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Christ our Hope
“Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our Hope.”
(1 Timothy 1:1)
It is believed that the letters of Paul to Timothy were written toward the end of his life. Much of this is based on the tone we find in these words as Paul is preparing Timothy to take on the mantle of leadership in the church. It is clear from the second of these epistles that Paul is writing from Rome while under house arrest, but the similarity in the themes implies that this first letter comes from much the same context. The letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus are often referred to as “pastoral epistles” (of which I would also include Philemon), where you see Paul giving pastoral advice to those he has put into place in church leadership.
It should be noted that while Paul often includes some deep theological truths within his opening words, these are some of the most profound. He begins by establishing his own Apostolic office, something given to him “according to the command of God.” It was not Paul’s decision to become an Apostle nor did Paul acquire that role on the basis of his own efforts. In addition, the office of Apostle was not given to him by men. Much like our salvation, Paul’s Apostleship was entirely a monergistic work of God — something in which he did not participate.
These words alone carry important ramifications as to the nature of our understanding of the office of Apostle. If this office is bestowed at the command of God, there is no handing down of the office (Apostolic Succession) as would be held by Roman Catholics nor is there any new office of Apostle as would be held by many in the pentecostal movement. Further, it implies that Peter’s action of appointing Matthias to membership of the Twelve (Acts 1:12-26) was not an appointment to the office of Apostle (notice that the Bible never refers to Matthias as an Apostle, only a member of the Twelve), but that it was simply a practice of filling Judas’ shoes in terms of leadership in the church. As to Apostolic leadership, it seems that Paul becomes the twelfth of the Apostles. Why? It is because of God’s call and God’s command (just as the earlier Apostles had been appointed by the command of God (Jesus) Himself.
Yet, Paul does not stop there. He speaks of “God our Savior.” This is not terribly uncommon language to the New Testament, though we are used to hearing the language of “Jesus our Savior.” First, this is just one of many New Testament affirmations that Jesus is God. Second, it is an affirmation of the unity of the work of the Trinity, that those things that are attributed to the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, can be attributed to the Trinity as a whole. In other words, even though God the Son was the one who primarily did the work that brought about our salvation, God the Father and God the Spirit were present with Him at all times. The Godhead is not divisible as some would suggest it, nor is one ever separate from the works of another. There is a simplicity and unity within the Godhead that Goes beyond our comprehension; nevertheless, it is affirmed by passages such as this in the Scriptures.
Finally, Paul speaks about our hope. Often, pastors do not emphasize hope as significantly as they emphasize the classic “faith and love” aspects of the Christian life. That said, hope plays a significant role in the practical outworking of the Christian life. In Greek, ἐλπίς (elpis) refers to one’s reasonable anticipation of something taking place, in this case, the fulfillment of a promise. It is essentially, the belief that God is capable of fulfilling those things he has offered to you in Christ and that He will do them for you personally and individually. The Biblical notion of hope is not a fanciful thing, but it is something grounded in who Christ is and in what He has done. It is not wishful thinking; it is a reasoned anticipation.
Biblical hope enables the Christian to carry on even when the world seems like it is falling apart around him. It is that which keeps him sure and steady during trials and optimistic that even when facing difficulties, God has a purpose behind all that He is doing. Indeed, it is hope that assures the believer that God is working all things for the believer’s good and well-being (even when we cannot understand why). For Paul, he is in prison and facing a death sentence. For Timothy, he is anticipating the death of a beloved mentor and taking on a role in the church that will likely see him executed as well (church tradition states that Timothy would be stoned to death). Today, as I look around at the compromise that has become so prevalent within the church (even “good” conservative ones), it is hope that reminds me that God has a purpose and a plan even if that means the removal of so many lampstands from their place. Hope is a critical part of the Christian life; how appropriate it is that Paul begins here. Christ is our hope.
An Apostle
“Now, I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and comrade in arms — also your apostle and a minister to my needs — for he was longing and anxious to be with you because you heard that he was seriously ill.”
(Philippians 2:25-26)
We are introduced to Epaphroditus; we don’t know much about him apart from what we read here, yet from that we can infer that Epaphroditus was the representative of the Philippian church who brought the love gift and stayed on for a season to help care for Paul. We also see that he had become ill — seriously ill — during that time, and Paul speaks further on that in the verses which follow.
What strikes me is the term that Paul uses to describe Epaphroditus…he is called an “apostle.” Some of our translations use the term “messenger” here, but that isn’t entirely accurate. Were Epaphroditus simply a messenger, we might expect Paul to use the term a¡ggeloß (angelos) or were he more of a courier, we might expect the term specoula/twr (spechoulator). Yet, in ancient times, an apostle was more than just one who brings a message on behalf of others; an apostle also carried with him the authority of the one who sent him — much like the modern notion of a political envoy.
The question is, are we then to understand Epaphroditus as an apostle in the same way that Paul was an apostle. The answer to that question is, ‘no.’ The reason for this answer is because we must also ask of whom a person is an apostolic representative. Paul refers to himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1, etc…). In turn, Paul refers to Epaphroditus as “your apostle.” Thus, Epaphroditus is serving as an apostle, an authoritative representative, of the church in Philippi. In addition, Epaphroditus is also a believer, a servant of Christ, which makes him Paul’s brother in Christ and a comrade in arms — spiritual soldiers against the powers and principalities of this world.
What is worth noting is that while some people call themselves “Apostles” in our modern times, that office has ceased with the establishment of the church and the close of the Canon. None of these so-called apostles speak with the authority of Jesus Christ and if they claim to, we must be wary. Indeed, they might claim to be apostles of their church if that authority is so given to them, but the Biblical term for those of us who lead churches is that of Shepherd — Pastor. And a Pastor is a servant first…terms like Apostle (at least when used today) only tend to reflect a person’s ego. Better to be called a fellow-worker.
Notice too, how important these people are to Paul. When one is incarcerated, to have contact with others is a gift of God’s grace. I would encourage you that if you know someone who is in prison — write them a letter today or make a plan to go visit them. Be that Epaphroditus to them; it will mean the world to them as they serve their time behind bars…and what a wonderful opportunity to witness the grace of Christ.
Bondservants of Christ
“Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.”
(Philippians 1:1)
Philippians is one of Paul’s later letters, written while in Prison in Rome (c.f. 4:22), and towards the end of his life. This places the letter as having been written in the early 60s, AD. The Church in Philippi had sent him a gift (4:16,18). It was not uncommon, in ancient times, that those in house prison were to pay for their own lodging essentially, forcing them to rely on the generosity of friends and family. Such is the context of this letter where Paul is responding back and saying, “thank you,” to these generous Christians.
Though this first verse is little more than an introductory greeting, it contains a great deal of depth and ought not be overlooked. To begin with, we find Timothy with Paul. This is earlier in his imprisonment as Paul is speaking of sending Timothy to the church in Philippi with his greetings and for their aide (2:9). Yet, this is taking place before Paul writes for Timothy to return (2 Timothy 4:9) which is closer to his death. Again, this helps us to discern the timeline of Paul’s letters.
More importantly is the title that Paul applies both to himself and to Timothy. He says that they are slaves or (as is sometimes translated) bondservants of Christ Jesus. The term that is used here is douvloß (doulos), which is one of the terms that Paul quite regularly uses to describe his service to Jesus Christ. This term refers not to a mere hired servant, but to a servant who is bound (as a slave would be) to his master. As Christians, we serve Christ Jesus and Christ alone. We given permission to have two masters (Luke 16:13) and we do not serve Christ for a season and then serve another (as hired servants might do). We are bound to serve Christ until the very day we die.
This is a mindset that the modern church has largely forgotten. People are quick to live lives and expend energies for the things that they want, but when they get tired, weary, or frustrated at the direction that things are going, they bail out and do something different. Such is not the calling of a Christian. No matter what the cost, not matter where he leads us, we must follow for we are not our own. We, if we will be faithful, must grasp this notion and serve Christ, not self.
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