The Humanity of Paul

(Philippians 3:4-7 KJV) "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: {5} Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; {6} Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. {7} But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

Paul visited Jerusalem five times in his lifetime. He trained in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. He was saved in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-30):

(Acts 9:26-30 KJV) "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. {27} But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. {28} And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. {29} And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. {30} Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus."

And began his ministry there. Except for Barnabas, the Jews were afraid of Paul for the way he had persecuted the Church.

Paul was trained under the great Jewish Scholar, Gamaliel, the most outstanding rabbinical teacher of that time (Acts 22:3; 5:34). Gamaliel was the grandson of Hillel, the founder of the foremost influential rabbinical school of Judaism. Gamaliel was also the president of the Sanhedrin, succeeding his father. Though Paul was born in the City of Tarsus (Acts 22:3) located in the Roman province of Cilicia (now known as part of modern Turkey), and by this birth was legally a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37-38; 22:25-29), his extensive training and previous friendships in Jerusalem are what put him in the “Who’s Who” of Israel. He was circumcised EXACTLY as Jewish Law prescribed, pure Jew, and an eloquent speaker. He had memorized the Law of God and, if anyone COULD have been saved by the Law (which is an impossibility), Paul would have been saved by the Law. He was the youngest Pharisee ever, and trusted (before his defection) implicitly by the Sanhedrin.

Paul had many advantages in the flesh, and believed that he could reach his brethren in Jerusalem. Paul planned on being in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost:

(Acts 20:16 KJV) "For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost."

Why did Paul want to be in Jerusalem at Pentecost? In order to explore this, we need to understand what Pentecost actually is, and its significance to the Jew AND the Church.

Deuteronomy 16:9-12 "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. [10] And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: [11] And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. [12] And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondsman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes."

The Feast of Weeks was designed to be a time of thanksgiving to God for all that He had done for His people Israel. It was called "Weeks" {shabuwa` [shaw-boo'-ah]} because it was celebrated seven weeks from the time they began to harvest their grain in March/ April, as the text tells us:

Deuteronomy 16:9 "Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn."

The Feast of Weeks went by several other names. It was called "Feast of The Harvest":

Exodus 23:16 "... the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field ... "

Numbers 28:26 "... Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation ..."

And Jewish tradition named it "Day of Conclusion" or "Conclusion". We, however, know the Feast by it's New Testament name, "Pentecost". This name was given to the Feast based on the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Old Testament at the time of Christ) translation of the word "Fifty", found in:

Leviticus 23:16 "... shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD."

Exodus 19:1-3 "IN THE THIRD MONTH, WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE GONE FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. [2] For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. [3] And Moses went up unto God ..... "

In the THIRD Month, the month of Sivan (June, our timeframe), Israel received the Ten Commandments on stone tablets for the FIRST time from God. Pentecost celebrated the freeing and formalized founding of Israel as a nation because of the Gift of the Law that God had given them. Though Israel was called out to be the people of God prior to the giving of the Law, that giving of the Law formally established Israel as a national entity.

The giving of the Law was not, in reality, a cause for celebration. The Law was given to Israel because that people kept rejecting God’s Grace (as we have studied before). The Law for Israel had several purposes:

a. The Law existed as a schoolmaster to teach Israel that she NEEDED to rely on the Grace of God for their salvation. As you know, Israel went into apostasy and began to worship a false god (the golden calf) while Moses was on the Mount receiving the Law the first time. Scripture tells us:

Exodus 32: 19-29 "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. [20] And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it]. [21] And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? [22] And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they [are set] on mischief. [23] For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. [24] And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break [it] off. So they gave [it] me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. [25] And when Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies:) [26] Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the LORD'S side? [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. [27] And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. [28] And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there FELL OF THE PEOPLE THAT DAY ABOUT THREE THOUSAND MEN."

Because three thousand people refused to return to God, to worship of the One True Creator, three thousand men died! Though it is a harsh thing that we do not like to think about, our Lord demands obedience of His followers. When we disobey His best will for us, when we reject His Word, His leading, His nail pierced hand, then we bring misery on ourselves and others.

b. The Law existed to give Israel the nation governing rules, national rules under the Theocracy of God. Every nation needs a framework from which it must operate, and the Law gave Israel a framework for operation. In that sense the Law FORMALLY set Israel up as a Theocracy, though Israel had been the chosen of God prior to the giving of the Law (see Exodus 3:10; 5:1; 7:4; 7:16; 8:1; 8:20, et al). Though the Creator knew that Israel would soon reject the Theocracy (God's reign) and demand that she have a king like all other nations (1 Samuel 8:5-6), He still established the Law as a common force of government over that backslidden nation. In Grace God would abdicate His Throne over Israel (for a time anyway) in order to give her the King she demanded, (King Saul) though He would still demand that Israel follow the established Law of God.

c. Pentecost as a festival within the Law was given to remind Israel that they were God’s chosen people, chosen by Grace. Israel would continue to reject God’s Grace, and would continue to fail God’s Law. Listen, Beloved, for the Hyperdispensationalist will never understand this, but you can! Just as Israel was established as a chosen people by God prior to the giving of the Law, and just as God gave the Law to formally establish the Age of Israel, when Israel continued to reject Messiah God would use a future Pentecost to formally establish the Church Age. The Church would exist prior to the Day of Pentecost, but the Church Age would formally be removed from under the Law and placed under the Law of the Spirit on Pentecost.

Israel, God's called out and holy Nation, would reject the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ came to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17), came to be the Lamb of God trapped in the rushes for Isaac (Genesis 22:8-13), rather than rejoicing over this sacrifice unbelieving Israel became the MEANS of sacrificing the Lamb. Rather than heed the Word of God, Israel refused the Word, and was instrumental in nailing Him to the cruel tree. The Israelites would cry out,

as they demanded the release of a murderer and the murder of an Innocent. The Apostle Paul tells us that this rejection of Messiah by Israel, the natural Olive Tree, led to the formal GRAFTING IN of the Church as God's chosen people in this day and age. We who were the Wild Tree were grafted in to the promises and provisions of God by faith in Christ Jesus:

Romans 11:17-23 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; [18] Boast not against the branches. (natural Israel) But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. [19] Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. [20] Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, (here is why God established the Church Age on Pentecost - because of Israel's hard heartedness) and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: [21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. [22] Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. [23] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. (the condition is not permanent for, when Israel once more believes on Jesus, Israel will be grafted back in)"

Just as God gave Israel the Law fifty days after the slaughter of the Passover Lambs, thus showing the birth of Israel as a nation, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the New Testament believers on Pentecost , thus showing the birth of the "Wild Olive Tree", the Church of Christ. This is VERY important, and if you understand this point you will avoid the extremes of Hyperdispensational teaching. Hyperdispensationalism teaches that the Church was grafted into the promises of Israel when Paul was converted on Damascus Road (Acts 9), though some who are Ultra-Hyperdispensationalists believe the grafting in of the Church came much later than that. But we who know the truth and understand the flow of and unity of the Scriptures know that Jesus Christ our Lord began grafting the Gentiles into the Olive Tree PRIOR to Pentecost when He said:

(Matthew 28:19-20 KJV) "Go ye therefore, and TEACH ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Jesus would give His Great Commission command to the newly forming Church is the SEVEN WEEKS between the Passover and the Day of Pentecost. Jesus would further ratify this Great Commission by telling the NUCLEUS of the newly forming Church to WAIT for the promise of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

(Acts 1:7-8 KJV) "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. {8} But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in SAMARIA, and UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH."

The disciples, in obedience to our Lord's command, after seeing Jesus ascend into Heaven, left Mount Olivet and went into an upper room in Jerusalem "to wait for the promise of the Lord" (Acts 1:4). Just as Moses ascended the Mountain of God to receive the Law SEVEN WEEKS after Israel was released from bondage, these young disciples ascended to an upper room and began to pray and seek God. They remained in prayer UNTIL THE DAY OF PENTECOST, waiting patiently and faithfully for Jesus' promise.

Acts 2:1 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

Consider the wonderful parallel we see in the Scripture between the setting apart of the Nation Israel by the giving of the Law, and the setting apart of the Church because Israel failed to heed the Grace of God.

Directly after Moses received the Law the first generation of Israel broke the Law - and in so doing brought about the death of 3000 people.

The first generation of the Church, formally established on the Day of Pentecost (just as Israel was formally established as a nation on the Day of Pentecost), were of one mind and in one accord both with each other AND WITH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Rather than 3000 people dying, the Scripture tells us in a fantastic parallel:

Acts 2:38-41 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [40] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were ADDED UNTO THEM ABOUT THREE THOUSAND SOULS."

Here then is a truth that we can hold on to from the Feast of Pentecost. When the believer in obedience to the Lord Jesus does as His Word instructs him to do, as we seek and APPLY God's perfect will for us to our lives, we WILL BE blessed. When the believer in disobedience to the Lord Jesus does not do as His Word instructs him to do, as we ignore and FAIL TO APPLY God's perfect will for us to our lives, we WILL BE cursed.

Pentecost reminded the Israelite of the great Grace of God, but at the same time reminded the Israelite of the curse connected with disobeying God's Word.

Pentecost should remind the Church Age believer of the great Grace of God that sent us the precious Holy Spirit to indwell us so we would be empowered to work for our Lord Jesus.

Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost because this special day had great significance for both Israel and the Church. Paul wanted to witness to Israel in the Temple on Pentecost. He wanted to try and lead that nation to God, to emphasize that the Wild Olive Tree was grafted in because of her disobedience – His motives were absolutely pure and right and holy, driven by love. Yet, regardless as to motive, if we step outside of that which the Father has commanded; if we step outside of the Will of God in our lives, then our efforts, no matter how noble, are doomed to failure.

Paul stepped outside of the Will of God when he went to Jerusalem on Pentecost. The motives were driven by love, for I am certain that the Great Apostle saw all the parallels that existed between the formation of Israel the nation and the formation of the Church on that holy day. What better time to go and try and win Israel to Christ? Yet, though his motives were pure, Paul was outside of the Will of God in going to Jerusalem - a condition that became all the more painful when Paul took his Nazarite vow. That Great Apostle allowed the elders of the predominantly Jewish Church in that city to convince him to compromise so as to become “politically correct” in the eyes of his people. He not only took a Nazarite vow along with four others, but he paid for their vows as well. This great compromise did not earn Paul a hearing in the Temple, nor did it win converts to Christ from among Israel. His compromise only WEAKENED the Gospel message by diluting it with ritual. A weakened Gospel cannot lead others to Christ. A diluted, compromised Gospel cannot save even one soul, for to dilute the Gospel is to pervert it. Salvation is truly of God and through His Grace. Pentecost emphasized that great truth.

I have often heard self righteous people say that preachers themselves cannot preach what they are weak in, but this is incorrect. The best preacher is the one who has failed, recovered, and now is speaking from experience. Paul failed because of his great love for Israel. He went to Jerusalem, made a decision to compromise the truth that he knew, and was imprisoned for all his efforts. Paul wrote Ephesians after his imprisonment under the guidance of God the Holy Spirit, and wrote these precious and holy Words:

(Ephesians 5:17 KJV) "Wherefore (dia touto, therefore, because of this. A classical/Attic Greek Prepositional Phrase, an idiom, that is meant to slow the reader down to highlight this area) be ye not (Present Active Imperative ginomai + negative me = stop becoming) unwise, (Predicate Nominative, aphron, stupid, unwise, not thinking) but (alla, Adversative Conjunction, but in contrast to this) understanding (suniemi, Present Active Imperative, to understand and therefore perceive. Keep on understanding {the will of God}) what the will of the Lord is."

The Holy Scripture is full of life stories of people, imperfect people, who erred from God and yet recovered by His Grace. Some, like Moses and David, committed murder for what they thought was a good reason, yet God alone has the right to take life without a trial. Others like Abraham, were cowards while young in the faith (remember how our forefather said of Sarah, "She is my sister"?). Some stood ready to follow the crowd, like Aaron and the golden calf. Others, like Hezekiah, became lackluster in their faith, and had to be threatened with the sin unto death before they would repent. The Adams and Gideons all disbelieved the Word of God, much to their own shame. Then there was the Apostles, Paul included, who thought they knew best what God wanted. Peter who wanted to keep Jesus from the Cross, then later cursed God to save his own skin - and later still tried to inject the Law of circumcision into Grace. The other disciples who scattered while denying Christ, and Thomas who doubted the resurrection. Paul who so loved Israel that he continued to Jerusalem, though he was repeatedly warned not to go.

We can learn something from all these blessed and oh so human saints who came before us. Those who came before came as an example for us. Those who came before, at some time in their lives, failed God - yet He remained faithful to them as promised. Listen beloved! No matter how much we fail, God has a plan for our lives from eternity past. Though we are faithless, He us still faithful.

(2 Timothy 2:13 KJV) "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."

As Paul wrote Ephesians he was in a Roman Prison, in chains, waiting to be seen by Caesar for his failure. Though God had forgiven Paul’s disobedience, Paul’s disobedience – though it was driven by his great love for Israel – set a series of events in motion that would eventually lead to his death. Paul knew this, but he was not falling apart, for God was and will always be in control. Even when we walk a course contrary to God’s Will, God is still in control. Paul was set aside to be the missionary to the Gentile world. Paul knew this, agreed to this calling, and yet later on in his life tried to return to his roots to preach the Gospel. The result was that God allowed Paul to be imprisoned and, while in this imprisonment, Paul was MADE to preach among the Gentiles.

The will of God can be either DIRECTIVE, PERMISSIVE, or OVERRULING. In the Directive Will of God we do as God directs, and thus glorify Jesus and earn reward. Yet there are times when God allows the believer to walk, within his free will, out of the Directive Will of God – this is His Permissive Will. Yet we can only go so far out of His Will before He reminds us of an established fact. God is still sovereign, and still controls events to create the outcome that He desires. When the carnal believer walks so far out of the Directive Will of God, living in the Permissive Will of God, eventually God will take free will out of the picture and the Overruling Will of God takes over. God will be God, and will have the final outcome that He desires!

Paul wrote the following from Rome – not as the Bishop of the Roman Church, but as a prisoner of Rome:

(Philippians 3:18 KJV) "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:"

(Philippians 3:19 KJV) "Whose end is destruction, ^{1
John 5:16} whose God is their belly, (emotion, 2836, koilia, koy-lee'-ah; from koilos ("hollow"); a cavity, i.e. (spec.) the abdomen; by impl. The matrix; fig. the heart:--belly) and whose glory is in their shame, (refers to loss of reward at Judgment Seat of Christ) who mind earthly things.)"

Paul spoke here, weeping, of those who allowed emotion to control their lives rather than the Word of God. Perhaps Paul wept for himself, for he himself had fallen into the same trap at Jerusalem – allowing emotion to direct him away from his God given direction to go to Rome. Paul stepped outside of the will of God when he went to Jerusalem, but God’s Will nonetheless reigned supreme. Paul still came to Rome, not as he should have been if he had pursued his calling as Apostle to the Gentiles and perhaps as Bishop of the Church in Rome, but as a prisoner, forced into obedience by the Overruling Will of God. Emotion is not a part of the spiritual life of the believer, though good emotion is not forbidden. The spiritual life of the believer is tied up in the Word of God, the Holy Bible, and the study of its doctrines.

(Romans 8:38-39 KJV) "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, {39} Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Believers are punished for disobeying Father’s Will in our lives. Believers are called the walk within the Will of God, no matter who they are, no matter how high up they feel they are within the hierarchy of the Church. Yet even in punishment, the believer is never separated from the all encompassing love of God our Father.

And, in each of those six epistles, Paul understood clearly that it was God’s Will for him to go to Rome and to the Gentile community. Yet he went to Jerusalem anyway, effectively putting his ministry on hold for a time.

But when Paul was imprisoned, starting at his capture in Jerusalem, he refocused on his calling. At that point he began to be used by God the Holy Spirit again as he wrote epistles to the Church of God:

Between 65-68 AD Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment, this being alluded to in:

(2 Timothy 4:16-17 KJV) "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. {17} Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion."

Paul was, for a time, "delivered out of the mouth of the lion". Following his release by the Roman Empire Paul spent approximately three or four years traveling among the Gentiles as God called him to do. He evangelized in Crete, Nicopolis, Troas, Miletus and Corinth..

(Acts 28:28 KJV) "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."

Paul had future intentions to travel and preach to the Gentiles after his final release from Roman imprisonment. Eusebius (the church historian who lived from A.D. 265-340) recorded that the Apostles passed beyond the ocean to the isles called the Britannic Isles, a fulfillment of the prophecy found in:

(Isaiah 42:1-12 KJV) "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. {2} He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. {3} A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. {4} He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. {5} Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: {6} I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; {7} To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. {8} I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. {9} Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. {10} Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. {11} Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. {12} Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands."

Yet Paul's release was only temporary. You see, when he went to Jerusalem and started a riot by his presence, Paul, as a Roman citizen, appealed that his case be heard before Caesar:

(Acts 25:7-12 KJV) "And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. {8} While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. {9} But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? {10} Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. {11} For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar. {12} Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go."

Paul would have been better off had he heeded the words of King David who, when offered punishment by the Lord for numbering the armies of Israel, said:

(2 Samuel 24:14 KJV) "... I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man."

When Paul appealed his case to Caesar he placed himself in the hands of man, and set into motion the great system of Roman jurisprudence. Though released while waiting for audience before Caesar, Paul was again arrested by the Roman authorities in A.D. 67-68 and was returned to Rome for a second imprisonment. It was during this time that he wrote 2 Timothy, and within that writing noted that he felt that his life and ministry were now over. His words would prove prophetic:

(2 Timothy 4:6-8 KJV) "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. {7} I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: {8} Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

What can we learn from the life of the Apostle Paul? We can learn a great deal. We can learn that only One was ever perfect and sinless, and that One was and is Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, like all of us who are saved by the Grace of God, was NOT perfect and sinless. He was a man, just like any man, who was called to an office that he neither earned nor deserved, the office of Apostle. Yet this is God’s Way, to take the weak and function in strength through them. Was Paul perfect? No, for by his own words he states:

(Philippians 3:12-17 KJV) "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. {13} Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, {14} I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. {15} Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. {16} Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. {17} Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample."

The word that the King James translates “perfect” is the Greek teleioo (Strong’s G5048), which means “finished, fulfilled, (made) perfect, completed”. Paul was not perfect or complete in this life. He was not without sin, as our Lord Jesus was. He was a man, as men are men, following after Jesus to the best of his ability in the power of the Spirit. Yet, even in his imperfection, Paul asked that we follow him as he followed Christ. We need to follow Paul, dear Church. Paul did not focus on building buildings and temples for God, but focused on leading the unwanted and the forsaken to Christ. In our day we go into neighborhoods of people that look like us and talk like us and walk like us in order to build up Churches that are filled with us. Paul went outside of his "comfort zone" an appealed to the lowest common denominator, the poorest white trash, the most debased person of color, and offered Christ to any and all who would listen. Though he was of the aristocracy, a Jew among Jews, a high ranking Roman citizen, he ...

(Philippians 3:8-10 KJV) "... count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, {9} And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: {10} That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"

Paul had a phenomenal ministry, not because he was perfect, but because, when he erred, he recognized the error before God, confessed it as sin, and moved on in his walk with the Lord. This is a lesson that we should learn from Paul’s life: When we sin (and we will, at one time or another, sin and step outside of God’s Will), then we MUST confess our failure before God in the name of Jesus and move on in Christ. Dwelling on the failure has no redemptive value. Browbeating and self condemnation has no value whatsoever. Recognize that you sinned, confess your sin and ask forgiveness in the name of Jesus, then MOVE ON. Get about your Father’s business.

There is another great thing we can learn from Paul’s failure and recovery. His failures give me, as a believer, great comfort. Not because I rejoice in Paul’s failures (nor the failure of any believer), but because Paul’s life shows me that God will still work out His Will in my life, just as He did with Paul, if I RECOGNIZE my failures, confess them, and move on in Jesus. We are all human, terribly human – that’s why we need a Savior. That’s why we need and will always need Jesus.

We still need Jesus - that will never change - He is always there - that will never change. Praise His holy name, our blessed Lord Jesus!

Amidst us our Beloved stands,
And bids us view His pierced hands;
Points to His wounded feet and side;
Blest emblems of the crucified.

What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His table sits the Lord;
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!

If now with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs but see not Him;
Oh may His love the scales displace,
And bid us see Him face to face!

Our former transports we recount,
When with Him in the Holy Mount;
These cause our souls to thirst anew,
His marr'd by lovely face to view.

Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy preent smile heaven imparts;
Oh lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint thy beauties see!

by His hand and power this day,
September 2, 2002
Pastor David, Didaskalos Ministries