There Are NO Apostles Today!

Although many have claimed the mantle of being the modern equivalent of an "APOSTLE," the reality is that NO ONE alive today meets the criteria established for that position by the New Testament. In the Gospels, it is revealed that Jesus Christ had twelve apostles (Matthew 10:12, Luke 6:13 and 22:14). These same scriptures also make plain that these were men whom Jesus knew personally, and whom he had chosen to be sent out with his message. Later, after one of them (Judas Iscariot) had betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, we are informed by the book of Acts that the remaining apostles chose another one of the disciples to replace him among the twelve (Acts 1:15-26). It should also be noted that they chose someone who had personally known Jesus of Nazareth and had been in his company.

Now, we should also note that these apostolos were given a specific mission by Christ himself. Indeed, the Greek word itself suggests one who is sent forth with a message - an ambassador of the good news about salvation through Jesus Christ. We read at the end of Matthew's Gospel: "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:16-20, ESV) This is also consistent with what we are informed that the Christ told these men just before he ascended into heaven. Again, in the book of Acts, we read: "So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight." (Acts 1:6-9, ESV)

Notice, that the apostles were designated to act as "witnesses" for Christ in Judea, Samaria, and all over the earth. Notice also, that there isn't any indication in any of these passages of a great position of authority in the affairs or governance of the ekklesia/Church. Indeed, we are informed in the Synoptic Gospels that Christ had previously told these same men: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28, ESV) Moreover, in deciding whether or not Gentiles would be required to be circumcised and observe the tenets of Torah, we are informed in the fifteenth chapter of Acts that the Jerusalem Church settled the matter through discussion and reaching a consensus. In other words, no one appears to have been recognized as being in a position to decide the matter for the others! Now, some have suggested, in times past, that Peter was the preeminent apostle - the one in charge; but we are informed elsewhere that Paul apparently felt no compunction against correcting him about what he characterized as hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14).

Still not convinced, some will ask: "What about Paul?" They will note that he was NOT one of the original twelve apostles, and that he had NOT personally known Christ. In answering this point, we should first point out that Paul claimed to have personally experienced the Christ and to have been instructed by him! In defending his claim to be an apostle, he told the saints of Corinth that he had seen Christ (I Corinthians 9:1). He also told the saints of Galatia that he had received his Gospel "through a revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:11-12, ESV) Moreover, in the account of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, we read: "Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And he said, /Who are you, Lord?' And he said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.'" (Acts 9:3-6, ESV) Now, anyone with even a limited knowledge of the New Testament, will understand that Paul was designated to do something that the other twelve had failed to do. Paul went on to become Christ's apostolos to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). Before Paul, the twelve had focused on Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. In short, they had failed to fulfill the commission which Christ had given to them. Of course, some will discount the theophany which scripture tells us Paul experienced, but most of them reject the validity of Scripture anyway!

Hence, it should be very plain to all of us by now that NONE of the folks who have claimed to be apostolos in our own time have ever experienced anything approaching what the fourteen men named in the New Testament experienced. None of them have experienced Jesus Christ in person. None of them have been directly commissioned by him to do anything. Moreover, we have seen that the men who were actually named as apostolos in the writings we refer to as the New Testament did NOT claim (nor was it attributed to them) any special prerogatives or authority. Simply put, THERE ARE NO APOSTLES ALIVE TODAY IN THE CHURCH!