The Greek word for apostle, apostello, occurs over 80 times in the New Testament and over 700 times in the LXX.6 Since apostles did not exist in the Old Testament times, we have to understand the word to mean someone who was sent and/or was a. messenger; apostle means, sent one.* First, it is used in the reference to those in the inner circles of Yeshua 12 apostles. In order to be one of the twelve a person had to be with the witnesses from the beginning of Christs ministry until the day that Christ was taken from them. Acts 1:21-22, It is therefore necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--22 beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us--one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection.” So, there is a type of apostle that is restricted to the 12. We could say that even Paul didnt fit into that category. Second, though Paul was not one of the original twelve apostles, he was considered an apostle later on (Acts 14:14). After all, Jesus appeared to him (1 Cor. 9:1) and commissioned him. Paul even refers to himself as an apostle (Gal. 1:1). Third, Barnabas is called an apostle along with Paul in Acts 14:14. In Acts 14:8-18 Paul and Barnabas are together at Lystra and Paul heals a man--but not Barnabas. In Acts 15 Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem concerning the issue of the gentiles being circumcised. Though Barnabas is an apostle, we have no record of his performing miracles or writing scripture. So, in what sense was he an apostle? He is called one but he isnt one of the 12, was apparently not commissioned by Christ, and performs no miracles. So, we can conclude that there is a type of apostle that isnt directly commissioned by Christ and performs no miracles. Fourth, Jesus is called an apostle in Heb. 3:1, Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. What are we to make of this? Simple, Jesus was sent by the Father (John 5:23); and in that sense, he was an apostle. Fifth, there seems to be a generic category of apostles as sent ones and messengers. Consider 2 Cor. 8:3, As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers (apostoloi) of the churches, a glory to Christ. Also, Phil. 1:19, But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger (apostolon) and minister to my need. And, John 20:19,Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace be with you; as the Father has sent (apostalken) Me, I also send (pempo) you. We can see that the Greek term apostello doesnt just mean an apostle but someone who is sent. Sixth, since one of the qualifications of being apostle is having been involved in Christs earthly ministry before his crucifixion and then having seen the risen Lord later (Acts 1:21-22), we could make the case that an apostle would be anyone who fits this category. In that case, there could be hundreds of apostles in the early church. Seventh, there are false apostles. 2 Cor. 11:13, For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. See also Rev. 2:2. Apparently, there were some who claimed to have apostolic authority but were really false teachers. Lets summarize. There are apostles who were only among the 12. They performed miracles. Some wrote scripture.Paul was an apostle (unique?) specifically commissioned by Christ. He performed miracles and wrote scripture.Barnabas is an apostle. He performed no miracles, wrote no scripture . . . 7Jesus is called an apostle. He performed miraclesThere are apostles in the sense of simply being sent. They are messengers. They perform no miracles.It could possibly be that anyone who was involved in Christs ministry before his death and saw him after his resurrection could be referred to as apostles. There are false apostles.*
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 01:47:51 +0000