Paul recounts his RELIGIOUS PAST (Galatians 1:13)
concerning how he "PROFITED" in it "ABOVE MINE EQUALS" (Galatians 1:14):
Paul's NOBLE JEWISH LINEAGE - "of the TRIBE of BENJAMIN"
(Philippians 3:5), i.e. the ONE TRIBE GIVEN to Solomon's son (Rehoboam) "that My
servant David may alway have a LIGHT before Me in JERUSALEM" (I Kings 11:34-36 cf.I Kings 12:19-21)
Paul's REVERED RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING - "BROUGHT UP
... AT THE FEET OF GAMALIEL" and "TAUGHT ... THE PERFECT MANNER OF THE LAW" (Acts 22:3)
- note what is recorded of Paul's RELIGIOUS TEACHER, "a PHARISEE, NAMED GAMALIEL, a DOCTOR OF THE LAW, had
in REPUTATION AMONG ALL THE PEOPLE" (Acts 5:34)
Thus, Paul (like his RELIGIOUS TEACHER), was "AN
HEBREW OF THE HEBREWS" and "AS TOUCHING THE LAW, A PHARISEE" (Philippians 3:5)
Paul's "BEING MORE ZEALOUS OF ... TRADITIONS"
(Galatians 1:14) is what FED his "ZEAL, PERSECUTING THE CHURCH" (Philippians 3:6):
Paul declared that "AS TOUCHING THE RIGHTEOUSNESS
which is IN THE LAW", he was "BLAMELESS" (Philippians 3:6) - the Lord called this an OUTWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e. "ACCORDING
TO APPEARANCE" (John 7:24), which "OMITTED the WEIGHTIER MATTERS of the Law" (Matthew 23:23)
The PHARISEES did "INDEED APPEAR BEAUTIFUL OUTWARD",
BUT were "WITHIN FULL OF ... ALL UNCLEANNESS" (Matthew 23:27)
The PHARISEES - OUTWARDLY "for a PRETENCE make LONG
PRAYER" while SECRETLY they "DEVOUR widows' HOUSES" (Matthew 23:14 cf.Mark 7:9-13)
The "PHARISEES ... who were COVETOUS ... DERIDED
HIM" (Luke 16:14) because HE EXPOSED the RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY of their TRADITION (Mark 7:5-8)
- for the PHARISEES "SAY AND DO NOT" (Matthew 23:1-3)
Thus, Paul in his RELIGIOUS PAST as a PHARISEE - "BEYOND
MEASURE PERSECUTED the Church of God, and WASTED it" (Galatians 1:13) and "did it IGNORANTLY in UNBELIEF" (I Timothy 1:13)
- as ALSO did his MURDERING countrymen (Acts 3:14-15,17)
The SAME MEANS of CALLING is BY GOD'S GRACE to ALL BELIEVERS:
PAST believing Jewish REMNANT CHOSEN BY GRACE (Romans 11:2-4)
and a LIKE believing Jewish REMNANT CHOSEN BY GRACE "AT THIS PRESENT TIME" (Romans 11:1,5-6)
GENTILES under "the DISPENSATION of the GRACE of
God" (Ephesians 3:1-2) are "CALLED according to His own PURPOSE and GRACE" (II Timothy 1:9)
Paul states that God's PURPOSE in CALLING him was to BOTH
"REVEAL HIS SON IN ME, that I might PREACH HIM AMONG THE HEATHEN" (Galatians 1:16):
God REVEALED the RESURRECTION POWER of His Son through
Paul's PHYSICAL WEAKNESS (II Corinthians 12:7-10)
God REVEALS that SAME RESURRECTION POWER of His Son through
His people's PHYSICAL WEAKNESS (II Corinthians 4:6-11)
Under the GENTILE "DISPENSATION of the GRACE of God"
(Ephesians 3:1-2) - God REVEALS His Son's VICTORY through His people's SUFFERING (Romans 8:35-37)
- with ETERNAL GLORY to follow (II Corinthians 4:16-18)
Paul's "PREACHING of Jesus Christ according to the
REVELATION of the MYSTERY" (Romans 16:25) is to the GENTILES (II Timothy 4:17) during "THIS PRESENT TIME" (Romans 11:5) of NATIONAL ISRAEL'S "SLUMBER" and "BLINDNESS"
(Romans 11:7-8,25-26)
This "DISPENSATION of God" (Colossians 1:25)
concerning "the MYSTERY which hath been HID FROM AGES AND GENERATIONS" (Colossians 1:26):
It reveals "the RICHES of the GLORY of this MYSTERY
AMONG THE GENTILES ... CHRIST IN YOU, the HOPE of GLORY" (Colossians 1:27)
Paul states that "IMMEDIATELY" AFTER his CONVERSION
- "I CONFERRED NOT with flesh and blood" (Galatians 1:16):
Paul, the HARDENED PERSECUTOR of his BELIEVING COUNTRYMEN
(Acts 8:3-4;Acts 9:1-2),
was PHYSICALLY BLINDED for THREE DAYS (Acts 9:8-9):
His INFLICTED PHYSICAL BLINDNESS (Acts 9:8-9)
MIRRORED his PAST SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS due to the IGNORANCE of UNBELIEF (I Timothy 1:13)
His UNBELIEVING COUNTRYMEN also IGNORANTLY KILLED their
MESSIAH (Acts 3:14-15,17)
Pharaoh, the FIRST OPPRESSOR of Paul's PHYSICAL ANCESTORS,
also SUFFERED with NO LIGHT for THREE DAYS along with his people (Exodus 10:21-23) - due to his HARDENED HEART in response to GOD'S MERCY (Exodus 8:15;Exodus 10:19-20)
AFTER having his SIGHT RESTORED, Paul DID NOT RETURN to
Jerusalem and he DID NOT MEET with the other apostles (Galatians 1:17)
AFTER Paul's THREE YEARS IN ARABIA AND his RETURN TO DAMASCUS
(Galatians 1:17-18), Paul was INTRODUCED TO the JERUSALEM DISCIPLES by Barnabas (Acts 9:26-28):
This JERUSALEM VISIT lasted only 15 days (Galatians 1:18)
because it was CUT SHORT BY a discovered MURDER PLOT (Acts 9:29)
During this BRIEF VISIT - Paul LODGED WITH the APOSTLE
PETER and ALSO SAW JAMES, "the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:19):
This James was NOT the APOSTLE JAMES (the brother of the
Apostle John) who was executed by Herod (Acts 12:1-2)
This James, "the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:19)
- BECAME Peter's TRUSTED COWORKER (Acts 12:16-17) as well as a TRUSTED OVERSEER of the Jerusalem assembly (Acts 15:13,19)
Paul's insistence on the TRUTHFULNESS of "the things
which I write unto you ... BEFORE GOD, I LIE NOT" (Galatians 1:20), i.e. on the TRUTHFULNESS about his DIVINE CALLING being NOT OF HUMAN
ORIGIN (Galatians 1:15-16) - this is CONFIRMED BY THE ACTS RECORD:
"I PROFITED in the Jews' religion ... being MORE
EXCEEDINGLY ZEALOUS of the traditions of my fathers" (Galatians 1:14 cf.Acts 5:34;Acts 22:3) and so "I verily THOUGHT ... that I OUGHT to DO MANY THINGS CONTRARY
TO the NAME of ... JESUS" (Acts 26:9), i.e. TO the NAME of the ONE that EXPOSED the HYPOCRISY of these TRADITIONS
(Matthew 15:2-3,6;Mark 7:3,5,8-9,13)
Thus, it was as the Lord stated to Ananias, "he is
a CHOSEN VESSEL UNTO ME ... for I WILL SHOW HIM what great things he must suffer FOR MY NAME'S SAKE" (Acts 9:15-16)
Paul's HOME was "TARSUS, a CITY in Cilicia ... NO
MEAN CITY" (Acts 21:39;Acts 22:3)
CILICIA must have been a NOTABLE ROMAN PROVINCE - for
when the ROMAN GOVERNOR HEARD that Paul was of CILICIA - he GRANTED Paul a HEARING (Acts 23:34-35)
There are TWO REASONS for Paul's LEAVING JERUSALEM and
RETURNING HOME:
The IMMEDIATE REASON was the discovery of the HUMANLY
DEVISED MURDER PLOT (Acts 9:29-30)
The DIVINE REASON was GOD'S ANSWER TO ISRAEL'S REJECTION
OF MESSIAH (Acts 22:17-21):
PAUL was raised up as "the APOSTLE of the GENTILES"
(Romans 11:13) to proclaim "the GOSPEL of the GRACE of God" (Acts 20:24)
to the GENTILES (Galatians 2:2)
"God hath concluded ... ALL IN UNBELIEF, that He might have
MERCY UPON ALL" (Romans 11:32):
PAUL was SAVED to be a DIVINE "PATTERN" of "ALL
LONGSUFFERING" (I Timothy 1:16) in "THIS PRESENT EVIL AGE" (Galatians 1:4):
"VESSELS of WRATH" are being ENDURED (Romans 9:22)
"VESSELS of MERCY" are being MADE KNOWN (Romans 9:23)
PAUL "was UNKNOWN BY FACE unto all the churches IN
JUDEA" (Galatians 1:22):
He LED "a GREAT PERSECUTION against the church which
was AT JERUSALEM" (Acts 8:1,3), which resulted in MANY of the DISCIPLES being "SCATTERED ABROAD
THROUGHOUT ... JUDEA AND SAMARIA" (Acts 8:1,4-5)
He was ARRESTED and STOPPED by the Lord (Acts 9:3-6)
WHILE seeking to continue his persecution OUTSIDE OF JERUSALEM (Acts 9:1-2)
PAUL, the man who "NOW PREACHED THE FAITH WHICH HE
ONCE DESTROYED" (Galatians 1:23) - the results:
"THEY GLORIFIED GOD IN ME" (Galatians 1:24)
- "FOR HE SPOKE BOLDLY IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS" (Acts 9:29)
"THEN HAD THE CHURCHES REST THROUGHOUT ALL JUDEA,
AND GALILEE AND SAMARIA" (Acts 9:31)