If apostles and prophets exist today, then they receive direct messages from God. They have biblical authority at par with the biblical apostles and prophets. Their words are infallible because they are words from God.
The place of apostles and prophets for today’s church is taught from Ephesians 4:11 as part of what is called The FiveFold Ministry by Pentecostals/Charismatics. Eric Knopf describes The FiveFold Ministry as “the Biblical blueprint we are given to equip people and grow the Kingdom.”1 My understanding of this statement is that all of the ministerial gifts or offices in Ephesians 4:11 are today present and operational. That’s what a blueprint is right? A guide or pattern to follow. In Ghana, a Bishop of a popular denomination is acclaimed to have all the gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:112.
The answer to the question Are There Apostles And Prophets today is no. There are no Apostles and Prophets in the church today so there can’t be a fivefold ministry. Now the contention over the fivefold ministry is not a contention over every office mentioned but over the existence of Apostles and Prophets today. Up until now, we haven’t examined Ephesians 4:11 from which The Fivefold Ministry is taught. I will do that now.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12)..
In Ephesians 4:11, Paul identifies various ministerial gifts or offices Christ gave and appointed men into. Spiritual gifts, Scripture states emphatically are given for edification, building up and nurturing the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12 —14 ). That’s what Ephesians 4:11 says. The gifts were given to (i) Equip the saints for the work of ministry (ii) build the body of Christ. If this is the case, shouldn’t we expect all hands on deck for this noble task. Why are there no apostles and prophets. Are we not putting a limit on God’s work.
Building The Body Of Christ
Paul speaks of the Ephesian church and by extension all Christians as the body of Christ and describes it in terms analogous to an ongoing building project with a future completion in mind: “…for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” There is a period of completion for this “building project”. That period points to when the body of Christ (made of individuals) will attain full maturity. That period, John Calvin argues is when our salvation has been fully consummated.
After a man is once past fifty, it seems he decays both in understanding and his memory. But St. Paul says that we shall never be at the full measure of our stature until we are rid of this body. So then, the spiritual age of Christians is attained when they are gone out of this world.3
Foundational Stage of A Building
If the body of Christ is analogous to a building, then we must consider the various phases of a building. “Generally, there are two major components of a building project which are substructure and superstructure. The substructure is the part of the building that is built below the ground level whereas superstructure is the part of the structure that is constructed above the ground level”4. The substructure therefore is simply the foundation of a building.
Earlier in the epistle, the apostle Paul had spoken of the body of Christ as a building. Ephesians 4:11 is therefore not the first time Paul is speaking of the church as a building in Ephesians. In Chapter 2, he addresses what he calls the household of God which the Ephesians, who previously estranged from God by sin, were reconciled unto God by Christ and became members of this household (vv. 11-19). This household is being spoken of as a building. Paul says the Ephesians have been “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ himself being the cornerstone” (v.20). The original Greek from which we get the phrase “built on” describes perfectly building upon a foundation.
The Whole Structure
The idea of a building structure is not forced on the text by me. The verse 21 clearly brings this out: “in whom”, that is Christ, the cornerstone, “The whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple”. There we see it clearly: “The whole structure” (ESV), “all the building” (KJV). As workers on this building, the ministry of the apostles and prophets are foundational. They laid the foundation of God’s house by their doctrine and teachings. They had a unique place in the building of God’s church; they laid the foundation upon which the whole stucture of Christianity is built.
The Acts of the Apostles gives us vivid pictures of this. It is said of the believers of the time; those who were not apostles, that “[T]hey devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42). The apostle’s teaching was foundational. The first century believer devoted themselves to it. It was the basis of their faith. The apostle’s teaching was authoritative then and is today. It is the basis upon which all Christian doctrine is based. The apostles were agents of God’s revelation. They passed on to us the mind of God so to speak.
A Wrong Reading Of Ephesians 4:11
Every text(s) of Scripture must be read, firstly, in its immediate context (considering the very pericope which the said text(s) of scripture is/are found). Then the context of the whole chapter then the wider context of the particular book of Scripture and finally the bigger context of the whole bible.
It is here I believe those who read a fivefold ministry in Ephesians 4:11 are wrong. They read the verse in isolation from the whole epistle of Ephesians. If one considers what Paul has said about the apostles and prophets in Ephesians 2:20, it makes sense to consider that the apostles and prophets have accomplished their part in the building. They laid the foundation. What is left to be done is putting up the superstructure upon the substructure—foundation— of the apostles and prophets. The apostles and prophets are not involved in the superstructure. By elimination, we will basically have only Pastors (shepherds/teachers) because they must also play the role of an evangelist. When Paul wrote to Timothy, He charged him to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). But the office of an evangelist is operational today for there are some who indeed are gifted to be evangelist in proclaiming the gospel.
Credentials of The Apostles
There is an an assertion which seeks to validate the office of an apostle today by looking at the word apostle in its original Greek; apostello (verb), apostolos (noun) which denotes sending out and the one who is sent out. In the context of the great commission therefore, all believers have been sent out (Matthew 28:19-20). Granted that is true, and it is, why would anyone carry the title apostle today. Aren’t we all sent out in the context of the great commission. Once some persons or organisation identify themselves and their leaders as apostles, they have separated themselves from the general use of the word for all believers and conferred a special use of the word as used for the apostles.
Clearly, the use of apostles in Ephesians 2:20; 4:11 is not usage in a general sense. It’s usage in a specific sense—referring to those Jesus Christ directly called and sent out. The scriptures indeed gives us what can be described as the credentials of an apostle (2 Corinthians 12:12). If there are credentials, then the word cannot be applied to just anybody. When Judas was to be replaced, certain qualities were pronounced by which one is to be called an apostle. One who witnessed the ministry of Jesus from his baptism and one who was a witness to the resurrection and ascension of Christ (Acts 1:21-22). What about Paul, people ask. Indeed, in the first century church, Paul consistently defended his apostleship and established his direct commissioning by Christ (Acts 9; 26:12-18; 1 Corinthians 15:8-9; 2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:12).
A consistent reading of the Scriptures leaves no doubt that the ministry of the apostles and prophets are not with us today
Since apostles and prophets were both teaching role, it seems clear that what constitutes the church’s foundation is neither their person nor their office but their instruction. Moreover, we are to think of them as inspired teachers, organs of divine revelation, bearers of divine authority. The word ‘apostles’ here cannot therefore be a generic termfor missionaries or church planters or bishops or other church leaders; instead it must denote that small special group whom Jesus chose , called and authorized to teach in his name, and who were eye witnesses of his resurrection, consisting of the Twelve plus Paul and James and perhaps one or two others… The ‘word’ prophets also indicates inspired teachers to whom the word of God came and who conveyed that word to others faithfully 6
Notes
- Eric Knopf, “Learn About The Fivefold Ministry”, FiveFold Ministry Test, https://fivefoldministry.com/static/learn-about-the-five-fold-ministry
- Bishop Agyin Asare, “Meet Our Founders”, Perez Chapel, https://www.perezchapel.org/founders/
- John Calvin, John Calvin’s Sermons on Ephesians, trans Arthur Golding (Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1973), 381
- The Constructor, “What Is Substructure and Superstructure in Building?”, https://theconstructor.org/building/superstructure-substructure-building-construction/1651/
- John Stott, The Message of Ephesians (Notting Street, Nottingham: Inter-varsity Press, 1979), 106-107
Grace and Truth 
Thanks for the article, I went back to read it, and I acknowledge that you tried to cover some ground to buttress your conclusion; I doubt it was convincing. Here are few points from your write-up I find problematic, and maybe further clarity may be helpful. I will make it short so that you can respond.
Firstly, the premise of the write-up was flawed from the onset; you know the activity of the Holy Spirit continues, the assertion “If apostles and prophets exist today, then they receive direct messages from God. They have biblical authority at par with the biblical apostles and prophets. Their words are infallible because they are words from God” is misleading and groundless. As you rightly pointed the Greek meaning of the word often rendered apostles; these Apostles only drew their authority from the teaching of Jesus and the scriptures. We often hear them say, “according to the scriptures,” is this different from what we do today? (I know we disagree on their foundational role, but I am not arguing that here).
However, to add that, “their words are infallible because they are words from God,” as if it is descriptive of the first Apostles; in fact, we have no such record of an apostle taking up or displaying such a role. We do not have any record of an apostle whose words were infallible because he directly received them from God. The Jerusalem council (Acts 15) and Peter’s encounter with the Gentiles (Acts 10) prove how these first Apostles saw themselves; their words only mattered as long as it was in sync with the general tenor of Scripture. Do we have an example of an Apostle in the NT who pushed any doctrine not drawn from the OT? No, brother, we do not. So, asking a wrong or erroneous question and drawing conclusions is always problematic.
In defending your use of the scriptural text to support your claims, you advise biblical exegetes “Every text(s) of Scripture must be read, firstly, in its immediate context (considering the very pericope which the said text(s) of Scripture is/are found). Then the context of the whole chapter then the wider context of the particular book of Scripture and finally the bigger context of the whole bible.” Essential parts of interpreting Scripture you obviously forgot to add are ‘word usage’ and ‘syntax.’ After all, if evidence from history proves that these letters were read out to the churches, words used in the text will be their primary means of understanding the message of the epistle.
I have a problem with your commentary on Acts 2:42. Your statement “It is said of the believers of the time; those who were not apostles” cannot be true of the early church; the four items listed in Acts 2:42 is only describing how the church was characterized; “eating together and bound by the same teaching” there is no basis of excluding the Apostles unless you want it to fit into your assertions. That is not even where I want to go.
Recent works on Ephesians, especially as it relates to ‘word usage and syntax,’ have come to the following conclusions. It cannot be brief, but I will try to rehearse some of the main points then I can send you links to resources that will back up my claim (I saw you prefer quoting some old works, lol on the lighter note)
Paul’s usage of the words in this pericope was slightly different from how he had addressed the diversity of gifts by the same Spirit elsewhere (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:7-11). Here in Ephesians, however, the ‘singular’ gift is given to the church by Christ himself (Ephesians 4:7-16). The gift is for the equipping of the saints for ministry, “these formational functions make up the singular gift given by Christ.” To accomplish the task of equipping the church, Christ gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers- “the emphasis is on teamwork,” which by God’s grace strengthens the church. As you know, as a Methodist, I do not see these giftings as church order in terms of hierarchy here; the emphasis is more on “dissemination of correct knowledge and wisdom about the gospel.” I agree with Cohick’s analysis of the pericope “the verse continues with five components of THE GIFT that Christ gives the church. The gift itself is made up of several functions. No one faithfully looking at the syntax as used will even dream or think of splitting these functions up. The church can only grow with the singular gift. (Other syntax commentaries tend to agree with this singular gift analysis of the Greek text, you may want to check out Cohick, Lynn H. The Letter to the Ephesians. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020). I will leave the singular gift to the church here; any breakup of the functions cannot be the author’s intent here in this text.
I find this assertion extremely worrying “it makes sense to consider that the apostles and prophets have accomplished their part in the building” why did Paul continue to refer to himself in his later works as an Apostle if he deemed their work had been done? Again, Paul goes on in verse 12, supplying the functions of these gifts by using present or active verbs. I do not know if it will make sense for someone who thinks their work has already been done. What do you think about that? I do not see your “accomplished” notion in their writings. Until WE ALL v14, Paul includes himself into the ongoing work, even him as an apostle! The accomplished work notion is alien to Paul and his works.
I wonder why you limited the word usage of ‘Apostles’ to only two instances: the original disciples and Paul. You should have gone ahead to list where the words have been used in other parts of the NT. Apart from the original disciples who represent the first category of Apostles. Paul and others represent a second use of the term “apostle,” those called after Jesus’s earthly ministry. Other men and women called Apostles who may not fit the criteria you cite in your article include James, the Lord’s brother (1 Cor 15:7; Gal 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14; 1 Cor 9:5–7), Apollos (1 Cor 4:6, 9), and Andronicus and Junia (Rom 16:7). Then there is also a third category you avoid: Apostles that were commissioned by the congregation for a specific duty (2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25). [Word usage]
Again, your use of imagery was problematic to me; the building was not the only imagery used in the pericope; there is the mature man contrasted with an infant. And then a boat adrift in heavy seas. How does your accomplished theme fit into these analogies?
Bro, you may have a point with the abuse of such titles, but you have not done enough to convince me that there are no more apostles in our day. Please come again.
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