Apostolic means of, from, or in continuity with the original apostles — their teaching, authority, mission, and example. The church is built on the "foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph 2:20). The apostles were uniquely commissioned by the risen Christ as eyewitness bearers of his teaching; their writings constitute authoritative Scripture. An apostolic church is one that holds fast to apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:42), sends missionaries in the apostolic pattern, and guards the deposit of faith once entrusted to the saints (Jude 3). Apostolicity is a mark of the true church — not because we have living apostles with equal authority to the Twelve, but because the church stands under and transmits the apostolic witness preserved in Scripture.
APOSTOLIC, a. Pertaining or relating to the apostles; as the apostolic age. Derived from the apostles; taught or ordained by the apostles; as, apostolic faith or practice. "Apostolic succession" refers to the doctrine that ministerial authority has been transmitted by laying on of hands from the original apostles in an unbroken chain. Protestant doctrine affirms apostolicity in the sense of faithfulness to apostolic doctrine rather than mechanical succession.
• Ephesians 2:20 — "Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone."
• Acts 2:42 — "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
• Jude 3 — "Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
• Galatians 1:8 — "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."
• 2 Timothy 1:14 — "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
Two errors distort apostolicity today. The first is institutionalism — Rome's claim that apostolic authority is transmitted through an unbroken chain of bishop-ordinations, regardless of doctrinal fidelity. This makes the institution the arbiter of truth rather than Scripture — allowing the church to drift from apostolic teaching while claiming apostolic succession. The second is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which claims that God has restored the office of apostle today — living, authoritative figures whose new revelations and commands bind the church. This directly contradicts the apostolic foundation laid once-for-all in the NT canon. True apostolicity is measured not by titles or succession chains but by faithfulness to the deposit of truth entrusted to the original Twelve and Paul, preserved forever in the pages of Scripture.