¹⁸ “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

The apostle Paul referred to the twelve as “the apostles” (1 Cor 15:7, Gal 1:7), clearly speaking of them as a one-time, not to be expanded group with a unique authority. The term came to invoke a wider meaning, as we see biblical history unfold, but conveyed a foundational authority for spreading God’s word.

Of course, Paul is the most well known “sent one” or apostle, outside of the original twelve. That he was specifically sent out is clear from his own testimony: “And [Jesus] said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ” (Acts 22:21). He is first referred to as an apostle in Acts 14, along with Barnabas.

In the book of Galatians, he asserts his authority as an apostle, beginning with introducing himself as, “Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)…” (Gal 1:1). He refers to those in “…Jerusalem … who were apostles before me…” (Gal 1:17), putting himself on an equal basis as them. In one of his visits to Jerusalem, Peter and James both affirmed his apostleship though they conveyed no authority, as Paul asserts that his authority and calling came from God directly, not from the other apostles or any other man (see Gal 2:7-9, 1:15-17).

And then he goes toe-to-toe with the apostle Peter (aka Cephas), the most prominent of the original twelve, for his hypocritical behavior. Interestingly, Paul refers to him as “Peter” the name Jesus gave him, in the context of Peter’s role as an apostle (Gal 2:7-8). Paul respected Peter’s position as a fellow apostle. But, when speaking of Peter’s hypocrisy, he referred to him by his common Hebrew name, Cephas, possibly emphasizing that Peter’s behavior was unbecoming of an apostle. Paul pulled no punches, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned” (Gal 2:11)!

The point is that the original apostles in the Upper Room were not given unlimited authority, nor was Peter ever envisioned as being infallible. Certainly, they were all still fallible human beings who could and did sin in grievous ways. But they were Jesus’ sent ones, who were commissioned to preach His message, as His representatives. They were to convey the authority of the Word of Christ. They were not over the Word, nor did they have equal authority with the Word. They themselves, like all followers of Jesus, were under the authority of the Word.

Lord, Your word is my ultimate authority, because it is breathed out by You.