Paul, Apostle of Jesus

by Steve Bastin

Was Junias an apostle?  Numerous proponents for women in leadership roles in the church have cited an obscure passage in Romans in support of such roles.

First it is asserted that it should be “Junia,” a female name instead of “Junias” which is male.  Then there is an assertion concerning the correct understanding of the passage.  Paul wrote that Junias and Andronicus were “outstanding among the apostles.”  Or, another translation tells us that they “are highly respected by the apostles.”  The passage can be understood either way.  One, they were apostles who were outstanding, or, two, they were respected by those who were apostles.

To build a doctrine of leadership roles on a subjective understanding of a single verse in the Bible strikes me as a strange way to go about gleaning truth from Scripture.  To go from “Junias may have been a woman and an apostle,” to “women have the same rights as men to fill all leadership positions in the church” seems a stretch to say the least.

But, lost in the whole discussion is the issue of what makes one an apostle.  The word, “apostle,” comes to us from the Greek language.  It means someone who is sent with a commission.  It would cover such a person, in our culture, as an ambassador who has a commission from his government to represent that government in a foreign country.  It could also cover a delegate to a national convention who represents those who have elected such a person to vote for a particular candidate. A correct understanding means an understanding of how and by whom the person is chosen.

The Bible uses the word to include those who are representatives of churches and those who are representatives of Jesus.  Both are called apostles, but they have vastly different roles.

For example, Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the church in Antioch on a mission to the Gentiles.  They went out from the church in Antioch and when they had finished their tour, they returned and reported to the church in Antioch.  On that trip both Paul and Barnabas were referred to as apostles because they had been sent out by the church on their mission.

There is another sense in which Paul is an apostle.  There is another sense in which the twelve were apostles.  These were men who were chosen by Jesus to be his witnesses to the world.  They were specifically chosen by Jesus.  They had a well-defined mission, testifying to the world concerning what they had seen and heard about Jesus.

There are apostles and there are apostles of Jesus.  They are not the same thing.  They have a different authority and they have a different message.  Just as baptize, elder, communion and deacon were common Greek words that took on a new meaning in the Christian community, so too, did the word apostle.

The thirteen apostles of Jesus occupy a particular position in God’s plan for our redemption.  They occupy a position such as no other person occupies today and a position, that by its nature, no other can occupy.  They fulfilled a “once for all” mission for the church.

When these men died, their positions were not filled by successors.  They had no successors.  The very nature of their mission was not one that could be continued by a successor.  They were Jesus’ witnesses.  No one who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus, the first twelve through their travels with Jesus and Paul through his visions (on the road to Damascus) and later revelations, could be a witness for Jesus.  (We are using the word “personal” in a quite different way than those who claim Jesus as a “personal” savior.)

It is obvious from Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth and the one to the churches of Galatia, that there were people who challenged Paul’s right to be an apostle in the sense of a chosen eye-witness of Jesus.

Such apostles were special people.  They had special powers.  And, they occupied a special position in the church.

While Jesus was still with the twelve he gave them special powers.  “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”  Paul wrote, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”  Earlier, in the same letter, he warned about the claims that some were making, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

The true apostles provided the foundation for the church as Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.”

Luke tells us how the twelve were chosen by Jesus:  “And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles.”  There follows a list of their names.

Concerning Paul’s apostleship, he wrote to the churches of Galatia:  “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead).”

People cannot make someone an apostle of Jesus.  They can be an apostle in some other sense, but they cannot claim equality of standing with the twelve and Paul.  Certainly there are those who aspire to the position.  That is why Paul warned us about “false apostles.”  Paul was an apostle because Jesus had personally chosen him just as he had the other twelve.

Apostles in the first century were not “power brokers” in the church.  They were men who had a message from Jesus.  That message was preached and that message was written on the pages of the book we call the New Testament.  Instead of seeking the praise of men, they sought the praise of God and most of them died because of their convictions and their preaching.  (Historical sources tell us this while the New Testament tells us only of the death of James, the brother of John.)

Yes, Paul was an apostle.  In his letter to the Corinthians he wrote, “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.  But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.”  (1 Cor 14:37)