Bible Break

 

December /04/ 05

 

Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

Who taught Paul the truth?

 

While Saul, who was later called Paul, was on the road to Damascus to bring back the saints to be jailed because of their faith in Jesus as the Christ, his life took a severe turn as he saw the light of the Lord who told him to go into Damascus to see a man named Ananias who would tell him what he must do. And so he was obedient to the the Lord and when he was on his hands and knees before Ananias three days later, Ananias asks him, "And now why do you delay? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." (Acts 22:16). Paul said that he has done all things in good conscious (Acts 23:1), even as he tried to do harm to those of the sect of the Nazarenes (Acts 26:9-11), and even now as he arose and was baptized, being obedient to the Lord's beckoning call.

That brings us to our question, "Who taught Paul the truth?". After Paul turned in obedience to the truth, he expected the Jews that knew his past and were still clinging to the Law of Moses, that they would listen to him and also turn to the truth of the word for life, "And it cam about when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying to the temple, that I fell into a trance, and I saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.' And I said, 'Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in Thee. And when the blood of thy witness Stephen was being shed, I was also standing by approving, and watching out for the cloaks of those who were slaying Him.'"
(Acts 22:17-20).

But to find the answer to our question, we turn to the book of Galatians. Some at that time might have concluded that Paul was taught the truth by the Apostles, but he sets that record straight, "For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother's womb, called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. (Now in what I am writhing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing, 'He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.' And they were glorifying God because of me."
(Galatians 1:13-24).

So, it was not the apostles that taught Paul the truth and he spent three years in Arabia to work with the Christians there. To find who taught him the truth we read earlier in that same chapter, "For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached to me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:11-12).

So there we have the answer to our question as it was Jesus that taught Paul the word of truth!

Let us rekindle the word of truth for life in obedience as Paul did and Peter reminds us, "Therefore I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me." (2 Peter 1:12-14).

Thank you for taking your time to test your knowledge of God's word.

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This is Bible Break and have a good day.

 

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