Understanding Apostles
by Joey Carroll Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

“Apostle” is a word that is used almost exclusively in the New Testament; therefore, the New Testament is where we should learn about this unique title in church history. In Hebrews 3, our Lord Jesus is referred to as The Apostle. Since our Lord was sent by God (when the eternal Son was born of a virgin), spoke the word of God, and possessed the authority of God (Hebrews 1:1-2), He is the one true Apostle.
However, in Luke 6:13, our Lord called His disciples together, chose twelve of them, and named them apostles. You see them in this role in Luke 9 when these twelve men were sent out having been given power, authority, and the responsibility to proclaim the Kingdom of God. And so, these four elements define for us what it means to be an apostle. They had been called to the task by the Lord in person, and He had given them power, authority, and responsibility to proclaim the Kingdom. Those elements never change.

After the ascension of the Lord, other men received the call to apostleship. Among those were the Lord’s brother, James, and the apostle that we are probably most familiar with – the apostle Paul. On the road to Damascus, Paul saw the resurrected Lord and was called to this unique position in the church. Paul was faithful to the task as he traveled about the entire known world demonstrating his apostolic calling. He exercised God-given powers in performing miracles and greatly fulfilled his responsibility to proclaim the Gospel.
The 4th element that apostles were given is where we need to pay the most attention, and that is concerning authority. Apostles had the authority given by God to build the church (Ephesians 2:19-20). What those apostles taught is written down for us in the Bible. This is referred to as “apostolic authority.”

In other words, what was taught by the apostles and written down for us in the New Testament becomes authoritative over everyone’s life who professes faith in Jesus Christ. However, the way that Paul used this authority reminds us of the gentleness and kindness of God. It would be well worth your time to read 1 Thessalonians 2:4-13.
Since this is an issue of authority, this is where our problems are found today, and those problems are many. First, no one likes authority over their lives. Adam’s fall in the garden left us all with a desire to be our own god and assume the position of authority in our own lives. But to come to Christ Jesus as Lord is to submit oneself to His commands found in the Bible, which is to submit oneself to the teachings of the apostles who wrote the Bible. Oddly enough, it is difficult as a pastor to help professing believers to understand this. The majority want the salvation Jesus offers, but they want very little to do with the commands He gives us for living.

The second great problem is the issue of authority in the church. There is only one source of authority in the church, and that is the Word of God. But men crave authority wherever they are. Therefore, some men have established themselves as the authority figure in the church. Some have even gone so far as to refer to themselves as apostles because they want the authority. But every man alive is commanded by God to submit themselves to the Word of God. The Word is our standard for faith and life, not anyone or anything else.

Since the Church has been established and the Bible complete, the position of apostles has come to an end; however, we still hear of those trying to assume the position of an apostle. It’s very revealing though when someone wants the title of apostle, but nothing to do with the life of an apostle. The life of an apostle was designed by God to be a life of great suffering (1 Corinthians 4:9-13). They went hungry and homeless. They were roughly treated, slandered, and reviled, but in spite of their difficult lives, they blessed those who condemned them. In other words, they were made to be a reflection of the experiences of our Lord.
So the next time you hear of someone claiming to be an apostle, just compare their lives to how God designed the life of an apostle, and you will see they are trying to deceive.