A sermon preached on 15th May 2022 by Pastor Enoch Awuku Anti
Galatians 1:1
Last week we looked at Paul’s life, under the title A Rebel Saved By Grace with two sub-titles Paul’s Rebellion and Paul’s Redemption. That should have closed Chapter 1 for us to move into chapter two. But I thought in my preparation, there is something important we must not skip. You may have already heard me saying in this series about Paul defending his apostleship in both Chapter 1 and 2,
Paul, an apostle– not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead (Galatian 1:1).
For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12).
For he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8)
These verses clearly point out a pattern in this letter, Paul defending his apostleship. The last verse we read from Chapter 2 is important. Peter was recognised as an apostle. Among the Jews, he was the leader of the apostolic team. And Paul compares his ministry to Peter saying the One who called Peter as an apostle, also called me. The same one who commissioned Peter, also commissioned me.
Paul defends himself as an apostle. But Who Is An Apostle? Not only in Galatians, but if you flip through the majority of Paul’s letters, you will notice this consistent pattern of he defending his apostleship. He introduces himself in his letters in a similar fashion as what we read in Galatians.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1).
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle (1 Corinthians 1:1)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God (2 Corinthians 1:1)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God (Ephesians 1:1)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God (Colossians 1:)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God (1 Timothy, 2nd Timothy)
Compare all these with how Peter introduces himself in his two epistles
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:1)
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1)
Why have I bothered to read all these Scriptures? Because it matters. Who an apostle is, is a crucial matter. The authority of his message will be determined by the authority of the one who sent him. Was he sent by Christ or he sent himself? That’s the crucial matter here. It matters because this has become a matter of gospel relevance.
In the Christian world today, there are many self-styled apostles and prophets and these people who claim to receive direct messages from God propagate much of the deception in the Christian world. These people shouldn’t get a hearing at all, but because of deception, they get a hearing. Take the NAR for example
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a dominionist movement which asserts that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of Prophet and Apostle. Leading figures in this movement claim that these prophets and apostles alone have the power and authority to execute God’s plans and purposes on earth. They believe they are laying the foundation for a global church, governed by them. They place a greater emphasis on dreams, visions and extra-biblical revelation than they do on the Bible, claiming that their revealed teachings and reported experiences (e.g. trips to heaven, face-to-face conversations with Jesus, visits by angels) can not be proven by the ‘old’ Scripture.
If this is anything to go by, then it means there are Apostles and Prophets out there who God speaks to directly and they must be listened to. They are akin to the Apostles and Prophets of the Bible. If you are here this morning or watching us and you believe there are Apostles and Prophets today, I want to state categorically that, in this church, we don’t believe there are apostles and prophets today. Why don’t we believe that? We will come to that.
But first, who is an Apostle? The word Apostle, in the original language means
A messenger, envoy, delegate, one commissioned by another to represent him in someway, especially a man sent out by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the Gospel
In the first century church, there was a clear definition of who an apostle was. Nobody just assigned the title or office of an an apostle to themselves. Apart from the twelve who were first called, Judas falling off and replaced, and Paul, nobody today qualifies to be called an apostle by that strict requirement for an apostle as outlined in the New Testament.
Titles have meaning. They communicate authority and position, and they depend on the proper credentials. A Person can’t simply call himself an army sergeant, a ship’s captain, or a medical doctor just because he likes … the title. And he certainly can’t assume any legitimate authority by self-applying those titles (John Macarthur)
Qualification of an Apostle
Appointed And Commissioned By Jesus Christ Himself.
“Not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…”
This is a clear statement showing who qualifies to be called an apostle: the Lord Jesus appointed and commissioned them himself directly.This is the clear pattern of Scripture. When Jesus called the disciples, he called them with this specific task of appointing them as apostles. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach (Mark 4:14). Who an apostle was is unambiguously clear here: appointed and commissioned by Christ.
Let me be careful here to say that indeed there are few others in the NT to whom the word apostle was applied in a general sense as those who have been sent. But a distinction is made that these ones were considered as messengers of the churches. But predominantly, when the word apostle is used in the NT, it refers more specifically to those called and appointed by the Lord himself. I think these distinction must be clear. Nobody today is called and appointed by
If Paul calls himself an apostle, one may ask, does he qualify by this qualification? Appointed and commissioned by the Lord? Yes he does. We know the story how CHrist appeared to him on the road to Damascus and gave him a mandate. He received his calling directly from the Lord “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I didn’t receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ (vv.11-12). One may argue that what is the evidence that Paul received his calling directly from the Lord. Paul’s calling is well documented and in Acts 9 when he encountered Christ, there were people with him and the Lord also appeared to Ananias who was given instruction to go pray for Paul (Acts 9:10-15)
Witnessed The Resurrected Christ
“who raised him from the dead”
One of the clear New Testament qualifications for an apostle is that they should have witnessed the resurrected Christ. This is the center of the Christian message. That Christ died for our sins and resurrected. Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead for the salvation of sinners. He died so that enemies of God, that is sinful humanity will be reconciled to God. Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ didn’t resurrect then we are hopeless, a people to be pitied. Without the resurrection, there is no hope of eternal life for anyone. To become a witness of Christ’s resurrection one must have witnessed the resurrected Christ. And it became a requirement for apostleship. Paul tells us he witnessed the resurrected Christ: “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”(1 Corinthians 15:8).
Authentication By Unique Miraculous GIfts
The apostles were not only commissioned by Christ, but were endowed with special miraculous gifts. Their ministry was attested by God with signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:3-4). Pauls calls this “The signs of a true apostle” (2 Corinthians 12:12). Today, we hear a lot of talk about miracles, healings etc. But when you put those healings side by side the biblical healings, they pale in comparison and don’t come any close at all.
Agents of Revelation
Since Christ appointed and sent the apostles, they brought us God’s word directly. Their teachings and writings became the basis of the Christian faith. We are told in Acts that the believers continued in the teaching and doctrine of the apostles. Today, nobody can add to what they wrote. Nobody receives direct authoritative words from God apart from Scripture. Paul calls apostles and prophets the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). What they spoke and wrote was God’s direct word.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ himself is considered as an apostle from the Father. The writer of Hebrews calls Jesus the apostle and high Priest of our confession. Now, Just as the Father sent the Son and the Son’s words are authoritative, he also appointed his apostles and sent them out with the words of the Father: directly. The conclusion therefore, is that what they the apostles say does not differ from what Jesus says. They never contradict Christ. They never contradict Scripture.
Dear friends, we have this authoritative word of God brought to us by the Apostles and the writings of the Old Testament and they are sufficient to lead us in our walk of faith. The Bible is sufficient to bring us to salvation.
Let’s not waste our time on dreamers, prophets and those who claim to see visions and hear from God. Let’s not waste our time on them. Scripture is sufficient.Listen to some of the things these people say, the lies they proclaim in the name of Christ and you will be able to rightly judge they are not from God—unless you have already been deceived and bought into their lies.
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