Colossians 1: 1 – Apostle through the will of God

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, through the will of God, and brother Timothy…

Not only here, but also in the opening lines of the first and second Corinthians, Ephesians and 2 Timothy, Paul emphasizes that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus “through the will of God.” That accent is not without reason. Because if we look at history, it is clear that this Saul of Tarsus, until his calling, was by far the most infamous and declared extremist against ’the sect of the Nazarene’ (cf. Acts 24:5,14).

It was not Paul’s own will to become an apostle of Christ Jesus. He certainly did not choose Him voluntarily. If the doctrine of ‘free will’ (which states that a person can choose freely from Divine influence) ever applies, it certainly does not apply to the apostle Paul. For he was overwhelmed as by an avalanche (1Tim.1:14). GOD’s will turned out to be ‘irresistible’ and completely overruled his own will.

When Paul later looks back on this, he concludes that his apostleship can be attributed solely to GOD’s will. GOD had already separated him from his mother’s womb. When he still had no idea, he was already destined to evangelize the Son among the nations (Gal.1:15,16). How insignificant then is the human will…!

Delen: