Are there modern day Apostles?:

Proponents of modern-day apostleship often point to Ephesians 4:11-13 to defend their position. It is important, therefore, that we examine that passage carefully. After describing Christ's ascension, Paul wrote:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Advocates of modern-day apostleship make two incorrect assumptions about this passage. First, they assert that the unity, knowledge, and maturity described in verse 13 refer to the second coming of Christ. Second, they contend that all five of the offices listed in verse 11 (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) must continue until the Second Coming. But neither of these assumptions is warranted by the text itself.

Let's look at the second assumption first. Does this passage indicate that the offices listed in verse 11 will last until the conditions described in verse 13 are met? That interpretation might be possible if verse 12 were omitted from the text. Grammatically, however, the word "until" in verse 13 points back to the nearest participle in verse 12 ("building up"), and not to the distant verb "gave" in verse 11. Thus, Paul's point is that those offices listed in verse 11 were given by Christ so that, according to verse 12, the saints might be equipped to build up the body of Christ (v.12).

It is the building up of the body of Christ by the saints, then, that continues until the conditions in verse 13 are realized. Nothing in the text indicates that apostles and prophets will be present throughout the entire church age, but only that the work they began (equipping the saints to build up the body of Christ) will continue. This grammatical conclusion is strengthened by the context of Ephesians, since Paul has already explained that apostles and prophets were limited to the foundation age of the church (Eph. 2:20).

We can now consider the unity and knowledge described in verse 13. Some scholars insist that such an ultimate objective is not attainable this side of glory. Thus, they contend, Paul must be describing the church's heavenly unity and knowledge-attributes that will only be realized in the glory of heaven. But that idea does not fit the flow of Paul's thought; he is describing the results produced as the saints build up the church. His focus is not on God's final work of glorification in heaven, but on the work of faithful believers in the church here on earth. Within the church, it is possible for believers to possess a profound unity based on a shared commitment to biblical truth, an intimate knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a deep level of spiritual maturity. Paul adds sound doctrine (v. 14) and growth in Christlikeness (v.15) as additional benefits that result from the saints being properly equipped to build up the body of Christ (v.12).

In conclusion, rightly understood, Ephesians 4:11-13 does not teach a fivefold pattern of ministry (including apostles and prophets) will continue throughout all church history until the second coming of Christ. Rather, this passage demonstrates that the purpose for which the Lord Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the church was to equip the saints. When properly equipped, the saints are enabled to build up one another within the body of Christ. And the result is that the church is strengthened-growing in unity, knowledge, maturity, sound doctrine, and sanctification.

Because Paul had already indicated that the apostles and prophets were for the foundation only, he did not need to reiterate that those offices were temporary. Though those two offices did not last beyond the first century of church history, the apostles and prophets still equip the saints through the Spirit-inspired writings they left for us (i.e. the Bible). The other three offices-evangelist, pastor, and teacher-have continued throughout church history. As such, they continue to equip the saints in every generation for the purpose of building up the church.