Translations: 简体中文 繁體中文

Evidence of Paul's Apostleship

Jesus himself said, "I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." John 13:20 So if Jesus was a "sent one" - the meaning of apostleship - then to accept or reject an apostle is to accept or reject Jesus. Thus John wrote, "We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood." 1John 4:6

The following facts affirm Paul's apostleship:

1. Peter affirmed Paul's writings as scripture in 2Peter 3:15,16 "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."

2. Ananias testified of Paul's appointement. the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel." Acts 9:15

"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, `Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him. "Then he said: `The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard." Acts 22:12-15

3. The HOly Spirit confirmed his calling through the church. Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

4. Paulis given the right hand of fellowship by Peter and the other apostles. Galatians 2:9 "James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews."

5. There is no attack on Paul by the other apostles.

6.  Luke, Paul's traveling companion, compiled the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. And Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark, was also co-laboring with Paul to the end. (2Tim 4:11)

7. Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them." Mat 7:16 The fruits of Paul's labor prove his apostleship. Paul notes of the Corinthian church, "Do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 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." 2Cor 3:1-3

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Aug 17,2023