As a result …
Summary: The first three words of this passage open the door to looking back through time at the beginning of our human history.
I thought we might start this next verse with the first three words, “As a result…”
Paul has just pointed out that what has happened to him has actually been good — from a certain point of view.
And that, my friends, is where the rubber hits the road. Whose point of view are we going to use?
Ever since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, mankind has had a problem answering this question.
When God made Adam, there was only one point of view. Everything Adam did aligned perfectly with God’s will. God’s instructions were simple:
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)
That kinda sounds like a vacation to me.
Then, along came the serpent, who tempted Eve to do the one thing God had forbidden them to do (Genesis 3:1-13). As a result … the vacation was over, and both Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden. Both of them discovered why God told them NOT to touch the forbidden tree.
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:17)
Now, thanks to their rebellion, the ground was cursed and weeds grew everywhere. Sickness and misfortune became part of our lives. Worse, having rejected God’s will, humanity became “like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). The “evil” was putting ourselves above God and above each other.
As a result … conflict ensued. Fighting, disagreements, envy, sexual abuse, and thievery all became part of the human experience.
As a result of that … we needed a Savior. We needed Jesus to make it so we could come home again (Luke 15:11-32).
Finally, as a result of all that, Jesus chose Paul, aka Saul, to be his “chosen instrument” (Acts 9:15) to bring the Good News of new life in Christ to all those who would listen.
Unfortunately, as a result of all these things, there was a cost associated with bringing this Good News to the world. Paul had to suffer a great deal in order to carry out the Lord’s command (Acts 9:16).
Application: When we feel like complaining about how hard life is, it helps to look back through history and realize all the pain in the world is a result of our own sin.
Food for Thought: How did God use the people who suffered under Saul’s persecutions to shape Saul into the person he became?
How did God use the people who suffered under Saul’s persecutions to shape Saul into the person he became?
It’s a tough question because it requires a bit of speculation.
I know that in Acts 2:9-11 Paul said:
9 I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”
If we take a moment to reflect on this passage, it paints a very dark picture: “locked up…saints in prison”, “put to death”, “tried to make them blaspheme”, “in raging fury…I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”
I think there are a few things to draw from in that passage in relation to Paul’s mindset before and after Paul’s conversion:
Paul had a deep hatred toward Christ. If we say that the Pharisees gave birth to a spirit of hatred toward the Gospel of Christ, so much so they crucified Him, then Paul was certainly allowing that spirit to grow within him. Jesus was no longer physically on the Earth, so Paul went after His believers. But in persecuting the believers He saw that they were willing to endure many horrible things in the name of Christ. He saw that there was more to the Gospel of Christ than a trending philosophy. He also may have realized that his (Paul’s) efforts to stomp out the fire only scattered the coals, creating more opportunities to share the Gospel for the believers. So after his conversation, he may have looked back on that time and found confidence in the resolution of those He once tried to silence. He saw how the hope that Christ brings can fortify and strengthen mankind in the face of horrible persecution. When Paul wrote this: Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” Paul saw this as a living testimony of the Gospel of Christ.
Chris,
Excellent & reasonable speculations! What Paul saw was more than words of faith, he saw their deeds, too.
Thank you for the devotion. And good thoughts as usual CH.
One passage that I think helps draw back the curtain to Paul’s psyche is 1 Corinthians 15: 9 – 11: For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
The past persecutor who was Paul is gone. But that past still seemed to motivate him to live for Christ in the present. Paul realized his need for grace. He was humbled by his past and motivated to work hard to proclaim this grace that had changed his life and given him true purpose. In that, he is a good example for us.
Thanks, Rich.
I agree. The humility of having done the things he did likely never left Paul. Like David’s lament in Psalm 51.
Thanks Guy’s!
How did God use the people who suffered under Saul’s
persecutions to shape Saul into the person he became?
Persecution led by Saul had a great impact on the early Christian community causing many believers to flee Jerusalem, which contributed to the spread of the Gospel beyond Judea. This brought growth of the early church and the fulfillment of Jesus’ command to be His witness’s.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Acts 8:4
As an eager church persecutor, Saul ( Paul ) was an unlikely candidate for salvation. God’s grace transformed his heart as Jesus called Saul to take the gospel to the Gentiles which began his future ministry reaching the nations.
Jesus appeared in power, His light blinded Saul and asked him, “Why do you persecute me?” Acts 9:4.
Jesus had Saul taken to Ananias who lived in Damascus. In fear for his life, Ananias healed Saul’s blindness and Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:17
At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. Acts 9:20
Sauls preaching went to proving!
Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 9:22
In Jerusalem, Barnabas took Paul and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. Acts 9:27
1 Timothy 1:13-14, Paul writes, Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s past persecutions of Christians heavily influenced his later ministry and writings. He frequently referred to his former life as a testament to the grace and mercy of God, and his transformation from a persecutor to an apostle and is an eternal example of the power of the Gospel to change lives.
Thank you, Ron!
I love how you remind us that Paul’s past pointed to the power of God’s love, grace and mercy!! So true!!