Paul, The Pattern
Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
Many religious people take the Lord
Jesus Christ as their pattern in life. They call Him “The Great Example”. When
problems arise, they ask themselves: “What would Jesus do?” They seek salvation
by “walking in His steps”.
While our Lord’s moral and spiritual
virtues are indeed worthy of emulation, there were many details in His conduct
which we should not imitate. For example, none of us would be in a position to
pronounce upon the religious hypocrites of our day the bitter woes which our
Lord pronounced upon the Pharisees of His day — simply because we all have so
much of the Pharisee in us.
Certainly we cannot be saved by
“following Christ,” or striving to live as He did. His perfect holiness would
only emphasize our unrighteousness and condemn us. He came to save us, not by
His life, but by His death. “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS” (ICorinthians15:3), and
sinners are “reconciled to God by the deathof His Son” (Romans5:10).
But God has given us a pattern for
salvation. It is none other than the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners saved
by grace. Hear what he says by divine inspiration:
“This is a faithful saying, and
worthy of all acceptation, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE
SINNERS, of whom I am chief” (ITimothy1:15).
Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, remember,
had led his nation and the world in rebellion against God and His Christ. He
was “exceedingly mad” against the disciples of Christ and “breathed threatening
and slaughter” against them. Why then, did God save him? He goes on to tell us
in the next verse:
“Howbeit [but] for this cause I
obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all
longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on Him to
life everlasting” (Ver.16).
The moral: Take your stand with
Paul. Admit you are a sinner and his Saviour will save you too.
Transformed By Grace
Kevin Sadler
Transformed By Grace #1 - Unity in Christ
Transformed By Grace #2 - One Body in Christ
Transformed By Grace #3 - The Apostle of Grace
Transformed By Grace #4 - The Gifts of Christ
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