Getting to Know the Apostle Paul

Last week, at the end of Acts 7, we were introduced to a young man named Saul.  

Acts 7:57–60 (ESV)

57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

We know this young man Saul by his Greek name – Paul.  Chapter 8 talks about Paul’s conversion.  We will dive into chapter 8 in the weeks ahead but today we want to get to know more about Paul’s background, and character.

Paul describes himself with great credentials for those who want a flashy resumé.  His worldly qualitifcations are quite impressive.  Here is what he says:

 Philippians 3:3–6 (ESV)

4 … If anyone thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

As far as the flesh is concerned this is impressive:

· Circumcised on the 8th day – just as the law of Moses specifies.  From birth his every step was according to the Law of Moses.

· An Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin – Benjamin was the last son born to Jacob.  It was the smallest of the twelve tribes but the one their father (Jacob) loved the most.

· A Hebrew of Hebrews – Paul was actually born in Tarsus of Cilicia, a Greek city  in Turkey (Acts 22:3).  But he grew up in Jerusalem.  Hebrew of Hebrews is the  Jewish way of emphasizing the highest or fullest degree of something.  He may not have been born in Israel, but his ancestry, upbringing, culture, and religious practices were at the highest level of Hebrew tradition.

· As to the Law, a Pharisee.  The Pharisees followed a very strict and disciplined lifestyle in adherence to Jewish Law and customs.  Paul was as devout a Jew as you could find.  Plus, he was trained or discipled under the most revered and honored Rabbi of the day (Acts 22:3).  Gamaliel would not have taken Saul as a student (Paul’s Hebrew name) unless Paul had met the highest standards and qualifications.  Being a student of Gamaliel was like having a diploma from the best university in the country.

· As to zeal, a persecutor of the church – Paul is basically saying he was a zealot, someone willing to punish or even take the life of those considered a threat and enemy to the Jewish way of life and obedience to God.  Saul persecuted the church with great zeal.  He assisted in the murder of Stephen, and he put people in prison under harsh conditions.  To have zeal is to be intensely serious about something.  Paul was a radical zealot for the things of God.

· As to righteousness under the law, blameless.  With regard to keeping the Law and it’s requirements, Paul considered himself to be without fault in following the word of God and obeying God’s commands.

This is Saul, the man mentioned in Acts 7 and 8 when he was about 30 years old.

We also learn in the New Testament that Paul was born in Tarsus, in Cilicia and finished growing up in Jerusalem.  So he had a mixed background.  We don’t know how old he was when he moved to Jerusalem.  But we do know that he was raised in both worlds – Jewish and Greek.  He spoke fluent Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.  This is says a lot about his parent’s devotion to God and their Jewish heritage.  Most Diaspora Jews (those born outside of Israel) never learned Aramaic (Aramaic was the primary language spoken in Israel).  They spoke only Greek instead. 

Now the Jews who attacked Stephen in Acts 7 were members of the Freedmen Synagogue in Jerusalem.  Freedman is a term given to someone who had once been captured by the Romans and sold into slavery.  Slavery was a major part of the Roman economy and culture.  In the 1st century, one in ten Roman Citizens would have started out as a slave.  Slavery was not like the slavery we know about in the US and Great Britain.  A Roman slave could earn his freedom.  It was very common for slaves to be set free by their Roman Master and then be adopted into the Master’s family.  Adoption bestowed Roman citizenship on the former slave.

Jews who lived among the gentiles outside of Israel were often looked down upon by other Jews.  The Synagogue of the Freedmen in Jerusalem was where those who Jews who were once slaves would congregate together.  The once lived among the gentiles and had been slaves. 

It is not surprising that Stephen was accused and murdered by this group of Jews in Jerusalem.  Freedmen had something to prove.  They wanted other Jews to know that just because they had been slaves living in gentile homes, they remained fiercely devoted to the customs of Moses and worship in the temple. 

Acts 6:8–11 (ESV)

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

This brings up an interesting question.  Why would Paul, the Hebrew of Hebrews, educated as a Pharisee under Gamaliel and a man obviously on the inside track with the Jewish leadership (after Stephen’s death, he went straight to the Sanhedrin and received permission to arrest and jail any followers of Christ he could find outside of Jerusalem), why would Paul associate himself with Jews who were once former slaves?

The early church fathers had an answer for this.  Jerome (end of 3rd century), who likely used source material provided by the church father Origen (end of 2nd century).  Says that Paul’s parents once lived in Northern Israel during the reign of Herod the Great (probably near Nazareth).  In 4 BC there was a zealot uprising and many zealous Jews were captured by the Roman army and sold into slavery.  Paul’s parents ended up in Tarsus.  If there politics were with the Zealots and they had participated in some way in the uprising, their enslavement would have been the result when the rebellion was put down.  To change the viewpoint of dissidents, Rome, would sell them as slaves to a Roman citizen.  They would be taught the Roman way of life.  It is highly likely then that Paul was born a slave in Tarsus, then at an early age (possibly 10), his parents were given their freedom.  Paul became a Roman citizen when his former Master adopted him (Paulos is the last name of a prominent Roman family living in Tarsus).  Paul’s family would then have left Tarsus for Jerusalem where Paul finished growing up and he became a pharisee.

His association with the zealous Freedmen Synagogue shows that he never forgot his history and he valued their devotion to the customs of Moses and the worship of God in the Temple.  (this tradition is well established outside GB US.)

Paul’s background as described in the New Testemant makes him somewhat of an enigma.  To Greeks he was looked down upon as a Jew.  Anti-semitism was as real then as it is now so racial discrimination was not unknown to Paul. But he was a Roman Citizen, the member of a special class with special privileges honored throughout the Roman world.  He would use this privilege to his advantage among the gentiles when necessary.  The Paulos family was a respected Roman family.

For Jews, Saul, the name he seemed to prefer when in the presence of other Jews, was highly respected in his younger days.  Even though a former slave and member of the Freedmen class, he was welcomed for his zealous behavior and devotion to the Jewish way of life.  His acceptance among the Jews changed for the worse after he came to Christ.

There are two other descriptions Paul uses to describe himself.

Paul the Apostle of Christ Jesus

In six of Paul’s 12 letters, he introduces himself as Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ (Rom, 1 & 2 Cor, Gal, Eph, Col).  An Apostle is a messenger – someone given a special responsibility by another to deliver a message.  An Apostle is called to follow through on a specific task.  Jesus appointed 12 Apostles as the first of his messengers.  They were entrusted to deliver the gospel to others and disciple them in all that Jesus said and did.

When Paul wrote to the various churches, it was important his audience understood that what he had to say was not from himself but was from the Lord Jesus.  The Lord called Paul to be an Apostle when he appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road.  Paul’s appointment was not from man nor through the agency of any man (Gal 1:1).  His authority was directly from Christ himself.

Paul the Servant of Christ Jesus

Paul never used his position as a leader in the church for his own advantage. He did not seek wealth, comfort, recognition, or authority over others. Instead, he repeatedly called himself a servant—or, more literally, a slave—of Christ Jesus.

Romans 1:1 (ESV) “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”

Being a servant of Christ meant that Paul no longer considered himself to belong to himself. He had been bought and paid for by the precious blood of Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV) “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

A servant does not decide for himself where he will go, what he will do, or how his life will be spent. A servant belongs to his master. His responsibility is to listen, obey, and faithfully carry out what his master commands.

Paul understood this personally. If the historical traditions concerning his family are correct,  Paul would have known from childhood what slavery and emancipation meant. He would have grown up hearing how his parents had been captured, enslaved, and eventually set free.  But when Paul came to Christ, he willingly took the name of a servant again—not as a slave of Rome, but as a servant of Jesus Christ.  He had been set free from sin so that he could belong completely to Jesus.

Before meeting Christ, Paul lived for his religion, his reputation, and his own understanding of righteousness. After meeting Christ, Paul could say:

Galatians 2:20 (ESV) “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Paul did not merely add Jesus to the life he was already living. Jesus became his life.

· His ambitions now belonged to Christ.

· His education belonged to Christ.

· His Roman citizenship belonged to Christ.

· His Jewish heritage belonged to Christ.

· His energy, his suffering, his freedom, and eventually his death all belonged to Christ.

Paul described his ministry this way:

2 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV) “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

Paul was an apostle, but he saw himself as a servant.  He had authority, but he used that authority to build others up.  He had rights, but he was willing to surrender those rights for the good of others.  He was free, but he voluntarily made himself a servant.

1 Corinthians 9:19 (ESV) “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”

That is what Christian freedom looks like. We are not set free so that we can spend our lives satisfying ourselves. We are set free from sin so that we can serve Christ. And one of the primary ways we serve Christ is by serving other people.

Paul carried the burdens of the churches. He worked with his own hands so he would not unnecessarily burden others. He endured hunger, rejection, beatings, imprisonment, sleepless nights, and opposition. He traveled thousands of miles to preach the gospel. He spent himself for people who did not always appreciate him, understand him, or remain loyal to him.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 12:15 (ESV) “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.”

That is the language of a servant.  Paul did not ask, “What will I get out of this?”

· He asked, “How can my life help someone know Christ?”

· He did not ask, “Will this be comfortable?”

· He asked, “Will this be faithful?”

· He did not ask, “Will people recognize what I have done?”

· He asked, “Will Jesus be glorified?”

Zeal Redirected by Christ

When Saul first appears in Acts, he is already a zealous man. He is intense, committed, disciplined, and willing to suffer for what he believes. The problem was not that Saul lacked zeal. The problem was that his zeal was directed by his own understanding rather than by the truth of Christ.

· He was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong.

· His zeal did not make him right. His zeal actually made him dangerous. He believed he was serving God while persecuting the people of God.

But when Jesus met Saul on the Damascus Road, Jesus did not destroy Saul’s zeal. He redirected it.

· The same intensity Saul once used to persecute the church was now used to proclaim Christ.

· The same determination that took him from house to house searching for Christians now took him from city to city searching for people who needed to hear the gospel.

· The same courage that once made him stand against the followers of Jesus now enabled him to stand before governors, kings, angry crowds, and Roman authorities and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Paul never became indifferent. He never became halfhearted. He did not move from being a zealous Pharisee to becoming a casual Christian.  He became zealous for Christ.

Acts 20:24 (ESV) “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

Paul was willing to give everything because he believed Jesus was worth everything.

But notice what happened to his zeal after he met Christ. It was joined with humility. It was controlled by love. It was expressed through service.

· Before Christ, Paul’s zeal caused him to injure people.

After Christ, his zeal caused him to give his life for people.

· Before Christ, Paul used power to force others to submit.

After Christ, Paul surrendered his rights so that others might be saved.

· Before Christ, he breathed threats and murder.

After Christ, he spoke grace, peace, reconciliation, and hope.

Jesus did not merely change what Paul believed. Jesus changed the kind of man Paul was.

Following Paul as He Followed Christ

Paul told the churches to follow his example.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV) “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

That was not arrogance.  Paul understood that discipleship requires more than instruction. People need to see what faithfulness looks like in the life of another person.

Paul was saying, “Watch how I live.  Watch how I endure suffering.  Watch how I surrender my rights.  Watch how I serve others.  Watch how I place Christ above my own comfort and ambitions.  Then follow me as I follow Jesus.”

Paul could say that because Jesus Himself was the model Paul followed.

Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant… He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus is the true Servant.

· He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

· He denied Himself, humbled Himself, washed the feet of His disciples, touched the outcast, welcomed sinners, carried our sins, and willingly went to the cross.

· Paul became a servant because Paul had been saved by the Servant.

· Paul did not surrender his life to an impersonal cause. He surrendered his life to the Savior who had first surrendered His life for him.

What Does Paul’s Example Say to Us?

Getting to know Paul should cause us to examine our own lives.

· Are we zealous for Christ, or have we become casual about the things of God?

· Is Jesus the center of our lives, or is He simply one part of a life still organized around our own comfort and desires?

Do we see ourselves as servants of Christ, or do we expect Christ and His church to serve us?

· A servant does not begin the day by asking, “What do I want?”

· A servant asks, “Lord, what would You have me do?”

· A servant does not only serve when it is convenient, appreciated, or personally rewarding.

· A servant remains faithful because he belongs to his Master.

Serving Christ will often require us to deny ourselves.  It may require us to give up our time, adjust our plans, surrender our preferences, forgive someone who has hurt us, care for someone who cannot repay us, or speak the gospel when doing so is uncomfortable.

But that is what following Jesus looks like.

Paul’s life teaches us that zeal without truth can become destructive.  Truth without zeal can become lifeless.  And zeal without servanthood can become selfish ambition.

The Christian life brings all three together:

· We know the truth of Christ. We are zealous for the glory of Christ. And we live as servants of Christ.

The question is not whether we have Paul’s education, ability, personality, or opportunities. The question is whether we have given Jesus the same place in our lives that Paul gave Him.

Paul’s testimony was:

Philippians 1:21 (ESV) “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

That is the heart of Paul’s character.

To live is Christ.

Not comfort. Not reputation. Not success. Not personal preference. Not recognition.

Christ.

Paul was zealous because Christ was worthy of his whole heart. Paul was a servant because Jesus had purchased his whole life.

May the Lord give us that same heart—a heart that is zealous for Jesus, humble before Jesus, and ready to serve Jesus by serving the people He places around us.

May we be able to say with Paul:

“My life is not my own. I belong to Christ. I will go where He sends me. I will do what He commands me. I will serve those He places before me. And I will spend and be spent so that others may know the grace, mercy, and hope found in Jesus Christ.”

Because the greatest life is not the life spent serving ourselves.

The greatest life is the life completely surrendered to Jesus.