Rom 1:1 – Who or What is an apostle?

Romans 1:1

“Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” (Rom 1:1)

We looked at what it means to be a slave of Christ, in an earlier study.

Before we can proceed with the rest of the verse and answer questions such as “What does it mean to be called to be an apostle? is it different to the calling mentioned in Rom 1:7? If it is different, how is it different, and how can we know if we are called in this manner, either to apostleship or for any other particular ministry?”, we need to understand what/who an apostle is.

Let’s begin with the definition of the word “apostle”:

• Strong’s Concordance: Apostolos (652) = a messenger, one sent on a mission, an apostle.
• HELPS Word-studies: apóstolos (from 649 /apostéllō, “to commission, send forth”) – properly, someone sent (commissioned), focusing back on the authority (commissioning) of the sender (note the prefix, apo); apostle.
• Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: From apostello; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ (“apostle”) (with miraculous powers) — apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

Therefore, the word apostle, in a general, literal sense, simply means someone who is sent on a mission, by someone else (someone more powerful and with authority). Furthermore, he/she must be an ambassador of the one who sent them.

We know that the command Jesus gave in Matthew 28:18-20 was not just limited to his disciples at that time but to all Christians. Since therefore, he commanded each of us to go on a mission of proclaiming the message of his resurrection and be his ambassadors all around the world, one can say that we (Christians) are all his apostles. While it is true that in the strictest, literal sense of the word, we can call every Christian an apostle of God, as we read through the gospels and the apostolic epistles, it soon becomes clear that the word apostle has mostly been used in a technical sense and not in its literal sense. The technical definition of the word is that an apostle is one of the 12 appointed by our Lord Jesus to be his ambassadors and to be the foundation of his Church, of which, he is the cornerstone. Here is how we know that:

1. Not everyone who fits the general literal description of the word was called an apostle: Jesus sent out the 72 disciples with a particular mission, in Luke 10:1-12. They can be called apostles in the strictest sense of the word, but we don’t see them referred to as apostles. All Christians can be called apostles in the literal sense of that word but we don’t see the NT calling all Christians ‘apostles’.
2. The 12 disciples of Jesus were repeatedly referred to as the apostles: Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:14, 4:10, 6:7, 9:35, 14:10, 17, 20; Luke 6:13, 9:1, 22:14; John 6:71, Acts 6:2, and 1 Corinthians 15:5.
3. The 12 apostles performed miraculous signs that affirmed their apostolic authority: Read 2 Corinthians 12:12 and Acts 2:43.
4. To be an apostle, one must have spent time with Jesus during his earthly ministry and be a witness to his death and resurrection: Read Acts 1:21-22 and 1 Corinthians 9:1.
5. The 12 were chosen to be God’s ambassadors and to be the foundation of Christ’s Church: Read Ephesians 2:20 and Acts 9:15.
6. The 12 apostles will have a unique place and role in God’s kingdom: Read Revelation 21:14.

As mentioned earlier, the word for ‘apostle(s)’ has most frequently been used in this technical sense. However, there are instances where it was used in its general sense. For example, Barnabas was called an apostle in Acts 13:2 and 14:14. Paul refers to the ‘brothers’ who were sent along with TItus to the Church of Corinth, as ‘apostles’ in 2 Cor 8:23. In Philippians 2:25, Paul refers to Epaphroditus as an apostle. ESV rendered it as ‘messenger(s)’ in both cases but the Greek word is ‘apostle’. It is good to note that in all these cases where someone who’s not part of the 12 apostles was called an apostle, they were very closely associated with the apostles and were doing the same work of actively teaching, proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches, as they travelled along with the apostles.

This shows us that we can use the word ‘apostle’, in its literal sense to refer to anyone who is sent out on a mission to proclaim the gospel. However, given the almost exclusive use of that word in the Bible to refer to the 12 apostles, it would be wise not to use that word to describe anyone today.

What about using that word in its technical sense?

Consider the 6 points listed above. No one can meet the criteria to be called an apostle in the technical sense of that word, as used in the Bible. Therefore, it is inappropriate to use the title “apostle” to describe anyone today, as if they were holding the apostolic office.