CALLED THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller
"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and
called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him
among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood"
(Gal. 1:15,16).
From the moment of his birth, Paul, like Jeremiah (1:5) of old, was
selected by the Lord to "preach among the heathen" (Gal. 1:16). But
unlike Jeremiah, Paul was not called to be a prophet. In Romans 11:13 he
states the reason for which God had called him:
"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office" (Rom. 11:13).
In Ephesians 3:8, we read these words concerning his ministry:
"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."
The Lord was in Paul’s life from his birth, working behind the scenes in
his early training, his schooling, being also "brought up in [Jerusalem]
at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of
the law of the fathers" (Acts 22:3). In other words God had Paul, and
this dispensation of grace, in mind all the while and "worketh all
things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
It was at Damascus -— upon the conversion of this Saul of Tarsus -— that
Christ began to reveal Himself unto him! Acts 9 marks the beginning of
"the revelation of Jesus Christ" in Paul’s life (Gal. 1:11,12; Acts
26:16-18; I Tim. 1:15-16).
"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 1:14).
Thus, we discover that both before and after Acts 28 the Apostle’s
afflictions were on account of his God-given call to minister the gospel
of the grace of God.
"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is
behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for His Body’s sake,
which is the Church; WHEREOF I AM MADE A MINISTER, according to the
dispensation of God WHICH IS GIVEN TO ME for you, to fulfil the Word of
God; Even THE MYSTERY which has been HID FROM AGES AND FROM GENERATIONS,
but has NOW been made manifest to His saints" (Col. 1:24-26).
It was concerning THIS call and ministry of grace that Paul wrote
Timothy: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have
kept the faith" (II Tim. 4:7).
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