Lexical Summary apostolé: Apostleship, mission, sending Original Word: ἀποστολή Strong's Exhaustive Concordance apostleship. From apostello; commission, i.e. (specially) apostolate -- apostleship. see GREEK apostello NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom apostelló Definition a sending away NASB Translation apostleship (4). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 651: ἀποστολήἀποστολή, ἀποστολῆς, ἡ (ἀποστέλλω); 1. a sending away: Τιμολεοντος εἰς Σικελιαν, Plutarch, Timol. 1, etc.; of the sending off of a fleet, Thucydides 8, 9; also of consuls with an army, i. e. of an expedition, Polybius 26, 7, 1. 2. a sending away i. e. dismission, release: the Sept. Ecclesiastes 8:8. 3. a thing sent, esp of gifts: 1 Kings 9:16 (Alex.); 1 Macc. 2:18 etc. cf. Grimm at the passage 4. in the N. T. the office and dignity of the apostles of Christ (Vulg.apostolatus), apostolate, apostleship: Acts 1:25; Romans 1:5; 1 Corinthians 9:2; Galatians 2:8. Meaning and Scope Apostleship denotes the God-given commission, authority, and sphere of service entrusted to an apostle. It is more than a title; it embodies a divine assignment, validated by Christ’s call, empowered by the Spirit, and authenticated by fruit borne in churches and converts. While every believer is called to witness, apostleship is a specific, foundational ministry that establishes and orders the church (Ephesians 2:20). Occurrences in the New Testament 1. Romans 1:5 – Apostleship is received together with grace, signaling that the calling is entirely of God: “Through Him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith, for the sake of His name.” Foundational Characteristics • Divine commission: Initiated by Christ’s direct call (Matthew 10:1-4; Acts 9:15-16). Pauline Theology of Apostleship Paul speaks of apostleship as both privilege and responsibility. In Romans 1:5 grace precedes mission, underscoring dependence on God. In Galatians 2:8 he highlights functional diversity under one Lord, establishing that different fields of labor do not imply differing gospels. In 1 Corinthians 9:2 he defends his apostleship by appealing to transformed lives, teaching that genuine authority is verified by spiritual fruit, not self-promotion. Restoration and Succession Acts 1:25–26 describes the prayerful selection of Matthias “to assume this ministry and apostleship,” illustrating that the office was not lightly reassigned. Yet the New Testament offers no patterned succession beyond this unique replacement of Judas. Later church history distinguished between foundational apostles and itinerant missionaries, but the canonical witness reserves the authoritative, Scripture-writing role to the first-century apostles and prophets. Ministry Implications • Gospel advance: Apostleship is inseparable from missionary expansion, moving the gospel from Jerusalem to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Theological Significance Apostleship safeguards the historicity and reliability of the gospel message. Because these envoys spoke with Christ’s authority, their writings carry full scriptural weight. The four occurrences of ἀποστολή underscore that the office is: The church today stands on the foundation they laid, preserving their doctrine and proclaiming the same crucified and risen Lord whom they faithfully served. Englishman's Concordance Acts 1:25 N-GFSGRK: ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς ἀφ' ἧς NAS: ministry and apostleship from which KJV: ministry and apostleship, from which INT: this and apostleship from which Romans 1:5 N-AFS 1 Corinthians 9:2 N-GFS Galatians 2:8 N-AFS Strong's Greek 651 |
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