witness to the resurrection since he was not a follower from the time of John’s baptism. Paul was a secondary type, not being with the others since the baptism but chosen separately to be sent to the Gentiles instead of Israel. He was specifically chosen by Jesus who said, “I have appeared to you for this purpose” (Acts 26:16). Paul wrote in Scripture that he was the last to see Jesus on earth (1 Cor. 15:5-8). In the Greek language, it means the last in a chronological order, the very last one (eschatonpantoôn)” (A.T. Robertsons Word Pictures). Jesus chose no more foundational apostles after Paul, not then or today. The only apostles that are new are mentioned in john's Revelation as false apostles. This counters anyone who says Jesus was seen on earth by them. Or someone taken to heaven seeing him on his throne. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father until He comes to get His church; the whole church together at the same time. Only in a secondary sense is an apostle considered a “sent one.” Apostles chosen by the Lord and apostles sent by the church to be church planters are two very different positions. There is a clear distinction between being an apostle of the Lord, a witness of the risen Lord, personally chosen and commissioned by Jesus, and an apostle of the Church, sent out by the body of believers. What has continually taken place from the beginning is that those who go as missionaries start churches in unreached areas. They are, in this sense, apostolic like, but this does not make them apostles like the original builders of the foundation. If they were, there should be more than 12 foundations in the New Jerusalem (Rev.21:14). |
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