Did The Disciples Become The Apostles Before or After The Ascension of Jesus?
Skeptics like to comb through the Bible and think they have found contradictions. Skeptics think they may have found a chronological contradiction this time. The contradiction they have said to find is that gospel writers and Paul cannot agree upon when the disciples became apostles. Did they become the apostles before the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:9-11), which seems to be the case or was it after the ascension of Jesus? These passages Matthew 10:2, Mark 6:30, Luke 6:13, 9:10, 11:49, 17:5, 22:14, 24:10, Acts 1:2, and 1:26 call the disciples the apostles before the ascension of Jesus (except for Acts 1:26). Paul indicates in his letter to the Ephesians that the gift of apostleship was not given until after the ascension of Jesus (Ephesians 4:7-16).
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Is It Necessary To Have Living Apostles And Prophets Today?
Several denominations (such as the Mormons) claim in order to have a true church there must be living apostles and prophets today. They try to justify their position by twisting Ephesians 2:19-22. Their flawed argumentation is as follows: the foundation of the Lord's church is the apostles and prophets and if they are removed, then we remove and destroy the foundation upon which the Lord's church was built. It is true that the Lord's church is built upon the work and teachings of the Lord's original apostles and prophets, but to be built upon new and living apostles and prophets is simply not true! This passage is referencing the original apostles and prophets that the Lord had chosen in the 1st century A.D.
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Was Junia An Apostle?
In Romans 16:7, the NKJV states: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” Advocates who want to expand the role of women into leadership roles in the spiritual realm believe that this verse supports their case that Junia, a female, was a member of the apostolic band.
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