Encyclopedia of bible words
APOSTLE
Many people are uncertain about the role of apostles. The meaning of the word is clear. But just who should be called an apostle and whether there are apostles today are questions that continue to be debated. We cannot answer all the technical questions that scholars ask. But the basic biblical meaning of apostleship is relatively clear.
1. The Greek word and its background
2. The apostles in the Gospels and Acts
3. The apostle Paul
4. Other uses of "apostle" in the NT
5. Summary
1. The Greek word and its background. The Greek word that is most commonly translated "apostle" is apostolos. The verb apostello and a compound of it, exapostello, as well as a synonym, pempo, are sometimes used with the same meaning: to send one on a mission as an envoy.
At first these Greek words described the sending of a delegation of several representatives. Later the focus shifted, to emphasize the idea that an apostolos was the personal representative of the one sending him. Eventually apostolos came to be used in some Greek philosophical schools with a religious significance: the one sent spoke with divine authorization.
The translators of the Hebrew OT into Greek used apostello as the equivalent of a particular Hebrew verb that also expresses divine authorization to accomplish some well-defined and specific task. Apostolos is used in the Septuagint (the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible) some seven hundred times in this sense to fix our attention on God as the one who gives his envoy authority.
Apostello was very seldom used in ordinary conversation in NT times. Those familiar with the Greek translation of the OT immediately identified the word with the OT concept of divinely authorized messengers sent by God and acting on his authority.
The verb apostello is used 131 times in the NT, while pempo (usually synonymous) is used 81 times. The noun apostolos is also found frequently (81 times); it is translated "apostle" and helps us understand the nature of the special individuals who played such an important, foundational role in the establishment of the Christian church.
2. The apostles in the Gospels and Acts. The Gospels report that Jesus chose twelve men and designated them his apostles (Mt 10:2; Mk 3:14; Lk 6:13). These twelve were with Jesus through his years of earthly ministry and were witnesses to his resurrection. When Judas betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide, another was chosen to bring the number back to twelve. "It is necessary," " Peter explained, "to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection" (Ac 1:21-22).
Both the qualifications and the mission of the Twelve are identified here. They had to be followers of Jesus from the beginning of his public ministry through his ascension, and they had to witness the fact of Jesus' resurrection.
In Acts we see the twelve apostles evangelizing (Ac 2), performing miracles (Ac 2:43; 5:12), teaching converts (Ac 2:42), and proposing a way for the church to create a structure needed to handle distribution to the needy so the apostles themselves could concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the Word (Ac 6:1-4). The apostles served not as rulers but as wise guides. They were not directors but were participants with the whole church in seeking God's guidance in the significant decisions affecting the believing community (Ac 11:1-18; 15:1-35).
The role and identity of the Twelve was never transformed into institutional roles or offices. The Twelve remain a group of a dozen unique individuals, and Revelation tells us the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem will have engraved on them "the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev 21:14)
3. The apostle Paul. While the Gospels and Acts focus on the Twelve, the Epistles introduce Paul as a thirteenth apostle, Paul too had seen the risen Jesus and thus could be a witness to his resurrection (Ac 9:1-6; 1 Co 15:3-7). Although not one of Jesus' original followers, Paul, like them received his commission directly from Jesus (Ac 26:15-18). Paul's commission was as a "herald and an apostle and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles (1Timothy 2.7) These functions parallel the ministry of the Twelve as described in Acts, but with the Greek world rather than the Jewish people as Paul's particular constituency (Gal 2:8). In a number of NT passages, Paul explains and defends his unique position as an apostle--one who by virtue of his calling spoke with God's own authority (1 Co 9; 2 Co 11-13; Gal 2). Peter clearly recognized the validity of Paul's claim: he classified Paul's letters with the "other Scriptures" (2 Pe 3:14- 16). In some significant sense, Paul ranks with the Twelve, and his apostleship is as unique as their own.
4. Other uses of “apostle” in the NT.
The term "apostle" is applied to the Twelve and to Paul in a distinctive way. The calling of these individuals to witness to the Resurrection and their com missioning by Christ himself make it plain that no institutional office is in view. The authority of Paul and of the Twelve was a unique authority and is without parallel in the church today. Yet is clear that the underlying concept of apostleship is extended in the NT beyond these thirteen. Luke speaks of "the apostles Barnabas and Paul" (Ac 14:14). Writing personal greetings at the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul identifies Andronicus and Junias as "outstanding among the apostles" (Ro 16:7). Paul also writes heatedly about persons who are "masquerading as apostles of Christ' (2 Co 11:13). This involved the apostles' claim to a significant role, for Paul says in 1 Co 12:28: "In the church God has appointed first of all apostles."
In general, the title "apostles’ identify the original Twelve, who maintain a unique calling and position and share it only with Paul. The NT indicates that others besides the apostles typically had an itinerant ministry related to both founding and strengthening new churches. It is quite likely that our modern term "missionary" is very close in meaning to the general use of "apostle in NT times. Perhaps one of the most significant uses of the word "apostle" in the NT is the reference to Jesus as "the apostle and high priest whom we confess" (Heb 3:1).
5. Summary. "The apostles" are the twelve followers of Jesus whom he selected when he began his public ministry. Each of these twelve men observed all that Jesus said and did during his years of ministry on earth, and each was a witness to the Resurrection. The ministry of the Twelve in the early church focused on prayer and the teaching of the Word, not on organization or administration. Paul was an apostle in this same unique sense, having also seen the resurrected Jesus and having been personally called by Jesus to a ministry of evangelizing and teaching.
But "apostle" has general as well as specific meaning. An apostle is an envoy sent on a mission to speak for the one sending him and having the sender's own authority. Although not numbered with the apostles, other believers in the early church were considered apostles God's envoys, set apart for special ministry. These early apostles were itinerants, who founded and taught new churches much like modern missionaries.
There is no indication in the NT that the office of apostle was an institutional one or a role to be filled in the local congregation. There is no indication that other envoys, sent by churches to their mission fields, had an authority similar to that of the Twelve or of Paul.
Apostleship (Spiritual gifts survey)
The spiritual gift of apostleship is sometimes confused with the office of Apostle. The office of Apostle was held by a limited number of men chosen by Jesus, including the twelve disciples (Mark 3:13-19 ) and Paul (Romans 1:1). The requirements for the office of Apostle included being a faithful eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry and His resurrection (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:1), and being called by Jesus Himself (Galatians 1:1). The Apostles were given authority by Jesus to do many different things to establish the church, including writing Scripture and performing miracles (John 14:26, 2 Peter 3:15-16, 2 Corinthians 12:12).
Acts 1:21-22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
21 Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
Mark 3:13-19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The Mission of the Twelve. 13 He went up the mountain[a] and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve [whom he also named apostles] that they might be with him[b] and he might send them forth to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons: 16 [c][he appointed the twelve:] Simon, whom he named Peter; 17 James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, 19 and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Galatians 1:1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. Address
Chapter 1
Greeting. 1 Paul, an apostle[b] not from human beings nor through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead,
Footnotes
1:1 Apostle: because of attacks on his authority in Galatia, Paul defends his apostleship. He is not an apostle commissioned by a congregation (Philippians 2:25; 2 Cor 8:23) or even by prophets (1 Tm 1:18; 4:14) but through Jesus Christ and God the Father.
1:1 Slave of Christ Jesus: Paul applies the term slave to himself in order to express his undivided allegiance to the Lord of the church, the Master of all, including slaves and masters. “No one can serve (i.e., be a slave to) two masters,” said Jesus (Mt 6:24). It is this aspect of the slave-master relationship rather than its degrading implications that Paul emphasizes when he discusses Christian commitment
John 14:26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
26 The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you
2 Peter 3:15-16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
15 And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, 16 speaking of these things[a] as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.
Footnotes
3:16 These things: the teachings of this letter find parallels in Paul, e.g., God’s will to save (Rom 2:4; 9:22–23; 1 Cor 1:7–8), the coming of Christ (1 Thes 4:16–17; 1 Cor 15:23–52), and preparedness for the judgment (Colossians 1:22–23; Eph 1:4–14; 4:30; 5:5–14). Other scriptures: used to guide the faith and life of the Christian community. The letters of Paul are thus here placed on the same level as books of the Old Testament. Possibly other New Testament writings could also be included.
2 Corinthians 12:12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
12 The signs of an apostle were performed among you with all endurance, signs and wonders, and mighty deeds.
Footnotes
12:12 Despite weakness and affliction (suggested by the mention of endurance), his ministry has been accompanied by demonstrations of power (cf. 1 Cor 2:3–4). Signs of an apostle: visible proof of belonging to Christ and of mediating Christ’s power, which the opponents require as touchstones of apostleship (2 Cor 12:11 skipping 😊; cf. 2 Cor 13:3).
1 Corinthians 2:3-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
3 I came to you in weakness[a] and fear and much trembling, 4 and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom,[b] but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
Footnotes
2:3 The weakness of the crucified Jesus is reflected in Paul’s own bearing (cf. 2 Cor 10–13). Fear and much trembling: reverential fear based on a sense of God’s transcendence permeates Paul’s existence and preaching. Compare his advice to the Philippians to work out their salvation with “fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), because God is at work in them just as his exalting power was paradoxically at work in the emptying, humiliation, and obedience of Jesus to death on the cross (Philippians 2:6–11).
2:4 Among many manuscript readings here the best is either “not with the persuasion of wisdom” or “not with persuasive words of wisdom,” which differ only by a nuance. Whichever reading is accepted, the inefficacy of human wisdom for salvation is contrasted with the power of the cross.
2 Corinthians 13:3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
3 [a]since you are looking for proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak toward you but powerful in you.
Footnotes
13:3–4 Paul now gives another motive for severity when he comes, the charge of weakness leveled against him as an apostle. The motive echoes more closely the opening section (2 Cor 10:1–18) and the intervening development (especially 2 Cor 11:30–12:10). Proof of Christ speaking in me: the threat of 2 Cor 10:1–2 (Below) is reworded to recall Paul’s conformity with the pattern of Christ, his insertion into the interplay of death and life, weakness and power (cf. note on 2 Cor 12:10b).
2 Corinthians 10 1-18, INTRO
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
IV. Paul’s Defense of His Ministry[a]
Chapter 10
Accusation of Weakness.[b] 1 Now I myself, Paul, urge you through the gentleness and clemency of Christ,[c] I who am humble when face to face with you, but brave toward you when absent, 2 [d]I beg you that, when present, I may not have to be brave with that confidence with which I intend to act boldly against some who consider us as acting according to the flesh. 3 For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh,[e] 4 for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments 5 and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish every disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7 Look at what confronts you. Whoever is confident of belonging to Christ should consider that as he belongs to Christ, so do we.[f] 8 And even if I should boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall not be put to shame. 9 [g]May I not seem as one frightening you through letters. 10 For someone will say, “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” 11 Such a person must understand that what we are in word through letters when absent, that we also are in action when present.
12 Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond measure but will keep to the limits[i] God has apportioned us, namely, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overreaching ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we indeed first came to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We are not boasting beyond measure, in other people’s labors; yet our hope is that, as your faith increases, our influence among you may be greatly enlarged, within our proper limits, 16 so that we may preach the gospel even beyond you, not boasting of work already done in another’s sphere. 17 “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved,[k] but the one whom the Lord recommends.
Romans 1:1
Paul as an apostle…
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
1:1–7 In Paul’s letters the greeting or praescriptio follows a standard form, though with variations. It is based upon the common Greco-Roman epistolary practice, but with the addition of Semitic and specifically Christian elements. The three basic components are: name of sender; name of addressee; greeting. In identifying himself, Paul often adds phrases to describe his apostolic mission; this element is more developed in Romans than in any other letter. Elsewhere he associates co-workers with himself in the greeting: Sosthenes (1 Corinthians), Timothy (2 Corinthians; Philippians; Philemon) Silvanus (1 Thessalonians—2 Thessalonians). The standard secular greeting was the infinitive chairein, “greetings.” Paul uses instead the similar-sounding charis, “grace,” together with the Semitic greeting šālôm (Greek eirēnē), “peace.” These gifts, foreshadowed in God’s dealings with Israel (see Nm 6:24–26), have been poured out abundantly in Christ, and Paul wishes them to his readers. In Romans the Pauline praescriptio is expanded and expressed in a formal tone; it emphasizes Paul’s office as apostle to the Gentiles. Rom 1:3–4 stress the gospel or kerygma, Rom 1:2 the fulfillment of God’s promise, and Rom 1:1, 5 Paul’s office. On his call, see Gal 1:15–16; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8–10; Acts 9:1–22; 22:3–16; 26:4–18.
Romans1:5
Pauls office
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
Footnotes
1:5 Paul recalls his apostolic office, implying that the Romans know something of his history. The obedience of faith: as Paul will show at length in chaps. 6–8 and 12–15, faith in God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ relates one to God’s gift of the new life that is made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the activity of the holy Spirit (see especially Rom 8:1–11).
On his call,
Galatians 1:15-16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
15 But when [God], who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,[a]
1:16 Flesh and blood: human authorities (cf. Mt 16:17 “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my father in heaven’; 1 Cor 15:50 “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”). Paul’s apostleship comes from God (Gal 1:1).
On his call,
1 Cor 9:1
Paul’s Rights as an Apostle.
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? (You…you are my ordination papers…). 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Footnotes?
On his call
1 Corinthians 15:8-10 ,
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me.
2 Corinthians 2:16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 to the latter an odor of death that leads to death, to the former an odor of life that leads to life. Who is qualified for this?
2:16b–17 Qualified: Paul may be echoing either the self-satisfied claims of other preachers or their charges about Paul’s deficiencies. No one is really qualified, but the apostle contrasts himself with those who dilute or falsify the preaching for personal advantage and insists on his totally good conscience: his ministry is from God, and he has exercised it with fidelity (faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support). and integrity (the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.) (cf. 2 Cor 3:5–6)
2 Corinthians 3:5-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us; rather, our qualification comes from God, 6 who has indeed qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life
2 Corinthians 11:23
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I am talking like an insane person.) I am still more, [b] with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous brushes with death.
Footnotes
11:23a Ministers of Christ…I am still more: the central point of the boast (cf. note on 2 Cor 11:5). Like an insane person: the climax of his folly.
11:23b–29 Service of the humiliated and crucified Christ is demonstrated by trials endured for him. (Sepsis? Immune deficient, during covid? Sepsis kills a lot of healthy people) This rhetorically impressive catalogue enumerates many of the labors and perils Paul encountered on his missionary journeys.
On his call,
Acts 9:1-22
(were all about vs 15 here , Saul’s conversion, baptism and preaching)
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites”
Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men. “Who jah bless? No one curse…” Isaiah 54:17 No instrument formed against you shall prosper and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD. …
On his call
Acts 22:14-15 , (3-16)…
Ananias speaking, he has regained his sight, 3-16
14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; 15 for you will be his witness[a] before all to what you have seen and heard.
On his call
Acts 26:16-18 …(4-18)
, after blinding light, falling to ground, asking who it was, Christ tells him who he is and then says, and I think its highly appropriate:
16 Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have seen [of me] and what you will be shown.[c] 17 I shall deliver you from this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you, 18 to open their eyes[d] that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in me.’
Footnote:
To open their eyes: though no mention is made of Paul’s blindness in this account (cf. Acts 9:8–9, 12, 18; 22:11–13), the task he is commissioned to perform is the removal of other people’s spiritual blindness.
There are no more that hold the office of Apostle today, but the gift of apostleship continues in a different sense. Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers at His ascension (Ephesians 4:7-12), and these represent a distinct category of apostles. They do not have the authority to write Scripture as the original Apostles did. They also have a different purpose in the sense of establishing the church – the foundation has already been set.
(All in favor of a revisionist/apostolic church? Im a premillennial post Tribulationist which places my hermeneutics squarely in-between metaphorical/allegorical and literal. Problem becomes I see allegory/metaphor where others see literal and I see literal where others see metaphorical/allegorical. I'm an odd duck basically, guess what? The original ones were too.)
The mission for those with the gift of apostleship today is to plant new ministries and churches, go into places where the Gospel is not preached, reach across cultures to establish churches in challenging environments, raise up and develop leaders, call out and lead pastors and shepherds, and much more. They often have many different gifts that allow them to fulfill their ministry. These are leaders of leaders and ministers of ministers. They are influencers. They are typically entrepreneurial and are able to take risks and perform difficult tasks. Missionaries, church planters, certain Christian scholars and institutional leaders, and those leading multiple ministries or churches often have the gift of apostleship. See also Ephesians 4:11, I Corinthians 12:28, Acts 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 9:1.
Ephesians 4:7-12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Diversity of Gifts.
7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore, it says: “He ascended[a] on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.” 9 What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 [b]And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,[c] for building up the body of Christ,
1 Corinthians 12:28
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
28 Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles;[a] second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.
Footnotes
12:28 First, apostles: apostleship was not mentioned in 1 Cor 12:8–10, nor is it at issue in these chapters, but Paul gives it pride of place in his listing. It is not just one gift among others but a prior and fuller gift that includes the others. They are all demonstrated in Paul’s apostolate, but he may have developed his theology of charisms by reflecting first of all on his own grace of apostleship (cf. 1 Cor 3:5–4:14; 9:1–27; 2 Cor 2:14–6:13; 10:1–13:30, esp. 1 Cor 11:23 and 12:12).
Definition of charism
: an extraordinary power (as of healing) given a Christian by the Holy Spirit for the good of the church
Bible reference .com 2 Corinthians 3
2 Corinthians chapter 3
New International Version
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
What does 2 Corinthians chapter 3 mean?
Eager for the Corinthians to understand that he is not promoting himself, Paul wants them to look at themselves to validate his role as an apostle of Jesus. Their own lives should serve as all the evidence they need that Paul delivered not himself but Christ to them. After all, they have become living, breathing letters of recommendation for him and his co-workers. They are letters written by Christ with the Holy Spirit instead of ink on human hearts instead of tablets (2 Corinthians 3:1–3).
Paul insists this is not because of his own strength and skill. He and his friends are not "sufficient" to carry out this work. They are not specially qualified, in and of themselves. They're not boosted by their own power. All their sufficiency comes from the power of God. He is the one who has empowered and enabled them to be ministers of the new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:4–6).
Paul compares the new covenant of salvation by faith in Christ through God's grace with the old covenant between God and Israel. He describes that old covenant as a ministry of death carved in letters on stone. It came with true glory. It was God's revelation of Himself, after all, to the Israelites. The glory was so powerful that the Israelites could not even bear to look at the reflection of it on Moses' face after he spent time with God. It was a ministry of death, though, because it required the death of an animal to pay for every sin Israel committed. It revealed that sinful human beings cannot lead the righteous lives required by God to see His glory (2 Corinthians 3:7).
The glory of the new covenant of God's grace and forgiveness for sinners through faith in Christ far surpasses the glory revealed by the old covenant of the law. That old ministry of condemnation for sin was being brought to an end, while the ministry of righteousness received as a gift through Christ will go on forever. It reveals a glory that is permanent (2 Corinthians 3:8–11).
Because Paul is a minister of the new covenant, which allows those in Christ to see God's glory, Paul can be far more bold than Moses. As a minister of the old covenant, Moses had to cover his face with a veil in order to protect the sinful Israelites from seeing the glory of God. That veil is still there. It stands between those who are not in Christ and the glory of God. It can only be removed by the Holy Spirit through Christ for those who turn to Him in faith (2 Corinthians 3:12–17).
Those in Christ look at Him with unveiled faces. To see Christ in this way is to see the glory of God on earth. It begins a transformation, changing those who look on Him to becoming like Him, over time, by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).
“What would be their credentials Andrew?”
Same as Paul’s I said , I meant the hardships/persecutions/endurance…etc…given by God…the proof is in the pudding and the religious leaders of the today don’t like it one bit…
I don’t put to much faith in pieces of paper, be it $ or credentials or being a “learned” individual, worlds to full of educated derelicts…
Calvin Coolidge said,
“Nothing in the world will take the place of persistence.
Talent will not.
The world is full of unsuccessful people with talent.
Education will not.
The world is full of educated derelicts.
Genius will not.
Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
The slogan press on has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
And same as Peters…
ACTS 3:10
It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus…18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?” (Credentials guy?) You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Just a bohemian biker space cadet highly endowed with the grace of God for a purpose…etc…
Iron in your words…
Ten Bears: These things you say we will have, we already have.
Josey Wales: That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another.
Ten Bears: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life…
I might add, and it shall be abundant…
