In rightly dividing the word of truth it is imperative that we understand the difference between the message and ministry of the apostle Paul and that of the twelve apostles. The simplistic idea that everything after Matthew 1 is about the church of this dispensation is a great blunder and hindrance in understanding the word of God. There could not be a New Testament until the death of Christ (Heb. 9:17), and there are distinct NT ministries concerning Israel and the Body of Christ.
Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Notice that this great statement about Paul’s ministry is in verse 13. God uses numbers and we see His fingerprints in chapter, verse, and word numbers in the KJB. In the Bible 13 is the number for separation (unto bad or good, see 13th chapters in Pentateuch). Paul had a SEPARATE (3x’s, Acts 13:2; Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:15) ministry from the twelve apostles. You could say he was a thirteenth apostle. When he was officially sent out on his Gentile ministry in Acts 13 (key verses in chapter are multiples of 13), it was clear that he was given a separate and special ministry that we can understand as we study his 13 epistles.
It is strange how men naturally want to minimize what God has magnified (Ps. 138:2). How many preachers believe we have the inspired and preserved WORDS of God today? Sadly, not many. Among those who do, how many recognize Paul as the spokesman for the Body of Christ to follow in this present age of grace? Even fewer. Thank God there is still a remnant of Bible-believers who rightly divide the word of truth. Failure to acknowledge Paul’s distinct message and ministry is apostasy in this present age (2 Tim. 1:13-15).
There are many inconsistent dispensationalists who insist there is no difference between the ministries of Paul and the twelve, and claim it is “hyperdispensationalism” to believe there is. They say Paul’s ministry was simply an expansion of what the twelve apostles were already doing. Some even teach that Paul was God’s choice to replace Judas and not Matthias. Yet, according to the word of God Paul was not qualified to be one of the 12 (Acts 1:20-26).
One of the most important questions that must be correctly answered if we are going to understand the Bible is, “Why Paul?” If his apostleship, message, and ministry were the same as the twelve, what was the point of Christ saving him in the manner he did, away from Jerusalem, and away from the twelve?
The twelve apostles had already been commissioned by Christ to go into all the world. They did not go, but Paul did. What brought about this change? It was the continued rejection of Christ by the leaders of Israel (early Acts), their fall (Acts 7), and the revelation of the mystery. In the kingdom commission, the apostles were told to begin at Jerusalem (Lk. 24:47) because, according to prophecy, the Gentiles are to be blessed through Israel (Isa. 60:1-3), and Jerusalem will be the capitol city in the Kingdom Age (Matt. 5:35). Since the nation of Israel did not repent of killing their Messiah, there was no need for them to go to the nations. When Paul explained his ministry to the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 15), they agreed that he would go to the heathen with his gospel while they continued to go to the circumcision (Gal. 2:1-9). The commission given to the twelve apostles was postponed but it will be fulfilled in the future tribulation period (Matt. 24:14).
- The 12 were chosen by Christ on earth. Israel is God’s earthly people (Deut. 7:6; Matt. 6:10). Paul was chosen by Christ from heaven. The Body of Christ is God’s heavenly people (Eph. 2:6; Phil. 3:20).
- The 12 were appointed to lead Israel (Matt. 19:28). Paul was appointed to lead the Body of Christ (Col. 1:24-26).
- The 12 represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Paul represents the one Body of Christ. He was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews,” and yet he was also a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27-28; Phil. 3:5;). In a sense, we could say that he was a Jew and Gentile in one body.
- The 12 only knew Christ on earth. Even when Christ ascended back to heaven, a cloud received Him out of their sight (Acts 1:9). Paul only knew Christ from heaven (Acts 26:16-19).
- The 12 were sent to proclaim and offer the kingdom of heaven to Israel (Matt. 10:5-7; Acts 3:19-21). Paul was sent to preach the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). Paul did not receive his gospel from the 12, but by “revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11-12).
- The ministry of the 12 was based on covenants and prophecy (Acts 3:24-25). After Israel is blessed, the Gentiles receive blessings through them. The ministry of Paul was based on a mystery. The Gentiles are blessed through the fall of Israel (Rom. 11:11) and there is neither Jew nor Gentile in the Body of Christ (Gal. 3:27-28).
- Under the kingdom commission water baptism was required and signs of the kingdom accompanied the message (Mk. 16:15-18). Under Paul’s commission he was sent NOT to baptize, and he said early in his ministry that signs would cease (1 Cor. 1:17; 13:8-10).
Paul’s ministry was so different that some to this very day claim that he was a false apostle. Even lost people can see the difference between Peter and Paul. It is not an exaggeration to say that Paul’s conversion is one of the most significant events in the Bible:
- It is more fully described and more often referred to than any other personal experience in the Bible outside the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
- The majority of three chapters in Acts are taken up with the account of it (9, 22, 26).
- So aware was Paul himself of the significance of his conversion that he referred to it repeatedly in his epistles (1 Cor. 15; Gal. 1; Phil. 3; 1 Tim. 1). He was not an egomaniac (Eph. 3:8). He wrote by inspiration of God! The Lord placed an emphasis on the distinct apostleship and ministry of Paul because he is the spokesman for the Body of Christ to follow in this age. Do we make too much out of Paul? I have been accused of that for simply pointing out what GOD said about him.
In His earthly ministry, Christ said to His disciples, “Follow me.” The only other man in the Bible who exhorts people to follow his example and teaching is the apostle Paul. One of the most important truths that believers need to learn is that Paul is the divinely appointed pattern (1 Tim. 1:12-16) and spokesman and for the Body of Christ to follow in this present age of grace (1 Cor. 4:16-17; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9).
When I say that we are to follow Paul, I am simply quoting scripture. I am not exalting a man or making more out of Paul than the scripture does. I am certainly not putting Christ and Paul on the same level. We know that Paul was the “chief of sinners” saved by grace, while Christ is the sinless Son of God and the Savior of sinners. We know that Paul was nothing in himself while Christ is everything for “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” But it was to Paul that the glorified Lord committed the revelation of His message and program for this present dispensation.
Many resent the idea that we are to follow Paul, and they boast that they follow the whole Bible. That is not even possible because God’s word has different things to say to different people living under different dispensations (e.g., compare Rom. 3:28 with Jam. 2:24). There are different instructions in the Bible concerning the same issues (e.g., compare Matt. 6:14-15 with Eph. 4:32).
All scripture is for us (2 Tim. 3:16), but it is not all written to us (2 Tim. 2:15). We should certainly read and study the whole Bible. When we come across something that does not line up with what Christ said to us through the apostle Paul in this present age of grace, we must consider what Paul said first (2 Tim. 2:7). Of course, there are things that never change. All scripture is given by inspiration and is the word of God. Therefore, we are not pitting the words of Moses, Christ, or Peter against Paul.
It is not the person but the office of Paul that we magnify. We are to follow Christ by receiving the doctrine that He revealed through Paul (1 These. 2:13) for this present age (1 Tim. 1:3; 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2 Tim. 2:2; 3:10).
