Are there apostles/prophets today?
The bible says that there are no more apostles and prophets today because now that the word of God is complete, he no longer needs them!
The word apostle means a "sent one," and a prophet means "the oracle of God." These were offices given supernaturally to the body of Christ in the beginning of this dispensation of grace to plant churches and to speak God's word until the word of God was complete!
The bible says that God gave apostles and prophets until the word was complete...
Ephesians 4:11
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Those gifts of prophecy and apostleship were temporary until the word was completed...
1 Corinthians 13:8-12
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Paul says that those gifts were "childish" and that when perfect knowledge comes, all those partial, childish things will go away.
When the second epistle to Timothy was completed, the word of God was finished. There was no more need for those temporary gifts.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect [mature in the faith], throughly furnished unto all good works.
So now, because we have all scripture, God no longer uses men in the offices of apostle or prophet to edify his saints—those that have trusted on the crosswork of Christ to save them. He simply uses men of God, who are made "perfect" through the Word rightly divided to be ministers, elders, and bishops to teach His people the rightly divided word of his grace.
Hopefully this
helps!
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Ephesians was one of the last of Paul's letters, if not the last, and certainly the final word to the body of Christ concerning doctrine to the church. You say that the apostles and prophets (designations) were necessary in the early formation of the b of C. They are included along with teachers, miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues, in 1 Cor. 12:28. If the gifts of Apostles and Prophets are not part of the dispensation of grace, but were eliminated along with these other designations (except teachers) why are they listed in the Eph. 4:11? If they now have no function in the edifying of the body of Christ, why are they in that list?
ReplyDeleteBTW: Who is the author of this article?