Sunday: Paul, a God-called Apostle of Jesus
Daily Lesson for Sunday 28th of June 2026
Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians by identifying himself as an apostle of Jesus, called “through the will of God” (1 Corinthians 1:1; compare with 2 Corinthians 1:1). His conviction regarding who he is in relation to Jesus is so firm that, with a few exceptions, this is the way he opens all his letters.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:1 and Romans 1:1. What two elements of Paul’s ministry are emphasized in these passages? (See also Galatians 1:1.)
Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com
Paul speaks of his calling and apostleship as fulfilling God’s will. He is convinced that his calling is not from men but from God (Galatians 1:1). Paul was called by God from his mother’s womb like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) as an act of God’s grace (Galatians 1:15), and it happened so that he would proclaim the gospel of Christ among the Gentiles.
In 1 Corinthians 15:8, Paul includes himself among those to whom Christ appeared after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5-7). A few verses later, he implies that his calling to be an apostle resulted from that encounter with Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:9-11).
The title “apostle of Jesus” encompasses a series of concepts. Primarily, it conveys the idea of one whom Jesus sends. Nevertheless, Paul also uses this phrase to identify himself as a servant of Christ (Romans 1:1, Titus 1:1, Galatians 1:10), as well as a preacher and a teacher (1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11). Whether Paul preaches or teaches, Christ is always in evidence. In short, Paul is an apostle of Jesus.
Jesus is not only the center of Paul’s apostleship; He is the center of Paul’s life. Paul’s thoughts and feelings were filled with the presence of Jesus. Evidence of this fact is that he refers to Jesus repeatedly in the opening and in the thanksgiving section of 1 Corinthians (nine times in nine verses). Paul loved Jesus so much that he couldn’t stop thinking and talking about Him. He wanted to share Jesus with those under his care so that their lives would be Christ-centered, too. While he was called to be an apostle, they were called to be faithful followers of Jesus in whatever capacity to which the Lord called them.
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Paul was called to be an apostle. What is your calling, and how do you know that it is your calling? If you don’t think you have one, why not go right now and ask Him to show you the work He chose you to do? |
I have mentioned several times that I have been reading Seventh-day Adventist history this year. It useful to look back on our history and see the cut and thrust between the various players who have shaped our beliefs. We sometimes think we have reached our present understanding by some sort of purified revelation. However, the personalities involved were often strong-willed and somewhat abrasive. I have mentioned the contributions and conflicts involving Prescott, Daniels, Haskell, Willian White, Kellogg among others. When you understand some of this history, it better informs how we got to where we are today. It is useful to consider Paul’s theology not in an intellectual vacuum but considering his background, his personality and his interaction with others.
Paul was born a Jew and a Roman citizen in the cosmopolitan city of Tarsus. His early upbringing would have exposed him not only to Jewish theology and traditions but to the Greco-Roman world view as well. In many respects his background made him the ideal person to build beyond Judaism and Greek philosophy and to establish Christianity. He was well educated and could debate forcibly with Jewish rabbis and Greek philosophers.
Paul was headstrong. He called the Galatians foolish for losing their way; he publicly called Peter out for his hypocrisy; and he split with Barnabas over employing John Mark. He was passionate. As a Pharisee, he persecuted Christians. As a Christian, he did an about face and just asa passionately preached Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles.
When we understand Paul, we gain a better understanding of both his message, and the way the Holy Spirit works. It is not just about the message, but the relationship.
“The Bible Project” gives a useful overview of 1 Corinthians:
https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-1-corinthians/
Everyone who accepts the gift of salvation also accepted the will of God in their lives. However, many are unaware that they serve a greater purpose than just attending church. First of all we’re all disciples of Christ and some God graduate a bit higher for great work as apostles. Seek God in prayer and He will open up to you your role in the 7th Day Adventist movement. God bless
James White as a young man in his teens and early 20’s in the coastal Maine area in which I live would hire himself out doing hard labor such as cutting large fields of hay and working on the Maine Central Railroad cutting granite. James did this to raise money to print literature and to advertise for the seminars he was giving following the teachibgs of William Miller. This was in 1843.
White invited the foreman of the railroad in Brunswick, Maine, George Cobb to attend his seminar on the soon return of Jesus. Cobb became the 1st convert to the advent message in Brunswick, ME.
Cobb’s gravestone was included in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not segment entitled “the Man who Died Twice.!!”
I get excited and motivated when I read these 1st hand accounts of the early pioneers in Maine. May we be found zealous and faithful as they were.
Thank you for reminding us of this little gem of Adventist history.
“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”(1 Corinthians 15:8,KJV)
Paul uses a very strange metaphor (expression) to illustrate his calling as an apostle. The expression “born out of due time” could mean “a miscarriage”, or “an aborted fetus”, or “a premature birth”. To say the least, this is a very striking, even shocking metaphor. Paul is saying that he became an apostle of Jesus in a very unusual, unexpected, and abrupt way. He was an unlikely person to become an ardent apostle of Jesus Christ. His spiritual birth was extremely sudden and dramatic. The radical transformation from Saul, a murderer, to Paul, a saint, is the dynamic nature of grace.
“For I am the least of the apostles and am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:9)
Paul’s calling into apostleship has valuable lessons for us to learn.
1. The saving power of God’s grace has the power to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25-27). We should never rule anyone out of God’s reach. We should never be in doubt when God calls someone into His kingdom.
2. God calls people into His kingdom in different ways, including what we can consider “strange” ways. God is sovereign; His ways are always the best. It does not matter how we came to Christ; all that matters is that we have come (1 Cor. 15:11).
3. Once God has graciously called us, let us remember to exercise humility, particularly to those whom we consider to be “sinners”. For ourselves, once we were lost too (Titus 3:3–7).
4. We must always remember that God’s grace is greater than our past. Quite often, the devil holds us captive to our past. Once the Son of God has sent us free, we are free indeed (John 8:36).
5. Our calling is pure grace. We must be eternally grateful to God’s mercies that have rescued us while we were dead in sin. We should emulate Paul’s magnitude of thankfulness (1 Timothy 1:12–16)
Lesson 2 means alot to me🙏
I thank God He called me through a dream using 2 hymnal songs(289SDAH/111SDAH)
INDEED GOD uses different ways to call his people🙏
May God help us to learn more about HIM in this lesson🙏
Paul did not live and walk with Jesus during His earthly ministry as Peter, John, and the other apostles did. He never touched Him or heard Jesus personally while on earth say, “Follow Me.” Paul was aware of this limitation, describing himself as “one abnormally born” (1 Corinthians 15:8). Yet this was never the source of his deepest pain. Instead, he endured imprisonment, beatings, abandonment by friends, misunderstandings, and countless hardships. He once escaped a city by being lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall, later spent three days and three nights adrift at sea, and at one point confessed that he “despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Through every trial, however, Paul remained steadfast because his life was anchored in Christ.
Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to understand that Jesus was not only the center of his apostleship but the very center of his life. His thoughts, affections, and mission were filled with Christ, as seen in the opening verses of 1 Corinthians, where he repeatedly refers to Jesus. Paul loved Christ so deeply that he could not stop speaking about Him, and his singular desire was to see others become Christ-centered as well. Having been called as an apostle, Paul understood that his greatest calling was first to be a faithful follower of Jesus. As he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21), and, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). These words reveal a life wholly devoted to Christ.
Paul was chosen by the One who knew Him inside and out. The important message is that with Paul’s calling he humbly accepted the call, and was more convicted of His calling when He found that Christ went before Him preparing the way for his healing. The Lord directed Him to Ananias. The Holy Spirit took over. He was willing to be taught for three years by the Holy Spirit. His name was changed to Paul from Saul after his conversion and baptism. Who else name was changed in their conversion and or decision to follow the Lord’s direction?
A. Abraham
B. Jacob
C. A and B
D. Sampson
Paul was not given a new A small correction – the 4 name chanes were Abraham, Sarah, Israel and Peter. God did not rename Paul, nor did he simply change it. As a Diaspora Jew and Roman citizen from Tarsus, he had two names from birth, using them concurrently depending on his audience.Saul (Hebrew: Σα0λ**):** His Jewish name, likely used when speaking Hebrew/Aramaic or ministering to Jewish communities.Paul (Latin/Greek: Παυλσζ**):** His Greco-Roman name, naturally used when traveling through the Roman Empire or interacting with Gentiles.The New Testament confirms this in Acts 13:9, which states, “Saul, who was also called Paul.” Scholars on GotQuestions.org and The Gospel Coalition note that he used both before and after his conversion. The shift in Acts to calling him “Paul” simply reflects his transition from a predominantly Jewish ministry to his massive missionary work across the Gentile world.
Thank-you for the correction and clarification Dee for us.
What about the meaning of the names Paul and Saul?
Good question. Apparently, Saul is a Hebrew name meaning “asked for” or “prayed for,” while Paul is a Latin name meaning “little” or “small.”
Saul (Hebrew: Sha’ul): This was the apostle’s Jewish name, shared with Israel’s first king.
Paul (Latin: Paulus): This was his Roman name, inherited through his father’s Roman citizenship.
Abram was changed to Abraham and Jacob was called Israel. The answer is C.
Correct
Just to add to the idea of double names in the New Testament.
Saul/Paul was not the only person in the New Testament with two names:
Simon/Peter/Cephas
John/Mark
Barnabas/Joseph.
Dual names were apparently fairly commonplace in that period. Some of it was cultural – ie they would have a name for their birth culture and a Roman name because they were part of the Roman empire.
I pray that like Paul,we will be confident in God’s call of us and passionate about doing the work He has called us to do.
Sometimes fulfilling God’s call for your life can be such a lonesome experience. The space that my conscience informs me that is allocated here, prohibits me from sharing the challenge of my quest.
Nevertheless I am impressed to share this small bit. Sometime recently I visited the Public Libary in my area, and there was a container filled with strips of paper on a counter; and a sign that encouraged us to pick a strip of paper. I picked a strip; and on it were written the words – “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
I was so moved that I recorded the date and the exact time – Friday 5th of June 2026, 2:11 pm.
My brethren in Christ, I covet your prayers that I would so do.
Dear Steve – By including Jesus’ name we can easily proclaim: “In Jesus’ name, I do what I can, with what I have, where I am.”
Thank you Brigitte for those words of proclamation and affirmation. I embrace them.
Steve, I feel the same as you…lonely much of the time in my Christian life. However, I do what I can, with what I have, and where I am. I pray to continue to do so, and I, too, covet any prayers for strength to do so.
Everyone who believes has an encounter with Jesus. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Looking back, where did we encounter Jesus? I encountered Him through the Truth contained in our Scriptures – the Bible.
I learned and believed that He is the Living Word of God spoken of and referred to in Scripture. But I met Him twice. I also met Him as the living ‘Word of God’ that lives within me and I in Him.
To me, Jesus Christ is the ‘Word of God’, as well as the living Representative of the ‘Word of God’ of our Scriptures. When meeting Jesus, we encounter the ‘Word of God’ in all its Glory.
I learned that Jesus asked the Father to fill us with His Spirit, helping us discern the Truth contained in the ‘Word of God’ about ‘who He is‘. Again, the Word of God contained in our Scriptures, as well as ‘who He is’, are one and the same.
If Jesus Christ resides in us and we in Him, we are His disciples and apostles. All who believe in the ‘Word of God’ contained in Scripture and follow Jesus Christ, follow God’s ‘Living Word’ with their heart and with their deeds – Col.3:16-17; Col.3:23-24; 1 John 2:5-6.
Paul had this supernatural encounter with Jesus. From that point on, everything changed in his life. Do we need this same experience? Paul was fighting the Christians; he was killing them. Am I so mistaken that my route needs a 180-degree revolution, like Paul’s?
Not everyone needs a Damascus road, a blinding light, or an audible voice from heaven. But every Christian needs a Damascus experience—a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that transforms beliefs into conviction and religion into relationship.
Before his conversion, Paul the Apostle had knowledge, zeal, and dedication, but he lacked Christ. His encounter with Jesus turned religious passion into gospel passion and transformed a persecutor into a missionary.
The same is true for us. Passion for ministry does not come merely from doctrine, duty, or church office. It flows from a personal relationship with Jesus. When we truly encounter Christ, ministry ceases to be an obligation and becomes a privilege, and sharing Him with others becomes a natural response to His grace.
@Beverley Joseph,
Thank you for your contribution. Once one has a personal encounter with Jesus, truly and surely their mission and priorities in life changes.
“Passion for ministry does not merely come from doctrine, duty or church office. It flows from a personal relationship with Jesus. When we truly encounter Christ, ministry ceases to be an obligation and becomes a privilege, and sharing Jesus Christ with others becomes a natural response to His grace”.
May we pray for such a personal encounter with Jesus.
As men we have this dangerous tendency to be extremely self conceited. The humility of the Lord even makes some of us to think of Him as being ordinary, an equal of some sort; perhaps because ‘He is a Brother’ ‘First Born’ ‘Heir with us’ Carpenter’s Son’ etc.
The mystery of His reincarnation was so difficult to understand and accept. For Paul, probably nothing less dramatic and glorious than His encounter with the Saviour, could have convinced him to be converted! But once he knew the truth, no amount of suffering could make him turn his back on Jesus! He, more than many of his contemporaries knew how much suffering had been visited on the Lord and after Him, His followers! Stephen’s murder was ever edged in his mind! He was therefore ready for it( Romans 8:18).
His experience has served to bring men and women to salvation, as the Lord intended, without requiring them to go through it themselves! Admittedly, some still have to go through fire to accept the Saviour! Remember what the Lord told doubting Thomas; ‘they are more blessed who believe without having to see’. Glory to God.
Before conversion, Paul was absolutely certain he was right.
After conversion, Paul was still absolutely certain he was right.
Are we also absolutely certain that what we believe is right?
Can a strong conviction become arrogance?
How do we distinguish between confidence in God’s word, in the gospel, and overconfidence in our understanding of it?