Apostles

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Igzy

Again, I'm not denying that certain apostolic gifts still exist. I'm suggesting that using the title apostle is confusing because there are clearly two uses of it in the NT, the general gift of being a sent one, and the office of apostle, which was only held by a select handful which are all gone and cannot be repeated, in part because essential requirements were that they had seen the Lord Jesus and been witnesses to the resurrection.

I think this introduces a new thought into the discussion. I agree there seems to be "the general gift of being a sent one, and the office of an apostle." Paul and the Twelve held the office of the apostle, while Epaphroditus may have had the general gift of the apostle.

When we consider the church, most agree there are two offices, elder and deacon. But, when we consider the body of Christ, are there now 5 offices: apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher? I believe this is an area of uncertainty that was definitely exploited by WL.

Do the "offices" of the body outrank the "offices" of the church? WL certainly thought so. The RCC also thought so. WL claimed the apostleship based on his work, and then bull-dozed many elders and deacons of LC's. He felt justified by scripture. Still today, the role of LC elders is little more than franchise management. WL even went on record saying that elders had local responsibilities like determining the times of meeting. That to me is a church office effectively neutered of any real responsibility.