Apostolic Authority #2412

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:” (Galatians 1:1–2, NKJV)

Neither human proclamation nor physical lineage approved and appointed Paul to be an apostle (v. 1). How unlike the assertions and attestations of the churches, councils, and synods that install men to be popes, prophets, presidents, and priests. Jesus Christ chose and commissioned His apostles (Mark 3:13-19; Acts 22:14-15; 26:16-17). Under His authority, He sent them into the world to teach His gospel (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20). God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead, approved of the appointment and commission of the apostles, including Paul (v. 1). Heaven’s approval did not mean the apostles were above sin. Peter was rebuked for hypocrisy and influencing others to join him (Gal. 2:11-14). Paul’s explanation of heaven’s endorsement of his apostleship laid the foundation of authority by which the churches of Galatia (and thus, all the churches) were to receive and follow his instructions (Gal. 1:6-10). Just as Paul’s apostleship was “not from men nor through man,” neither was the gospel he preached (Gal. 1:11). How unlike the assertions and attestations of the churches, councils, and synods. These religious bodies convene to approve and codify their self-defined “orthodoxy” and bind it on adherents. What an affront to Christ, His gospel, and the apostles He commissioned to preach His gospel (Gal. 1:6-9)! What to believe and obey has been revealed by Christ through His apostles (Gal. 1:12; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:1, 4). Straying from apostolic doctrine amounts to departing from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1-3, 6).

Why Did Jesus Appear To Saul on the Damascus Road? #2147

15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.’” (Acts 26:15–16, NKJV)

Saul was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus with authority to seize Christians in the synagogues when Jesus appeared to him (Acts 9:1-6, 13-14). Saul will go from being faithless to being faithful, from a persecutor to a preacher, from an antagonist to an apostle. His conversion is a touchstone of God’s mercy, grace, and longsuffering. It serves as “a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him (Christ, JRP) for everlasting life” (1 Tim. 1:12-16). Therefore, it is essential to expose and reject the assumption that Jesus saved Saul on the road to Damascus. That was not the purpose for which Christ appeared to Saul. Jesus plainly stated why He appeared to Saul: to make him “a minister and a witness” of Christ (Acts 26:16; 22:14-15; 9:15). Jesus appeared to Saul to appoint him as an apostle (1 Cor. 15:8-11). Saul was a believer after this miraculous event. And he was repentant toward God, as demonstrated by his praying and fasting (Acts 9:9, 11). But in Damascus, three days later, his sins still needed to be washed away. Ananias said to Saul, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). If Jesus saved Saul on the road, what sins needed washing away? Since Saul still needed cleansing from his sins, it is apparent he was not saved on the road. To follow the pattern of Saul’s conversion includes being baptized to wash away sins (by Christ’s blood, Rom. 6:3). Why are you waiting?

Consider the Apostle of Our Confession #1686

1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. (Hebrews 3:1–2, NKJV)

As benefactors of the redemptive work of Christ (outlined in Hebrews 2:10-18), it is only fitting that Christians pause to consider (fully observe) Christ Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. Our “confession” is the profession of faith the gospel calls us to live (Heb. 4:14; 10:23). As God’s Apostle (one sent forth), Jesus came to earth as a messenger with a mission. The message the Father sent Jesus to proclaim was the gospel, God’s heavenly invitation to sinners to be saved (Lk. 4:16-21). Jesus, who God sent, spoke the words of God (John 3:34). The mission Jesus was sent to accomplish was to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). In the shadow of the cross, Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:3-4). We partake of the heavenly calling by a life that professes the gospel He preached (Matt. 28:19-20). One cannot partake of the heavenly calling by rejecting the word and work of the Apostle of our confession. Just as Jesus was faithful to the Father, Christians must be faithful to Jesus. This is how we “hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4:14).

“He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me” #1441

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. (John 12:44–45, NKJV)

You may think Jesus always spoke in a soft, unassuming voice. If so, you would be mistaken. Many times, He loudly proclaimed His message. He explained that He did not originate His teachings, they came from Him who sent Jesus to the world (John 8:26-30). Jesus spoke what the Father commanded Him to speak (John 12:49). In this sense, He is the Apostle of our confession (Hebrews 3:1). So, to believe in Jesus is to believe in the Father. One cannot believe in God the Father and simultaneously reject Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus has seen the Father and declared Him to the world (John 1:18). Indeed, Jesus shares the same divine nature as the Father. He and the Father are one in nature and purpose, perfectly united in their deity and all that entails (John 10:30). The Son is the image of the invisible God, the exact image of God’s real nature (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). No doubt this explain Christ’s amazement when Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” (John 14:8-9). You must look at Jesus and believe in Him to see and believe in God. After all, Jesus is Immanuel (“God with us”).

When an Apostle Speaks #1332

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:1–2, NKJV)

Does it get your attention when an apostle of Jesus Christ speaks? It should. They spoke and wrote with the authority of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:37). People of faith listen to and follow their teachings, for by doing so, they follow Jesus (John 13:20). You see, Paul was made an apostle by God’s commandment (Acts 26:15-17; Galatians 1:15-16). He did not appoint himself an apostle. Neither was Paul ordained by men to be worthy to preach the gospel (only after completing the educational requirements they stipulate, cf. Galatians 1:11-12). True children in the faith, like Timothy, respect and submit to apostolic authority. It is by doing so that Christians have a living hope in Christ, and stand in the grace, mercy and peace of God. Listen carefully to the writings of the apostles of Christ. They lead you to Christ and keep you in Christ – when you trust and obey (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17).