There are two prominent people in the New Testament outside of Jesus - Peter and Paul. Peter was a disciple of Jesus from the beginning, Paul received a revelation of Jesus after Jesus’ death. Both were Jews. Both wrote parts of the New Testament. Both were in charge of churches. Peter was a fisherman, and hence had an extremely small amount of education. Paul was a High Official, very educated, respected and zealous. Paul had everything that a Jew could possibly ask for in terms of status (Phil 2), whereas Peter was lacking in status amongst a Jewish crowd.
But both had very different callings.
One was called to Jews. The other to gentiles (non-Jews).
Who would you pick? What makes the most sense?
Well, I’m not gonna spell it out - but God had totally different plans.
God chose Peter to go the Jews, and Paul to go to the Gentiles, and in so doing gave a practical example of baptism into new life.
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Paul’s standing in the Jewish council only had meaning according to the Jewish people, their customs, their laws. Outside of this - all of his status, his heritage, his work - meant nothing. In order to carry out the calling that God had for Paul, he had to give up his life. It’s like, a PhD professor going into a remote park of the Amazon forest to a tribe. In university he’s respected, clever, sought after - in the jungle he’s just another mouth to feed. He’s lost his respect, his status and his lifetime achievement is counted as nothing.
God effectively said ‘Everything you’ve worked for, everything you were, everything you thought you were - is nothing. We’re starting again. A clean slate. And we’ll build you up from there’.
This is what happens when we God enters our lives. We start again. Our past is taken away, our names that we attach to ourselves are gone - and we’re left with one title - Child of God.
Whether the past was perceived as great, good, horrendous, a mess or mediochre - the same happens to everyone - we are a new creation in Jesus Christ.
The old has gone, the new has come.
Only for the King
Jx
