05/12/18 NEW TESTAMENT APOSTLESHIP
I recently worshiped with Free Grace Wesleyan Church on Harkers Island, and was blessed by the fellowship, the music and of course Pastor Clint.
During his message, Pastor Clint correctly mentioned the fact that there are people today who falsely claim to be apostles. As I said, he only mentioned it in passing, therefore he did not elaborate at that time. Of course I agreed with him, because no one meets New Testament qualifications of an apostle.
The Biblical importance of a New Testament apostle is the fact that God empowered and enlightened them in a way that no one else has been enabled. This is because they, along with other specially anointed men, were inspired by the Holy Spirit to convey God's word. Others may preach what the apostles and prophets said, but no one is receiving new revelation and inspiration since the New Testament. The Old and New Testaments are God's only revealed and inspired word to the world. One of the passages that came to mind concerning the uniqueness of an apostle is in Ephesians. It tells us that we are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (the New Testament writings).
Ephesians 2:19-22
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
I wanted to find a concise and accurate statement concerning the New Testament qualifications of an apostle, therefore I pulled up various sites, which address this issue. Of course, some of the groups that claim to have apostles try to explain away the Biblical criteria for apostleship. However, one of the sites (a Calvinistic site) quotes John MacArthur on this subject.
(please be sure to read my last paragraph, after the MacArthur quote. thank you).
I AM NOT A MACARTHUR FAN for various reasons, including the fact that he teaches the errors of Calvinism. Still, I appreciated this article on this subject. Especially take not of these two points;
an apostle had to be an EYEWITNESS to the physically resurrected Christ, and
an apostle had to be SENT by Jesus personally.
Also note that MacArthur, who is very strongly Calvinistic, references and quotes Wayne Grudem, a Charismatic professor of theology and Biblical studies, concerning the fact that no modern person meets the qualifications of a New Testament apostle.
Here is a copy of the MacArthur's quote.
JOHN MACARTHUR QUOTE...
Charismatics, and others who build entire theological systems on single verses or even words, will ask, “Where does the Bible say the apostolic office is no more?” This is unlikely to satisfy them, but it should convince you, the logical, biblical thinker.
It would be impossible for any contemporary Christian to meet the biblical qualifications required for someone to be considered an apostle. The New Testament articulates at least three necessary criteria:(1) an apostle had to be a physical eyewitness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22; 10:39–41; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:7–8); (2) an apostle had to be personally appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13; Acts 1:2, 24; 10:41; Gal. 1:1); and (3) an apostle had to be able to authenticate his apostolic appointment with miraculous signs (Matt. 10:1 –2; Acts 1:5–8; 2:43; 4:33; 5:12; 8:14; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3–4).
Those qualifications alone conclusively demonstrate that there are no apostles in the church today. No living person has seen the risen Christ with his or her own eyes; no one is able to perform miraculous signs like those done by the apostles in the book of Acts (cf. Acts 3:3–11; 5:15–16; 9:36–42; 20:6–12; 28:1–6); and—in spite of presumptuous claims to the contrary—no one in the modern church has been personally and directly appointed as an apostle by the Lord Jesus. Of course, there are some charismatics who claim to have seen visions of the resurrected Lord. Not only are such claims highly suspect and impossible to verify; they simply do not meet the apostolic criteria—since an apostle had to see the resurrected Christ in the flesh with his own eyes. . . .
Wayne Grudem, popular author and professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary, is a committed charismatic himself and perhaps the best theologian and apologist for the movement. But even he acknowledges that “since no one today can meet the qualification of having seen the risen Christ with his own eyes, there are no apostles today.”
—John MacArthur, Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship (Thomas Nelson, 2014), 92–93
MY LAST PARAGRAPH. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT simply go online to find out what the experts say concerning Bible, theology or doctrine. You need to have a solid foundation, with a wide range of knowledge before you start accepting answers on the internet. It is easy to be misled by cultists and errant Christians. A person needs to be grounded in truth or he may find himself being deceived. Find a good, solid, loving local church and a godly, gifted, called and spiritually equipped pastor. ALSO, BEWARE. Just because a person may be accurate and correct in one area, does not mean that they are qualified to speak in another area. It is too easy to follow false prophets or be misled by those who preach partial truths.
