The Imitation of Saint Paul: Examining Our Lives in Light of His Example

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They were convinced that a divine Authority attended him; because the Precepts he taught were worthy of God; and had a direct and natural Tendency to promote the Happiness of Men. Upon other Occasions, when our Saviour im mediately applied himself to those who were Strangers to his Religion: He exhorts them to come unto him, to believe in him, and in his Doc trine, that they might have Life. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. Take my Yoke upon you, and learn of me. He that cometh unto me says he to those who fol low'd him for the Loaves shall never hun ger; and he that believeth on me, shall never thirst.

The former he ex horted to put away their old Sins and Idola tries, to receive him for their Saviour, and take his Directions for their Way to Heaven. And therefore Repentance of their former wicked Life, and Faith in Christ, were the only proper necessery Doctrines to be incul cated upon such Men as these. And therefore to these he preached the Doctrine of New Obedience; exhorted them to live suitably to their holy Calling, by practising the Duties of a holy, righteous, and godly Life; and not only to he innocent and unblameable themselves; but according to their Power and Ability, to promote the general Welfare and Happiness of all Mankind.

To enquire, Whether his Apostles did not teach the same Doctrine? Now, in Answer to this Enquiry, we must consider their Preaching under two distinct Periods.

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The first beginning from our Savi our's Ascension; and the Descent of the Holy Ghost consequent upon it. The first of these Periods seems to be chiefly taken up in bringing Men over to the Christian Faith. And accordingly the Points of Doctrine chiefly insisted on, were these, Christ crucified, Jesus and the Resurrection, Faith and Repentance, putting on Christ, being baptized into Christ, and the like: All which, and a great Number of Expres sions of like Nature; of which their Ser mons and Exhortations were full, do import neither more nor less than this: They must first own Christ for their Sa viour, from whom Obedience to his Com mands may reasonably be expected.

Ac cordingly the Apostles all along insist upon the Reason they had to acknowledge this same Jesus which was crucified, and rose again from the Dead, to be the true Messiah, or Saviour of the World; because all the Pro phecies which went before, concerning the Messiah, were literally fulfilled, or accomplish'd in him. Through this Man says St. And by him all that believe are justified from all Things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses.

Thus Faith and Repentance are the chief Subjects of the Apostles Doctrine, during this first Period of their Ministry; and while they were employ'd in bringing Men over to embrace the Christian Religion. But if we examine the second Period of their Labours, which they exercis'd towards those who were already Christians, who had profess'd their Faith in Christ, and had been received into his Church by Baptism; we shall find that they entirely chang'd their Applications: They no longer now insist upon Faith but Practice: The Duties that we owe to God, to ourselves, and to one another, are the chief Subjects of their Discourses, in all their Epistles to the Christian Churches.

They now address to them as Men who had already received the Christian Faith; and therefore exhort them to shew forth the Fruits of it in a Christian Conversation. And because some of them had entertain'd that wild Opi nion of the Sufficiency of Faith, without a suitable Practice, he largely handles this Ar gument in the second Chapter; shewing that the Faith of the Gospel, without performing the Duties of it, will never save a Man.

And again, g They which have believed in God, should be careful to maintain good Works.

Paul and leadership

The same Doctrine this Apostle holds forth in his Epistles to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Phillippians, and generally in all others; his Epistles to the Churches, exhort ing and beseeching his Converts, that as they had received of them, how they ought to walk, and to please God; so they would abound more and more.

And this Commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his Brother also.

And indeed, not these only, but all the Apostles employ a great Part of their Epistles, in recommending to their several Converts, to act up to the Profession they had taken upon them; and adorn the Gospel they pro fest to believe, by living an innocent, good, and useful Life: Paul 's Phrase, to walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith they were called; worthy of God who had called them to his Kingdom and Glory; worthy of the Lord unto all-pleasing; being fruitful in every good Work, and increasing in the Know ledge of God.

To such as had not heard of Christ, or been let into the Knowledge of the Gospel, the necessary fundamental Points of Faith and Repentance, were propos'd. And for Proof of this, they produce the Miracles he wrought, the Doctrine he propos'd, the Prophesies long since pronounced; and which exactly con curr'd to point out this very Person, and were literally fulfill'd in him; that thus and thus it was written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the Dead.

And if we would imitate the Pattern which our blessed Master, and these his Apostles have laid before us; we should make a like Difference in our Addresses to these different Sorts of Men. And when we preach to Christians, we must show them the Obliga tions which their holy Profession lays upon them. Not spend Time in exhorting them to believe; for this their very Profession sup poses they do already; but to press and per suade them to live as becomes Christians; to be found in the Practice of all moral Du ties; or, in other Words, to perfect Holiness in the Fear of God.

And this surely is a most reasonable Me thod. First of all to direct such as are lost and bewilder'd, to the right Way; and then to give them proper Directions to continue in it, till they arrive at their Journey's End. They should be encouraged to persevere, to go on, till they reach their Journey's End. They are not to imagine, that having got into the Path-Way of Heaven, they may set up their Rest, they are in a safe Condition, and have no more to do, but to trust in the Goodness and Safety of the Way: No, certainly the Way will never carry them to Heaven, unless they tra vel and persevere in it.

Paul always abounding in the Work of the Lord. And again, Forget ting those Things which are behind, and reach ing forth unto those that are before, let us press towards the Mark for the Prize of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus. But on the Contrary, neither will his being in the right Way answer his Purpose, unless he persevere in it with Diligence and Industry.

But now if any one should misunderstand me after all, and imagine that I leave scarce any thing for Faith to do in the Christian Scheme; that I assign to it no other use than that of a Door only, to let us into the Christian Religion, and then lay it aside as of no further Service. It was an interesting discussion. No spokesman could be found to speak up for the American automobile manufacturers. It was generally agreed that the Japanese cars were, overall, better cars.

If many Japanese cars are made here, by American labor, how is it that they can be so much better than American cars, made by American labor? We believe that with just the right marketing technique, we can sell snowballs to Eskimos or lemons to Americans. Most of the fund-raising programs employed by churches and Christian ministries are identical to those developed and used by those who sell soap, toothpaste, cat food and cars. If the gospel is, itself, mighty to save, the power of God resulting in salvation, then we need but to proclaim it, in simplicity, in purity, and in dependence upon God, who will by His Word save men.

Finally, in verse 17, Paul explains his boldness to proclaim the gospel in terms of what it reveals about God. The righteousness of God is revealed in other ways than by saving sinners. The righteousness of God is revealed when men come to faith, but it is also revealed as men live by faith.

The righteousness of God is revealed through men, as they live out the gospel.

Faith has its origin, but it also has its outworkings. The Christian life begins with saving faith, and it initiates a life which is characterized by an ever-growing faith. Let me attempt to illustrate this with another concept—love. Love is the basis for marriage. Love leads to marriage. Marriage begins with love and continues to grow and express itself in love.

This is the point of the passage Paul cites from Habakkuk 2: He asked God why He had not come to save His people 1: God responded, in a way that Habakkuk never imagined 1: God was going to chasten His people with a strong and cruel people—the Chaldeans. They would sweep down on Judah and take these rebellious people into captivity. The cruelty and sin of the Chaldeans would not be excused or overlooked, however, for God would punish this people for their pride and arrogance 1: He could not understand how God could use wicked men to achieve His purposes.

The Chaldeans, in his mind, were even more wicked than the people of Judah 1: We shall only refer to a portion of His response. This might have included Habakkuk, as well as the Chaldeans. But the righteous man, God said, must live by his faith 2: As I understand these words, God was telling Habakkuk that he would have to live his life, day by day, by faith. His days might be lived out beholding the victory of the Chaldeans and the defeat of his people, but this too must be handled by faith.

Faith was, for Habakkuk, and for every other Old Testament believer, the rule of the day, the rule for life. So it is for the New Testament saint as well. All who are justified by faith must continue to live by faith. In his words of introduction, Paul has explained why he is writing to the Roman saints. He has rejoiced at the reports of their testimony, which has gone abroad throughout the world. He has prayed for them and has petitioned God to grant him to visit them, so that he might minister the gospel to them.

It is the shaping and driving force in his life. There is no doubt that Paul is committed to the gospel. There is no doubt that Paul is also committed to his audience. He loves them, has invested in them over a period of years, and he intends to visit them as soon as possible. Our text suggests a number of implications. As I conclude, let me summarize some of these for your consideration and further study.

Paul was absolutely convinced that he was called to the work which he was doing. You may not yet have responded to this call. All who have been called to faith are also called to holiness 1 Corinthians 1: In addition to a common calling, which every Christian is to live up to, there is an individual calling as well. Nevertheless, God reveals our calling by the spiritual gifts He has bestowed upon us and by His leading in terms of our ministry see Romans Our calling is also evidenced, I believe, through the gifts of grace which God has given us see above.

God always enables us to do that which He has called us to do. Thus, by considering our spiritual gifts, we have insight into our calling. If God gave us the gift of teaching, we can be certain He has called us to teach see Romans Our calling, with respect to the gospel, may be teaching a Sunday school class or ministering in a retirement home.

The specific task God has given us to do must be seen as a part of the general mission, the mission of practicing and proclaiming the gospel. The greater our sense of calling, the clearer our sense of direction and purpose. Many years were spent by Paul praying for the church at Rome before he ever wrote or visited them.

Paul was not caught up by his own worth , but in his work. He was not thinking in terms of his status bondslaves have no status , but in terms of his service to the Lord and to others. Paul did not think in terms of his credits , but in terms of his indebtedness. Paul was convinced that God is sovereign, that He is in complete control, and that His purposes will be achieved.

He knew God too well to think any man could anticipate how God would achieve His purposes. Paul believed that he would go to Rome, but he surely did not know how God would arrange for his transportation. The Book of Romans is an illustration of the providence of God, using what seems to be a hindrance to the gospel to actually promote the gospel. Paul yearned to go to Rome. For years, he petitioned God to let him go Romans 1: The result of this was the fullest exposition of the gospel in all the Word of God—the Epistle to the Romans.

Romans is not based on previous teaching, because Paul has neither written to nor taught these saints before. And all because Paul was prohibited from going to Rome personally. Thank God, Paul could not make Rome until after writing this book for all of us to read. The depth of his teaching is preserved here for saints throughout the ages.

The gospel is far more than the message through which the power of God works to save men—though it surely and thankfully is this.

THE NATURE, and TRUE METHOD OF Christian Preaching, STATED.

It is the key to understanding world history Romans The gospel should be our motivation, our mindset, our message, and our means. Paul had kept up with this church, its witness, its growth, and its needs for many years. He desired to visit Rome for years. Too much of what we do is last minute, poorly conceived, poorly planned, and shabbily executed. The Book of Romans may have been written in a relatively short period of time, but it was conceived over a period of years, I am convinced.

Good meals take time to simmer. Good things take time to accomplish. God is not in a hurry, and He does not need last minute programs. Paul looked much farther ahead than we do, and I am convinced that he was right. Ministry takes time because it requires preparation and introduction. Much of our ministry plans and programs look for quick results. His introduction to his epistle drew the attention of the Roman saints to his perseverance in prayer for them. I am rebuked by the prayer life of Paul. Paul prayed long and hard before he preached the gospel. The effectiveness of his preaching was, to some extent, the result of his prayers.

As I think through the books of the Bible, I find that those men who were chosen to explore the heart of God in depth were those men who had a heart for God. It is not surprising to me that Jonah is a short book. Jonah, like Israel whom he represented, did not have a heart for God. I believe that God desires to manifest His heart to men and women today.

He does so through the gospel. He does so through men and women who have not only been saved by the gospel, but who have been transformed by it, so that the gospel has become their mindset, their motivation, and their message. But it is not quite that simple. His apostolic role and authority were only as good as his ministry was faithful to the gospel with which he had been entrusted.

He also explicitly nominates gospel proclamation as his chief task. He was not sent to baptize 1 Cor 1: His life was a life of words, whether spoken or written, and primarily words about the cross of Christ. He was ambitious to preach Christ Rom This was the result of both heavenly commission and inner compulsion. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! But it was not just his words. They wanted a great rhetorician with a following, who used all the tricks of the trade to impress, who earned praise and personal gain, and whose worth was plain to all by the status of their supporters.

They wanted a leader whose manner and method were a source of honour, not shame—something not less than secular leadership.

Paul’s leadership was God-enabled and Spirit-led

But if Paul was clear that he was sent to preach, and not to baptize, he was also clear he was not to preach in a way that emptied the cross of its power 1 Cor 1: This is what would have happened had he adopted the manner and methods of non-Christian speakers and the socially elite. Worse still, he and the other apostles lived lives not of triumph and power, but of shame, weakness and foolishness 1 Cor 4: Though he was free from all, he made himself a servant to all, in order to win them for Christ 1 Cor 9: He was afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, often near death, lashed, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, cold, and without shelter 2 Cor 4: Almost everywhere he went he faced opposition and threats from Jews, Gentiles, and governing officials 1 Cor Such experiences were proof of his apostleship Gal 6: Indeed, it is on the basis of this necessary comparison with Christ that the super and false apostles were exposed as impostors.

They were leaders in terms of social influence, but their message and lifestyle indicated that they were not Christian leaders but servants of Satan 2 Cor What we have seen, then, is that Paul clearly believed in leadership, and exercised it in person in the churches he visited and established, and in absentia through the sending of his letters or his co-workers 1 Cor 4: His leadership was not simply adapted or adopted from contemporary pagan models, but was distinctively Christian, in purpose, content, manner, and method.

In answering this charge, two remaining aspects of his leadership are decisive. But the quality of those relationships is decisive. His relationships were not one-sided. Paul frequently locates himself within relationships that are based on the closest of human bonds, the family. And there are other family-shaped relationships: The mother of Rufus was a mother to him Rom These were relationships with familial affection, in which Paul acted for the benefit of others—often at personal cost. Then there are the many other relationships in which he locates himself: He has patrons or benefactors Rom

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