Paul & the Jew in You

"The Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” "(Acts 18:13)

How many know that there's a Paul and a condemning Jew in each and every one of us?

How incredible is the good news... that to them who believe it, God makes them RIGHTEOUS by a single act of faith! This is crazy to the religious-minded who rely on their observance and it is crazy to the world who rely on their performance. But it is the POWER of God which saves the ungodly through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Cor 1:18)

So who is the "Jew" in you?

Have you ever had one of those experiences when God would reveal something incredible and tangible? Something that you see as if it's already yours? Have you ever lived one of those exciting moments when something unbelievably great would seem so close to you that you can literally stretch out your arm and grab it? Something like joy, healing, wealth, peace, etc...

And all of a sudden you "come back to your senses"! Guess what? The "Jew" in you just hit you on your head with a sledgehammer. the Jew in you is the LAW. The Jew in you cannot bear the thought that you can worship God, receive any favor from God apart from the law. Why? because that would mean that all your righteous acts were useless and therefore you have no glory in your success and you receive no credit for anything that you do. That is too humiliating for the Jew in you.

While rebuking the Galatians for turning back to the law, Paul says: "And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision (the law), why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased." (Gal 5:11).

The Cross is the biggest offense! And sometimes the biggest inner struggles we suffer from are the ones against the cross of Jesus Christ. Don't get me wrong, I know we might be devoted Christians who love the Lord and all of that ... but when it comes to inner beliefs, decisions, and acts in life, we have a hard time resting in the finished work of the Cross. Instead, we tend to rely on our own works and earn our own righteousness and keep on failing but never admitting.

"Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." (Rom 10:3)

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed"(Rom 3:21)

"But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness" (Rom 4:5)

"Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, to this very day." (Rom 11:6-8)

Paul warns us of such men: "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh" (Phil 3:2-3).

Who is "Paul" in you?

Paul is the preacher and believer in the grace of God. It is He who keeps on believing. Notice that Paul NEVER gave up, he kept on believing, he kept on preaching the gospel and when the Jews rejected him, he went to the gentiles. Why? Because he was compelled. That's what the revelation of the message of the amazing grace of God does to you.

"Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." (Acts 18: 5-11).

If you stick to the good news long enough you will witness its fruits and convert the Jew in you! That is victory.

"So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." (Acts 13:42-43)

Why were they begging? Because they saw hope and light in the gospel preached to them, something that the legalistic Jew can never value. Something about Paul's gospel just captivated them. And that is what Paul and Barnabas encouraged them to keep on doing: "to continue in the grace of God".

These men spread the gospel in the entire city and by the next Sabbath they had the whole town out to hear the gospel: “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God." (Acts 13:44)

That's what grace does; it gets people out of their comfort zones and into the eternal destiny which is in God's Word: Jesus Christ. It is that incredibly unbelievable GOOD NEWS!

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." (Acts 13:45-46).

Inside every one of us lives a Paul, the born again, child of God, who believes that his righteousness is in the Cross of Jesus and preaches boldly the gospel of grace. There's also the Jew in us who likes to boast in the fleshly things and wants to bring everything back under the law, he delights in judgment and condemnation and is self-righteous.

What does Jesus have to say?

This is what the Lord tells to each and every one of us today: "“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”" (Acts 18:9-10).

I pray that God's incredible grace compels the "Paul" in you to keep on preaching and living according to the crazy and offensive message of the Cross, despite the legalistic "Jews" in you and around you. In due time every knee will bow and every mouth will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD!