Welcome!
Lately, we have been talking about God’s character. He is always the same and never changes. God is Love. He is gracious and compassionate toward you. Today, I want to offer a little encouragement that God loves you, accepts you, and has made you righteous. Sometimes we find this hard to believe, but anytime you look at yourself and think it can’t be true, just stop and think about the Apostle Paul.
You may know Paul as the preacher to the Gentiles, the apostle Jesus appeared to on the road to Damascus, or the author of more than half the New Testament. In other words, a spiritual giant. And he was. All those things are true. But he wasn’t always that way.
Saul’s Hatred
When we first meet Paul, he is not an apostle filled with the love of God, preaching the Gospel to the nations. He is Saul, a Pharisee, who hates Christians and hates Jesus with a blinding, rage-filled hate. It is not an irritated dislike or a burning anger, but a crazed, uncontrolled, murderous hate. He makes it his personal mission to hunt down Christians, men and women, and throw them in prison for their belief in Jesus. His hate is so strong, he isn’t content to persecute Christians in Jerusalem, where he lives. No, he decides to go to the high priest and ask for letters authorizing him to arrest Christians in Damascus as well. You see, Damascus was a thriving trade city where Christians could tell the Gospel to travelers, who would quickly spread it to other parts of the world. Saul, the zealous Pharisee, cannot let that happen.
So Saul sets out for Damascus, intent on arresting more Christians. But when he and his traveling companions get close to the city, a blinding light flashes! Saul falls to the ground and hears Jesus speaking, asking why he is persecuting Him. In fear, Saul asks the heavenly voice who He is. Jesus answers, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:5, 6 NIV). When Saul stands up, he is blind. His companions have to lead him to the city. He remains blind for three days.
Saul’s Redemption
Meanwhile, Jesus appears to a Christian named Ananias and tells him to go lay hands on Saul so he can see again. Ananias balks. He tells the Lord that he has heard from many people about Saul and all the evil things he has done in Jerusalem. He adds that Saul’s reason for coming to Damascus is to arrest more Christians. But Jesus tells Ananias to go to Saul because He has chosen him to take His Name to the Gentiles, and kings, and the nation of Israel.
Ananias obeys Jesus, goes to Saul, and prays for him. Scales fall from Saul’s eyes and he can see again. He is filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized in water, which is a public confession of his belief in Jesus as the Messiah. He immediately starts proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God. He zealously preaches Jesus in Damascus and then in Jerusalem. So zealously, that the Jews who were formerly his allies, plot to kill him. To protect Saul, the disciples in Jerusalem send him to Tarsus, his hometown.
Paul’s Ministry
Many years later, Barnabas, a fellow Christian, goes to Tarsus to find Saul. He takes Saul to Antioch where a new church has recently started. Together, they minister there for a year, teaching the new converts. It is from this place that Saul and Barnabas are sent out on missionary journeys to preach the Gospel. Saul eventually becomes known as Paul, the Roman form of his name. He tirelessly works to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When he can’t be with the people he has taught and ministered to, he writes letters to them to answer questions, strengthen them, and reinforce the foundational teachings he first gave them. This is how Saul, the hate-filled Pharisee, becomes Paul, the love-filled Apostle.
Occasionally in his letters, Paul looked back on his life before Jesus. He remembered those days of hate and violence. Because of his past life, he said he was “…less than the least of all God’s people…” (Ephesians 3:8). If there was anyone who had reason to question that God loved him, accepted him, and had made him righteous, it was Paul. But he trusted God and believed that he was a new creation, an apostle by the will of God, and made righteous through Jesus’ sacrifice (II Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:1, Romans 3:22, 8:10, I Corinthians 1:30, II Corinthians 5:21).
The Main Point
If you ever have a hard time believing God loves you, accepts you, and has made you righteous, remember the life of Paul the Apostle. Before Paul met Jesus, he was an evil man, a murderer of God’s people. In his own words, he was “…a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man…” and, “…the worst of sinners…” (I Timothy 1:13, 16). If God could love and accept Paul and make him righteous, how much more does He do the same for you?
I will leave you with these words of Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Read them here and from the Bible. Meditate on them over the next several days, reminding yourself that they are for you personally.
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 was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
I Timothy 1:13-16
Have you ever had a time when God reminded you of His love for you? Tell me about it in the comments below!