In part III, I looked at the usage of “signs and wonders” in the New and Old Testaments, and we saw that in the majority of the verses that we found that the term was used to show that they were to authenticate and confirm the message and revelation of God. In the New Testament, they were centrally tied to the office of the apostle, and the apostolic teachings, of whom God chose to proclaim that message. It’s true that in this apostolic time, other Christians were given gifts as well, but their purpose was much the same. I will hold off for now on discussing the gifts as used in the church and will return to it later. For now I want to look at the aposolic office.
Internal Evidence – The Apostolic Office
Important to the debate at hand is the apostolic office. The question of whether there are apostles in the church today is pivotal to the discussion, because if signs and wonders are closely tied to that office, and that office is still in the church today, then we would expect that the signs and wonders are still to be used today. However, if the office has ceased, then we have reason to explore whether or not some of the other gifts have also ceased. Let us consider the qualifications of the office to see if it is likely that the office still exists.
Qualifications
1. Must have been an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ:
Acts 1.12-26 gives us the account of the 11 disciples that were the apostles as they were trying to figure out who would have replace Judas. Peter, speaking to the group, gives us an example of the first qualification. Acts 1.21-22 says:
“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us–one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.“
The qualifications that Peter placed on the one who would take the place of Judas must have been with them from the begining of Jesus’ ministry to his ascension, and thus a witness to His resurrection. With these qualifications in mind, the 11 apostles attempted to fill “this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place (v. 25)” by “[casting] lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles (v 26).”
In First Corinthians 9, Paul defends his call to apostleship:
“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” (vv. 1,2)
In order to defend his claim to apostleship, Paul reminds the Corinthians of his conversion experience, wherein the resurrected Lord appeared to him. Some might say at this point that if Paul could be called to apostleship by this way, why couldn’t people today also be called the same way? Paul, however, seems to insist that his calling was outside of the norm, and the last to see the Lord revealed in such a way. Consider 1 Corinthians 15.7-9:
“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
The phrase “last of all” renders the greek eschaton de panton. Eschaton here carries the sense of end, or final. Grudem, in his systematic theology, has this to say:
“It seems quite certain that there were none appointed after Paul. When Paul lists the resurrection appearances of Christ, he emphasizes the unusual way in which Christ appeared to him, and connects that with the statement that this was the “last” appearance of all, and that he himself is indeed “the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 910, quoted from Nathan Busenitz’s post on pulpit magazine). This is a notable quote, because Grudem, a reformed charismatic, asserts that the gift of apostleship has ceased.
2.An Apostle must be called by Christ to the office
Mark 3.13-4:
“And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach”
It should be well noted that Jesus had gathered a large crowd of disciples that followed him. Clearly, many of these disciples could fulfill the first qualification of the office, yet the only ones that were called apostles were those that He had chosen. His desired. They were named apostles by His appointing.
Acts 1:2 also speaks directly to the fact that the apostles were chosen directly by Christ:
“…he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.”
Paul also states that his apostleship was through the calling and choice of God:
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1.1)
“Paul, called by the will of God to be an aposle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes” (1 Cor. 1.1, see also 2 Cor. 1.1)
“Paul, an apostle- not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead-” (Galatians 1.1)
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (Ephesians 1.1)
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (Colossians 1.1)
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1.1)
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1.1)
Certainly, if we get nothing else from this study, we should know that Paul was convinced that his apostolic gifts were due to the calling and will of God!
3. The apostles were to perform signs and wonders, which confirmed his message and office
This qualification is essentially what was shown in part III. Because of this, I will simply point to a list of scriptures: Matt. 10:1–2; Acts 2:43; 4:33; 5:12; 2 Cor. 12:12-13; and Heb. 2:3–4.
You can see part III for my arguments for most of these verses.
Conclusions based on the qualifications
So what are we to conclude from these qualifications? We would do well to remember that one wasn’t an apostle by meeting one or two of the qualifications, but all of the qualifications. One must have seen the resurrected Christ, of those whom had seen Him, one must be called by Christ to be an apostle, and those whom he called were authenticated with signs and wonders. Also, Paul seems to say he was the last of those who could fulfill qualification number 1. Based on these qualifications, the biblical testimony seems to be that the office of apostle has indeed ceased. If this gift has ceased, than others may have ceased as well.
Ephesians 2.20
Along with the evidence of the qualifications, there is a specific verse that seems to show that the gifts of apostle and prophet were temporary. That verse is Ephesians 2.19-21:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”
This verse points to the foundational quality of the apostles and prophets, upon which the Church was being built. Once a foundation is built, we no longer continue to build the foundation, but build upon that foundation. The foundation laid by the apostles and prophets was their teachings, of which Christ is the cornerstone (v. 21). Once these teachings were confirmed, authenticated, and preserved (through scripture), the foundation was laid and the foundational gifts were no longer necessary. May we dedicate ourselves to the apostle’s teaching (Acts 2.42) as preserved through Scripture!
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