Praying in the Spirit: That Glorious Day When Tongues are Not Needed: Until Then … Part 1
The second passage used by cessationists to prove that the office of apostleship ceased is Acts 1:21-22, which describes the replacing of Judas with Matthias: “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” These verses indicate that only a man who had walked with Jesus “the whole time” and had witnessed His resurrection could qualify for that apostolic ministry (Criswell, Baptism, p. 61).
There is no disagreement here between Pentecostals and charismatics and cessationists. Judas’ replacement had to fulfill certain requirements that locked the office into the first century. He had to (1) be baptized by John, (2) be with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, and (3) be a witness of Jesus’ resurrection. Beyond Judas, the Bible nowhere informs us of the replacement of one of the Twelve, even though it records the death of the apostle James, the first martyred apostle (Acts 12:2). But the question arises, Were these the only apostles or a special twelve among apostles?
This question brings us to another passage used by cessationists. It is actually a cluster of three passages: “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:29-30 parallels Matthew here). John wrote, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). Pentecostals and charismatics can agree with W. A. Criswell: “When they died the office ceased to exist. There are no more twelve apostles” (Baptism, p. 61).
These Scriptures prove beyond doubt that the twelve apostles were unique. When these men died, indeed, the particular positions they held as the first twelve apostles ceased. But were these the only apostles? Paul is called an apostle, so is James, the Lord’s brother (Galatians 1:19), also Barnabas (Acts 14:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5-6), Silas (1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6), Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6-7), Andronicus (Romans 16:7), and Junias (Romans 16:7). In his apologetic for the resurrection of Jesus, Paul lists as eyewitnesses the Twelve, 500 brothers, James, then all the apostles, and finally himself (1 Corinthians 15). Obviously, apostleship was not limited to the Twelve.
Second Corinthians 11:13 speaks of “false apostles”; 2 Corinthians 12:11 speaks of “super-apostles.” It is unlikely that such terminology would have developed if it were not possible for there to be more than the Twelve apostles. It should also be noted that Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and the “super-apostles” of 1 Corinthians 12 (or at least the Corinthians’ attitude toward them) demonstrate that “signs, wonders and miracles” were not limited to the Twelve.
Category: Spirit, Spring 2000
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