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Mark 3 of the True Church
The True Church Is Built on the Foundation of Apostles and Prophets
The principle: The true Church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief corner stone.
Jesus personally chose twelve apostles, and Paul taught that the Church is built “upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” These offices were given so the Saints would be perfected and united, “till we all come in the unity of the faith.” When an apostle was lost, the remaining apostles filled the vacancy. The true Church will have apostles and prophets today.
What does the Bible say?
19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
The household of God is built on apostles and prophets, with Christ as the chief corner stone.
12And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
After praying all night, Jesus chose twelve and named them apostles.
11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Christ gave apostles, prophets, and other leaders to perfect the Saints until we all reach the unity of the faith, so we are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine.
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
God set in the Church first apostles, secondarily prophets. These are the first offices Paul lists.
24And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
After Judas was gone, the apostles prayed and Matthias was chosen and ‘numbered with the eleven apostles.’ The Twelve were meant to continue.
A foundation, not a footnote
Paul pictured the Church as a building. Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone that holds everything in place, and the foundation laid around Him is apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). Take away the foundation and the building cannot stand as it was designed.
Jesus chose them Himself
Before He called the Twelve, Jesus “continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Choosing apostles was not an afterthought. He trained them, gave them power, and sent them to every nation.
Why they were given
Ephesians 4 explains the purpose: to perfect the Saints, to build up the body of Christ, and to keep believers from being “carried about with every wind of doctrine.” Paul says these leaders would be needed until we all come to the unity of the faith.
They kept the quorum full
When Judas fell, Peter and the other apostles did not leave his place empty. They prayed, and Matthias was called to be one of the Twelve (Acts 1:26). It is a small detail with a big meaning: the Lord intended His apostles to continue.
A question to ponder
Does any church today have twelve apostles and a prophet, called of God and organized the way Jesus organized His Church?
These scriptures at a glance
| Scripture (KJV) | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Ephesians 2:19–20 | The household of God is built on apostles and prophets, with Christ as the chief corner stone. |
| Luke 6:12–13 | After praying all night, Jesus chose twelve and named them apostles. |
| Ephesians 4:11–14 | Christ gave apostles, prophets, and other leaders to perfect the Saints until we all reach the unity of the faith, so we are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine. |
| 1 Corinthians 12:28 | God set in the Church first apostles, secondarily prophets. These are the first offices Paul lists. |
| Acts 1:24–26 | After Judas was gone, the apostles prayed and Matthias was chosen and ‘numbered with the eleven apostles.’ The Twelve were meant to continue. |
Common questions
Were apostles only meant for the first century?
Ephesians 4:11–13 says apostles and prophets were given ‘till we all come in the unity of the faith.’ Christians are not yet all united in faith. And in Acts 1 the apostles filled the vacancy left by Judas, which shows the Twelve were meant to continue.
What is the role of a prophet?
A prophet speaks for God and testifies of Jesus Christ. Amos 3:7 teaches that God reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets. A living prophet helps keep the Church anchored to Christ’s teachings.
Read it for yourself
The best way to know these things is to read the verses in context and ask God about them (James 1:5). Open any reference above in our free King James Bible reader, then see how this principle fits with the other marks of the true Church.