DAY 2: PAUL, AN APOSTLE BY THE WILL OF GOD
Read 2 Timothy 1:1.
An apostle in the simplest terms was a messenger of God. In the New Testament, the Greek word for “apostle” is translated either “apostle” or “messenger” depending on the context and the individual being referred to. Why the distinction? Apostles were a select number of individuals who were seen as leaders of the early church. They were normally identified as the Twelve (e.g. Acts 6:2), and had as one of the qualifications having been with Jesus. They were a select group of men whose primary responsibility was to spread and teach the gospel. Unlike the other apostles, however, Paul is unique because he saw Jesus long after Jesus had already ascended into heaven (on the road to Damascus, Acts 9), and consequently, some people had problems with that. He often spent time defending his apostleship against those who considered themselves better than Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 9; 2 Cor. 10-11). This figures into why Paul so often in his letters identifies himself, as in this case, “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” He makes that statement even stronger in his letter to the Galatians: “Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father…” (Gal. 1:1)
Many have asked if apostles exist today. It seems from the Scriptures that apostles were the founding leaders of the church. They established the foundations of the church, upon which we currently build (meaning we don’t continue to build the foundation, but only build on it – Eph. 2:20). While they were not limited to the Twelve (see Acts 14:14; Rom. 16:7 where Barnabas, Andronicus, and Junias are called apostles though not of the Twelve), they seem to be limited in time by their responsibility to establish the church. Furthermore, the distinction between apostles and elders are very clear (see Acts 15 for example), and by the time the later letters of the New Testament are written (e.g. 2 Timothy), elders and deacons become more prominent, while apostles are only mentioned in regard to whom’s instructions they should be adhering to (2 Pet. 3:2; Jude 17).
To consider: Paul was an apostle by the will of God. To his frustration, he sometimes needed to defend his calling. Similarly, you are God’s child by His will, not by anything man has said, but because of what God says. God says that if you believe in Christ and follow after Him, you are His child. Have you ever struggled to believe that truth – wondering if you really are His child? Defend the doubt with an appeal to the truth. If God says your are His child, don’t doubt it!
While apostles aren’t with us today, leaders of the church have the responsibility to build on the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets. Are you under the care and teaching of those who are committed to the foundational truths established in Scripture?
