What Were The Apostle Paul’s Greatest Fears?

CRUCIAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Much of the New Testament written by Paul, cannot be understood fully without appreciating the problems he was solving regarding the recipients of his epistles. To avoid apostasy, Paul sent letters to congregations that he could not reach in any other way. Travel was limited. What did Paul have to fear the most to save these churches? The judaizers who were trying to deceive- who were they?

Luke 18:9-12 NKJV 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:... one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'

They wreaked of self-righteousness and God rejected them and their leadership of the Jewish people. They had an extreme bias against gentiles. They thought they were better than men but especially the raw pagan gentiles.

Acts 22:21-23 NKJV 21 "Then He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you far from here to THE GENTILES.'" 22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!" 23 Then, they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,

This great witness to the Jewish people in Jerusalem was received attentively until Paul revealed that his assignment from God was to also bring many gentiles into worshiping the true God. THE PHARISSES ESPECIALLY WANTED TO REMAKE ANY OF THE FEW GENTILES WILLING TO BE CIRCUMCISED IN THE SAME MOLD.

Matthew 23:15 NKJV 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

They wanted to restrict the number of gentiles entering the worship of God to a few.

THE TRAP IS SET AND SPRUNG ON THE CHURCH

Remember believers were a sect within Judaism, they were the Nazarene's who accepted Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah( Christ). Those of mainline Judaism were envious and jealous and perplexed at the meteoric success of Christianity.

Acts 13:45-46 NKJV 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 46 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.

They knew they had to cutoff the gentiles conversions away from paganism to worship of the true God. Therefore they sprung the trap. They deployed their number one weapon.

Acts 15:1 NKJV 1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, YOU CANNOT BE SAVED."

EVERYONE understood that this would be a barrier to prevent all but a few gentiles from entering the truth. You can imagine a gentile being told , yes you can convert and repent but first you need a painful operation! Both Paul and Peter realized that this would reverse the message the Holy Spirit had sent their evangelistic efforts for years. God had shown demonstrably that He was opening the door to gentiles. Peter testified to this key at crucial ministerial confrontation:

Acts 15:8-9 NKJV 8 "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 "and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

The church leaders saw that Peter and Paul were correct but the deceptive judaizers did not stop their plots. After Paul would start a new congregation false teachers came to them after Paul was long gone. They worked to undermine Paul and frighten the believers to follow a circumcision driven over regulated form of Judaism. Paul's number one fear was that many would be led astray. They would become just like the self righteous Pharisees that Jesus condemned. Paul feared that much of his work would be in vain.

Galatians 2:4-5 NKJV 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of THE GOSPEL MIGHT CONTINUE WITH YOU.

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 RSV 14 ... for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, ...16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved....!

Paul is referring to the Jewish leadership and the false teachers from the Judaizing party. Paul the Apostle to the gentiles told the Galatian gentiles that if they accepted the false teachers approach the gospel would no longer be allowed to go to them. The goal of these false teachers is to choke off the evangelistic work to gentiles like them. This is clearly Paul's greatest fear. Paul feared for the people! Readers today of Paul's writings will understand better when they recognize his enormous fear for them. Paul also feared that his suffering and selfless service would be in vain.

FREEDOM AND A BALANCED OBEDIENCE TO GOD MISUNDERSTOOD

Paul told the gentiles that they did not want to be enslaved but free in their worship. Some in our world mistakenly think Paul was against Godly obedience of the primary laws of God. He was in no way telling gentiles that ungodly message.

Galatians 5:1-2 NKJV 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

Does Paul mean that liberty in Christ means freedom to sin. Absolutely not! See our Podcast on 'Misunderstanding Paul'.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 BBE 6 For this reason I say to you, Let that grace of God which is in you, given to you by my hands, have living power. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and ofself-control.

Paul taught love and self-control from a sound mind. Note what Paul taught Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 RSV 7 ... Train yourself in godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Just as athletic training requires discipline so does spiritual training which is so much more valuable. Discipline and training will help one to fight off backsliding into worldly sin. Backsliding is easier to recognize and resist than clever doctrinal deception, therefore this would be Paul's secondary fear. Paul also explains the spiritual principle behind circumcision.

Romans 2:25-29 RSV 25 Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?... 28 For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. 29 He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual …

Jesus Himself said that what comes out of a man and enters the heart is what matters. See Mathew 15:18-19. True circumcision is of the heart, the inward man. Spiritual growth is internal. The judaizers were not really that obedient to God they just over emphasize certain laws and were ungodly in other areas. They were not balanced and Godly.

Galatians 6:12-13 RSV 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised,.... 13 For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.

Jesus said to the leaders of his nation that they followed traditions even when those traditions violated God's sacred laws. Read Mark Chapter Seven. Paul is saying the same about these false teachers.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Q1. DO THE CLERICS OF TODAY UNDERSTAND WHAT PAUL FEARED?

Q2. WE CANNOT TRULY UNDERSTAND THE NEW TESTAMENT WITHOUT KNOWING THE TRUE THREATS?

Q3. HOW IS FREEDOM IN CHRIST OFTEN USED AS A PRETEXT TO ALTER OR CANCEL SOME OF GOD'S LAWS? (OVER REGULATION IS WRONG)