Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Prerequisite-infallibility? | 1 Cor 12:27 | Makarios | 12543 | ||
Dear charis, in an earlier post written 04/01/01 (which was exactly 11 days before I found and joined the Study Bible Forum), you have stated as "definitions" of an apostle, and a prophet... "The major problem, as I see it, is that many are adamant that an Apostle must be like Peter or Paul, and a Prophet must be like Isaiah or Jeremiah. APOSTLE (Gk. (apostolos,) a "delegate"). One sent with a special message or commission. In this sense the word is used in the LXX (1KI 14:6; ISA 18:2), and in the NT: JOH 13:16, "Neither is one (who is sent) [apostle] greater than the one who sent him"; 2CO 8:23; PHI 2:25, where persons sent out by churches on special errands are called their (apostles,) or messengers. In HEB 3:1 Jesus is called "the (Apostle) and High Priest of our confession." (New Ungers Bible Dictionary) The Bible describes 3 'types' of apostles; 1) Jesus. 2) The 'Apostles to the Lamb,' also called the 12. Matthai replaced Judas Iscariot, the only 'replacement' apostle in the Bible. 3)The 'post-ascension apostles.' Paul and Barnabas, among others, continued the ministry of 'special commissions' between churches. Sometimes these are referred to as the 'lower sense' of the apostolic ministry. I believe this continues today, although often misinterpreted and abused. I do not think that the present-day apostle equals the missionary, as I know too many missionaries that do not fit the Bible's description. However, some missionaries may well be working in an apostolic calling. Prophet-"But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation." 1 Corinthians 14:3 NASB. Though many definitions demand that a prophet be a soothsayer, I believe that a New Testament prophet will probably speak God's word for the above purposes more than for telling the future. (Though soothsaying is also still possible, this gift must be used carefully, and must be tested before placing spiritual 'weight' upon it) This encouragement should be for the church, not for the 'pumping up' of the people, nor for the edification of the prophet." Deut. 18:21-22 explains to us that whatever a prophet prophecies must come to pass! And in this way, they must be "infallible".. Acts 21:10 states that Agabus, a prophet, came down from Judea to meet Paul. It is interesting to note the presence of this prophet (and he was considered as one) after the Resurrection of Christ! So there is evidence for Biblical support for prophets. So in this light, let us look at a quote of Hank's post written on 04/04/01.. "Luke in Acts extends the title apostle beyond the Twelve. And Paul calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ in the greeting of virtually every letter he wrote that we have in the New Testament canon. In light of the scriptural record, therefore, it is difficult to see how anyone living today could be called an apostle -- not, at any rate, in the Biblical sense.Prophets. Do they exist today? Yes, they do and Scripture supports this view, particularly the existence of false prophets. Jesus issued a stern warning to beware of false prophets and false Christs (Matt. 7:15; Mark 13:22) Paul referred to genuine prophecy as a gift in 1 Cor. 13:2. Prophecy simply means "spokesman for God" and does not always entail the foretelling of future events." I agree with Hank, prophets do exist today. However, I am at a loss as to how apostles could exist based on the Biblical example or sense of the word.. Are we all apostles since we are all ministers of the Gospel? (2 Cor. 6:4) Have we all been given that kind of authority over other believers? As far as 'new revelation' goes, God's Holy Word is the ultimate revelation, and any "NEW" revelation must coincide or be based upon (or found) in God's Holy Word, which is the ultimate message from God to man. John 10:35 states that the Scripture cannot be broken, and Revelation 22:18-19 are definitive commands that we should not add to this 'ultimate' revelation that God has given us. Every gift that is given should be for the building up of the church or for the spreading of this ultimate message that God has given us. I will write more later! I hope this helps.. Your Brother in Christ, Nolan |
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2 | Prerequisite-infallibility? | 1 Cor 12:27 | RCSCROLL | 12572 | ||
2nd post CHARIS Why did not the New Testament apostles appoint successors for themselves? And how is it that God's purpose in establishing the church could be so completely frustrated (Matthew 16:18; Jude 3)? (3) The point of Ephesians 4:11-13 is that "the building up of the body of Christ" (vs. 12) will continue "until" the church is matured (vs. 13). The first-century apostles and prophets have fully "equipped" (vs. 12a) the church with the revelations given in the New Testament, combined with the Old Testament, so that all of the information the church needs to do its tasks is contained in Scripture (II Timothy 3:16-17). The Epistle of Jude also bears witness to the first-century Christian conviction that the days of the apostles and of gospel revelations were foundational and not ongoing. Jude speaks of "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). The expression "once for all" clearly indicates that the "delivery" of the faith is complete, so that we should not look for a new revelation. Indeed, the new teachings of certain persons (Jude 4) are condemned for this very reason. The way to avoid the trap of heresy, says Jude, is to "remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 17). When Jude was writing, the apostles were either a phenomenon of the past, or were fast becoming so. The apostle Peter also made it clear that he thought the apostolic period was ending in his day. II Peter appears to have been written by Peter as he awaited martyrdom. In this epistle, he does not urge his readers to look to the next apostle or apostles for leadership, but rather to remember the apostolic message after he is gone (II Peter 1:12-15). Like Jude, Peter warns of false teachers who will take advantage of the lack of apostolic presence, and "secretly introduce destructive heresies" (2:1). The solution, says Peter, is to "remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles" (3:2). They are to seek diligently to follow the teachings of the apostles, particularly Paul, despite the fact that he is often misinterpreted by "the untaught and unstable" (3:14-16). Therefore, Peter did not look for the continuation of apostolic authority, but rather for the church to follow what the departing apostles had taught. Like Jude, he does not say, "Listen to the apostles living today" (as the Mormons and other groups with apostles say), but instead urges us, "Remember what the apostles said." That the apostleship was confined to the first-century church does not necessarily mean that only the Twelve and Paul were apostles. Barnabas (Acts 14:14) was certainly an apostle, as was Silas (I Thessalonians 2:6; cf. 1:1); Andronicus and Junia may also have been apostles (Romans 16:7). That Timothy is not included as an apostle in I Thessalonians 2:6 is implied by 3:1-2, where "we" means Paul and Silas distinct from Timothy. We know that Timothy was not an apostolic eyewitness of the risen Jesus, because he was led to Christ by Paul (I Timothy 1:12; 18; II Timothy 1:2; 2:1-2). There is no reason to doubt that Barnabas, Silas, Andronicus, and Junia may not all have been among the over 500 witnesses to the resurrection of Christ (I Corinthians 15:6), and thus "apostles" in the strict sense. Finally, the word "apostle" appears to be used in the sense of a church's missionary in Philippians 2:25 (of Epaphroditus, whom Paul calls "your apostle") and II Corinthians 8:23 ("apostles of the churches"). If so, these men have neither ecclesiastical authority nor revelational gifts; they are simply missionaries. This is not the sense in which "apostle" is used by those claiming to have restored the apostleship to the church. We conclude, then, that the apostleship ended with the death of the apostles appointed by Christ Himself in the first century. With them died the authority to speak definitively for God. We should therefore reject the claims of any religious organization or teacher who claims that the office of apostle has been restored to the church. Love in CHRIST JESUS your brother RC.Scroll |
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3 | Prerequisite-infallibility? | 1 Cor 12:27 | glory777 | 12575 | ||
I'm sorry, but I think when we say apostles are a thing of the past, it sounds too much like the gifts of the Holy Spirit are a thing of the past (which I had heard growing up and still hear). There is still a need for apostles, if not a greater need now, as there are pastors, evangelists, etc. Why did they need to be appointed by the apostles of that time and maybe they were and weren't mentioned. I am sure many pastors were and weren't mentioned. There are many unreached people groups that need people with a strong capability of extending the work of the church. They don't have to see Jesus physically - Jesus lives in them and they have the Holy Spirit guiding them and His Word teaching and directing them. There is a need for prophets today, and I believe God has appointed them - the church still needs to exhorted, corrected, wooed. But you are right, it had better be in agreement with what scripture says. Peace- Debbie |
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4 | Where do the apostles fit in today? | 1 Cor 12:27 | Searcher56 | 12578 | ||
Debbie, Where do the apostles fit in today? Is it a office or spiritual gift? If the latter, how doe one know they have the gift? Can the unreached people be reached by missionaries? |
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5 | Where do the apostles fit in today? | 1 Cor 12:27 | glory777 | 12584 | ||
Steve- How does one know they have the gift of being a pastor or evangelist? I believe there are people who are apostles who are not called as such (sounds awfully religious and old-time)but they have a burning for bringing the gospel to all people, plus have high degree of organizational skills and a greater sensitivity to what the Lord is telling them to do. I think there have been people in so called "Christianized" societies (USA) who have been apostles. DL Moody could possibly have qualified as one. I don't know that much about church history, but I am sure if you looked inot the lives of great Christian leaders, you will find some that would qualify. Your sister in Christ Debbie |
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