Would You Steal Paul's Place?

God gave to Paul a special place in the Christian canon. We read the doctrine of grace in Romans and the definition of love in Corinthians. Joy is put forward in Philippians and the final words of the great man in 2 Timothy. In all of that, Paul also claimed the chief place among sinners. We do not get to believe in love, joy and grace, but then steal his place as the chiefest and worst of sinners. I like that Paul is the worst of sinners though. Jesus saved the worst of sinners, so that means the rest of us can be saved as well. I would not take the place of the man who met Jesus on the road to Damascus. That story speaks of a sharp conversion to a new life. Perhaps my life conversion seems dull by comparison, but then, I didn't make my living hunting down followers of Jesus and dragging them out of their homes. If the man who made it his life's mission to destroy the new church could be turned around to write Romans, Corinthians and the other epistles, then there is hope for a lesser sinner like me.

Our hope is found in Jesus Christ, but if as unbelievers we need a more earthly example first, then the story of Paul does quite nicely. Jesus never sinned. As an unbeliever, I had trouble relating to that. However, Saul of Tarsus sinned a lot, and even took it upon himself to destroy this new Way. Paul before the meeting on the way to Damascus was someone we can understand. Paul had religion, and he practiced it with the t's crossed and the i's dotted. And He was totally in the wrong. Most of us can relate to that too. Then, Jesus got Paul's attention in a big way. Some of us needed an attention grabber too.

Some looked up from the gutter after a night of drinking. Others looked to Jesus after drugs led them to the emergency room. Many different tragedies in life can cause us to look up to our Savior and acknowledge Him as Lord. Our rebirth to a new life in Christ may not seem even in those events to be as dramatic as Paul's, but then, we aren't the worst of sinners. That place belongs to Saul of Tarsus, or as we know him, Paul the greatest of letter writers. If God can grab Paul and turn him around, the He has no problem getting me back on the right path. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Bucky