Chosen and Redeemed: Of Saints and Apostles

 

I’ve spoken to many people who think they are too far from God, too sinful, too dirty to accept Jesus as their LORD. Paul was one of those people, but he didn’t even know it. In fact, he thought he was serving God as he set out to arrest Christians and haul them back to Jerusalem for punishment (Acts 9:1-2). He thought he was serving God as he stood watch over people’s coats as they stoned Stephen, an early leader in the church (Acts 7:58). After meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-8), Paul went on to write much of the New Testament (13 out of 27 books) in the form of letters to the various churches in which he recognizes that he was a terrible sinner, even the worst of sinners, and that Jesus saved him anyways (1 Timothy 1:15).

 This “worst of sinners” became an apostle of Christ. What is an apostle you might ask? This isn’t a word we use much today outside of religious history references, but it is a gifting of the Holy Spirit originally attached to the 12 apostles of Jesus and later to Paul as those who were, “called by God to carry out the mission of growing the church.”(1) 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 shares a list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the first of which is apostleship. In fact, towards the end of this passage, it encourages us to eagerly desire the greater gifts. This is an indicator that the gift of apostleship did not begin and end with Jesus’ original followers. In fact, the Bible names or refers to several other apostles ( Act 14:4, 14; Rom 16:7; 1Th 2:6). Between the listing of apostleship among the other spiritual gifts (above) and the referencing of others beyond the original 12, Christianity.com infers, as do I, that this is a gift actively used by the Holy Spirit. Paul was an apostle, or one called by God to carry out the mission of growing the church.

 In the book of Ephesians, that we will be studying for the next couple of months, Paul writes to the “saints.” Here’s another loaded word that has lots of social history. In Strong’s it clarifies the usage of this word as indicating, “of persons whose services God employs; as for example, apostles.” The Catholic church has influenced our views and understanding of what a saint is, but Biblically, all believers are saints. We are not required to have interceded for a documented miracle or been formally recognized by the Pope or any other religious official. We certainly don’t have to be dead! As Christianity.com points out, “In its most basic sense, a saint is a “holy one,” someone who is set apart for God’s special purposes. As a result, every follower of Jesus Christ is a saint.”

 Paul is writing this letter to people in Ephesus that already believe in Jesus and are following Him. This letter is not intended to be evangelistic in nature, but rather a way to disciple other believers.

Here’s the Thing: I usually skim over or skip these introductions at the beginning of letters in the Bible, but there is a lot here. It’s important to slow down and not assume the meaning of words based on cultural understanding – but really look at what the author (both Paul and God) meant by them. We are saints, and the message of Ephesians is for us. As saints, even today, some of us might even be called to be apostles. Are you?

      (1)    Adams, L. (2023, November 8). What is an apostle? Do apostles still exist? Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/what-is-an-apostle-do-apostles-still-exist.html