In noting ‘the things that differ’, we note here in the verses below the 3 words; NOT, NEITHER, and BUT.

Paul, an apostle (NOT of men, NEITHER by man, BUT by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead). Gal. 1:1.

The gospel which was preached of me is NOT after man. For I NEITHER received it of man, NEITHER was I taught it, BUT [Paul received it] by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1:11-12.

Immediately I conferred NOT with Flesh and blood: NEITHER went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; BUT I went... Gal. 1:16-17.

Galatians is probably Paul’s earliest letter, written around AD 48 to the churches located in southern Galatia, not to Gentiles in northern Galatia. In Paul’s first Acts period epistle of Galatians, he takes considerable time in defense of his unique apostleship; almost two chapters.

In connection with the 3^rd quote above, in verse 16, Paul also declares that God called him “to reveal His Son in me [Paul].” “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen [the non-Jews]; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:” Galatians 1:16 (KJV)

Although Paul was an apostle in two different dispensations [Pre and post Acts], this one thing was constant, and he made every effort and endeavor to reveal the Son in both his preaching and the life that he lived. This is a big order, but it is also the duty and privilege of every grace Christian to also do this very thing by the power of Christ in us.

Jesus’ 12 apostles that He sent only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 10:5-6) later recognized and acknowledged Paul’s unique and independent apostleship with the council in Jerusalem. (cf. Acts 15).

There was good reason for Paul ministry to be independent of the ministry of “the twelve.” The 12 were apostles to Israel in Jerusalem and Judaea. They had no commission at that time to leave the confines of the land promised to Abraham (cf. Mat. 10:23). They were to proclaim Jesus’ “gospel of the kingdom” to and for Israel, which was a part of the promises. They had been instructed by the risen Lord for a period of 40 days to preach the kingdom (Acts 1:3). Yet, most of Christendom today erroneously thinks that the Apostles got together during the ten days after the ascension and up to Pentecost and decided to start a church instead of preaching “thy kingdom to come” on earth. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Paul learned that his place of work was “far hence” (Acts 22:21). First Paul proclaimed the kingdom to Jews outside the land. And when they rejected the kingdom gospel, he grafted in the Gentile believers to partake of the kingdom blessings to come on earth to make Israel jealous. This was as Peter had done in the land at Caesarea at the house of Cornelius. When Paul had covered the main synagogues in the various lands outside of the promised land, the last one being at Rome, then he received a new apostleship. This was to be in connection with the new “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3;2) and the “revelation of the mystery [Gk. musterion, secret]” (Rom. 16:25) concerning the Gentile church that he called “the body of Christ.”

In noting “the things that differ,” we can see that the apostleship Paul speaks of in Eph 1:1 is not the same as in Galatian 1:1. In fact, he does not mention apostleship at all in Philippians 1:1, but calls himself a servant as a bond-slave. There has been a great change. So in Eph 4:11 we find how this apostleship was gotten. It was a part of the gift made to “the church, which is the body of Christ” (Eph. 1:22b-23a) This is no longer the kingdom that he preached in and during the Acts period. The Post-Acts church was built upon the foundation of these apostles and prophets we see mentioned in Eph. 4:11.

Paul’s first apostleship, that was during Acts, was in traveling and spreading the good news of the promised “kingdom” wherever there were synagogues, especially at the end, in Europe, and finally at Rome. After Acts, his main base of operations was at Rome.

There are some who would contend that Paul should have had the place Judas left. But, the conditional requirements for this office could not be fulfilled by Paul. Many have overlooked what Peter by inspiration said of this matter saying; the Apostle was to have been with Jesus and seen Him:

“Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He [Jesus] was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness WITH US [the twelve] of His resurrection.” (Acts 1:22).

Only 2 were qualified candidates. Joseph Barsabas, and Matthias. This disqualified Paul, since there is no record that Paul ever saw the Lord until on the Damascus Road.

Another thing that is overlooked is that the 12 were apostles sent “to the circumcision [Israel].” There is just one exception where they ministered unto Gentiles during Acts, and that was when Jesus specially instructed and sanctioned Peter to go to the house of Cornelius. (Acts 10).

Now we will consider the two aspects of the verse below revealing Paul’s 2 Apostleships.

“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I Have Appeared unto thee [Paul] for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these (1.) Things Which Thou Hast Seen,

and (2.) of Those Things In The Which I Will Appear unto thee;” Acts 26:16 (KJV).

We must realize that Paul received progressive revelations (cf. 2Cor 12:1, 7). As we note in the verse above, Paul’s 2 Acts period Commissions of the Lord are described in the 2 parts of Acts 26:16 (above).

I. In Paul’s Damascus Road experience he was commissioned as “… a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen” (Acts 26:16a). Foremost in the mind of Paul in this respect would have been his witness of Stephen’s stoning. He also knew the teaching of those he was persecuting, that they were witnessing to the Jews only just as Jesus instructed them (cf. Matt. 10:5-6). So it was the same with Paul, he witnessed ‘to the Jews Only’ for 9 years. So, he was not disobedient to that part of the heaven-sent vision and instruction he received from the ascended Lord Jesus in his Damascus Road experience.

II. “And [a minister] of those things in the which I will appear unto thee.” (Acts 26:16b).

The Lord appeared unto Paul in a trance when he was praying in the temple in Jerusalem, imparting this second part of his ministry during Acts (22:17-21). Paul affirms that the was not disobedient to the heavenly vision [from Jesus in heaven] as seen on the Damascus Road and what followed. It is evident that it was about 6 years after he was in a trance in the temple that he began the 2^nd phase of his Acts ministry. And it began in Antioch as recorded in Acts 13.

Now, it was this second phase that Paul spent some space defending in the epistle to the Galatians. Nearly all the first chapter is spent in defending his apostleship, his gospel, and his ministry among the heathen [Gentiles]. This was later settled by the Acts 15 council in Jerusalem, but Judaizers were still hounding Paul’s footsteps and trying to make the Gentile converts believe that they should be circumcised and keep the law. It was these Jews from Jerusalem that Paul said should be accursed if they preached any other gospel than that which he had preached to the Gentile believers. Paul’s grace gospel was the only valid gospel after Acts 15.  Paul then saw ALL lost men as lost Gentiles whether non-Jews or Jews; as Gentiles since they could not be accursed, not being under the law (Rom. 6:14). The Judaizers were frustrating Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), which was Paul’s gospel from Acts 13-through Acts 28.

(See https://artlicursi.com/articles/key-points-drawn-acts-15-jerusalem-council-meeting )

Then AFTER Israel’s total fall with Paul’s Acts 28 declaration, quoting Isaiah, Paul claims his 2^nd Apostolic Ministry as seen in Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians 1& 2 Timothy and Titus. This then is not the same apostleship that he was claiming and defending in Galatians. That apostleship was finished with the end of the Acts period. Paul the proclaimed the new ‘mystery’ gospel (Eph. 3:1-2) for the Gentile “body of Christ” which was revealed to Paul after Acts 28:28. His new apostleship was then proclaimed in connection with “the fellowship of the mystery” (Eph. 3:9).

• Portions adapted from Oscar M. Baker