1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,
and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
The second way Paul described himself was an apostle. An “apostle” was the highest rank of any role in Christianity. It was a title of great authority. The word “apostle” means sent one. It carries the idea of an ambassador. The apostle had the right to found the church and write Scripture. Paul had the right to write the epistle of Titus as the Word of God. God appointed him to do this.
God dispatched no one quite like Paul. He served God with unflagging zeal and determination. He was the outstanding exponent of Christianity in the first century.
God gave the gift of apostleship to very few people. An apostle had to have seen the risen Christ. The apostle must have received direct commission from the Lord Himself. There are no apostles today. There are self-styled, do-it-yourself apostles, but they are all phonies.
If we had a vital message to send, we would not send it by just anyone. We would want to send the letter with someone we could trust, who would not tamper with the message.
Paul’s interchange of “God” in “bondservant of God” and “Jesus Christ” in “an apostle of Jesus Christ” shows an affirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ.
PRINCIPLE:
The child of God will never die until his work is finished.
APPLICATION:
God gives each of us a mission, a task. He gives us so many years to discharge our ministry and then our work is finished. When God is finished working through us, He will promote us to glory. We are invincible until He finishes His work with us.
