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““A Claim of Sinless Perfection?””

Thoughts for Today:

Let’s take a look at the last two of the seven credentials Paul listed:

1. As for zeal, persecuting the church. Paul believed he was doing God’s will when he persecuted the church. The other Pharisees were willing to ignore the Christians once they left Jerusalem, but Paul was determined to exterminate them wherever he could find them. That was his purpose and intention when the Lord interrupted him on the road to Damascus and changed his life forever.
2. As for righteousness based on the Law, faultless. I think it’s important to note that Paul does not say that he was sinless or perfect. He says he was faultless, which means that he had obediently brought the proper sacrifice for his sin to God in order to make things right.

So if Paul believed he was faultless, why did he need Jesus? In Romans 7:7, he says, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Paul never claimed that he had attained sinless perfection. In fact, just the opposite. The Law revealed his sin.

Questions to Ponder:

Today, we see a lot of religious extremism. Perhaps the modern equivalent of the pre-Jesus Paul would be those people who shoot abortion doctors and blow up free clinics in order to protect the unborn. Paul was ready to do whatever was necessary (including killing people) to defend the integrity of the Law. However, it’s very important to not become the very people we are trying to protect others from. Have you allowed religious zeal to take you away from the overarching message of the Gospel? Are your acts based in love?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.