The authority of the Apostles of Jesus must be recognized in the church universal as men who laid the foundation of the church, whose teachings were with the very authority of Christ, inspired, infallible, and enduring: through whom Christ established his doctrines of salvation; men who knew the way and led others there. (Gal 1:8; 1 Tim 4:16) Those not realizing the nature and authority of the apostolic office established by Christ and occupied by his Apostles in the church universal, go ahead to claim the office for themselves today, thinking that the office is still open to be occupied today, and some with blithe disregard even go ahead to make light of the Apostles’ injunctions.  Now, Let’s see both what Christ ordained his Apostles to be, and the nature of the apostolic office.

1. The Apostles were intended to be eye witnesses of the life and ascension of Christ (Act 1:22) . They must know Jesus first hand, not told about Jesus like everyone is today. This was a strong criterion for the office. They ought to have seen and been with Jesus. Paul, after Jesus had appeared to many after his resurrection, had Jesus appear to him. So he saw the risen Lord, and could be an eye witness to his resurrection. However, those who merely had a vision of Christ in the Apostles’ days could not be admitted into the office merely by a vision of Christ, eg Ananias.

Those who claim to have visions of Christ today, not withstanding, can’t claim the office either as no one possesses a copy of the true picture of Jesus Christ when he was on earth to verify the Christ they claim to see, no matter how true it is. Anyone who believes the claim would be doing so on blind grounds, even the Bible did not describe how Jesus looked like when he was on earth.

2. They were to teach, first hand, doctrines from Jesus. They were not to be schooled by another apostle, and these doctrines were to serve as enduring doctrines of the faith of Christ. Even Paul who came later had Christ teach him many things by appearing to him (Gal 1:11-12) and had credence lent to his ministry by existing Apostles who heard Jesus firsthand (Gal 2:2). The Apostles were not to teach their fellow apostles the mysteries of the kingdom. They could not school one another; an Apostle needed to have sat under Christ’s tutelage an know the words of Christ. Who would spring up today without being taught the message of salvation by someone else and go ahead to teach the church universal as an authority? Wouldn’t that be very dangerous? If he claims inspiration outside the written words of Scripture, who could tell his errors? With no existing Apostles of Jesus to consult, that

would be very dangerous. He definitely would claim accounts of Jesus not found in the Bible as well as “new doctrines” (as we have seen from many false apostles in the history of the church), and who can refute his excesses? He is an “Apostle”– the highest delegated authority by Christ in the Church universal! He could as well be bold enough to refute the teachings of the Apostles and charge them of error, as a living Apostle of our day. But where will that take the Church? For others will certainly rise after him. What will then be the final authority of revelations and doctrines? That is why God in his wisdom closed the apostolic office with the Apostles of the first century having given them the complete revelations for doctrine ( Act 20:27; Jude 1:3; Gal 1:8). Let no one therefore claim Apostolic authority, because subjecting him to the teachings of either Peter, Paul, James or John would be an insult to him– he being equal to them, they were merely his fellow Apostles, and his words equalled theirs. Arrogance at best!

3. They are to teach infallibly the word of God so that the truth of the faith of Christ can once and for all be established. Infallibility makes Scriptures. The Apostles were infallible in their teachings. That was peculiar to the Apostolic office. Doctrine-wise, They were to guide the Church of Christ infallibly. Should their teachings be charged with errors, Christianity was false. No one can occupy that office today to add to or correct these doctrines anymore than one would correct Christ. Christ would not hide any revelation of salvation only to reveal it in our day, so that in over two thousand years of Christianity, all his followers would perish in error. Then who did he die for? Jude explained that the faith was once and for all delivered complete (Jude 1:3). Paul stated that the church was to teach a received Gospel and no new doctrine. (Romans 6:17; Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 1:3 , 1 Timothy 4:16 ; 2 John 1:10) Only the Apostles and those men whose writings were supervised by them can be believed to have spoken infallibly the word of God, for if they who Christ entrusted the teaching of salvation made errors in their teachings of the faith, none would be saved and the work of Christ for salvation would be futile. Therefore, it is of necessity that Christ would not allow them teach or handle the faith in error. For if the very Apostles of Christ themselves should miss heaven, then nobody was going there. Thus they wrote and taught infallibly, and their teachings were the inspired words of God.

4. They were to settle and seal with absolute authority of Christ issues of the faith not handled by Christ in his earthly ministry. They had  infallibly the delegated authority of Christ to speak universally on the issues of the faith (Jn 13:20). Many issues surrounding the faith was sent to Apostle Paul, he spoke on the matter with finality as one delegated by Christ to resolve those matters. The Apostles served as authorities on matters of the faith as men who had been with Christ himself. Matters of the faith were not left by Christ to individual Christians to decide or come us with their revelations about, that will only foster confusion, disorganization and unquestionable heresies. Everyone can’t be in charge if anything must be organized. This, Christ carefully achieved through the Apostles and sealed up by letting their teachings becoming final scripture.

6. They laid the foundation of Christianity and foundations cannot be laid twice. That is why there can’t be any more Apostles after the first century, and Christ isn’t calling anyone else into that office now for he isn’t laying again the foundation he has already laid.

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

7. Their writings were ordained to become scriptures. History showed that the Apostles never had successors or made any. Early Christians who descended from the Apostles held that the last Apostle was John down through history. Now, should people have continuously held that office, we would never have had a closed canon, and endless scriptural texts would have rendered Christianity headless. So, the  Church Fathers who were many of them bishops beginning from the late first century never claimed that office, and never equated their own writings to Scriptures (which were writings of the Apostles and men who sat directly under them) in their fight against heretics, which later brought about the collections of books of authority which we call today a Bible. Having more apostles continuously  will lead to unending scriptural texts. Who can face that?

8. One could not ordain another into the office. They were specially ordained by Christ, for what he made of the twelve, he did not make the seventy. Did you observe Peter did not ordain Matthias into the office? God personally chose him through a public cast of lots through prayer. And observe also that no where did the Apostles ever cast lot apart from that instance to ordain people into church offices. Paul himself an apostle gave no rule on how to ordain an apostle, only bishops, elders, deacons. To further prove this observe that no one ordained Paul into the Apostolic office ( Gal 1:1, 15-19), he only had the church of Antioch commission his first missionary journey with Barnabas. This was as missionaries, here called apostles, not his apostolic ministry which he obtained specially from Christ, like the twelve.

In Act 14:14 though, Barnabas is along side Paul called an apostle, it was with the sense of missionary, with the general sense of the word, meaning one sent — he was sent on missionary. They therefore were both apostles meaning missionaries. There is a difference in the general sense of the word which connote missionaries and the authoritative sense of the word of one to whom the mysteries of the kingdom is specially committed, whose words could become scripture. Just as there is a difference in the general sense of the word teacher (one who teaches — just anyone can do that) and a Teacher as a part of the five fold ministry office with church authority.

Barnabas was either a teacher or a prophet by office ( Act 13:1). Paul was a preacher, a teacher and an apostle by call, but could not at first make known his apostolic ministry, it being the highest office in the church of Jesus (1 Cor 12:28), and since he once persecuted the church, and was yet to be fully accepted among his Christian brethren. Paul, like the Twelve was ordained into office by Jesus Christ himself (Gal 1:1).

More so, there were also missionaries or messengers of congregations (1 Cor 8:23) that were missionaries or representatives commissioned by a church. Barnabas and Paul were thus apostles (missionaries) of the Antioch Church in their first missionary journey.

Unlike the twelve and Paul who were specially commissioned by Christ, there existed others who were delegate missionaries sent by parent-churches to convey the true gospel and set things in order among newly founded gentile churches in distant regions. These could appoint local elders and served as apostolic representatives to those churches. They were by a broader sense of the word called apostles (sent ones with authority), eg Timothy. They were in every sense different from a messenger or an evangelist since they function with delegated authority from key Apostles and parent-church authority. When Paul and Barnabas were commissioned as missionaries to the gentile world, with ecclesiastical authority from the Church at Antioch, they were hence certified preachers of the mystery of the kingdom and with recognized authority among men to establish churches and ordain local elders. They were both called apostles in this sense. Paul would later establish his special apostleship in the very sense of it which was in no way less than that of the very twelve since he too was specially commissioned by Christ himself to serve as an apostolic authority to the gentile world. This puts him above the prophets and teachers that commissioned his first missionary journey, since Christ placed in the Church first, apostles, before prophets, then teachers. His encounters with Jesus proved his special commissioning and apostleship. Else where, however, when the term is used for other individuals, it was with the sense of a missionary.

Signs of an Apostle

Hebrews 2:3-4
[3]How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
[4]God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

2 Corinthians 12:12
[12]Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

Mark 16:17-18
[17]And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
[18]They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Acts 8:5-7
[5]Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
[6]And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
[7]For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

While the signs of an apostle, miracles, wonders and mighty deeds necessary for missionary work as a proof that Christ sent the Apostles is still open to church till Christ returns, it should not to be confused for the apostolic office itself. While people can possess apostolic anointing necessary for missionary work and evangelism, none can occupy the apostolic office today. Jesus promised miracles, signs and wonders to them that believe, and we see it demonstrated through Philip who was not an apostle but simply an evangelist.