God’s grace in the Apostle Paul. He wrote “ Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1). He told the early Christians as well as us to note those who walked by faith (Philippians 3 :17 ; II Thessalonians 3: 7 ,9 ). Paul testified that before his conversion he had been spiritually bankrupt (Philippians 3:4-6). If we were to examine this ledger of Paul’s life, we would look at the credit side as he had lived it. First o f all he tells us he was c ircum c ised . T h is was his identification as belonging to the chosen people of God. The event was on the “ eighth day” which indicates that he was not merely a convert to Judaism at some later time in life. The Ishmaelites, for example, were circumcized in their thirteenth year. His second credit is that he was of the stock of Israel. While it would have been possible for any person to become a Jewish proselyte and have the mark of circumcision, Paul says that he was directly of the stock of Israel. The third credit was being of the tribe of Benjamin. His ancesto rs m ight have been descendants of Israel, but he could have belonged to a renegade tribe. Not so with Paul; he was from the faithful tribe of Benjamin from whom came Israel’s first king. The fourth credit is that he was “ a Hebrew of the Hebrews.” Many of Israel had adopted customs of the Helenists around them. Not so with Paul. He had not allowed their cultural influence to invade his life. Other credits Paul had built up for himself were “ concerning zeal,
persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Yet he discover.d his devastating bankruptcy: “ Whit things were gain to me, thos counted loss for Christ.” Whe1" he met Jesus Christ he charged all his debts against the account of Christ. He accepted Christ’s offer to pay o f f a ll his sinful obligations. “ For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all that I might gain the more” (I Corinthians 9 :19 ). He now realizes that God’s grace has made him free from all of the bondage and servitude of the law. Having received this freedom, he vo lun ta rily makes himself a servant unto all. This is his response to God’s grace. Paul then enumerates three dimensions of living grace he has experienced. He states first of all, “ Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews (I Corinthians 9 :20 ). Grace gave him religious freedom. The second dimension of living grace is stated in the words “ To them that are under the law as under the law (not being myself under the law) that I might gain them that are under the law” (I Corinthians 9:20b). Here Paul discovers that grace gives him legal freedom. He was no longer bound by the law, but, as a recipient of living grace, he could live the life to which a person under the law aspired, but never attained. The third dimension is stated: “ To them that are without law as without law . . .that I might gain them that are without law” (I Corinthians 9 :21 ). God gave him a law-less freedom. When Paul speaks of being without law, he Page 25
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