Paul emphasizes his apostleship to the Gentiles because his calling was unique, constantly attacked, and he was determined to magnify his office and never take a back seat to anyone concerning it.
Paul was not one of the twelve apostles, and he had not walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry like Peter, James, and John did. Because of this, people accused him of being a heretic and an imposter, forcing him to defend his apostleship in his letters. He answered by plainly declaring that he was the apostle of the Gentiles and by making the most of his God-given office.
Romans 11:13 — Paul explicitly says, 'I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office,' which is the foundational text for why he so strongly emphasized his apostleship.
Romans 11:13 is the central passage. Paul writes to the believers in Rome: "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:" This verse plainly declares Paul's unique apostolic role: he speaks to Gentiles as the apostle of the Gentiles. Scripture itself identifies Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles, and it records that he magnified his office. This is the biblical basis for Paul's emphasis on his apostleship.
Les Feldick stresses that Paul had to constantly defend his apostleship throughout his letters because people accused him of being a heretic and an imposter. Since Paul had not walked with Jesus like Peter, James, and John, many refused to accept his authority. Yet Paul would not back down; he insisted that he was an apostle and that he had received revelations from the ascended Lord. Les points to Romans 11:13 as a key verse that has opened many eyes: Paul says, "I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office." The twelve were apostles to Israel, but Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. He did not share that apostleship with anyone else, and so far as the writing of the Book is concerned, there is only one apostle of the Gentiles: Paul. His letters alone are written to the Church. Les also says Paul would still have to defend his apostleship today because many in conservative Christianity won't give Paul the time of day. But since God designated Paul to take salvation to the Gentiles, Les makes no apology for emphasizing Paul's unique role.
Paul had not walked with Jesus like Peter, James, and John did, so people saw him as an upstart and accused him of heresy and of being an imposter. He was not one of the twelve, because they went to Israel. As he went among Gentile cities, Jewish opposition constantly reminded him that he never walked with Jesus like Peter. That is why he had to defend his apostleship over and over, even pointing to his suffering for the sake of the gospel.
Paul meant that he would never take a back seat to anybody concerning his apostleship. He was never going to back down from being God's man for the Gentile world. Les Feldick says Paul made the most of his office as the apostle to the Gentiles, just as Paul himself declared in Romans 11:13.
When it came to going to the Gentiles, Paul did not share his apostleship with anyone else. Les acknowledges that other apostles followed Paul, such as Barnabas and Silas, and men living up to the end of the first century were reckoned as apostles. But so far as the writing of this Book is concerned, only Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, and his letters and his letters alone are written to the Church.
Paul Magnifies His Office
Paul told Rome he was the apostle to the Gentiles and magnified his office, meaning he would never take a back seat to anyone concerning his apostleship.
Paul Never Backed Down
Because Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, he magnified his office and never backed down from his role as God's man for the Gentile world.
The Only Writing Apostle to the Gentiles
God saved Paul out of Judaism and commissioned him as the apostle to the Gentiles; in the writing of this Book, only Paul holds that title, and his letters alone are written to the Church.
Defending His Apostleship
People accused Paul of being a heretic and imposter because he did not walk with Jesus like Peter, James, and John, so Paul had to constantly defend that he was an apostle and had received all the revelations.
Apostle to the Gentiles, Not One of the Twelve
Paul did not share his Gentile apostleship with anyone else, and he was not one of the twelve because they went to Israel; he magnified his office.
Defense Needed Even Today
Paul would still have to defend his apostleship today because many in conservative Christianity won't give him the time of day, even though Romans 11 is plain.
The Twelve vs. Paul
The twelve were apostles of the Jews, but Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, and that distinction should not be lost.
Paul's Suffering for the Gentiles
Jewish opposition called Paul an upstart, and Paul had to defend his apostleship by pointing to the suffering he endured so that Gentiles could receive the message of grace.
Romans 11:13: For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
This is the direct statement where Paul identifies himself as the apostle to the Gentiles and says he magnifies his office, making it central to answering why he emphasized his apostleship.
According to Les Feldick, Paul did not walk with the Lord Jesus during the three years like Peter, James, and John did. That is why people of his day accused him of being a heretic and imposter, and why he had to keep defending his apostleship.
No. Les Feldick points out that the twelve were apostles of the Jews, while Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul himself was not one of the twelve because they went to Israel.
Les says if Paul were alive today he would still have to defend it, because many in conservative Christianity won't give Paul the time of day. This is why Les stresses that Paul's apostleship to the Gentiles is plain in Scripture.
Watch the Teaching: Wild Olive Tree Grafted In — What Romans 11 Says About Gentiles