Romans
Romans was written by Paul
PAUL
No person, apart from Jesus himself, shaped the
history of Christianity like the apostle Paul. Even before he was a believer,
his actions were significant. His frenzied persecution of Christians following
Stephen's death got the church started in obeying Christ's final command to
take the gospel worldwide. Paul's personal encounter with Jesus changed his
life. He never lost his fierce intensity, but from then on it was channeled for
the gospel.
Paul was very religious. His training under
Gamaliel was the finest available. His intentions and efforts were sincere. He
was a good Pharisee who knew the Bible and sincerely believed that this
Christian movement was dangerous to Judaism. Thus, Paul hated the Christian
faith and persecuted Christians without mercy.
Paul got permission to travel to Damascus to
capture Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem. But God stopped him in his
hurried tracks on the Damascus road. Paul personally met Jesus Christ, and his
life was never the same.
Until Paul's conversion, little had been done about carrying
the gospel to non-Jews. Philip had preached in Samaria and to an Ethiopian man;
Cornelius, a Gentile, was converted under Peter; and in Antioch of Syria, some
Greeks had joined the believers. When Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to check
on this situation, he went to Tarsus to find Paul and bring him to Antioch, and
together they worked among the believers there. They were then sent on a
missionary journey, the first of three Paul would take that would carry the
gospel across the Roman Empire.
The thorny issue of whether Gentile believers
had to obey Jewish laws before they could become Christians caused many
problems in the early church. Paul worked hard to convince the Jews that
Gentiles were acceptable to God, but he spent even more time convincing the
Gentiles that they were acceptable to God. The lives Paul touched were changed
and challenged by meeting Christ through him.
God did not waste any part of Paul—his
background, his training, his citizenship, his mind, or even his weaknesses.
Are you willing to let God do the same for you? You will never know all he can
do with you until you allow him to have all that you are!
Strengths and accomplishments
• Transformed by God from a persecutor of Christians to a preacher for Christ
• Preached for Christ throughout the Roman Empire on three missionary journeys
• Wrote letters to various churches, which became part of the New Testament
• Was never afraid to face an issue head-on and deal with it
• Was sensitive to God's leading and, despite his strong personality, always did as God directed
• Is often called the apostle to the Gentiles
• Transformed by God from a persecutor of Christians to a preacher for Christ
• Preached for Christ throughout the Roman Empire on three missionary journeys
• Wrote letters to various churches, which became part of the New Testament
• Was never afraid to face an issue head-on and deal with it
• Was sensitive to God's leading and, despite his strong personality, always did as God directed
• Is often called the apostle to the Gentiles
Weaknesses and mistakes
• Witnessed and approved of Stephen's stoning
• Set out to destroy Christianity by persecuting Christians
• Witnessed and approved of Stephen's stoning
• Set out to destroy Christianity by persecuting Christians
Lessons from his life
• The Good News is that forgiveness and eternal life are available to all people and are gifts of God's grace through faith in Christ
• Obedience results from a relationship with God, but obedience will never create or earn that relationship
• Real freedom doesn't come until we no longer have to prove our freedom
• God does not waste our time; he will use our past and present so we may serve him with our future
• The Good News is that forgiveness and eternal life are available to all people and are gifts of God's grace through faith in Christ
• Obedience results from a relationship with God, but obedience will never create or earn that relationship
• Real freedom doesn't come until we no longer have to prove our freedom
• God does not waste our time; he will use our past and present so we may serve him with our future
Vital statistics
• Where: Born in Tarsus but became a world traveler for Christ
• Occupations: Trained as a Pharisee, learned the tent making trade, served as a missionary
• Contemporaries: Gamaliel, Stephen, the apostles, Luke, Barnabas, Timothy
• Where: Born in Tarsus but became a world traveler for Christ
• Occupations: Trained as a Pharisee, learned the tent making trade, served as a missionary
• Contemporaries: Gamaliel, Stephen, the apostles, Luke, Barnabas, Timothy
Key verses
"For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live" (Php_1:21-24).
"For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live" (Php_1:21-24).
Paul's story is told in Acts
7:58-28:31 and throughout his New Testament letters.
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