Are apostles and prophets still given today?
Question 04056
Few questions in contemporary church life generate more confusion and, in some quarters, more dangerous claims than this one. The rise of the New Apostolic Reformation, with its assertion that God is restoring apostles and prophets to the church with governing authority and fresh revelation, has made this question urgent. But the answer requires careful attention to what the New Testament actually means by these terms, and those who dismiss the question too quickly may miss a genuine distinction the text itself draws.
The Foundational Apostles
There is a clear category of apostle in the New Testament that has no continuation and no contemporary equivalent. The Twelve were chosen by Jesus himself during his earthly ministry, and their role was unique: they were eyewitnesses of the resurrection (Acts 1:22), and their testimony formed the foundation of the church’s proclamation. When Judas is replaced, the criteria given are explicit: the candidate must have accompanied Jesus throughout his earthly ministry and witnessed his resurrection (Acts 1:21-22). No living person can meet those criteria.
Paul occupies a distinctive position within this category. His apostleship is anomalous by his own account, born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:8), dependent on a direct encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road rather than on accompanying Jesus during his earthly ministry. Yet his apostolic authority is affirmed by the Jerusalem apostles (Galatians 2:7-9) and by the content of his letters, which Scripture treats as authoritative (2 Peter 3:16). His apostleship is not reproducible. The Damascus road encounter was singular, and Paul himself treated it as an exception rather than a template.
Ephesians 2:20 describes the church as “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” Foundations are laid once. They are not repeatedly laid as the building rises. This metaphor alone suggests that the apostolic and prophetic functions that established the church’s doctrinal foundation were particular to the period in which that foundation was being laid. The canon of Scripture is the enduring form that foundational revelation has taken.
The Broader Use of “Apostle”
Yet the New Testament also uses the word apostolos in a broader sense. Barnabas is called an apostle (Acts 14:14). Andronicus and Junia are “well known to the apostles” and may themselves be described as apostles (Romans 16:7, though the translation is disputed). Epaphroditus is described with a related term (Philippians 2:25). James 1:1 and Jude 1 come from figures who are not among the Twelve. The word apostolos fundamentally means one who is sent, and in this broader sense it describes anyone commissioned and sent out in the service of the gospel.
In this secondary sense, there may be something analogous to apostolic function today: pioneer missionaries, church planters, those who carry the gospel into new territory and establish congregations where none existed. Some continuationists are comfortable using the word “apostle” in this functional sense while insisting on an absolute distinction from the unique, foundational apostles of the first century. That distinction must be maintained clearly, whatever terminology is used.
Prophets Today
The question about prophets is related but distinct. Paul lists prophets in Ephesians 4:11 among the gifts given to equip the church, alongside evangelists, pastors, and teachers. He also describes prophets in 1 Corinthians 14 as a functioning part of the Corinthian congregation’s worship, and his instructions for weighing prophecy presuppose ongoing prophetic activity. On the most natural reading, there is no indication that Paul expects this to cease within the New Testament period.
As has been discussed in the question on the gift of prophecy, the prophetic gift remains available. The critical distinction, which cannot be stated too firmly, is that no contemporary prophet speaks at the level of canonical Scripture. The canon is closed. The Spirit illuminates Scripture; he does not add to it. A prophet today who claimed to speak with the authority of Isaiah or Paul would be making a claim that has no biblical warrant and that the church should firmly reject.
The New Apostolic Reformation Problem
The movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) claims that God is restoring apostles and prophets with governing authority over the church and, in some formulations, with the capacity to receive fresh revelation equivalent in authority to Scripture. This claim has no biblical basis. It conflates the unique, foundational apostolate of the first century with a self-appointed leadership class, and it attributes to contemporary figures an authority that belongs only to the closed apostolic witness. The NAR’s claims to ongoing Scripture-level prophecy, territorial dominion, and restored apostolic governance represent a serious departure from biblical Christianity and should be rejected with clarity and charity.
So, Now What?
The church has an unshakeable foundation in the apostolic witness preserved in the New Testament. No one can add to it, no one needs to, and any claim to do so should be treated as a warning sign rather than a promise of renewal. Within that stable foundation, the Spirit continues to give gifts for building up the body, including prophetic gifts that serve the church’s encouragement and discernment, and pioneer gifts that carry the gospel into new places. The test of anyone exercising such ministry is not their title but their fruit, their faithfulness to Scripture, and whether the glory in their ministry goes to God or to themselves.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:19-20
