us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: _that in the ages
to come_ he might show the exceeding riches of his grace" (Eph. 2: 6,
7). The unified church of the apostolic day is therefore the divine
model for all succeeding ages.

[Sidenote: Paul's relation thereto]

Since the first apostles were employed as special agents in
establishing the perfected New Testament church, Paul's connection
therewith is of particular importance. Paul was not one of the
original twelve, yet he exerted a tremendous influence in that period
and was undoubtedly one of the chief agents used in establishing the
church and fixing its external form and character.

Many believe that Paul belonged among the twelve as the real successor
of Judas. According to this view, the election of Matthias to the
apostleship was without divine sanction, being proposed by the
impetuous Peter, who, before the descent of the Holy Ghost, often
proposed inadvised things. Strength is given this view by the
oft-repeated assertion of Paul that he was an apostle, "not of men,
neither by men, but by Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1: 1). We are not forced to
that conclusion concerning Matthias, however. In writing the Acts of
the Apostles, Luke the companion of Paul, records the appointment of
Matthias without intimating that it was a mistake. In Scripture usage
a certain parallelism is maintained between the twelve apostles of the
Lamb and the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. When we recall
that there were literally thirteen tribes in Israel, Ephriam and
Manasseh standing for Joseph, we need not be surprized that there
should be literally thirteen foundational apostles in the Christian
church, Matthias and Paul standing, as it were, in the place of Judas.