Posted on 11/12/2021 4:04:53 AM PST by The Ignorant Fisherman
Tell me, before Paul was chosen, how many times did Christ meet with Gentiles before his crucifiction. Did he not tell his apostles to go not unto the way of the Gentiles? I submit during his life, death, burial, crucifiction and ascendence, he was the Jewish Messiah, which was rejected by them. With Paul, a new and entirely different chapter is opened, and now, finally, the Christian outreach is to the world.
I agree that “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” and that Jesus went *first* to the Jews, as God’s promises had declared. BUT - BIG BUT - God in no way was ignorant of opportunity, such as Man would be, until Paul the greatest human came along. No. God is omniscient and knew that the Jews, His chosen people SOLELY because of the promise to Abraham, His friend, He would keep - BUT, as we know through Paul’s epistles, that God’s promise to Abraham to increase his offspring as the stars of Heaven and the sands of the shores was NOT just the Jews but Gentiles too. God knew all along. So, Jesus’ work was *first* to the Jews as a fulfillment of promise, but, Jesus, being 100% God while ALSO being 100% Human also knew of His Father’s plan to also proclaim the Gospel of FREE salvation to the WHOLE world, Jews first, then Gentiles. Unconditionally. A fool’s game, but let’s play it - IF the Jews accepted Christ as Messiah - would God have stopped there? NO. Because, again, Jesus’ own words, God sent His Son to save the WHOLE world - not JUST the Jews.
Therefore, God, in His amazing wisdom that Man counts as foolishness, used Paul, a strong antagonist against the young Christian body, in his righteous zeal (SELF-righteous), in that God would teach Paul (Saul) a profound lesson about works of Man, cloaked in piety and zeal, they are worthless. ALL Saul’s ‘wisdom’ was worthless. All Saul’s religious training was worthless. All Saul’s standing in the community and with the elders was worthless. THIS was the lesson God taught Paul(Saul) - as Paul so gladly admits. All his works were like dung. Point being - God brings low the proud and exalts the humble. Saul was a classic case of Religious Superiority. Not until he met Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Ancient of Days, Creator of all things, did Paul now know that he was nothing - just another flawed proud human being that needed Christ. He learned to die to self. Thus was why Paul’s ministry great. Because he devoided himself daily of Self as God.
amen.
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