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NASB | 1 Corinthians 12:27 ¶ Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 12:27 ¶ Now you [collectively] are Christ's body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function]. |
Bible Question:
Dear Tim, Nolan, and saints, I have asked this question before, but here goes. If the 'office' of apostle and prophet are no longer active, why do we still have the 'office' of pastor, evangelist, teacher? It is late, so my mind may not be so sharp...but where in the Bible does it say that the prerequisite for apostles and prophets is that they must provide *new* revelation? For that matter, where in the Bible is the prerequisite that these ministers must be infallible? Not all apostles and prophets wrotes books of the Bible. (Thomas, Philip, Bartholomew, etc.) Some of the saints that did write books were not identified as apostles or prophets. (Dr. Luke, John Mark, Jude) None of them were infallible. So why must a present-day minister be made to fulfil these requirements? Martin Luther showed a *new thing* to the church, something called 'grace.' Somtimes things are called *new* after they have been lost for a while. Apparently, the church has lost quite a few things, and the ministerial gifts are there to help find them. I am not sure that I understand 'not offices, but gifts.' This is too complicated to be of God, IMHO. I must say that it sounds as if 'church-planters,' missionaries, and appliers of God's Word are SCC (second class citizens) Why must we give so much glory to men who were simply obedient to God, and deny bona fide status to present-day ministers doing the same thing? With all due respect, this sounds like beatification to me. I look forward to answers. In Christ Jesus, charis |
Bible Answer: The office of apostle was a foundational one...people particularly used by God to initially establish the church. We see that the apostles were indeed "larger than life" in the sense that they possessed special gifts which were not displayed by other believers (e.g. healing)--we never see anyone but Jesus and those he specifically sent out displaying true "signs and wonders" in the NT. This is not saying that God does not miraculously heal today. However, He isn't doing it at the behest of the Benny Hinns of the world! Another thing that needs to be pointed out from church history (something that all believers should study to get themselves some perspective): this sudden "apostolic movement" is clearly a product of the 20th-century Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Even those who claim to be apostles today do not say that the office of apostle has been occupied since the first century. Rather, they claim that the office is something that God has "re-established" for the last days. In other words, this "essential" office for the functioning of the church has gone unoccupied for centuries! Doesn't seem like our omnipotent, sovereign God would allow that if it was such a necessary office for the body of Christ to function. The apostles were mere men, but they were especially set apart by God for a particular purpose at a particular time. And the power that God manifested in them was so powerful that they often were feared by other believers (check out Acts 5 for a good example of why that was the case). Show me one individual legitimately displaying the kind of signs and wonders on the scale of the apostles of the Bible. On a side note, Martin Luther did not re-introduce grace. The Catholic church has always held that grace is necessary for salvation. What Luther and the Reformers contended was that salvation was by God's grace ALONE (no merit on our part), and that we are justified by faith ALONE (no works at all on our part). Therefore, it was not a "new" thing in any sense of the word. Martin Luther was indeed a man used by God, but he certainly did not consider himself to be an apostle. The contrasts between Luther and the present-day "super-apostles" demonstrate the difference between what the church needs today (Reformation) and what our over-stimulated American society selfishly craves (a "revival" complete with all the smoke and mirrors). The Holy Spirit is alive and well and working in His church! Let's do the studious work of discerning what is truly of Him and what is just fabricated nonsense. --Joe! |