May 8 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Here we have Peter, who is regarded by many Christians as the head of the "Apostolic College," setting forth the qualifications and task of an apostle. What makes an apostle, according to Peter? The qualification is personal knowledge of Jesus' earthly ministry. If you were not there at that time, you can be a Christian but you cannot be an apostle. And what is the work of an apostle? To witness to Christ's resurrection. It's as simple as that.

Later generations have developed complicated theories with respect to the apostolic office. People thought that not only the faith but also the job of the apostles had to be transmitted through the generations. It seems to me, however, that the qualification and task of an apostle could not possibly be passed on to others. Why? Because the apostles had to be eyewitnesses of the fact that Jesus is living. That is why their Master appointed them, and it is very clear from the New Testament that that is how they understood their task.

We should be very careful how we use the word witness. It is true that all of us have been appointed by God to bear witness to his power to forgive and redeem. But we should not forget that in the Bible, witness is mostly a legal term. In court cases, not everyone who has an opinion about the matter is allowed to be a witness, only those who have seen and heard. The witness is expected to give a simple and straightforward account of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Her personal ideas she may keep to herself, but her witness account is essential to the truth.

Thus the apostles have entered into the courtroom of the world, stating what they have seen and heard. In doing so, they have laid—deep and firm—the foundation of the church in the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ. And all the men and women who "bet their lives" on the truth of this witness are members of the apostolic Christian church.

REFLECTIONS

How does knowing about the apostolic witnesses strengthen our faith?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.