The role of the Apostle from Scripture

[Always in His Presence]

From a Sola Scriptura POV.

I am versed in the traditional teachings, this thread is not about tradition - it is a look from Scripture and might just answer some questions.

Looking at the Apostle from a timeline:

Definitions and observations:

Apostle: Transliterated – apostolos - a delegate, messenger – one sent forth with orders.

Apostle is a title – description of one who is being sent
Example from Scripture
​

Luke 6: And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:​

Notice they were disciples to Jesus also named apostles. What is the difference?

Mark 6:1 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.​

​

Notice they were commissioned and then sent by Jesus​

​

12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.​

Still in Mark 6: 30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.​

​

Notice they were called apostles​

vs 35 - When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said​

​

The same 12 when sent out as messengers were called apostles - when with Jesus, they were called disciples.

The word Apostle is the title of a position, not the definition of the person. A person can operate in different positions depending on the calling on him or her at the moment.

Paul for example

Paul the Apostle: Romans 1: Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God​

Paul the Prophet: Acts 13: Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.​

​

Paul the preacher/teacher:​

Acts 15: Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.​

 

[Always in His Presence]

Those called Apostles - Timeline

First is Jesus Christ –​

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,​

​

Second the Chief Apostle appointed the 12.
They hold a place no other does.
​

Rev 21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.​

Understanding that the 12 laid the foundation of both the early church and the NT.

Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,​

Third, first century Prophets that were not Apostles of the Lamb. ​

1. Paul – Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

1. Barnabas: Acts 14:14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this

1. Silas: Acts 15

1. The 70 other Luke 10

Fourth - Gifts from Jesus to the church
​

Eph 4: 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,​

What is their purpose?​

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,​

How long?​

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;​

For what purpose?​

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—​

 

[AlexB23]

From a Sola Scriptura POV.

I am versed in the traditional teachings, this thread is not about tradition - it is a look from Scripture and might just answer some questions.

Looking at the Apostle from a timeline:

Definitions and observations:

Apostle: Transliterated – apostolos - a delegate, messenger – one sent forth with orders.

Apostle is a title – description of one who is being sent
Example from Scripture
​

Luke 6: And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:​

Notice they were disciples to Jesus also named apostles. What is the difference?

Mark 6:1 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.​

​

Notice they were commissioned and then sent by Jesus​

​

12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.​

Still in Mark 6: 30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.​

​

Notice they were called apostles​

vs 35 - When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said​

​

The same 12 when sent out as messengers were called apostles - when with Jesus, they were called disciples.

The word Apostle is the title of a position, not the definition of the person. A person can operate in different positions depending on the calling on him or her at the moment.

Paul for example

Paul the Apostle: Romans 1: Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God​

Paul the Prophet: Acts 13: Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.​

​

Paul the preacher/teacher:​

Acts 15: Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.​

Yep, an apostle is someone who has to carry out a mission (sent forth with orders) to spread the Good News. That is something both Catholics and Protestants believe in.

Here is my April 30 devotional on apostles, from Ephesians 4:11-16, a verse mentioned in your OP.

Date	April 30, 2024
Verse	Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV): "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
Explanation	Ephesians 4:11-16 describes the role of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers in the early Christian community. Their primary task was to prepare the saints, or believers, for the work of spiritual leadership and to increase the number of Christ followers. The ultimate goal was for all believers to attain the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, mature into adulthood, and no longer be swayed by various doctrines or deceitful schemes. This passage remains relevant today as it emphasizes the importance of unity, maturity, and the role of the body of Christ in the spiritual growth of each individual. It also highlights the need for believers to engage in respectful dialogue with those of different beliefs, fostering a community that grows and builds itself up in love.
Societal Relevance	In modern society, Christians can spread the gospel in a respectful and considerate manner by: 1. Living a Christ-like life: The most powerful way to share the gospel is through the example of a believer's actions. By living a life that reflects the teachings of Christ, others may be drawn to the faith. 2. Speaking the truth in love: When sharing the gospel, it is essential to do so with kindness, respect, and compassion. This approach can help minimize offense and create an open and receptive environment for dialogue. 3. Listening and understanding: Seek to understand the perspectives and beliefs of others before sharing your own. This approach fosters respect and trust and may lead to deeper, more meaningful conversations. 4.Focusing on common ground: Identify shared values and beliefs with others and build upon those areas of agreement as a foundation for discussing the gospel. 5.Using clear and respectful language: Be mindful of the language used when sharing the gospel. Avoid inflammatory or divisive terms that may offend or alienate others.

 

[The Liturgist]

Actually there are a few categories of Apostles: the first being the Twelve, which consist of the eleven faithful disciples, plus St. Matthias, who was ordained to replace Judas Iscariot. Other members of the Twelve include St. Andrew the First Called, St. Peter, St. John the Theologian, St. James the Great, St. Thomas “the Twin”, St. Matthew the Evangelist, St. Philip, St. Bartholomew, also known as St. Nathanael, St. Jude Thaddaeus, St. James the Just, the Son of Alphaeus, and St. Simon the Canaanite.

The second category consisted of members of the Seventy, who temporarily deserted our Lord following the Eucharistic address in John 6 but later returned. For example, St. Mari (St. Addai is likely the same person as St. Thaddaeus, but if the St. Addai who worked with St. Mari to evangelize Mesopotamia and India under St. Thomas the Apostle is someone other than St. Thaddaeus, he would be a member of the seventy). St. Matthias, if I recall, was drawn from this group as well.

The third group could be said to consist of additional supporters of Christ, one of whom is expressly referred to as an apostle, where we have no reason to believe they deserted our Lord, but we do not see them enumerated among the twelve, for example, St. Cleopas. St. Mark the Evangelist, who owned the house with the Cenacle, could be considered a member of this group if one considered him an apostle (particularly if he is the same person as “John Mark” referred to in certain epistles).

St. Paul represents a unique Apostle, in that He was a persecutor of the Church, until He was hit by lightning on the Road to Damascus and converted by a vision of our Lord. And it is implied in one of the Petrine epistles that he obtained by miraculous means knowledge of the ministry of our Lord and its specifics.

We know that of the Twelve and St. Paul, the only one to escape martyrdom was St. John the Theologian (also known as St. John the Beloved Disciple, who is also one of the Four Evangelists). Many liberal Christians have tried to argue that the Evangelist was different from St. John the son of Zebedee, and that the person who experienced the Revelation was different from both, but I believe these arguments can be rejected on Sola Scriptura grounds, where Sola Scriptura is interpreted according to Lutheran and Anglican principles, in that no scripture exists to support such a theory. I see it as a transparent attempt to undermine confidence in the Athanasian canon by promoting the theory of a very late dating of the Gospel According to John and of the Apocalypse (Revelation).

Then we have those Apostles who were apparently recruited by other Apostles, but who are still reckoned as Apostles, and not as the first Bishops (St. Timothy being an example of a proto-Bishop). St. Barnabas comes to mind, as well as several other people associated with St. Paul or mentioned by him (such as St. Apollos, St. Titus, St. Philemon and so on). Of course, many of these might well have been members of the Seventy. The failed Apostle Andronicus and his wife Junia would seem to be a member of this category. But for the most part, those who would be in this category, such as St. Timothy, or St. Clement, or St. Ignatius, wound up being recognized as Apostles in their own right. St. Luke the Evangelist might fall into this category, in particular if it turns out he wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is often attributed to St. Paul, but which has a more eloquent Greek literary style that many feel is closer to the writing of St. Luke, who is widely regarded as having the best literary style, in the original Greek at least, of any New Testament author. However, if he wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews under the supervision of St. Paul, that might not make him an Apostle, per se. I have also seen him grouped among the Seventy very frequently. So we just do not have enough information. Hebrews is an interesting book, in that its canonicity has been settled since the 39th Paschal Encyclical of St. Athanasius, but we still do not know with complete confidence who wrote it (although tradition usually attributes it to St. Paul, but attempts by later Patristic figures to explain why the writing is so much better in Hebrews than in other Pauline epistles make no sense, since they usually were based on the idea that St. Paul was writing in his native Hebrew (technically Aramaic) language and was thus more eloquent, but we know this is not the case, as all philological analysis of the New Testament indicates that every book within it was originally written in Koine Greek (although it is entirely possible some of them were based on books written in other languages).

Finally we have women venerated as Equal-to-the-Apostles, most of whom were contemporaries of the Apostles (the only exception to this I can think of offhand is St. Nino, an Armenian princess who evangelized the largest kingdom among the Georgians in the fourth century, around the same time Ethiopia converted to Christianity, about five to ten years after the conversion of Rome and ten to fifteen years after the conversion of Armenia. Members of this group who were contemporaries of the Apostles include St. Mary Magdalene, St. Mary of Bethany, St. Martha of Bethany and St. Theclas.

 

[HopeSings]

I care only for scripture alone. No modern teacher or apostles for me. Not in these last days of deception.

 

[The Liturgist]

I care only for scripture alone. No modern teacher or apostles for me. Not in these last days of deception.

I myself view any contemporary church that calls its leaders “Apostles” with extreme suspicion, since this usually means they are a cult which is seeking to use the word “Apostle” to imbue their leaders with enough theoretical authority so as to be able to tamper with, append or modify Sacred Scripture, for example, Mormonism.

 

[HopeSings]

I myself view any contemporary church that calls its leaders “Apostles” with extreme suspicion, since this usually means they are a cult which is seeking to use the word “Apostle” to imbue their leaders with enough theoretical authority so as to be able to tamper with, append or modify Sacred Scripture, for example, Mormonism.

Good for you. I have my own church..it's my heart. I have God so why do I keep an apostle? I have the Scripture.