Whenever Paul is mentioned, almost every brother and sister will feel great respect for him, because he did many works and suffered a lot for the Lord. Especially Paul once said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8), so brothers and sisters think that Paul is one approved by God and God will surely bestow upon him the crown of righteousness because of what he spent, and they even think that Paul’s dream already came true and he already received the crown bestowed by God. However, have we ever considered whether our measure is correct and is compatible with God’s? We need to know that God’s thoughts are different from man’s thoughts; what kind of people God approves and how God determines a person’s outcome is not something we created beings can decide. So, we’d better study some of theexamples in the Bible.
We all know that Moses was a man used by God. He was called by Jehovah to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness…. Moreover, Jehovah appeared to him and through him issued the law and led the people of Israel, and so on.We cansay that Moses did many great works for God and suffered a lot in his life. In the hearts of the Israelites, Moses was a very great man. However, when Jehovah told Moses to speak to the rock to pour out its water, Moses didn’t obey Jehovah’s word but struck the rock to pour out its water. For this reason, Jehovah said to Moses, “…you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12) We see that Jehovah didn’t forgive Moses’ resistance against God because of his meritorious service and the hardships he had suffered,and in the end, he didn’t allow Moses to enter Canaan. Then let’s look at John the Baptist. He was the one who paved the way for Jesus, and he personally baptized and testified Jesus.Obviously, the work he did was even greater. However, after the Lord Jesus began to do thework, John didn’t follow Jesus but took his disciples with him and preached and baptized peopleas before. After he was put into prison, he even sent his disciples to ask the Lord Jesus whether he was the one to come. As it is recorded in the Bible, “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said to him, Are you he that should come, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3) When John baptized the Lord Jesus at that time, he saw with his own eyes heaven open and the Spirit descend upon Jesus like a dove, and he heard a voice from heaven say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” He knewperfectly well that Jesus was God’s beloved Son, but he didn’t come to follow him and even sent his disciples to tempt Jesus. From this, we can see that although John had done many works for the Lord, he didn’t have true fear of God, much less willing submission. Instead, he acted independently and defiantly and even tempted Jesus. Hence, God didn’t approve him. As Jesus told his disciples, “Truly I say to you, Among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew11: 11) The above examples show us that both Moses and John the Baptist had done many works and suffered much for God, but because they didn’t have true fear of God nor absolute submission to God, they failed to receive God’s approval in the end. From this we see that how much work a person has done is not the capital for him to be approved by God, and how much a person has suffered is not the proof for him to receive God’s promise. God approves a person not according to how much he contributes, how much he suffers, or how great his fame is, but according to whether he has true fear of God and absolute submission to God.
Then, what kind of person is Paul? Why does God not approve him? Let’s read a few passages of Almighty God’s word, and we will find the answer.
Almighty God says, “Paul, at the very mention of this man, you may think of his history and think of some inaccurate and not factual stories concerning him. He was taught by his parents from childhood and received my life. Because of my predestination, he had the qualities required by me. At the age of nineteen, he began to study all kinds of books concerning life. So, needless for me to say in detail, because of his qualities and because of my inspiration and enlightenment, he could not only speak a little about the things in the spirit, but could also touch my will. Of course, that was due to both the internal and the external causes. However, the flaw in him was that he, because of his natural talent, often talked boastfully. So, due to his disobedience, part of which directly represented the archangel, when I was incarnated the first time, he did his utmost to resist. He did not know my word, and my position in his heart had vanished. As a result, such a man as himdirectly resisted my divinity, thus being struck down by me. Only then did he finally fall down and confess his sins. Therefore, after I made use of his strong points, that is, after he worked for me for some time, he relapsed into his old ways. Although he did not directly disobey my word, he had disobeyed my guidance and inspiration within him. Thus, all his doings in the past came to naught. …”
“Paul had seen the Lord Jesus, yet he still did not believe. Later, after the Lord Jesus was crucified, he knew this fact, but he still persecuted and opposed Jesus; this istransgressing knowingly. So he was struck down. In the beginning, he knew that there was a king among the Jews, who was called Jesus. He had heard all these. Afterward, when he gave sermons in the temple and preached in various places, he ran counter to Jesus. He held himself high above others and did not submit to anyone. These became thegreat hindrances to the work of that time. At the time when Jesus was doing the work, he did not directly persecute or arrest people; he demolished it through his preaching and speaking. Later, the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, and he began to arrest the disciples, rushing everywhere and harshly persecuting them. Only after he ‘received a great shinning’ did he wake up and feel extremely remorseful. Since he was struck down, his illness had never left him. Sometimes, he felt that his illness got worse, and again he could not get up. ‘Why is this? Have I really been struck down?’ Unconsciously herecovered again, and after he became well, he continued to do the work. However, that illness never left him, and because of this illness, he did many works. It could be said that aiming at his arrogance and his haughtiness and willfulness, Jesus put this illness upon him, which was a punishment for him and was also for the sake of his greater work. And he was making use of Paul’s gifts to work for him.”
“Paul did not know his substance or his corruption, much less his disobedience. He never mentioned or felt too remorseful about his former despicable acts of resisting Christ but only explained them briefly. In his innermost being, he did not completely surrender to God. Although he fell to the ground on his way to Damascus, he did not examine himself from his innermost being but only contented himself with working unceasingly. He did not consider knowing himself and having his old disposition transformed to be the most crucial things. He was just content with verbal truths, with supplying others to salve his conscience, and with persecuting Jesus’ disciples no more to soothe himself and excuse his former sins. The goal he pursued was only the future crown and temporary work and was abundant grace. He did not pursue to gain sufficient truths or to enter deeper into the truths that he did not understand before. So, his knowledge of himself can be said to be hypocritical, and he did not accept chastisement and judgment. … As far as his natural essence and his whole pursuit were concerned, he was simply not worthy to be called a Christian who pursued the truth, much less a faithful servant in God’s family, because he had too much hypocrisy and too great disobedience. Such a man as he, known as a servant of the Lord Jesus, was not at all worthy to enter into the gate of the kingdom of heaven, because what he did from beginning to end could not be called righteousness. He could only be considered a man who was hypocritical and did unrighteousness and yet who worked for Christ. Although he might not be called wicked, it is appropriate to call him a man who did unrighteousness. He indeed did many works, yet we cannot evaluate him according to the quantity of his works but according to the quality and the substance of his works. Only in this way can the truth of the whole thing be clarified. He always thought: I am capable of working. I am superior to others. I care for the Lord’s burden. No one cares for the Lord’s burden more than I do. No one repents more deeply than me. Because I received a great shining and saw the great light, I repent more deeply than anyone else. This was what he thought in his heart at that time. By the end of his work, he said, ‘I have fought the fight and finished the course. There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.’ He fought the fight, did the work, and ran the course completely for the sake of the crown of righteousness, and he was not making progress actively. Although his working attitude was not perfunctory, it can be said that he worked only for atoning for his trespasses and the accusation of his conscience. What he hoped for was only to finish the work, finish the course, and finish the fight early, so that he could receive his expected crown of righteousness early. He did not hope to meet the Lord Jesus with his experiences and true knowledge, but hoped to finish the work early so that the Lord Jesus, when meeting him, would bestow to him the reward he deserved for his work. He did the work to soothe himself and did the work to make a deal, exchanging it for the future crown. What he pursued was only the crown, not the truth or God. How could such a pursuit be up to the standard? His intent, his work, his price, and his whole expending were full of his pleasant fantasies. He worked entirely according to his personal desires. The price he paid in all his working was not out of willingness at all, and he was only making a deal. He did not pay the price willingly for performing his duty but for achieving the purpose of the deal. How much could such expending be worth? Who would approve his impure expending? Who would be very interested in such expending?”
“Consequently, having experienced the working of the Holy Spirit for years, Paul was transformed very little and virtually remained a natural man and was still the old Paul. Only, he, after undergoing years of hardships in working, had learned to ‘work’ and learned to endure. However, his old nature, the nature of being emulative and self-seeking, still remained in him. Though working for years, he did not know his corrupt disposition or cast off all his old dispositions. Those old dispositions could still be clearly seen in his working. He only gained some working experience, yet this little experience could not transform him or change his viewpoint of living and the meaning of his pursuit. Although he worked for Christ for years and his past acts of persecuting the Lord Jesus never repeated, his knowledge of God in his heart remained unchanged. That is to say, he did not work for the sake of consecrating himself but worked under compulsion for the sake of his future destination, because from the beginning he was a persecutor of Christ, not an obeyer of Christ. He was originally a disobedient one who deliberately resisted Christ, and he was originally a man who did not know the working of the Holy Spirit. When his work was about to end, he still did not know the working of the Holy Spirit but acted arbitrarily by his own willful nature, paying no attention to the will of the Holy Spirit at all. So, he was by nature hostile to Christ and disobedient to the truth. How could such a man be saved who was rejected by the working of the Holy Spirit and who did not know the work of the Holy Spirit and resisted Christ? Whether a person can be saved is not decided according to how much work he does or how much he consecrates but according to whether he knows the working of the Holy Spirit, whether he practices the truth, and whether his viewpoint of pursuit is in accordance with the truth.” (from The Word Appears in the Flesh)
From Almighty God’s words, we can see clearly why God doesn’t approve Paul and see clearly the disobedience and resistance behind Paul’s working and suffering. At the same time, we can also see that there is truth and righteousness in God’s disapproval of Paul and thateverything God does is proper. To see Paul’s substance more thoroughly and clearly, we mayreview the history again and practically dissect him according to his doings.
First, let’s look at Paul’s attitude toward God and God’s work and his attitude toward the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and enlightenment. Every brother and sister who has read the Bibleknows about Paul’s stories. While Jesus was doing the work, Paul resisted, demolished, and disturbed his work all along. Worse still, when the fact of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection andascension caused a great sensation in Judea, Paul knew that Jesus had been resurrected and Jesus was the Lord, but he not only didn’t stop his despicable actions of resisting God and persecuting the believers in Jesus, but on the contrary, went much further and persecuted them more harshly. He even asked for letters from the high priest and then hunted Jesus’ disciples everywhere and put them in prison. It seemed that he had made up his mind never to rest until all the believers in Jesus Christ were killed. From this we can see that Paul was not one who intentionally submitted to God and God’s work but one who deliberately resisted God and spared no effort to disturb and disrupt God’s work. His resistance didn’t result from his “ignorance,” but he resisted purposely while knowing clearly that Jesus had resurrected and was God’s beloved Son. Because he directly resisted God and offended God’s disposition and alsobecause his resistance was too serious and caused great hindrance to God’s work, God struck him down on the road to Damascus. After Paul began to work for the Lord, though he never persecuted the Lord Jesus again as he had done before, he still acted arbitrarily and considered himself right and often disobeyed the inner inspiration and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Thereis a record of this in Acts 21: Moved by the Spirit, the disciples urged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem, and a prophet named Agabus also told Paul that the Holy Spirit said the Jews of Jerusalem would bind him, and pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem, but Paul didn’t listen. He held to his own idea and acted arbitrarily, not taking into account the Holy Spirit’s inspiration at all. From this we can see how arrogant and self-conceited Paul was. He was haughty and self-indulgent, and he always considered himself right and disregarded God’s will. These doomed the way he walked to be one of failure.
Now let’s consider the goal Paul pursued and the way he walked. Though Paul did many works after he followed Jesus, he didn’t work for satisfying God. He worked for the sake of working and worked for receiving a reward. It can be said that by working he was making abargain with God and he was to fulfill his desire of receiving blessings. That is why he could say such words, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness….” (2 Timothy 4:7) This is just like a childwho honors his parents not for fulfilling his obligation as a child but for getting his parents’ property. So, he always has such a view in his heart: I have done what I ought to do. I give you good food and good clothes, and look after you in your old age; so, you must give me your property in the end. With such an intent, he is forced to do things for his parents, not for paying the debt of gratitude for their love and care, but for getting their property. Then even though he has expended a lot, can he console his parents’ hearts? Similarly, while doing his work, Pauldidn’t perform his duty as a created being, but like an employee who worked for his employer,he aimed to receive reward. The way he walked was not that of loving God but that of making adeal with God. No wonder God calls Paul’s expending “impure expending”!
Furthermore, from Paul’s disposition we can also see his substance. Although Paul did many works and suffered a lot, he never had his own life entering in in his working. He didn’t love the truth and didn’t live out the humbleness, patience, and love required by Jesus, much less did hehave any knowledge of his substance of disobeying and resisting God. Paul never talked about his disobedient conduct of resisting the Lord Jesus, and didn’t pursue the transformation of his disposition in his working; rather, he indulged in boastful talk because of his “gifts” and “contributions.” He was arrogant, self-conceited, self-important, and self-right. He often exalted,testified, showed off, and advertised himself before the brothers and sisters, so much so that all the people after him looked up to him and adored him. As we all know, the Lord Jesus taught people not to boast before others and not to ask for reward when doing good. For instance, the Lord Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, saying that they had received their reward in full from manfor what they had done and so they could not receive God’s approval. However, Paul often boasted before others and claimed credit for himself, and he never had regard for other apostles and the brothers and sisters. For example, Paul said, “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.” (2 Corinthians 11:23) “I am become a fool in glorying; you have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very most chief apostles, though I be nothing.” (2 Corinthians 12:11) He not only didn’t know his uglynature of resisting God and forgot his despicable conduct of resisting and persecuting the Lord Jesus, but he regarded himself as higher than anyone else. What’s more, he was so arrogant as to lose his sense and testify himself, saying: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) He went so far as to profess to be Christ and treat himself as the equal ofGod. Part of his disobedient disposition directly represented the archangel. How could he notprovoke God’s wrath?
From the above three aspects we have talked about, that is, Paul’s attitude toward God, God’s work, and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and enlightenment, the purpose and intent behind Paul’s working and the way he walked, and Paul’s archangelic nature of being arrogant and self-conceited, not knowing himself, and vainly hoping to be on an equal footing with God, we can fully see that Paul was by no means a person who loved God and submitted to God or a person who knew himself and put the truth into practice. On the contrary, he was a person who purposely resisted God and disturbed and hindered God’s work, who despised the Holy Spirit’s work, who was arrogant and self-conceited, who exalted himself, testified himself, and professed to be Christ, and who took his work as capital to bargain with God for reward. How could such a person receive God’s approval even if he had done more works and suffered more hardships? What man sees is a person’s outward appearance, but God sees his substance. Because Paul in substance was disobedient and resistant against God, he was not approved by God in the end. Today, God has made known to people Paul’s outcome and the cause of his failure, not in order to find fault with Paul but to reveal God’s will and to correct people’serroneous viewpoints on things and goals to pursue, so that they can truly step onto the way to success, the way of obeying God and pursuing the truth and the transformation of their disposition and thus being perfected in the end.
Brothers and sisters, God is righteous, and everything God does is right and proper. Weshould not deny God and his work just because a certain person’s outcome doesn’t fit ournotions and seems to us inexplicable for the moment. Though Moses was greatly used by Godyet failed to enter into Canaan in the end, we cannot deny Jehovah or his work because of that.Though John the Baptist paved the way for the Lord and did many works yet was not approvedby God in the end, we cannot deny that Jesus was God or deny his work because of that. Likewise, today we should not deny Almighty God or refuse to accept God’s end-time work because Paul did many works and suffered a lot but was not approved by God. If we leave Godjust because Paul’s outcome doesn’t fit our notions, won’t it be very foolish of us? Won’t we also become ones who disobey and resist God? Won’t our many years of pursuit be in vain as well?
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