Seek or Destroy--Acts 9-10

SEEK OR DESTROY?

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE?

What does it take for people to change their lives?

What are some life changes you would like to make?

What would it take for you to become a dedicated Christian?

In we see God confronting Saul in an overwhelming way so that he cannot refuse the evidence and the commission that he now understands.

Does God overwhelm us?

Can we seek God without God prompting us?

Would we seek God without God’s prompting? Is that prompting natural or supernatural?

Is there a difference between natural and supernatural with God?

In and 10, Luke presented us with a contrast between someone who sought to destroy Christ and someone who sought to submit to Christ.

SEEK TO DESTROY

begins with the persecution Saul carried out against the Christians (perhaps he tracked them through Stephen). The Greek term διωγμός (diōgmos), usually translated as “persecution,” is defined as “a program or process designed to harass and oppress someone” (BDAG).

Saul’s conversion is recorded three times (, , ).

Who initiated Saul’s salvation?

It is interesting that Saul prayed for three days before Ananaias told him what he must do. What are some other events that happened on the third day? (Third day of creation; Joseph’s brothers in prison for three days; Moses asked to go out three days journey from Egypt to worship so Sinai is three days from Egypt; God descended on Sinai on the third day after the people were prepared; Jonah’s three days in the whale; Hosea said the people would be stricken for two days and raised on the third). Is this significant? Most likely. There is no other reason for Saul to providentially be left praying for three days before he is exhorted to be freed from his sin and emerge from death to life in his baptism.

When was the decisive moment?

When Jesus came to Paul?

When Paul prayed?

When Paul was baptized?

Some helpful questions to ascertaining the answer:

When did Paul “call on the name of the Lord?”

When were Paul’s sins forgiven?

When was Paul “ready to go?”

Saul’s immediate actions after his conversion are recorded in .

Saul was selected by Christ to be a special servant to continue the Gentile mission. prophesied Jesus’ work but it includes those, like Paul, who serve “in Christ.” David Peterson notes, “It is implied in Acts that there are aspects of the ministry of the Servant of the Lord that must be carried out by the disciples of Jesus [which were not fully carried out by Jesus himself]. His ‘fulfilment’ of the Servant’s role in his death and resurrection does not exhaust the meaning and application of the Servant Songs in the messianic era.” Paul even quoted when he described his ministry in . is also the passage that was quoted by Jesus in as the basis for the disciples’ mission.

Note: Saul went by both Saul and Paul his name was not changed when he became a Christian (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/no-saul-the-persecutor-did-not-become-paul-the-apostle/).

The Gentiles were, of course, not part of the covenant people of God. Passages like foretold the inclusion of the Gentiles through Christ.

“When he returns to Jerusalem, he is accepted because of the testimony of Barnabas. He assumes the role of Stephen in debating with Hellenistic Jews, who then plot to kill him (9:29; cf. 6:9–11). In Damascus and Jerusalem, the same pattern of preaching, plot, and escape is highlighted (9:20–25, 28–30). This whole section shows how quickly the Lord’s words about Saul in 9:15–16 are fulfilled. The persecutor soon becomes the persecuted!”

SEEK TO BE SAVED

The Gospel spreads in Judea and Samaria.

In , God again takes the initiative in salvation. He speaks to Cornelius. He prepared an evangelist. He prepared the Gospel.

From Paul, Luke turns again to God’s work through Peter who travels through Lydda and Joppa to preach the Gospel (). Gentile inclusion has been hinted at in chapter 8, but chapter 10 introduces us to Cornelius who will be known as the first Gentile convert.

Peter’s vision forces him to come to grips with the replacement of the OT with NT. He is no longer bound to work for ceremonial separation. There were foods associated with idolatry (, ; ; ; ). Those regulations have been removed.

In order to certify the Gentile inclusion, God gives us a “mini Pentecost.” Gladd and Beale summarized this:

Israelite distinctives or national emblems are no longer required to join the covenant community; faith in the risen Christ is the only requirement. finishes on a high note with the Gentiles experiencing a “mini Pentecost '' and fulfilling the prophecy about the Spirit to Israel (). God truly admits the Gentiles into his Israelite family through faith in Jesus. Peter’s speech in underscores the “good news of peace” that takes place through the person of Christ and is a direct fulfillment of the promised endtime peace that the Old Testament anticipated (see ; ).”

The miraculous event in mirrors the miraculous event of . These types of events are never mentioned again in the NT. These types of events should not be expected today. Remember that there is only one baptism now ().

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE?

What would it take for God to overwhelm your life? Does he actually have to overwhelm you like he did with Paul? Does God still operate in that way? Did God operate in that way typically even in the first century? Does God use “normal” events like suffering, people, etc. to call us to himself? Should we wait for God to do something amazing before we submit to our God?

WHO IS PAUL?

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Paul, The Apostle,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1621–1622.

Date of Birth. Little is known of Paul’s life prior to the events discussed in Acts. He is first mentioned in chapter 7 in connection with the execution of Stephen. According to verse 58, “the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” The term “young man” probably indicates someone in his 20s, though this is uncertain.

The events mentioned in may have occurred as early as ad 31 if Jesus’ death took place during the Passover of ad 30. On the other hand, if Jesus’ death is dated in the year 33 then those events could have taken place no earlier than 34, but no later than 37. (, states that when Paul escaped from Damascus that city was being ruled by the Nabataean king Aretas, who died in the year 40. Since, according to , , Paul left Damascus three years after his conversion, the year 37 must be regarded as the latest possible date for Stephen’s death.)

Using the year 34 as an approximate date for the time when Saul is described as a “young man,” and assuming that Saul was no older than 30 years at that time, then it can be concluded his birth took place no earlier than ad 4. And since it is very unlikely that he was younger than 20, ad 14 can be set as the latest possible date for his birth. This conclusion is supported by the knowledge that Paul studied under the famous Gamaliel I (), who according to some scholars became a member of the Sanhedrin about ad 20. If Paul was 15 years old when he entered the school, the range of ad 4–14 for his birth fits all the information available. So it can be said with a degree of accuracy that Saul was born in the city of Tarsus about ad 9, but any estimates about his age should allow a leeway of 5 years either way.

Upbringing. The city of Tarsus was a major population center in the province of Cilicia in the southeastern region of Asia Minor. Lying on a significant commercial route, Tarsus felt the influence of current cultural movements, particularly Stoic philosophy. It is difficult to determine to what extent Greek thought affected Paul as a child. There is a possibility that his family had become “Hellenized”-after all, Paul was born a Roman citizen (it is not know how his father or ancestors acquired citizenship, though military or other notable service is a strong possibility); accordingly, he was given not only a Hebrew name (Shaul) but also a Roman cognomen (Paulus, though some have argued that he adopted this Roman name at a later point). At any rate, the fact that in his letters he shows great ease in relating to Gentiles suggests that he obtained a Greek education while in Tarsus.

On the other hand, he describes himself as one “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews” (), and such a characterization, particularly the last phrase, perhaps served to distinguish him from those Jews in the Dispersion who freely adopted Greek ways. Moreover, according to , he was actually brought up in Jerusalem (possibly in his sister’s house, cf. ), and some scholars infer from that statement that Paul was brought up in a totally Jewish environment from earliest childhood.

It is worthwhile pointing out that Gamaliel is represented in later rabbinic literature as a teacher who had considerable appreciation for Greek culture. Besides, soon after his conversion, Paul spent at least 10 years ministering in Tarsus and its environs (cf. ; ; ; see below). These questions are interesting for more than historical reasons. One of the most basic issues debated among modern interpreters of Paul is whether he should be viewed primarily as a Greek or as a Hebrew. The latter position has, with good reason, become more and more prominent, but the strong Hellenistic elements that formed part of the apostle’s total character should not be overlooked.

From Pharisaism to Christianity. In addition to the statement in , Paul makes some biographical comments in , : “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” It is clear that Paul had made a total religious commitment to his Pharisaic heritage. But what precisely did that mean? The difficulty in answering that question arises from two problems. One is the issue of how 1st-century Pharisaism should be characterized; the other is the debate that has raged over the relation between Paul’s religious background and his conversion to Christianity.