What is apostolic doctrine?

Answer

The term “apostle” at its core means “one who is sent.” Doctrine is simply instruction. Therefore, apostolic doctrine refers to teachings that originate from the apostles, individuals specifically selected by Christ to spread His teachings worldwide. The twelve disciples were appointed as apostles “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,”, (Mark 3:14), except for Judas, who betrayed. Judas was replaced by Matthias as described in Acts 1:21–22. Matthias was considered for apostleship because he had “been with us [the other apostles] the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.” The Holy Spirit appeared to confirm this decision (Acts 1:23-26). In addition to Matthias, God also selected Saul of Tarsus to be an apostle to convey the message to the Gentiles “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”, (Acts 9:15). The teachings of the apostles are accessible to us through the New Testament. Primarily, the New Testament was authored by apostles or individuals closely linked to them.

The Gospel According to Matthew was authored by the apostle Matthew, one of the original twelve disciples.

The Gospel According to Mark was written by Mark, who is mentioned in Acts as an occasional ministry companion of Paul. Historical records also indicate that Mark was a colleague of Peter and that his gospel is based on Peter’s preaching.

The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written by Luke, a physician and a companion of Paul.

Written by Luke, who was a ministry partner of Paul and an eyewitness to many events in Acts. Although not a witness to Jesus’ life, he conducted thorough interviews, which may have included conversations with the apostles “it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,” (Luke 1:3). Much of the content in his gospel is similar to Mark and Matthew, indicating his use of apostolic sources.

The Gospel According to John, along with the epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John, and Revelation, were authored by the apostle John, one of the twelve disciples.

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon were all written by the apostle Paul.

James was authored by James, the Lord’s half-brother, who led the church in Jerusalem. He likely witnessed much of Jesus’ life. Although not referred to as an apostle, he was recognized as an elder who collaborated with the apostles. In Galatians 2:9, the apostle Paul describes James as one of the “pillars of the church” alongside Peter and John. It is noteworthy that James became a believer after Jesus’ resurrection when Jesus appeared to him. First Corinthians 15:7 mentions Jesus appearing to James before “all of the apostles,” suggesting James was considered an apostle when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians.

First and Second Peter were penned by the apostle Peter.

Jude was written by another of the Lord’s half-brothers, who also had significant firsthand experience of Jesus’ life and teachings. Like James, he became a believer post-resurrection.

Hebrews is the sole New Testament book with an unknown author. The author was not an eyewitness to.The Lord’s earthly ministry, but His work is based upon eyewitness testimony, as He says in Hebrews 2:3: “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”

Apostolic doctrine is authoritative and vital to our understanding of what God has done for us. The writers of the New Testament refer to a settled body of doctrine that is often called “the faith” or “the gospel.” Jude 1:3 speaks of the “faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” Paul strongly condemns people who would change or pervert the content of the gospel in Galatians 1:6–9: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”

In the list of gifts to the church, Paul lists apostleship as one of the foundational gifts «and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone; », (Ephesians 2:20). Once the foundation of the church had been laid and the teaching of the apostles had been recorded in Scripture, the role of the apostle was no longer needed. There is still a need today for preachers, teachers, and missionaries to carry God’s Word (the apostolic doctrine) to the entire world (see Matthew 28:19-20;John 17:20).

Some churches today have the word apostolic in their name. For some, this may mean that they believe tThat the apostolic gift is at work in their church. If so, this would be a misunderstanding of the New Testament teaching on apostleship. For others, it may mean that they want to emphasize the apostolic doctrine as found in the New Testament. If that is what they truly do, then this is a good thing. One denomination, the Apostolic Church, says that they are following closely the teaching of the apostles but unfortunately believe that baptism by immersion is necessary for salvation and that salvation will be followed by sign gifts. While we see examples of the sign gifts being used in the book of Acts, it is not the teaching of the apostles that baptism is necessary for salvation or that every Christian will exhibit miraculous signs. In this case, although the name is “apostolic,” the teaching is not.

When the church began, Luke records, the early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” «And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. », (Acts 2:42). That is, they were committed to learning and following apostolic doctrine. In this they were wise. If today’s church would be wise, they would also be devoted to the teaching of the earthly founders of the church, hand-picked by the Lord Himself.