PAUL’S GOD-GIVEN MISSION

The highest goal for some preachers and theologians seems to be to want to make a name for themselves. They invent some of the most outlandish theories the fertile mind of man can imagine. For example, one Lutheran theologian wrote an article claiming that Paul committed suicide. He tried to prove his thesis from these words in Philippians: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if 1 live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what 1 shall chose I do not know. For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith" (Phil. 1: 21-25). Do you see anything in this passage that even hints at suicide? The truth is it teaches the exact opposite. Paul affirmed: "I know that I shall abide and continue with you all." The word "know" means full knowledge or assurance.

A number of liberal theologians give credit to the Apostle Paul for establishing Christianity. They even speak of "Pauline Christianity." It is certainly true that Paul was one of the greatest preachers and missionaries who ever lived. After he obeyed the gospel, he devoted every waking thought to spreading the kingdom of God. But nobody would have been more disgusted with the view that he was the originator of Christianity than Paul. He always gave credit to the Lord for the church and for his work in spreading the good news of Christ. His words to the churches of Galatia prove that point beyond dispute. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). He told the Corinthians: "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was in me" (1 Cor. 15:10).

What was the mission God assigned to the Apostle Paul? The answer can be found in his trial before King Agrippa. When Paul was brought before King Agrippa, he said to Paul: "You are permitted to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and answered for himself." He then recounted his experience with Christ on the Damascus road. He concluded his speech: "At midday, 0 king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shinning round about me and them who journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise, and stand upon your feet: for I have appeared unto you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness both of these things which you have seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto you; delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I now send you, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in me." Paul told King Agrippa that he was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision (Acts 26:1, 13-19).

The Lord appeared to Paul on the Damascus road to make him a minister and a witness both of these things which he had seen, and of those things in the which the Lord would appear to him (Acts 26:16). The word "minister" does not mean preacher, although Paul certainly was a preacher. The Greek word translated "minister" appears twenty times in the New Testament. It is rendered "officer," "servant," as well as "minister." W. E. Vine says the word originally meant a "subordinate acting under another's direction" (p. 744). Luke used the word of the minister in the synagogue at Nazareth. Jesus Christ went into the Jewish synagogue, took the scroll of Isaiah, and read passages from it. When he had finished reading, "he closed the book and gave it again to the minister, and sat down" (Lk. 4:20). Luke also uses the word of John Mark. When Paul and Barnabas "were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John (Mark) to their minister" (Acts 13:5). The English Standard says they had John Mark to assist them.

Christ also called Paul to be a witness. As every serious student of the Bible knows, Paul had been a bitter enemy of Christianity. He had literally done all within his power to waste the church (Gal. 1:13). But after he met Jesus Christ on the Damascus road, he dedicated his life to bearing witness of Christ. He not only told his audiences what occurred on the Damascus road; he told them of other great truths Christ had supernaturally revealed to him. Paul does not use the word "witness" in his great chapter on the resurrection, but he does tell us that he saw Christ after he was raised from the dead. Paul provides an impressive list of people who saw Christ after he was raised from the dead. He then says: "Last of all he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time" (1 Cor. 15:5-8).

The Lord knew Paul would face great dangers - both from his own people and from the Gentiles. Christ promised that he would deliver Paul from the people (that is, from the Jews) and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send you (Acts 26:17). In Luke's original account of Saul's conversion, he records the Lord's saying to Ananias: "Go your way: for he (Saul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake" (Acts 9:15-16).

Paul did preach to the Jews as he had opportunity. Luke records several instances when Paul preached in the Jewish synagogues. While he was in Corinth, "he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 18:4). He did the same in Ephesus. "And he went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God." The Jews were not very happy with Paul's preaching. So he separated the disciples and disputed daily in the school of one Tyrannus (Acts 19:8-9).

While Paul often preached to the Jews, his main ministry was to Gentiles. He explained to the Galatians: "But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was to Peter; for he who wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles" (Gal. 2:7-8). Contrary the views of some liberal theologians, neither Paul nor Peter was given an exclusive territory. Peter preached to Gentiles and Paul preached to Jews, but Paul's major responsibility was to carry the gospel to Gentiles.

In preaching to the Gentiles or to the Jews, Paul's duty was "to open their eyes." Does that mean Paul would perform miracles to restore sight to some who were physically blind? Paul may have restored sight to some who were blind, but that is not what Christ was telling Paul. Many of the Jews and Gentiles were spiritually blind. They did not know God or his Son Jesus Christ. Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesians "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of your calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:17-18).

We know that men and women may be very bright intellectually and blind to the truth of the gospel. The Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens, Greece were ignorant of the true God. "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious. For as I passed by, I beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:22-23).

Some people are not only ignorant; they are willfully ignorant. Some of skeptics in the first century said, in effect, since the Lord has not returned as he promised, he is not coming at all. They asked: "Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished" (2 Pet. 3:4-5). It is sad to be ignorant of the great truths of the Bible; it is disastrous to be willfully ignorant. Joseph B. Mayor's scholarly commentary on the Greek text: The Epistles of Jude and 2 Peter: (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1965, a reprint 1907) says: "They shut their eyes to this fact" (p. 149). Paul's duty was to open the eyes of Jews and Gentiles.

Christ also instructed Paul "to turn them from darkness to light." The Apostle John gives us insight into what is meant by turning from darkness to light. "In him (Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehends it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He (John) was not the light, but was sent to bear witness of the Light. That was the true Light, which lights the way of every man who comes into the world" (John 1:4-9).

Paul's preaching in Ephesus enlightened many of the Ephesians. He lists some of the sins of which they had been guilty and then exhorted them: "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not therefore partakers with them. For you were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:6-11). Since Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12), there is no way out of darkness without him.

Paul was also given the sacred responsibility of turning men from the power of Satan to God. The scriptures reveal the power of Satan in men's lives. When we sin, we are following the evil one. Jesus angered the Jewish leaders when he called them the children of the devil. "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). But one does not have to be murderer or a liar to be a follower of Satan. If we are not living for God, we are living for Satan. Did not our Lord tell the Pharisees: "He who is not with me is against me; and he who gathers not with me scatters abroad" (Mt. 12:30)?

The goal of Paul's work was that men and women might receive the forgiveness of sins. Paul was not preaching to entertain or simply to be known as a great preacher. He wanted men to believe and to obey the gospel that they might have the hope of eternal life. Paul knew that people had to hear the gospel to have faith in Christ. He told the Romans: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Paul would have agreed with James who told his readers: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (Jas. 1:22). Paul was concerned that some had not obeyed the gospel (Rom. 10:16).

We know Paul preached faith as a condition of salvation. He told the Ephesians: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not by works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8-10). Paul also told the Romans: "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10). But there is not the slightest hint in Paul's writing and preaching that we can be saved by faith alone. If we could be saved by faith alone, why was Paul concerned that some had not obeyed the gospel (Rom. 10:16)?

Jesus Christ emphasized the absolute necessity of repentance. "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:3,5). Paul preached the same message. He concluded his sermon to the Athenian philosophers: "The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent: because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). Can you imagine a more comprehensive expression than "all men everywhere?" No one can be forgiven of his sins unless he repents.

Paul also stressed the need to make a public confession. He informed the Romans: "But what says it? The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: that if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:8-10). Was Paul speaking in these verses of the so-called "sinner's prayer?" If you have read the accounts of conversion in the book of Acts, you should have no difficulty answering my question. The sinner's prayer is men's attempt to substitute their own wisdom for the teaching of scripture.

Acts 18 gives one example of what was involved in conversion. The Apostle Paul had been preaching in Athens when he made his journey to Corinth, another Greek city. When he came to Corinth, he met a devout Christian couple, Aquila and his wife Priscilla. He stayed in their home because he was of the same occupation. They were all tentmakers by trade. "He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ" (Acts 18:1-5).

We have no way of knowing exactly what Paul said about Christ. But we know at least some of the great truths he proclaimed. He had to teach the Corinthians about faith and baptism. They had no other way of knowing. Please listen carefully to what occurred as a result of Paul's preaching Christ. "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized" (Acts 18:8).

Paul tells us why men were baptized. "Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God the father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4). When we are baptized into Christ, we are buried as old men and raised as new men. Paul asked the Romans: "Do you not know, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:16-18).

According to Paul, when we are baptized into Christ, we are added to the Lord's church. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). And in baptism we put on Christ. "For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26-27).

Paul's obligation to open men's eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from Satan to God had one major goal: that they might have the inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus. If you want to inherit eternal life, you must believe the gospel, repent of your alien sins, confess Christ before men and be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. Then you must continually walk in the light as Christ is in the light that you may continue to have the remission of sins (1 John 1:7).

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334