Was Matthias or Paul God’s choice to replace Judas as the 12th apostle? | GotQuestions.org

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Today's question is, was Matthias or Paul God's choice to replace

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Judas as the twelfth apostle? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective.

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Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

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With Judas having betrayed Christ and then committing suicide, the eleven remaining disciples decided to replace

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Judas with a new twelfth apostle, Acts 1, verses 16 -20. The requirements were that the man had to have been with them the entire time of Jesus' ministry and to have been a witness of the resurrection and ascension,

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Acts 1, verses 21 -22. The eleven disciples proposed two men,

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Joseph, called Barsabbas, possibly the same person as Barnabas, and Matthias, Acts 1, verse 23.

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The eleven disciples then prayed for the Lord's direction, Acts 1, verses 24 -25, and then cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias, Acts 1, verse 26.

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But was this the Lord's choice? Some propose that Paul, not Matthias, was God's choice for the twelfth apostle.

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They argue that Jesus had told the apostles to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 1, verse 8, and that casting lots is not how the disciples should have made the decision.

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They also point out that Matthias is never again mentioned in the New Testament, while Paul obviously became very prominent in the early

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Christian Church. So are they correct that Paul, not Matthias, was God's choice to be

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Judas' replacement as the twelfth apostle? The New Testament nowhere condones or condemns the way the apostles made the decision in Acts 1.

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Casting lots was a biblically allowed method of making a decision, Proverbs 16, verse 33, and, while Matthias is never again mentioned in the

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New Testament, the same can be said for most of the other eleven apostles. Church history records that Matthias died as a martyr for Christ, as did all the other apostles except John.

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Yes, Paul was definitely more prominent than Matthias, but Paul was more prominent than any of the twelve apostles, except for perhaps

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Peter and John. Also, Paul would not have been qualified based on the apostles' criteria in Acts 1, verses 21 -22.

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So a conclusive biblical case cannot be made for the eleven apostles' choice of Matthias being invalid.

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Further, God is sovereign. If it was not His sovereign will for Matthias to be chosen,

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Matthias would not have been chosen. It could be argued that while it was God's sovereign will, what

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He ordained, for Matthias to be chosen, it was God's perfect will, what He desired, for the apostles to wait for Paul.

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But this would be pure speculation, as, again, the Bible nowhere condemns

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Matthias being chosen for the twelfth apostle. So, what name will be written on the twelfth foundation in the heavenly

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Jerusalem? Revelation 21, verse 14. The Bible does not explicitly say, but it likely will be

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Matthias. Ultimately, though, we will have to wait to find out. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video!

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Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book

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I recommend, along with links to several related questions. If you'd like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you're interested in Bite -sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it's linked right here.