171105 The Gospel Revealed in Paul

Galatians 1:11-13 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ¹² For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

The gospel is “good news” for all who will listen. Today, we are going to look at the history of Paul’s conversion. In doing so we will see that the gospel is not something that can be reduced to a two-word definition. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul spoke of the gospel that he preached to them. What he delivered to them was simply put, Christ died for our sins… He was buried… He was raised on the third day and he appeared to a large number of people over the next several days. The “good news” relates to our ability to hear God call us and respond in faith. Let’s look at Paul’s testimony.

We find the first mention of Paul the apostle in Acts chapter 7, verse 58. At that time he was an observer, or a participant, in stoning Stephen the first martyr. At the very least he held others’ coats while they stoned him to death. Acts chapter 8 continues the word picture of Saul of Tarsus. He approved of the execution of Stephen and went on from there to become a ringleader in ravaging the church!

Saul became Paul a preacher of the gospel who carried the good news throughout the Roman Empire. Yet…

Previously, he had persecuted the church. Let’s look at Paul’s own account in Acts 22:4-5. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, ⁵ as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

Saul’s active career began in Jerusalem where he had been trained. Soon he found that he had done all he could in that region and he swore out warrants to arrest believers in Christ in other cities. It was on his way to Damascus that…

Paul received the gospel from Jesus himself. Let’s continue with Acts 22:6-8. As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.

On the road to Damascus, this enemy of the church was suddenly confronted by the head of the church. Suddenly a great light surrounded him and he was struck to the ground! Realizing that the light that surrounded him emanated from a person, and that person questioned him, caused him to ask “who are you?” And he added “Lord”. Obviously, Saul recognized the majesty of the person who had stopped him. At the same time, he did not know who this person was!

The “Lord” was self-identified as “Jesus of Nazareth”. Men who were traveling with him saw the light but did not understand the words that he heard. Jesus instructed him to continue to Damascus where he would be told all that was appointed for him to do. Saul of Tarsus, who had been ravaging the church, now began the process of becoming its greatest advocate.

Going back to the Galatian account we can see what Paul later understood about the encounter he had had this Jesus of Nazareth. Turn with me to Galatians 1:15-16. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

Paul came to realize that God had chosen him by grace before he was born. He came to recognize that God plans our days before we are born. David tells us, “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). Furthermore, Job tells us that man’s “days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). Jeremiah adds to the account when he recorded God’s words, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5).

All of our actions are under God’s care. In him, we live and move and have our being. Throughout the Bible, this truth is affirmed. The Bible tells us that “a man’s steps are ordered by the Lord”. A man might plan but it is God who provides the answer. Everything that we have comes from God! We are told in the Bible that God holds the king’s heart in his hand. He guides the desires of his people so that he can then give them those desires. We have the ability to make our own decisions but it is God who has taught us how to live and therefore ultimately directs us.

We hear a lot about collusion and concurrence today. The Bible affirms that our words, our steps, our movements, our feelings and abilities all come from God. Just so, Paul could see that God had set him aside from before his birth. He, like John the Baptist before him, was a servant of the Lord Christ while still in his mother’s womb. And so…

Paul concentrated on knowing Christ. Let’s look at Galatians 1:17-19. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. ¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. He continues his historical account. There was no school for him to enroll in, no seminary or monastery, but he had to find his own way.

We know from the account in the book of Acts that Paul was driven out of Damascus, after his conversion, by the very people who would have been his best friends if he continued on the path he started on. Now we see that, according to his own words, he returned to Damascus and continued there for up to three years before going down to Jerusalem to compare what he now knew to be the truth with what was being taught by the apostles of Jesus of Nazareth, the new Lord of his life! When he arrived in Jerusalem he met with Peter and James during a two-week visit. In writing to the Philippians we see more of the spiritual history of Paul. Let’s look at that account…

 Philippians 3:7-11. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Everything the apostle had previously considered important was now put aside. He now had a new goal! Previously his goal had been to arrest and kill as many Christians as possible! Now his goal was to know the Lord Christ. Not just to know about Christ but to know him personally to be his intimate friend to walk with him on a daily basis. This was much more than being introduced to Jesus. This was allowing Jesus to order one’s steps. Everything he had previously considered important was now less than rubbish. The Greek word that is translated “rubbish” could be translated “dung” or “manure”. He now understood that his righteousness was no more than filthy rags. That all of his investment in keeping the Mosaic law had been a wasted effort. Now, he wanted his righteousness to come from faith in Christ. A righteousness that comes from God that depends on faith.

He invested all of his life in the process of becoming like Jesus in the hope that he would be able to gain the resurrection into eternal life. Soon…

Paul saw that even Peter could be a hypocrite. Let’s go to Galatians 2:14.

When Peter first came to Antioch he made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. The issue had been settled in the Jerusalem conference recorded in Acts 15. The Gentiles, upon coming to faith in Jesus Christ, did not have to first become Jews! They were free from the bondage of the Mosaic law! But, while Peter was there some men came from Jerusalem. These men would have known all that had transpired in Jerusalem and would not have expected the Gentiles to be forced into Jewish rituals. However, Peter separated himself from the Gentiles and would only eat with the Jews. Peter’s hypocrisy had to be rebuked because their actions did not fit with the gospel. So Paul wrote for us, “But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Their attitude toward the Gentiles was causing a serious division in the church. Even Barnabas was negatively affected by their behavior.

Paul had learned that salvation was by faith. Let’s read on Galatians 2:15-16. We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. So Paul was able to give us a strong statement of the basis of salvation. A person is not justified by any kind of “good works”! Now, what is the meaning of this word? The word “justify” in the Bible indicates that justification is a legal declaration by God. It’s most common meaning is “to declare righteous” or “declare to be not guilty”. When God declares that we are justified he specifically declares that we are just in his sight. When we come to the book of Romans we will spend a good bit more time on the subject. In the meantime, let’s look at his commitment to the gospel in…

Romans 1:16-17. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Here Paul clearly states the value of the gospel that he wanted to preach to the Romans. At the time of his writing the letter to the Romans he had never been there. But we can see from the list at the end of the book a great many of his friends had been there or were living there.

The gospel that Paul would present to them was not something to be ashamed of. I am afraid that today many Christians are, or appear to be ashamed of the gospel. At least, the good news about Jesus is seldom the topic of a conversation in our world.

The gospel is the power of God for salvation. There is no barrier to anyone who might come to Jesus. Everyone who believes may be saved! Because the gospel tells us so. In writing to the Corinthians Paul declared that the preaching of Christ is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). The gospel reveals to us that salvation is a matter of faith. From faith for faith! Or, as one translation makes it, “Faith from beginning to end”.

How do we achieve this faith? From the word of God! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). As a consequence of the faith that he placed in Jesus…

Paul had a new relationship to Jesus Christ. Let’s look at Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul realizes that a large part of the process of becoming a Christian and living out the Christian life is at work in us because we have died to our old way of living. It is not just our sin that God sees as having died with Christ. It is also our self that is crucified with him.

One way we show this is in baptism. When we go into the water we are buried with Christ. When we are brought out of the water we are raised with him. And then, in the mind of God, we have been seated with him. “but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Having been crucified with Christ Paul no longer lived but Christ lived in him. Let’s bring them up to date. When we are saved our old nature dies and a new life begins to work in us. We still have resident in us all of the habits and memories of our old life. If we go back and visit them often we can find ourselves even questioning our salvation. Also, demonic forces know all about our past life and will arrange wherever possible to draw us back towards it and away from Christ. We need to always reject those memories, habits, and demonic forces and focus on Christ who lives in us and in whom we live.

We have seen the historical narrative surrounding Paul’s conversion. It is safe to say that Paul’s salvation is unique. However, in some ways, everyone’s salvation experience is very personal and subjective. There is a general presentation of the gospel that comes in several different forms. There are certain things that are very important to the presentation of the gospel. First, the facts need to be explained. All have sinned, the penalty of sin is death, Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins proving God’s love for us. Agreeing to these facts does not make a person a Christian. There needs to be also a response of repentance and faith. Jesus called on us to come to him so that he could give us rest. Coming to Christ requires turning from our self-centered sin. If you have never responded in repentance this can be your day!

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society