Are There Apostles Today?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples about Himself and saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it (Matthew 16:13-18, NLT).”

Jesus said that “He” will build “His” church. What will Jesus build His church with? What will he use as mortar and stones? How will he build His church? And, what will He call this church? Where will this church be and on what foundation will His church be built?

The first thing about constructing a building is knowing that solid bedrock is needed. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash (NLT).”

So far, we know that Jesus will build His church and anyone who listens to Him and follows His teachings is considered wise. Jesus suggests that His teachings are the bedrock on which the foundation of the church must be laid. He also proposed that the “rock” upon which the church will be built is the revelation of knowing who Jesus is; this is the mortar. “We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord (Eph. 2:21).” Peter recognized this, not by “flesh and blood,” but by God, the Father in heaven; this is by a proverbial spiritual eye-opening, so to speak which only comes from God Himself. Following Jesus and knowing God are the mortar in which the true church of Christ is bound together. Accordingly, the next question is what will be the foundation that would be laid upon the solid bedrock of Jesus‘ teachings and revelation?

Writing to the members of the church in Ephesus, Paul says, “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. “And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself (Eph 2:20).” Remember, “for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).“ Here, we see the church compared to a building and Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone. Peter says that Jesus Christ is “the living cornerstone of God’s temple (1 Pet 2:4).“ We also have Paul declaring that the foundation are the apostles and the prophets. Because of this, we know “for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11).” Consequently, the bedrock is Christ’s teachings, the Apostles and Prophets are the foundation (built upon Christ), Jesus Christ Himself is the chief cornerstone. This analogy helps us to see the foundational role of the apostles. So, where is the church?

The church, who are the believers and followers of Christ, are “his house.” Who’s house are we? Paul declares that Christians “are God’s building (1 Cor. 3:9).” Peter says that the church members are “living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple (1 Pet. 2:5).” Paul asks, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Cor. 3:16)” Thus, since believers are the stones and knowing God is the mortar; together we make up the Temple of God, the House of the living God (2 Cor. 6:16 ).

Upon the bedrock of Christ’s teachings, the foundation of Christ is laid down by the Apostles and the Prophets and upon this foundation is the chief cornerstone of God’s Temple. The Temple of God is built by using the “living stones” of Christians and we are bound together tightly by the mortar of knowing and loving God through a personal relationship with him through Christ. In the beginning construction of the church, we have “James, Peter and John, who were known as pillars of the church (Gal. 2:9). “This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).”

So, here is the question, are there Apostles today in our modern times? The Apostle Paul reminds us, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:10,11).”

“When building a building, the first thing that is laid is the foundation. Everything else is then built upon that one foundation. Do we then go back after building a couple of stories and lay the foundation again? No. It is only done once. The foundation is laid one time in the beginning and then never again. The same is true of the apostles. They served as a foundation for the emerging church. We should not expect to see another group of apostles later on any more than we would expect someone building a building to lay another foundation on the fourth floor. After all, Jesus Christ, being the chief cornerstone, is a part of this foundation as well. We certainly do not expect there to be another Jesus Christ, do we?”