Before we begin in
the book of Romans we need to look at the penman, Paul.
Paul was also known as
Saul.
Saul means asked and this was the name he was using when he was
persecuting the Christians.
The name Paul means little.
His Jewish name was
Saul and his Roman name was Paul.
I personally believe that Saul stopped using
that name when he was saved by Jesus Christ, and used the name Paul from then
on. He was a native of Tarsus, a city of Cilicia.
Paul was Jewish (in fact a
Pharisee). He was from the tribe of Benjamin.
Philippians 3:5
"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;"
Paul was
also a Roman citizen. His father was a Roman.
Paul was
such a controversial figure that I feel our time will be well spent considering
his background. Paul was an educated man. He had studied in Jerusalem in a
Jewish school under Gamaliel. We will see in Paul's teachings some leftovers
from that early learning of the law. Remember Paul was a Roman citizen, from
Tarsus, a Pharisee of the Hebrews. This may explain what he says in
Corinthians.
1
Corinthians 9:19-22 "For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made
myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more." "And unto the
Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the
law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;"
"To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to
God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without
law." "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am
made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some."
This
should make it easier for all of us to understand the seemingly discrepancies
in Paul's writings. He does not say the same thing all the time, because he is
speaking to people who have different customs. Paul tries to reach them at
their level of understanding at the time. He establishes a church in Philippi
with 2 women in high position and then writes the Corinthian church for women
to be silent in church. In this same 1 Corinthians, we read that women should
have their head covered when they prophesy in the church.
1 Corinthians 11:5
"But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with [her] head uncovered
dishonored her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven."
1 Corinthians 11:15
"But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is
given her for a covering."
Paul fights
for the new Christian doctrine of not having to keep the old Mosaic law and
then observes it himself. The reason for this is not that he is doubleminded,
but that as I said, he is keeping the customs of each person he ministers to.
Paul was not a hater of women as many thought, for he travelled with women
ministers who worked with him. When God sent him to Macedonia, he ministered to
the women on the Sabbath and Lydia and her family were saved. He moved into
Lydia's house and established a church there.
Acts 16:12-15
"And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of
Macedonia, [and] a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days."
"And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer
was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted
[thither]." "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of
the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."
"And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought [us], saying,
If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide
[there]. And she constrained us."
It
appears from this that Lydia was a leader of this church in her home.
Paul
never married, but it was not because he hated women but because he was so busy
working for God. All of chapter 7 of first Corinthians is about this very
thing.
Many of the people
of our day have deified Paul and that is very dangerous. It appears to me that
this is very like what the Jews did about John the Baptist. John the Baptist
was more acceptable to the Jews than Jesus was. If we Christians are not careful
we will forget also that Jesus Christ the Son of God is the focal point of the
entire Bible, John the Baptist was a messenger (a truly great servant of God),
but Jesus was the Message. The messenger is not more important than the
Message. Paul was a servant of Jesus as we read in his own words in Romans 1.
Romans 1:1
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God,"
The One
served is greater than the servant. Paul is not at fault in this, we Christians
are. We must worship God alone. Paul's writings are important (some of my
favorites). We certainly do not want to down play them at all. Tremendous
teachings of the basic Christian walk are taught in the books he penned.
Gentiles owe much of their church beginnings to him and Peter.
Paul was
a tentmaker by trade and even worked as a tentmaker while he ministered. He
tried to make his own way so that he was not subject to any particular church.
Philippians 4:12
"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and
in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need."
Paul was
satisfied with whatever he had. He did not complain.
Paul was
a very special man. He went into the desert for 3 years after his encounter
with Jesus and was taught of the Holy Spirit of God.
Galatians 1:16-18
"To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen;
immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:" "Neither went I up
to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and
returned again unto Damascus." "Then after three years I went up
to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days."
Paul was also
carried away into heaven at one point.
2 Corinthians 12:1-5
"It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and
revelations of the Lord." "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot
tell: God knoweth;) such a one caught up to the third heaven." "And I
knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God
knoweth;)" "How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard
unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to
utter." "Of such a one will I glory: yet of myself I will not
glory, but in mine infirmities."
Paul had been an
arrogant man before he met Jesus, but he became humble to the point of calling
himself chief among sinners.
1 Timothy 1:15
"This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
Jesus had called
Paul to a life of suffering.
Acts 9:15-16
"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto
me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of
Israel:" "For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my
name's sake."
We see that Paul
himself lists some of these sufferings in 2 Corinthians.
2 Corinthians
11:23-28 "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I [am] more;
in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in
deaths oft." "Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save
one." "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;" "[In]
journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils
by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the city,
[in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false
brethren;" "In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in
hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness." "Beside
those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all
the churches."
We also see in this
verse above that his greatest suffering was for the churches he started. Some
of these churches were the church at Corinth, the church at Ephesus, and the
church at Philippi.
Paul helped
establish the doctrine for the Christians when he fought so hard the Jews and
even went to Jerusalem to get the last word from Peter stating that believers
in Christ were not to circumcise males and were not to keep the Mosaic law.
Chapter 15 of Acts tells of all they were to do in the way of a doctrine.
Acts 15:20 "But
that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from]
fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood."
Paul's part in the
founding of Christianity must be admired. He went on 3 missionary journeys
establishing churches. He spent more time at Ephesus than any other of these
places. On one visit, he stayed two and one half years there. Much of his
writing was done from Rome where he was under house arrest for a lengthy time.
Paul was a full
apostle of Christ. Apostle means (one sent with a special message). Paul
certainly fell into that category. He not only preached, but healed the sick as
well. Paul covered a great deal of the known world at that time also.
He fulfilled the
commission that Jesus gave in Mark.
Mark 16:15 "And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature."
Paul carried a
company with him everywhere he went to preach.
Philippians 4:3
"And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored
with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and [with] other my fellow laborers,
whose names [are] in the book of life."
We see
also at Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were ordained for their missionary work
together. This can be found (in Acts in chapter 13 and 14). John Mark
ministered for a short time with Paul and Barnabas. Luke (who wrote the books
of Acts), went with Paul on these missionary journeys and even went to Rome
with him. Many times in Acts, Luke (the beloved physician), when he speaks of
Paul`s journeys, says “we”.
Perhaps
Paul was closer to Timothy than any of these others. He loved Timothy so much
that he speaks of him as a son.
2 Timothy 1:2
"To Timothy, [my] dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, [and] peace, from God
the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
This was
not Paul`s son in the flesh, but in the spirit. Paul took Timothy as a youth
and trained him for a minister of Jesus Christ. We would go on and on, like
Dorcas, who many believe helped Paul financially. He was popular among the
followers of Jesus.
Paul was
sorry that he had consented to the stoning of Stephen. He and Peter had a few
differences which were settled quickly. Paul worked diligently for the Lord
Jesus Christ and His church after he received the Lord. At the end Paul was
able to say in 2 Timothy.
2
Timothy 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I
have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at
that
day."
We will finish the
last of verse 8 out in saying O that I might be like Paul and receive this
crown of righteousness.
2 Timothy 4:8
"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."
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