Covenant Reformed News – December 2024 • Volume XX, Issue 8
This article examines the apostolic office in the New Testament, focusing on how Christ directly called the apostles through extraordinary means—including the selection of Matthias by lot and Paul's encounter with the risen Christ. The author argues that the apostolic office's extraordinary nature and authority necessitated a direct call from Christ Himself, illustrated through examination of Paul's apostolic credentials and sufferings recorded in 2 Corinthians.
The Call to the Apostolic Office After considering the nature of the apostolic office in the last issue of the Covenant Reformed News, we now turn to the call to the apostolic office. The call to the apostolate was a direct and wonderful call from Christ Himself. Early in the days of His public ministry, Jesus personally called the twelve apostles (cf. Matt. 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16). As for Paul, the risen Christ appeared to him in a bright light from heaven and commissioned him, as...