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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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SAUL’S PRE-CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY (Ac 9:1-9) 4/27/14 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. SAUL’S BIRTHPLACE A. Saul (being his Hebrew name and “Paul” his
Roman name) was born in Tarsus (Ac 9:11; 21:39; 22:3), the capitol of
Cilicia, in Asia Minor. The city was known for its
wealth, commerce, and university. B. It is maintained
that the Tarsus University excelled over the other two distinguished
universities of Athens and Alexandria. II. SAUL’S CULTURE A. Paul would have
learned at least “Classical Greek” as well as “”Koine (Common) Greek,” not to
mention Hebrew. The
dominant philosophy, which paralleled Paul’s early thinking, was Stoicism. B. Among other things, the Stoics were
interested in Virtue and Ethics, the relationship between Determinism and
Free Will, and Formal Logic. Knowledge of these things would have aided Paul
one way or another in being the apostle to the Gentiles (Ac 9:15; Ro 1:5). III. SAUL’S TRADE A. Every boy had a trade and Saul learned the
common trade of making tents out of goat’s hair from Cilicia called “cilicium” (Ac 18:3). IV. SAUL’S CITIZENSHIP A. Saul’s father was a Roman citizen since
Paul received his Roman citizen by birth (Ac 22:3, 28). How his father acquired citizen is unknown. V. SAUL’S OCCUPATION A. Like his father, Saul was a Pharisee (Ac
23:6). Pharisees were the separatists who were extremely accurate in the
minute matters pertaining to the Law of Moses. B. This explains why young Saul was sent to
Jerusalem (Ac 26:4), perhaps at the age of 13. VI. SAUL’S CONTEMPORARY A. Though Paul was likely born near the same time as Jesus (5BC to
5AD), and though He had lived in Jerusalem for a time, it is supposed that he
returned to Tarsus and never saw Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry. VII. SAUL’S EDUCATION A. At Jerusalem, Saul received his education from one of the most
noted rabbis in history, Gamaliel (Ac 5:33-40; 22:3). Being the grandson of
the Great Hillel, Gamaliel was one of greatest teachers of the Law, a
promoter of the Golden rule, and a ruling member of the Sanhedrin (Ac 5:27). B. His great reputation was noted in the
Mishnah, “Since Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died,
there has been no more reverence for the law, and purity and piety died out
at the same time” (Sotah 15:18). Gamaliel’s
teaching would have contributed to Paul’s understanding of the Law, both
before and after his conversion. VIII. SAUL’S PIETY A. As for Saul’s Jewish piety, he himself states,
“If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a
persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found
blameless” (Php 3:4-6). IX. SAUL’S ZEAL A. Saul’s zealous persecution of the church was highlighted at the
stoning of Stephen (Ac 7:58; 8:1), as well as his relentless pursuit against
all Christians (Ac 22:4; Ac 26:9-11 cf. Nu 25:7-11). B. It was this zeal that brought him to the
road to Damascus. It was there that Saul’s life would be
divinely and dramatically changed. X. SAUL’S CONVERSION A. Now, the conversion of this particular man
became the pivot not only on which his life turned, but
on which the history of the church turned [and the history of the world]. And
you and I, in tremendous measure, are indebted to this man for whatever we
may know about God and about salvation, because he wrote those books which
detail for us this great information. B. It was fitting that his conversion be very unique, because he's such a unique person. By birth,
he was a Jew; by citizenship, a Roman; by education, a Greek; by conversion
and grace, a Christian. And he became the best of
all those things in combination. He was missionary, theologian, evangelist,
pastor, organizer, leader, thinker, statesman,
fighter for truth and, at the same time, lover of souls. He was everything
that a Christian could and should be, short of being what Jesus Christ is. (John MacArthur’s sermon, “Transformed
Life” in Acts 9:1-9) |
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