Bible Studies

The Ministries of the Twelve Apostles Compared to the Ministry of the Apostle Paul

by Christopher Combs
10/11/09
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The main cause of the confusion in many of the Christian churches today is the failure of the pastors leading these churches, to understand and recognize the difference between the ministry of the twelve apostles as compared to the ministry of the apostle Paul and his distinct message. Many teach that Paul was just the thirteenth apostle proclaiming the same message as the twelve apostles. This is one of the reasons for so many Christian denominations. The word denomination means 'division', and so the church which is the Body of Christ today is divided into scores of denominations and groups.

Most Christian churches correctly declare the basic salvation message but then they fail to teach the believers the more advanced doctrines and they remain babes in Christ. They never seem to grow much beyond the message of salvation. Many Christians are being taught incorrectly and led the wrong way by their pastors, who themselves are suffering from a lack of bible doctrine. They do not understand the distinctiveness of Paul's message and ministry from that of the twelve apostles. When the Lord Jesus Christ gave to the twelve disciples the so-called 'great commission' sending them into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15) and then make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19), the reality of what happened is that the twelve apostles never left Jerusalem.

The only Gentile family that Peter had ministered to was living in Caesarea in Palestine (Acts 10:24). Peter also traveled to Antioch in Syria but did not have any ministry there and was rebuked by Paul (Gal. 2:11-14). Some even believe that the scattering of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem to Judaea and Samaria was in fulfillment of the 'great commission' (Acts 1:8), but that is not true. The believers left Jerusalem to flee the persecution, they could have been jailed or executed for their faith in the Lord Jesus as Messiah, they scattered to save their own lives. 

The twelve apostles were commanded to go out from Jerusalem into the entire world and proselytize others, but they remained in Jerusalem. They were not disobeying the Lord's commands. The main reason the twelve apostles stayed in Jerusalem was that the Kingdom of God was to be established in Jerusalem, and they were to sit on the twelve thrones there in Jerusalem (Matt.19:28). The fact that the twelve apostles remained in Jerusalem and the believing multitude of disciples scattered, also indicated that Israel, as a nation simply was not turning to the Lord Jesus Christ, her Messiah.

Soon after, the Lord brought in another apostle, the apostle Paul, to go to the Gentiles and minister to them, while the twelve apostles remained in Jerusalem to restrict their ministry to Israel. In fact, with God the Holy Spirit guiding them, the twelve apostles agreed with the apostle Paul that he specifically should go to the Gentiles, while they were to confine their ministry to Israel and the Jewish people (Gal. 2:7-9).

Before the conversion of Paul, Israel had been offered the Kingdom on earth several times and vehemently rejected the offer and then killed their messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, after the stoning of Stephen, Israel was set aside.

A change in dispensations began to slowly take place, and was gradually phased in; the book of Acts is that transition period. God now changed His dealings with men and changed the program and began to dispense or deal out the Age of Grace also called the Age of the Gentiles.

The Dispensation of the Law was set aside and the Dispensation of the Grace of God began with the conversion of Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus. God spoke through the apostle Paul in (Acts 28:28) "Be it known therefore unto you, that THE SALVATION OF GOD IS SENT UNTO THE GENTILES, and that they will hear it". Paul speaks by inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "I speak to you Gentiles inasmuch as I AM THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES, I magnify mine office" (Rom. 11:13). Paul establishes his authority as the Apostle to the Gentiles. While Israel and the prophetic program are temporarily set aside, the dispensation of the Age of Grace begins, and the church which is the Body of Christ is primarily composed of Gentiles, with Paul as their only apostle. Paul understood that God had concluded the nation Israel along with the unbelieving Gentiles, all in unbelief.

Paul desired to launch his ministry from Jerusalem, beginning there. After his conversion when he returned to Jerusalem, the Lord appeared to him and said: "Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: FOR THEY WILL NOT RECEIVE THY TESTIMONY CONCERNING ME" (Acts 22:18). What a drastic difference from the command given by the Lord to the twelve disciples in (Luke 24:47) "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM".

The twelve were to start their ministry in Jerusalem, while the apostle Paul was commanded to get out of Jerusalem quickly. Paul's fellow Jews in Jerusalem sternly rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah. Through the fall of Israel, salvation could now be sent to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:11-12-15).

From the time of Moses until the end of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; this was all included under the Dispensation of the Law. From Acts 9 with the conversion of Saul (Paul); this was the phasing in or the beginning of the Dispensation of the Grace of God, and has continued until today.

Here are some statements comparing the ministries of the twelve apostles with the ministry of the apostle Paul. Note the contrasting differences between their ministries and the two different dispensations.

THE TWELVE APOSTLES:

1) The twelve disciples or apostles were chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ ON THE EARTH during His earthly ministry (Luke 6: 13).

2) The twelve apostles had only known Christ on the earth, they had not seen Him enter heaven at His ascension, "a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9).

3) They represented the Nation of Israel. Twelve apostles for the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28) (Luke 22: 29-30). Also, note that the number 12 is constantly found in connection with the nation of Israel, but this number has no connection with the Body of Christ or the Dispensation of the Grace of God.

4) The twelve apostles were sent forth to give out the gospel of the Kingdom and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 10:7). The twelve later were to offer the kingdom to Israel and carry the gospel of the kingdom message to the entire world (Acts 1: 6-8) (Acts 3:19-26).

5) The twelve apostles were given supernatural power to work miracles (Matt. 10:8) (Mark 16: 17-18).

6) The twelve apostles entire ministry had its foundation based upon the covenants and prophecy (Isaiah 60:1-3) (Luke 1:70-75) (Acts 3:22-26).

7) The twelve apostles were sent to the Jew first. They provided for the salvation of the Gentiles through regenerated Israel (Matt. 10:5-6) (Luke 24:47) (Acts 3:25-26).

8) Once the Kingdom program was fully set aside, the twelve apostles ministered in Palestine only (Acts 10:39, 21:17-20).

9) The twelve apostles believed that the nation of Israel, through their ministry, would accept Jesus Christ as their King and that he would soon return to reign in Jerusalem and set up the Kingdom on earth. This is the goal of prophecy and what the twelve worked, hoped, and prayed for (Acts 1:11, 3:19-20).

10) Water baptism was required for salvation along with miraculous signs as proof of salvation in the 'great commission' to the twelve apostles (Mark 16:15-18) (Acts 2:38).

THE APOSTLE PAUL:

1) Paul was chosen on the road to Damascus by the Lord Jesus Christ from HEAVEN after He had ascended and was seated at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 9:3-5, 26:16). Christ spoke directly to Paul from heaven.

2) Paul had never seen the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth as the twelve apostles did, he only knew Christ in heaven (Acts 26:16) (1 Cor. 15:8).

3) There were other apostles mentioned in connection with Paul, but always secondarily, Paul as just ONE apostle represents the entire Body of Christ. Paul does not boast when he says, by the Spirit, "I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office" (Rom. 11:13). Notice that the number 12 is always associated with the nation of Israel, the twelve tribes, the twelve thrones and never with the Body of Christ but, the number 1 is consistently associated with the Body of Christ, "We being many, are ONE body in Christ" (Rom. 12:5) "By ONE spirit are we all baptized into ONE body" (1 Cor. 12:13), "There is ONE body" (Eph. 4:4).

4) The Apostle Paul was sent to proclaim 'the gospel of the grace of God' (Acts 20:24, Eph. 3:1-3). Paul never preached the 'gospel of the kingdom' as the twelve apostles, and he did not proclaim the kingdom was at hand, nor did he ever offer the kingdom to Israel for their acceptance. Paul did confirm that the Lord Jesus Christ was Israel's Messiah. The twelve apostles likewise never proclaimed the gospel of the grace of God; this was always Paul's message and ministry. Paul preached the 'gospel of the Grace of God'. These were two distinctly different gospels. The word 'gospel' simply means 'good news'.

5) Paul at first had the signs of an apostle but his supernatural gifts and power to work miracles soon faded out as a part of his God-given message (Rom. 8:22-23) (1 Cor. 13: 8-13) (2 Cor. 4:16, 5: 1-4, 12: 7-10) (Phil. 2:26-27) (1 Tim. 5:23) (2 Tim.4:20).

6) The Apostle Paul's message was not based on prophecies covenants or promises but was based entirely upon the Grace of God. (Rom. 3:21-28) (Eph. 1:7, 2:7). His message of grace was a mystery, kept secret by God until the exact time for it to be gradually revealed to and through the Apostle Paul (Rom.16:25) (Eph. 3:1-3) (Acts 26:16, 22:17-18) (2 Cor. 12: 1-7).

7) In Paul's message of grace there is no longer a wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, they are now the same before God. (Rom. 10:12-13).

8) Paul's primary ministry was to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13) (Eph. 3: 1-2). When Paul tried to go to his Jewish brothers in Jerusalem to minister to them, the Lord Jesus Christ forbade him to go, saying: "Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21).

9) After the salvation of Paul on the road to Damascus, the nation Israel was concluded in unbelief. The Lord Jesus Christ personally told Paul: "They will not receive thy testimony concerning me" (Acts 22:18).

10) In Paul's ministry and special commission, water baptism and miraculous signs were NOT included, nor did those things have anything to do with salvation in the grace message.

This is also true today in this present Dispensation of Grace since the Apostle Paul's letters are all written TO US as members of the Body of Christ.

Today we are baptized by God the Holy Spirit at the point of our salvation and sealed by the Holy Spirit and there is no requirement for water baptism, this was also true for the believers at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Colossi, Philippi, and Antioch. At first, Paul did water baptize the household of Stephanos also Gaius, and Crispus, and then he circumcised at least one person, but these were all the signs of an apostle because this was the system under which Paul was saved and from which he emerged.

But the Apostle Paul states clearly that he did not preach circumcision (Gal. 5:11), that he was not sent to water baptize (1 Cor. 1:17), and that the miracle gifts and powers he had would soon pass away (1 Cor. 13:8-10).

Signs, wonders, and miraculous gifts are always associated with Israel and the earthly kingdom, not with the Body of Christ in this present dispensation of the Grace of God. Today, the nation Israel is still looking for her Messiah and is anxiously awaiting His arrival. He will set up the earthly Kingdom, which will happen in the future after the removal of the Body of Christ off the earth at the Rapture and after the seven-year Tribulation.

From the Apostle Paul and all the believers in Christ from that period up until now, including any believers today, we are all members of the Body of Christ, in the Dispensation of Grace, and we have a special heavenly calling. We are not associated with the earth as Israel.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are given a position "in Christ" "in heavenly places" "And God hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2: 6). "God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1: 3). "For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20).