The New Testament mentions the work of prophets and apostles. The apostles were “messengers,” or “ones sent forth” from God, as defined by the Greek word apostolos. Throughout the Gospels, the word “apostle” refers to the 12 disciples. The rest of the New Testament supports this idea and includes other individuals who were not among Christ’s original disciples.
Paul calls himself an apostle 12 times in his epistles. In Romans 1:1, 2, he connects his apostolic calling, and the content of his preaching, with the message of the Old Testament prophets. Paul presents himself as an apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13). He was appointed “through the will of God” (1 Cor. 1:1).
Unlike the priests who followed a familial line from fathers to sons, God appointed prophets and apostles according to His will. When Paul’s apostleship was in dispute, he defended his calling (1 Cor. 9:1, 2). Paul saw his apostleship as building upon the work of Christ, the Foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). As recipients of God’s revelation, the apostles therefore possess the same level of inspiration as the prophets (Eph. 3:1–5).
In 2 Peter 3:1, 2, Peter makes reference to prophets as those who came before and whose words were important, but now the apostles are presented as carrying the same authority. In these verses, reference is made to Old and New Testament times. While prophets may seem to be God’s messengers of the Old Testament era and apostles God’s messengers of the New Testament era, there were also people who prophesied or exercised the prophetic gift but who were not apostles. The gift of prophecy was not limited to the apostles in New Testament times. And not all prophets were apostles (Acts 15:32).
Read Ephesians 2:20 and Ephesians 3:5. How do apostles and prophets function in relation to Christ and the church?
And as we also know from reading what the apostles in the New Testament wrote, Jesus was the center of almost all that they wrote. In one way or another, His life, death, resurrection, high-priestly ministry, and return were their central focus.
The Bible is the only official record we have of the words of the apostles and prophets about Jesus, His life, and works. What should this tell us about why the Bible must have final authority for what we believe about Jesus and His death for us?
Supplemental EGW Notes
The Lord Jesus is making experiments on human hearts through the exhibition of His mercy and abundant grace. He is effecting transformations so amazing that Satan. . . stands viewing them as a fortress impregnable to his sophistries and delusions. They are to him an incomprehensible mystery. The angels of God. . . look on with astonishment and joy, that fallen men, once children of wrath, are through the training of Christ developing characters after the divine similitude, to be sons and daughters of God, to act an important part in the occupations and pleasures of heaven.
The Lord has provided His church with capabilities and blessings, that they may present to the world an image of His own sufficiency, and that His church may be complete in Him, a continual representation of another, even the eternal world, of laws that are higher than earthly laws. His church is to be a temple built after the divine similitude. . . .
To His church, Christ has given ample facilities, that He may receive a large revenue of glory from His redeemed, purchased possession. The church, being endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depository, in which the wealth of His mercy, His love, His grace, is to appear in full and final display. The declaration in His intercessory prayer, that the Father’s love is as great toward us as toward Himself, the only-begotten Son, and that we shall be with Him where He is, forever one with Christ and the Father, is a marvel to the heavenly host, and it is their great joy. The gift of His Holy Spirit, rich, full, and abundant, is to be to His church as an encompassing wall of fire, which the powers of hell shall not prevail against. In their untainted purity and spotless perfection, Christ looks upon His people as the reward of all His suffering, His humiliation, and His love, and the supplement of His glory—Christ, the great center from which radiates all glory.—In Heavenly Places, p. 282.
Through the ages that have passed since the days of the apostles, the building of God’s temple has never ceased. We may look back through the centuries and see the living stones of which it is composed gleaming like jets of light through the darkness of error and superstition. Throughout eternity these precious jewels will shine with increasing luster, testifying to the power of the truth of God. The flashing light of these polished stones reveals the strong contrast between light and darkness, between the gold of truth and the dross of error.
Paul and the other apostles, and all the righteous who have lived since then, have acted their part in the building of the temple. But the structure is not yet complete. We who are living in this age have a work to do, a part to act. We are to bring to the foundation material that will stand the test of fire—gold, silver, and precious stones, “polished after the similitude of a palace” (Psalm 144:12). To those who thus build for God, Paul speaks words of encouragement. . . : “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” . . . The Christian who faithfully presents the word of life, leading men and women into the way of holiness and peace, is bringing to the foundation material that will endure, and in the kingdom of God He will be honored as a wise builder.—Reflecting Christ, p. 224.
The above quotations are taken from Ellen G. White Notes for the Sabbath School Lessons, published by Pacific Press Publishing Association. Used by permission.