For Such a Time As This: The Apostle Paul

Uploaded from Auckland, New Zealand
There will be no class notes this week due to my travel itinerary.


Quiz for Reflection

[To get the most from the quiz read the passages in brackets and look for a thread of thought which may give more depth and understanding to the question being asked.]

1. Paul’s legalistic training as a Pharisee was a disadvantage for the new role God had chosen him. [Acts 22:3-5, 25-29; Philip 3:5] True or False?

2. Paul’s conversion demonstrates that the saying “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” is true. [Acts 9:13-16, 26] True or False?

3. As shown with the calling of Paul, if called by God the recognition by the Church is not necessary. [Acts 9:10-19, 26-31] True or False?

4. Paul was the first apostle to reach out to the Gentiles. [Acts 10] True or False?

5. Paul’s dramatic conversion and call to ministry also removed his previous human weakness. [Acts 15: 37-39; Rom 7:19-25; 1 Cor 9:26,27] True or False?

6. Paul’s confidence in his calling provided him the necessary assurance that his call was superior to those whose call was to the house of Israel. [Acts 9:13-19; Eph 3:7-20] True or False?

7. After his conversion Paul was no longer a religious zealot. [Rom 1:14-17; 1 Tim 1:12-17; 1 Cor 22:2-5] True or False?

8. Central to Paul’s theology and ministry was the cross of Christ. [Rom 5:10; 1 Pet 1:18,19; 1 Cor 1:17] True or False?

9. Paul introduced a new concept which can be summarized as follows: “We do not do what is right in order that Jesus will save us; we do what is right because we have been saved.” [Eph 2:8-10; Ex 20:1,2; Deut 5:6,15] True or False?

Reflective Review

Paul was the apostle of good news. He experienced it himself. As legalistic as his background was it provided the background to exalt with even greater zeal the good news made possible by the cross of Christ. Paul was not introducing a new concept, however, the platform for such a conviction had been set forth throughout Scripture. What Paul brought was a fresh and vital perspective made possible by the sacrifice of Christ for each one of us! The following quotes capture some pertinent insights as we begin this new quarter of lessons.

“There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of Scriptures—Christ and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and power corresponding to its relations this theme. It is only in the light of the cross that we can discern the exalted character of the law of God. The soul palsied by sin can be sin can be endowed with life only through the work wrought out upon the cross of the Author of our salvation.” [Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol.6, p. 1084.]

“The main point to notice, once more, is that all the future judgment is highlighted basically as good news, not bad. Why so? It is good news, first, because the one through whom God’s justice will finally sweep the world is not a hard-hearted, arrogant, or vengeful tyrant bu rather the Man of Sorrows, who was acquainted with grief; the Jesus who loved sinners and died for them; the Messiah who took the world’s judgment upon himself on the cross. Of course, this also means that he is uniquely placed to judge the systems and rulers that have carved up the world between them, and the New Testament points this out here and there.” (N.T. Wright in Surprised by Hope, p.141]

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