Essential Attributes Of The Apostle Paul

by Chris Simmons

When Paul returned to Jerusalem in Acts chapter 21 with “alms to my nation” (Acts 24:17), “Jews from Asia … began to stir up all the crowds” (verse 27) and the mob dragged him out of the temple and sought to kill him (verses 30-31). Soldiers were deployed to rescue him and to bring him into the “barracks” (verse 34). Before Paul entered, he begged for the opportunity to speak to the people and explain himself. Beginning in Acts chapter 22 Paul begins this explanation and defense with three key attributes about himself that are worthy of our reflection and consideration. Those attributes are listed in Acts 22:3 where Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, just as you all are today.” Those three attributes Paul references, that we would do well to emulate, are:

Paul was educated. As a devout Jew, Paul was well educated in the law Moses at the feet of the renowned educator Gamaliel. Paul wanted all the readers of his letter to know that he exercised the diligence to study and learn what we refer to as the Old Testament scriptures. When Paul wrote to the evangelist Timothy in II Timothy 2:15 of the need to “be diligent” in his efforts to know and handle accurately “the word of truth,” he knew whereof he spoke. Paul labored to know God’s will both before and after he saw the Lord on the road to Damascus. Because of his commitment to his education, Paul was not ignorant of the Law or God’s prophecies, though he was ignorant of the Old Testament prophecies application and fulfillment in Jesus Christ before seeing and hearing from the resurrected Lord that day on the road. After his baptism, his spiritual education continued as God revealed His will to him (Galatians 1:11-16; Ephesians 3:3-5) and Paul devoted himself to knowing Jesus “and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). The Greek word for “educated” literally refers to the training up of a child, including the requisite chastisement and discipline. We must choose to train up ourselves in the truth of God’s word and in the development of the skill to handle it accurately and defend our faith. Could we speak as Paul about our dedication to our spiritual knowledge and commitment to obtaining spiritual wisdom? Members of the Lord’s church should be the most educated people in the world when it comes to the Bible and the will of God.

Paul was strict. The word for “strictly” in Acts 22:3 refers to the ideas of exactness and precision. Paul wasn’t “loose” in his handling and obedience of God’s word but strove to be both exact and precise in his understanding and execution. This attribute is evident in his words to Timothy and Titus as he referenced a “standard” that is to be followed and the need for adherence to “sound words.” Paul wrote in II Timothy 1:13, “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” Paul expects this same precision and exactness to be in his fellow Christians as we read in Titus 1:9 where Paul told Titus that elders were to be those who held “fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching …” Not only a pattern of teaching, but of living, as Paul wrote in Philippians 3:17 of the need to “join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.” So often today, Christians and the “religious” advocate and demonstrate a disdain for exactness and precision which is what leads to a world of hundreds (if not thousands) of denominations they claim to be following Jesus Christ. We much ensure that foundational qualities such as “justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23) are done without neglecting the exactness and precision to His revealed will that God deserves and demands.

Paul was zealous. To be zealous is to be an uncompromising partisan who many may find extreme. Before and after becoming a Christian Paul didn’t do anything half-heartedly. Paul wanted those who were so enraged at him in Acts chapter 21 to know that he shared a zeal for the law that they also had (cf. Philippians 3:6; Galatians 1:14). That same zeal he had before he met the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ carried over in his service to the Lord as a Christian. Paul’s life as a child of God demonstrated his call in I Corinthians 9:24 to “run in such a way that you may win.” In writing to Titus in Titus 2:14, Paul taught that Jesus gave of Himself to us that we might purified and serve Him with zeal. Paul no doubt would express the same distaste and disgust for the lukewarm condition of the church in Laodicea that the Lord Himself did in Revelation 3:15-16 with a similar admonition to any who are lukewarm in verse 19 to “be zealous and repent.” As noted earlier, Paul was not just zealous, but educated, and strict, and prayed in Romans 10:2 that his Jewish brethren that would have a zeal in accordance with knowledge.

It’s not enough to be educated if we’re not also strict and zealous. It’s not enough to be strict if we’re uneducated and lukewarm. It’s not enough to be zealous if we’re uneducated and inexact. To be pleasing to God, we must be educated, strict, and zealous. If not, we too need to repent.