Dake Bible Discussion BoardApostle Paul - worthy of death as Saul?

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luchnia
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Apostle Paul - worthy of death as Saul?

Post by luchnia »

In light of the Levitical death penalty discussion we had recently something came to mind of a second example of how Jesus handled the death penalty under the New Covenant. It some ways this could be considered law against salvation discussion or which takes precedence - law or salvation?

Saul had persecuted the Saints of God and was worthy of death under the old covenant Levitical laws. In Acts we find: "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison..."

Was Saul worthy of the death penalty for his actions? Yes or No? If No, why wasn't he?

If Yes, why did Jesus not follow the Levitical death penalty law in His ministry, but instead He showed Paul the road to salvation? Couldn't Jesus have just found someone that could have carried out the death penalty law and been done with Saul and the case be closed? Why did Jesus place Saul's salvation above the law?


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Ironman
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Re: Apostle Paul - worthy of death as Saul?

Post by Ironman »

Paul, also known as Saul, who was born in Tarsus of Cilcia in Asia Minor. His family was of the line of Benjamin. He grew up in Jerusalem and studied Jewish tradition under the elder Gamaliel, becoming a zealous Pharisee. Paul was at first an active opponent of the Christian movement.

In the book of Acts, the Saul is introduced rather dramatically. After Stephen delivers a prophetic speech in Acts 7, he is seized by an angry crowd, taken outside the city and stoned. This was not a legal action, it was a lynching! And Saul “approved” of this execution (Acts 8:1 "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.)
Saul opposed the Apostolic teaching as heretical. That Jesus was the Messiah was absurd, since he was crucified, “hung on a tree,” and therefore a curse, not salvation. Saul’s motivation was to correct this false teaching within Judaism, using the synagogue punishment system itself. He saw himself as a reformer, working for the high priest, with the goal of dealing sharply with the followers of a condemned Rabbi. Saul was so honestly blind to the fact the Messiah had come, being so caught up in the law that he didn’t realize that he along with many other Pharisees had just killed the messiah.

Acts 22:20, And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. As it says in Philippians 3:4-6, Saul grew up with so much confidence in who he was as a Pharisee. He was ‘faultless’ when it came to legalistic righteousness. Christ knew He could use him once converted.

Was Saul worthy of the death penalty for his actions? Yes! But Jesus came and did away with the Old testament Laws and Traditions and man now had available to him a road to salvation., and a Paul he was not.

After Christ blinded and revealed Himself the fact that He was alive and indeed the messiah to Saul, Saul accepted Christ, he repented and changed from being a zealous destroyer of Christians to a committed Christian leader.

Jesus Christ can and does read the hearts of men and Jesus could see the zeal with which Saul persecuted the Christians who he believed were not living by, but gave up living according to the Old Testament Jewish laws and traditions and were following a according to Saul, a crucified dead and buried pretender.
Christ knew this zeal to persecute the early Christians would be re-channeled into preaching the Gospel. Paul was thrown into prison, whipped, stoned, punched, and shipwrecked many times, and as committed as he was to destroying Christianity, in the same way, after conversion he never gave up his preaching of Christ. He might have been the most zealous and hardest working Apostle of all time.


Galatians 4: 16, Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

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branham1965
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Re: Apostle Paul - worthy of death as Saul?

Post by branham1965 »

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Ironman wrote:Paul, also known as Saul, who was born in Tarsus of Cilcia in Asia Minor. His family was of the line of Benjamin. He grew up in Jerusalem and studied Jewish tradition under the elder Gamaliel, becoming a zealous Pharisee. Paul was at first an active opponent of the Christian movement.

In the book of Acts, the Saul is introduced rather dramatically. After Stephen delivers a prophetic speech in Acts 7, he is seized by an angry crowd, taken outside the city and stoned. This was not a legal action, it was a lynching! And Saul “approved” of this execution (Acts 8:1 "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.)
Saul opposed the Apostolic teaching as heretical. That Jesus was the Messiah was absurd, since he was crucified, “hung on a tree,” and therefore a curse, not salvation. Saul’s motivation was to correct this false teaching within Judaism, using the synagogue punishment system itself. He saw himself as a reformer, working for the high priest, with the goal of dealing sharply with the followers of a condemned Rabbi. Saul was so honestly blind to the fact the Messiah had come, being so caught up in the law that he didn’t realize that he along with many other Pharisees had just killed the messiah.

Acts 22:20, And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. As it says in Philippians 3:4-6, Saul grew up with so much confidence in who he was as a Pharisee. He was ‘faultless’ when it came to legalistic righteousness. Christ knew He could use him once converted.

Was Saul worthy of the death penalty for his actions? Yes! But Jesus came and did away with the Old testament Laws and Traditions and man now had available to him a road to salvation., and a Paul he was not.

After Christ blinded and revealed Himself the fact that He was alive and indeed the messiah to Saul, Saul accepted Christ, he repented and changed from being a zealous destroyer of Christians to a committed Christian leader.

Jesus Christ can and does read the hearts of men and Jesus could see the zeal with which Saul persecuted the Christians who he believed were not living by, but gave up living according to the Old Testament Jewish laws and traditions and were following a according to Saul, a crucified dead and buried pretender.
Christ knew this zeal to persecute the early Christians would be re-channeled into preaching the Gospel. Paul was thrown into prison, whipped, stoned, punched, and shipwrecked many times, and as committed as he was to destroying Christianity, in the same way, after conversion he never gave up his preaching of Christ. He might have been the most zealous and hardest working Apostle of all time.



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luchnia
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Re: Apostle Paul - worthy of death as Saul?

Post by luchnia »

Nicely done, Ironman. Spot on :angel:


Word up!

Ray

Re: Apostle Paul - worthy of death as Saul?

Post by Ray »

luchnia wrote:In light of the Levitical death penalty discussion we had recently something came to mind of a second example of how Jesus handled the death penalty under the New Covenant. It some ways this could be considered law against salvation discussion or which takes precedence - law or salvation?

Saul had persecuted the Saints of God and was worthy of death under the old covenant Levitical laws. In Acts we find: "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison..."

Was Saul worthy of the death penalty for his actions? Yes or No? If No, why wasn't he?

If Yes, why did Jesus not follow the Levitical death penalty law in His ministry, but instead He showed Paul the road to salvation? Couldn't Jesus have just found someone that could have carried out the death penalty law and been done with Saul and the case be closed? Why did Jesus place Saul's salvation above the law?

ALL of mankind at one time or another was "worthy of the death penalty for his actions". If this was not the
TRUTH Our LORD would not have to leave The Highest Heaven and become man and suffer the "death penalty" for all of US who deserved "the death penalty".

GLORY BE TO THE ALMIGHTY ONE WHO HAS SAVED A SINNER LIKE ME. \o/

Isaiah 53:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on HIM the iniquity of us all.



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