Commission as to the features essential to the office of apostle.

An apostle must have seen the Lord (John 15:27).  Paul is no

exception `last of all He was seen of me also' (1 Cor. 15:8). `Am I not

an apostle? have not I seen Jesus our Lord?' (1 Cor. 9:1 R.V.).  The

`seeing of that Just One' was essential (Acts 22:14,15).

They must have been immediately called and chosen to the office by

Christ Himself (Luke 6:13, Gal. 1:1).

Infallible inspiration was also essentially necessary to that office

(John 16:13; Gal. 1:11,12; 1 Thess. 2:13).

The apostolic commission was attested by `signs' (Heb. 2:4;

2 Cor.

The apostles were not local ministers but had `the care of

all the churches' (2 Cor. 11:28), and had power to settle all

controversies (Acts 16:4), and to exercise discipline (1 Cor. 5:3-6; 2

Cor. 10:8; 13:10).

Such is the office of Paul an apostle, an earthen vessel indeed, but

filled with heavenly treasure.

Paul was an apostle `by the will of God'.  There is not in this opening

verse of the epistle the challenge that meets us in Galatians 1:1, `Paul an

apostle (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father,

Who raised Him from the dead)', but mild though the statement be, it is none the

less definite.  If Paul was an apostle

by `the will of God', neither self choice nor human appointment can find a

place, and moreover, in the exercise of this high office, any message which the

Lord might choose to send through his instrumentality, could only be neglected

at the hearer's peril.

The title `Apostle' occurs in Ephesians four times as follows:

`Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus (R.V.)  by the will of God' (1:1).

`And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets' (2:20).

`The mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the

sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets'

`And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets' (4:11).

When the contexts of these four references are studied and their message

received, it will be seen that practically the whole truth for the present

dispensation is grouped around these gifts of apostles.  This of course will be

more clearly seen as each passage is approached by way of orderly exposition.

Suffice it for the moment to say that the introduction of the Apostolic office

in the opening words of this and other epistles cannot be explained merely from

the fact that such would conform to the conventional letter writing of the age;

it is a vital feature in the revelation, for to echo the language of a prophet

of the past, Paul realized that `the Lord's messenger' and `the Lord's message'

were linked indissolubly together (Hag. 1:13).