3.  Early in our Lord’s ministry he chose twelve apostles, “that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.”  Mark 3:14, 15.  In this brief notice we have all the distinguishing marks of an apostle.  He was chosen that he might be with Christ from the beginning, and thus be to the people an eye-witness of his whole public life.  When an apostle was to be chosen in the place of Judas, Peter laid particular stress on this qualification:  “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.”  Acts 1:21, 22.  In the case of Paul alone was this condition of apostleship wanting; and this want was made up to him by the special revelation of Jesus Christ.  Gal. 1:11, 12.  An apostle, again, was one who received his commission to preach immediately from the Saviour, a qualification which Paul strenuously asserted in his own behalf:  “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.  An apostle, once more, was one who received directly from Christ the power of working miracles.  This was the seal of his apostleship before the world.  In the three particulars that have been named the apostles held to Christ the nearest possible relation, and were by this relation distinguished from all other men.  Have we evidence that they were divinely qualified, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to preach and record the facts and doctrines of the gospel without error?

That they must have been thus qualified, we have, in the first place, a strong presumption from the necessity of the case.  Though our Lord finished the work which the Father gave him to do on earth, he did not finish the revelation of his gospel.  On the contrary, he said to his disciples just before his crucifixion, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.”  John 16:12, 13.  Let us look at some of these things which were reserved for future revelation.  The purely spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom was not understood by the apostles till after the day of Pentecost, for we find them asking, just before his ascension, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” a question which he did not answer, but referred them to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 1:6-8.  Another of the things which they could not bear was the abolition, through Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice, of the Mosaic law, and with it, of the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles.  This great truth was reserved to be revealed practically in the progress of the gospel, as recorded in the book of Acts, and doctrinally in