“Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches” (NLT) 2 Corinthians 11:28

There are some qualities you mention in the Bible and immediately a name comes to mind. Mention faith and you can only think of Abraham. Mention wisdom and the name that comes to mind is Solomon. What about strength? Sampson obviously wins that accolade. These were heroes of the old covenant, notwithstanding their faults and foibles.

In the New Testament writ, you can mention virginity and Mary stands tall. In the church, Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus was known by the apostles as Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36). Stephen was a man full of wisdom and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:8). Dorcas was known for her generosity for the poor (Acts 9:36; 39). These and more were the heroes of the new covenant, human as they were.

As I thought long and hard about who truly epitomised commitment in the New Testament writ, the name that kept coming to my mind was Paul, the Christ-sent apostle. The life of Paul is really inspiring. I decided to conduct an inquiry into the life of this wonderful man and understand why he was so passionate about God’s work. The preceding paragraphs in this piece and subsequent devotional writings are the outcome of an imaginary conversation between Paul and Daily Inspirer (DI).

DI: Apostle Paul, thanks for availing yourself for this interview in spite of your busy schedule. I trust your insights will inspire our readers to good works.

Paul: Thanks for having me DI, but just call me ‘brother’. The term 'Apostle' is not meant to be a title. Through our faith in God’s word we are all the seed of Abraham; we are heirs to the same promise. We all belong to Christ (Galatians 3:28-29).

DI: I see! Thanks for that insight. Let’s begin with an introduction of yourself. Who is Paul?

Paul: Well, I was actually originally born as Saul (Acts 9:1). I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. That makes me a real Hebrew. I used to be a committed member of the Pharisee and I demanded a strict obedience to the Jewish law. I believe you can testify about my zeal. I saw Christianity as an enemy to Judaism and I was the chief persecutor of the church of Christ (Philippians 3:5-6).

DI: Obviously, you were committed, but for the wrong reasons.

Paul: Yes, brother! I call it “zeal without knowledge” (Proverbs 19:2; Romans 10:1-3). I thought by my strict observance of the Mosaic Law I was to be justified. But that is spiritual blindness. In my encounter with Christ, after Ananias had prayed for me, that scale was removed from my eyes and I could see clearly through my obedience to the gospel (Acts 9:18). I daresay, my dear brother that for one to be truly committed to good works, the first and necessary condition is to be obedient to the gospel through baptism, because we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) and not the other way round.

...to be continued.

Do not turn away! || More