(1) Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? (2) If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. (3) Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, (4) Have we not power to eat and to drink? (5) Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? (6) Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
It Both not appear upon what ground it was, that, Paul considered himself called upon to use this language. He had the humblest opinion of himself, and in another part of this Epistle, saith, that he was not meet to be called an Apostle, but was the least of all saints, 1 Corinthians 15:9. It is probable, that some had called in question his authority as an Apostle, and others had endeavored to lessen him in the eyes of the people, by making a comparison between him and Peter to Paul's prejudice. See 2 Corinthians 10:10. Alas! what is man in his highest attainment? To behold a Church of God made up of such members, who after a saving work of God hath been wrought upon the heart, yet from the remains of indwelling corruption, to be tempted to call in question the Apostolic, authority of Paul; yea, even the very man whom the Lord had given proofs of his being sent to them by the Lord, in making his ministry useful to them! Reader! pause over the account. And let not faithful ministers be discouraged, nor even grieved, if at any time their services are little valued, when they behold so eminent an Apostle of Christ disesteemed, and by the very Church where he had the highest claim to their love and affection! Blessed servant of Christ! it was thy high honor in this instance, as in many others, to be conformed to the image of thy Lord!
But it will be well to run over the ground, in a cursory manner, of Paul's pretensions to the Apostleship. One grand feature of character, as an indispensable part in the qualification of an Apostle, settled in the College of the Apostles, was, that he should be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus, Acts 1:22. Now, that Paul, who, as he saith himself, was like one born out of due time, might have this qualification; it is worthy our closest observation, that the Lord Jesus granted Paul this mercy; in appearing personally to him at his conversion, Acts 9:3-6. Add to this, Paul had another interview with Christ, when in a trance at Jerusalem, Acts 22:17-21. And a third when confined in the castle, Acts 23:10-11. And, fourthly, when he was caught up to the third heaven. It is not, indeed, expressly said that he then saw the Lord Jesus; but it is very highly probable (2 Corinthians 12:1-4), these fully qualified hint as a witness to the Resurrection for the Apostleship.
And it was a further confirmation of the character of an Apostle, his being called to the office by Christ himself. For at his conversion, Jesus declared concerning him to Ananias, that he was a chosen vessel unto him, to bear his name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel, Acts 9:15. And Paul's account of himself, when writing to the Romans, was that he was called to be as Apostle, Romans 1:1
And to add no more. The ordination of Paul by the Holy Ghost, Acts 13:2. and the success of his ministry to the Gentiles at large, and the Corinthians to whom he was now writing in particular; all these things carried, with them a decided testimony of his Apostleship. Reader! it would be well, if men, in modern times, could produce such credentials of their high calling. Alas! what multitudes, it is to be apprehended, by what we see and meet with in life, will be proved in the end of the day to have run unsent. Paul hath described them in his second Epistle to Corinth. The portrait is too striking to be mistaken, and too awful not to excite distress, 2 Corinthians 11:13.