What are Apostles?
The New Testament speaks a lot about apostles. But what are they? A related question would be, are there apostles today? Let us take a look.
Apostles in the New Testament
What are apostles? The word literally means ‘sent out ones.’ But who are these people? Some might say that they are the Twelve that Jesus chose to be with him. That is partially true. We see in 1 Corinthians 15:5-7, that they are not the exact same group. We also see in the epistles that Paul considers himself an apostle and he was never one of the Twelve. We see in Acts 14:14 that Barnabas was an apostle. It looks as if Andronicus and Junia (a woman!) were apostles (Romans 16:7).
The biblical data points to a larger group of apostles (but smaller than the group of disciples), within which the Twelve was one part.
What is the qualification to be an apostle? We need to look at this passage during the discussion of replacing Judas among the Twelve.
“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21–22 ESV)
I am not convinced that this is the qualification to be called an apostle. Paul did not meet this qualification. We have no reason to believe that Barnabas did either. I believe that what Luke records for us in Acts is the qualification to be one of the Twelve, not to be an apostle. I believe that the office of apostle was granted to disciples when church leadership recognized apostolic gifts.
Apostles Today
In a recent post, I talked about spiritual gifts and their possibility today. I believe that the same principles apply to apostleship. There is no biblical reason to believe that apostles should not be active today.
But what do they look like? There are different theories. Some see apostles as being the same as missionaries. Others see apostles as spiritual entrepreneurs who plant churches or start para-church ministries. To be honest, I am not ready to commit to a theory.
I will say that I am uncomfortable with individuals who self-identify as apostles (or prophets). My concern is when a person takes on a title and then expects an elevated position and special treatment. Paul was an apostle but he was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get dirty. He was very humble. I am also uncomfortable when an “apostle” expects blind obedience from Christians. Even Paul warned the Galatians to not listen to a false gospel, even if it came from him (Galatians 1:8).
I hope this helps you in your understanding of apostles.
Recommended Book: F.F. Bruce’s Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. (USA) (Canada)
