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“1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God –”
In today’s devotion, we’ll focus on Paul. Who was he? What is his background? Why is he the one chosen by God to write to the Church in Rome?
Paul identifies himself as a servant of God, which he will come to explain in greater detail throughout the letter, and says he is “called as an apostle” and that he was “set apart”. Paul regularly introduces himself as an apostle in his letters to other churches, and he frequently tells us that it is by God’s will that he is an apostle. Here Paul can be seen defending his right to be called an apostle:
“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 9:1-2
Paul mentions that he was “set apart for the gospel of God.” Set apart in what way? Paul was set apart by God to preach the gospel, primarily to the Gentiles, even before his birth:
“But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles,…” — Galatians 1:15-16a
Paul was set apart by God in order that he might be radically changed. Paul was previously a Pharisee, one of the strictest sects among the religious groups of practicing Jews in both Jesus’ and Paul’s day. (See Acts 26:4-5) Paul once persecuted Christians who proclaimed Christ as Messiah, but as of this writing, he had been made a humble apostle of God, saved by grace through faith because of the work of the Holy Spirit and the divine intervention of Jesus. It’s easy to see how Paul felt “set apart”. He did not choose this road, God was responsible for changing his heart. Look what God says to one of His followers, named Ananias, about how He has set apart Paul for His chosen purpose.
“But the Lord said to him [Ananias], “Go, for this man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”” — Acts 9:15-16 (Words in brackets were added to provide context.)
God had chosen Paul as His instrument to make His glory known even before Paul was born. Paul’s being “set apart” becomes most apparent as Paul experiences a divine intervention:
“As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said. “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”” — Acts 9:3-6
After this intervention, God instructs His follower, Ananias, to go and help Saul. It is at this time that Saul’s name is changed to Paul. Paul is baptized and begins preaching Christ’s life, death, and resurrection to the Jews in Damascus and Jerusalem. It’s no wonder that Paul felt set apart by God for his mission of preaching the gospel. God stood in his way and completely turned his life around! The very things Paul used to call blasphemy, he now preached. The very people Paul used to persecute, jail, and murder, now spent time in fellowship with him as a community following Christ. In Paul’s life, we see recurring themes of a changed life, glorifying God in suffering, preaching the gospel of God, and zealous intentionality in rooting out sin and putting on Christ’s righteousness. These are all themes that we’ll explore as Paul will talk about them in his letter to the Church in Rome.