1465. Paul's Confession of Faith

Paul's Confession of Faith

"That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles" (Act_26:23).

There were three great truths that Paul preached. These he brings out in this epitome of his life, before King Agrippa. Let us notice them.

1. He preached Christ's death, "witnessing * * none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer."

The poor sinner sitting under the ministry of Paul was sure to hear the way of salvation. He was not left to some stirring appeal for self-assertion or self-negation as the basis of salvation. Paul preached that Christ died for our sins. He gloried in the Cross of Christ. He preached with the Blood in the basin.

2. He preached Christ's resurrection. "And that He should be the first that should rise from the dead." Paul preached the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He preached it gladly, believingly and fearlessly. He preached it as the great joy note, and as the sustaining power of the Gospel. He preached that Christ should be the first that should rise; he preached of the resurrection that should follow.

Paul never relegated the resurrection of Christ, the firstfruits, and the resurrection of saints, to an annual Easter discourse. He preached it always, preached it everywhere. He knew that apart from the resurrection, the Gospel lost its power; everything was staked in the resurrection of Christ; everything was in anticipation of the resurrection of believers.

3. He preached Christ's coming again.

(1) This is suggested in the words, "A light unto the people and to the Gentiles." "The people" refers to Israel, and "the Gentiles" refers to everybody else. To be sure there was a partial fulfillment of the shining of this light in the days of Paul, there is a larger fulfillment during the age in which we are now living, but the completed fulfillment waits the return of the Lord. This completed fulfillment the Apostle Paul preached. We know he preached it. Whether at Ephesus, at Thessalonica, or at Philippi, or, wherever he preached, Paul preached Christ–Christ coming again, and the blaze of light that shall then girdle the world.

(2) This is also suggested earlier in the chapter. In Act_26:6 and Act_26:7 we read, "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come."

The Jewish fathers believed in the Messianic hope–They believed in the restoration of Israel to the land. When Paul was saved he saw how intimately related this promise was to the Second Coming of Christ. He became at once the herald of the Lord's return, and of His reign on the Davidic throne. The Second Coming of Christ held a large place in the ministry of Paul.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR