If you find memorizing Scripture difficult, let me encourage you by helping you to learn something from each of Paul’s 13 New Testament epistles.
I guarantee your success!
“Impossible!” you say.
Nope.
Say with me, “Paul.”
Okay. You now have committed to memory the first word of each of his letters.
Take a look:
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…(Romans)
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God…(1 Corinthians)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…(2 Corinthians)
Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…(Galatians)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…(Ephesians)
Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus…(Philippians)
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God…(Colossians)
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy…(1 Thessalonians)
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy…(2 Thessalonians)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope…(1 Timothy)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus…(2 Timothy)
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ…(Titus)
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus…(Philemon)
That is the way the Greeks wrote a letter: they began a letter with the name of the author, which honestly seems a lot more reasonable than how we, today, put it at the end.
Another thing to notice is how often Paul establishes himself as an apostle.
John MacArthur explains why,
“Now, this is something that Paul repeatedly did, and there were many reasons why he did this. You do not find the other writers of the New Testament doing this in the way Paul does. Of course, not all of the apostles wrote in the New Testament, but nevertheless, Paul is the one who is continually identifying himself as an apostle. And I think there are some very specific reasons why he does this. He says: “called an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God.”
He had not lived and walked with Jesus Christ in His pre-death years. He had not seen the resurrected Christ before He ascended into heaven. And the qualifications for an apostle, according to the Scripture – Acts 1 – were that they know Christ in His post-resurrection reality, and that they be specifically and personally and directly chosen by Christ. They had to have seen the resurrected Christ and been called specifically by Him into the apostolate.
That’s the reason we can’t have any apostles today. That’s the reason there couldn’t be any past the biblical ones, because no one since then has seen the living resurrected Christ, and been specifically commissioned by Him. He has ascended into heaven, where He is until He comes again. So, the apostolate has ceased. It was foundational, according to Ephesians 2:20.”
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So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:21-26)
