3534 - Apostles by L. V. G.

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 15, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 32.

3534 — Apostles

By L. V. G.

Why do not Seventh-day Adventists have the twelve apostles, as Jesus had?

In the first place, the Lord has never said that there should be just twelve apostles, and no more. He chose Him first twelve, because there were twelve tribes of Israel,—one to each tribe; but the twelve apostles were not all that there were. One of the twelve failed, and still the eleven are called the twelve. Another one was chosen to take his place. In a very short time one of those apostles, James, was killed, and in a little while from that time others suffered martyrdom, until within a comparatively short time after our Lord's death there were few of the original twelve remaining. Then other apostles were ordained. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, Barnabas was an apostle, Epaphroditus was an apostle, and is so called in the Scriptures, "An apostle" simply means "one sent." That implies that he has a mission and a message; and God has had such ones through all the Christian dispensation. They may not have been chosen as the twelve were. Barnabas was not chosen as was Paul. We have no account as to how Epaphroditus was chosen. To our mind William Carey was an apostle to India, Ziegenbalg was another, Judson was an apostle to Burma; and every true man who goes in the spirit of the Master out to foreign fields, bearing God's saving Gospel message to those fields, is an apostle of God. Of course there may be many others sent who do not bear the seal and strength of apostleship; but God has His apostles now just as truly as He ever had. The idea of choosing just simply twelve, is endeavoring to carry out a dead form in which there is no life or power. There is no scripture to demand just twelve apostles. There were at least seventeen or eighteen in the early days of the church.