Elder Howard W. Hunter

Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles

The Time of Christ

He went from place to place teaching in the cities and in the synagogues, and the people gathered to hear him. They were impressed by his teachings and astonished by his power to heal the sick. He taught them as they came to ask questions and he conversed with them in small groups along the wayside. On many occasions great multitudes gathered to hear the one who often called himself the Shepherd. Many believed upon him, and some he called to follow after him. Groups of believers sprang up in Jerusalem and in many other places.

This period of time becomes the focal point of history. We measure time by the years that have preceded Christ and by the years that have come after him. His life, teachings, death, and resurrection in the center of time have had a profound effect upon all those who have lived since his ministry and all those who died prior to his resurrection. The establishment of his Church has blessed all Christendom

"Some say that thou art John, Elias, Jeremias"

"Thou art the Christ"

The Pharisees believed, of course that the soul is imperishable and the soul of a good person passes into another body while the soul of the wicked suffers eternal punishment. "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?" (Ibid., 16:15.) The Master may have been prompted to ask this question because of their surroundings. Caesarea Philippi is near the grotto and the temples of the Greek god Pan, a center of pagan worship, and he may have wanted his disciples to think about the contrast between pagan gods and the true God. "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Ibid., 16:16.) In answer to this positive testimony of Peter, ". . . Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Ibid., 16:17-18.)

"Upon this rock, I will build my Church"

This is a very significant statement. The Lord in effect said to Peter that this knowledge that Jesus was the Christ did not come to him from mortal men or from the reasoning or learning of men, but by revelation from on high, that is, direct, divine revelation of the divinity of the Master. In answer to the statement "Thou art the Christ," Jesus replied, ". . . thou art Peter" in friendly acknowledgment of his disciple. The Lord then added, ". . . and upon this rock I will build my church." Upon what rock? Peter? Upon a man? No, not upon a man, upon the rock of revelation, the thing which they were talking about. He had just said, ". . . flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." This revelation that Jesus is the Christ is the foundation upon which he would build his Church.

Pentecost

There are others who, searching for the commencement of the Church of Christ, point to the day the apostles were engaged in the devotions of the Pentecost. This was only nine days after the ascension of the Savior of the world. The date becomes important because it was on this occasion that the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles as had been promised by Jesus. They began to speak in other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. When the Jews heard of this, a crowd gathered and Peter, the president of the Twelve, stood before them and delivered that great sermon condemning them for the sin of disbelief that the one crucified by them was the Christ. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Followers of the Messiah

Even though this event may be accepted by some as the origin of the organized Church, it has deeper meaning. The power of the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles as the Savior had promised, bringing to them a dynamic conviction that they were the followers of the Messiah of whom the prophets of old had spoken, who had come to earth in fulfillment of these prophecies completed his mission, had been crucified and resurrected as the Savior of all mankind.

The Church of Christ

It might be best said that the Church was founded as the result of the personal ministry of Christ and also by the testimony of the apostles who made the person and divine work of Christ known to men. This testimony on the day of Pentecost touched the hearts of those who listened. Apparently all of the apostles preached on that occasion, some in one language and some in another, so that all understood. They bore witness of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; and out of the great multitude which had been taught on that day, three thousand were baptized.

The earliest account of communal church life in the New Testament describes those who were baptized on the day of Pentecost in these words: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Ibid., 2:42.) People of a common belief are drawn together because they enjoy a community of interest, and the church becomes the center of this life because there is comfort and support in the association of those who share the same understanding.

"He ordained Twelve"

During his lifetime the Master selected the apostles, and Mark states "And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach

Authority Over the Whole Church

The Call of the Seventy

One of the important ministers of the early Church was the deacon. The name comes from the Greek verb meaning to minister or to serve. Although his duties are not fully set forth, it appears that he was the assistant to the bishop and received his assignment of duty from the bishop. The deacons were the ones who received the offerings of the members and served to the Church the bread and wine of the consecrated sacrament.

Bishops Preside Over the local Church

The bishop in the Church of Christ was the one who presided over the local church community. He was the chief pastor of the flock. He was ordained to his office by an apostle in the usual manner by prayer and the laying on of hands. He was responsible for the preaching and teachings in his church, although he could delegate many of the functions to others. All things were done under his authority and direction, and the officers and those holding the lesser priesthood were subordinate and took their instruction and direction from him. He administered the offerings of the people and the charity to those in need. As the judge he determined the standing of the members of the Church and had the power to excommunicate. In short the bishop was the chief priest, pastor, and presiding officer of his church.

Modern Church Organizations

Modern Christian churches have not found it important to have the organization or officers as existed in the primitive Church as founded by Christ and those he called and ordained for this purpose. This is evidenced by the fact that the original organization and officers are lacking in these churches today. If modern Christian churches claim to follow after the Church established by Christ, it would seem that they would follow the same organization. They assert, however, that it is not necessary that there be continuation of the organization of the primitive Church.

Apostolic Succession

This same argument is used with respect to the subject of apostolic succession. Those who make this claim say that there cannot be apostles except those chosen by Christ during his ministry. This is based on the premise that an apostle must be a witness of the resurrected Savior and because there have been no appearances since his ascension, there cannot be such a witness. This gives rise to the belief that no new apostle could succeed one who died. We remember, however, that Matthias was called to take the place of Judas. The answer of the proponents is that he did not take the place of one who died, but rather one who had forfeited his office because he had been unfaithful by betraying Jesus. A succession is nevertheless admitted. As proof that there was no succession on the death of an apostle, the case of James the son of Zebedee is cited. The record does not state there was no successor, it is merely silent. There is some evidence that James the brother of the Lord may have been ordained a successor membr of the Twelve, because he took a prominent part in the council at Jerusalem and was with Peter in the leadership of the apostles. And Paul said of him, "Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

Paul

Paul was not one of the named Twelve, and the writings of the New Testament make it clear that he was not a witness of the Savior prior to his ascension, yet Paul claimed the apostleship undoubtedly from his experience as he journeyed to Damascus. Paul referred in his writings to a number of other persons as apostles who were not named as the Twelve. Because the record gives no information concerning them, scholars cannot ascertain if they were successors or if the word "apostle" was used in another sense. In any event, it would be fallacious to argue that because the record is silent it must be inferred that there was no succession.

The last and perhaps the weakest argument of all is that there is no need for apostolic succession because their testimony has been preserved for future generations by the writings of the New Testament. This of course violates all of the rules of evidence because the witnesses' lips have been sealed in death.

Today, the same organization as the primitive Church

There exists today in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the organization of the primitive Church of Christ with the same officers that have been mentioned: deacons, teachers, priests, bishop, elders, seventies, high priests, and apostles. Without taking into consideration revelation which reestablishes this organization, reason alone would dictate that Christ's Church should be the same today as when organized under his direction.

The principles embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ are everlasting. It would logically follow that the Church founded upon these eternal and everlasting principles would have the same organization as that established under his direction, and it would be difficult to show good reason for the necessity of change or improvement. The historical facts themselves bear out that there has been a falling away, a corruption of the original, an unauthorized change of church organization in modern churches.

I have a personal conviction that after the long period of spiritual darkness in the world, the gospel has been restored in its fullness through divine revelation, and the Church of Christ has again been established on earth-that this restored Church has the same organization that existed in the original Church, including those of apostolic calling who do bear witness of the divinity of Christ, his death, and resurrection, and that he is the Son of God. To their witness, I humbly add my witness in the name of the Savior of the world. Amen.