Peter / Jews & Paul / Gentiles

[Singinbeauty]

I was doing some research and ran across an interesting topic. I would love to get everyone’s opinions here. Please keep it nice.

The bible contains evidence that Peter was to be the Minister to the Jews and Paul the minister to the gentiles. This would indicate that they possessed equal positions within the early church.
Romans 15:14-22:

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21Rather, as it is written:
“Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.”[g] 22This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.

Galatians 2:6-8:

6 And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 7 Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8 For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

Thoughts?

 

[PaulDupre]

As part of your research, read Acts chapters 10 & 11. They tell how Peter, as earthly head of the Church, was given the command to bring the gospel to the gentiles. They also tell how Peter converted and baptized the first gentile converts, and how he explained all this to the other apostles and delivered to them the commission to take the gospel to the gentiles.

All of this was before Paul was sent to preach to the gentiles. Peter received the command from God and delivered that command to the church. Later, Paul helped to carry it out.

God bless you,
Paul

 

[Verisimilitude]

The bible contains evidence that Peter was to be the Minister to the Jews and Paul the minister to the gentiles. This would indicate that they possessed equal positions within the early church.
Thoughts?

Jesus preached only to the Jews.

Matthew 15:24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

His disciples were sent to the ends of the Earth for all people.

Mark 16:15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

They were equal.

John 13:12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13"You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Peter was killed in Rome like Paul, but only Peter had the blessing of Christ with regard to the Church.

The time for the Jews was over…in a way. Christ called them Himself and many listened, but many did not. Not long after Christ a few things took place to change the focus not away from the Jews as much as bring the rest of the world equal again with the Jews.

Peters vision.

The first Council at Jerusalem.

7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

13When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me… 19"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead we should write to them… 21For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

James seems to have the final authority in the debate. Both Peter and Paul were killed later in Rome, and I think the ‘upon this rock’ statement from Christ to Peter was for later generations because the generation it was spoken too was busy preaching the Gospel and not writting a business plan of Church administration as it were.