Verse 2
apostles
The word apostle, = "one sent forth," is used of our Lord Hebrews 3:1. Elsewhere it is used for the twelve who were called to that office by our Lord during His earth ministry; of Paul, called to the apostleship by the risen and ascended Lord, and of Barnabas Acts 14:14 specially designated by the Holy Spirit Acts 13:2. Of Matthias, chosen by lot by the eleven to take the place of Judas Iscariot, Acts 1:16-26 it is said: "And he was numbered with the eleven." Acts 1:26.
The "signs" of an apostle were
(1) They were chosen directly by the Lord Himself, or, as in the case of Barnabas, by the Holy Spirit Matthew 10:1; Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:13; Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13; Acts 9:6; Acts 9:15; Acts 13:2; Acts 22:10; Acts 22:14; Acts 22:15; Romans 1:1
(2) They were endued with sign gifts, miraculous powers which were the divine credentials of their office Matthew 10:1; Acts 5:15; Acts 5:16; Acts 16:16-18; Matthew 28:8; Matthew 28:9.
(3) Their relation to the kingdom was that of heralds, announcing to Israel only Matthew 10:5; Matthew 10:6 the kingdom as at hand. (See Scofield "Matthew 10:6- :") and manifesting kingdom powers Matthew 10:7; Matthew 10:8.
(4) To one of them, Peter, the keys of the kingdom of heaven, viewed as the sphere of Christian profession, as in Matthew 13:0, were given Matthew 16:19.
(5) Their future relation to the king will be that of judges over the twelve tribes Matthew 19:28.
(6) Consequent upon the rejection of the kingdom, and the revelation of the mystery hid in God Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 3:1-12 the Church, the apostolic office was invested with a new enduement, the baptism with the Holy Spirit Acts 2:1-4 a new power, that of imparting the Spirit to Jewish-Christian believers; a new relation, that of foundation stones of the new temple Ephesians 2:20-22 and a new function, that of preaching the glad tidings of salvation through a crucified and risen Lord to Jew and gentile alike.
(7) The indispensable qualification of an apostle was that he should have been an eye- witness of the resurrection Acts 1:22; 1 Corinthians 9:1.
James son of Zebedee (See Scofield "1 Corinthians 9:1- :") .
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