Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Concerning zeal persecuting the church means Paul before conversion actively attacked Christ's followers with power against the truth, dragging holy men and women before tribunals for imprisonment and death and journeying to Damascus to carry on the work. Blameless touching the righteousness in the law means blameless only by outward observance and the letter, in abstaining from outward wrong and keeping strict integrity with fellow men, not sinless before God. He flattered himself that this legal righteousness was faultless and of great worth, thinking while he broke the law that he kept it and that in persecuting believers he was doing God's service, when to persecute the saints was to persecute Christ Himself. On the way to Damascus Christ revealed Himself in glory and made Paul physically blind that he might gain spiritual sight, and when he saw the spiritual depth and holy demands of the law reaching even to thoughts and emotions, his aroused conscience condemned him in thought and spirit and deed as a transgressor utterly lost. After a hard and humiliating struggle he gave up his imagined goodness as nothing, repented and cast himself helpless upon Christ for pardon and righteousness, counting his own law-righteousness as worthless loss that he might win Christ and be found in Him not with his own righteousness but with the righteousness from God through faith.
Paul's Zeal and Blamelessness
Concerning zeal, the verse points to Paul's life before conversion as active persecution of the church, attacking the followers of Christ and using his power against the truth. That zeal dragged holy men and women before tribunals for imprisonment and death, and it carried him on the road to Damascus to continue the attack there. His zeal was intense for his religion and ancestral faith, expressed in persecuting the Christian church rather than in mere feeling.
Blameless in the verse means blameless only by outward observance and the letter of the law, not sinless before God. It meant abstaining from outward wrongdoing and showing strict integrity in dealing with fellow men, while the heart remained unreached. Confidence in ceremonial correctness and outward requirements was a false hope of no avail without Christ, since outward correctness alone does not make a person truly religious.
He regarded that legal righteousness as faultless and of great worth, trusting in the flesh and trying to keep the letter of the law perfectly. He flattered himself that he was justified and keeping the law while really breaking it, thinking in persecuting believers he was doing God's service. His opposition was conscientious, yet to use power against the truth and persecute the saints was to persecute Christ Himself.
His record made him regarded as a promising and zealous defender of the Jewish faith, and Jewish leaders saw in him a defender of their ancestral religion. He was a Jew by descent, of the stock of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews and in relation to the law a Pharisee. He was a Roman citizen by birth, educated in Jerusalem by the most eminent rabbis, and regarded by the rabbis as a young man of great promise. His standing gave him elevation to membership in the Sanhedrin after the death of Stephen, placing him in a position of power that he used in bitter opposition.
From Law to Christ
On the road to Damascus Christ met Paul in bright beams of glory, and Paul was struck physically blind so that he might gain spiritual sight and have time for reflection. That revelation ended his attack on the followers of Christ and turned his boasted law-righteousness, once thought of great worth, into worthless loss beside knowing Christ. From then on his longing was to win Christ and be found in Him, not with his own righteousness of the law but with the righteousness from God through faith, to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
When the spiritual depth and holy demands of the law broke upon him, he saw his sin as God saw it and lost his self-esteem with confession of guilt. Its far-reaching claims took hold upon secret things, reaching even to the thoughts and emotions of his sin-corrupted heart, so that his aroused conscience condemned him in thought, in spirit, in word and in deed. Having offended in one point he stood a transgressor before God, utterly lost, with bitter remorse and abhorrence of himself over his zeal. His confidence in good works gave way as he recognized the law's claims and his own unworthiness.
It was a hard, severe and humiliating struggle to have all his supposed goodness, virtue, good name and perfection swept away as nothing and to give up his imagined goodness. But he yielded, repented, confessed his guilt, and helpless and hopeless cast himself upon Christ whom he had despised, blasphemed and poured contempt upon. He was saved, pardoned and clothed with righteousness by the only One who could pardon him, changed from a proud Pharisee to a humble suppliant for mercy whose tongue praised Christ for calling him out of darkness into light.
He immediately forsook his former ways, believed in Jesus, and joined the people he had wanted to destroy. He sought pardon and acceptance through the merits of the crucified and risen Christ, gave up honor and ambition, and devoted himself to teaching and living for Christ even to martyrdom. His opposition had been conscientious, but he now understood that persecuting the saints was persecuting Christ Himself. He expected his changed life and account of his conversion to convince his former associates.
That former righteousness of his own in the law, once counted faultless and of great worth, he counted as worthless loss and proved unrighteousness that he might win Christ. He would no longer trust in the flesh or in keeping the letter perfectly, but desired to be found in Christ not with his own law-righteousness but with the righteousness which is from God through faith in Christ. His former confidence did not amount to living faith, for zeal for the ceremonial law and outward correctness without Christ was a false hope of no avail while he refused the One who gave the law its value. The sacrificial rites and ceremonies had pointed forward to Christ's death and were no longer binding when the reality came, while God's unchangeable Ten Commandments remain binding in spirit and letter.
Ceremonial correctness alone does not make a person truly religious or righteous before God, even with outward strict integrity and amiable traits. True Bible religion is love for God and neighbor as a principle in the heart, with virtuous acts as its fruit, whose worth God weighs by motive and spirit rather than mere outward performance. Like the rich young ruler who thought his integrity and good conduct made him spiritually perfect and in harmony with Christ, Paul had flattered himself that by good deeds and strict integrity he was fulfilling the law. Being blameless by a human standard of letter-keeping cannot save anyone from death; God's standard must be recognized, acknowledged and followed.
Concerning zeal persecuting the church means Paul before conversion actively attacked Christ's followers with power against the truth, dragging holy men and women before tribunals for imprisonment and death and journeying to Damascus to carry on the work. Blameless touching the righteousness in the law means blameless only by outward observance and the letter, in abstaining from outward wrong and keeping strict integrity with fellow men, not sinless before God. He flattered himself that this legal righteousness was faultless and of great worth, thinking while he broke the law that he kept it and that in persecuting believers he was doing God's service, when to persecute the saints was to persecute Christ Himself. On the way to Damascus Christ revealed Himself in glory and made Paul physically blind that he might gain spiritual sight, and when he saw the spiritual depth and holy demands of the law reaching even to thoughts and emotions, his aroused conscience condemned him in thought and spirit and deed as a transgressor utterly lost. After a hard and humiliating struggle he gave up his imagined goodness as nothing, repented and cast himself helpless upon Christ for pardon and righteousness, counting his own law-righteousness as worthless loss that he might win Christ and be found in Him not with his own righteousness but with the righteousness from God through faith.
Paul's Zeal and Blamelessness
Concerning zeal, the verse points to Paul's life before conversion as active persecution of the church, attacking the followers of Christ and using his power against the truth. That zeal dragged holy men and women before tribunals for imprisonment and death, and it carried him on the road to Damascus to continue the attack there. His zeal was intense for his religion and ancestral faith, expressed in persecuting the Christian church rather than in mere feeling.
Blameless in the verse means blameless only by outward observance and the letter of the law, not sinless before God. It meant abstaining from outward wrongdoing and showing strict integrity in dealing with fellow men, while the heart remained unreached. Confidence in ceremonial correctness and outward requirements was a false hope of no avail without Christ, since outward correctness alone does not make a person truly religious.
He regarded that legal righteousness as faultless and of great worth, trusting in the flesh and trying to keep the letter of the law perfectly. He flattered himself that he was justified and keeping the law while really breaking it, thinking in persecuting believers he was doing God's service. His opposition was conscientious, yet to use power against the truth and persecute the saints was to persecute Christ Himself.
His record made him regarded as a promising and zealous defender of the Jewish faith, and Jewish leaders saw in him a defender of their ancestral religion. He was a Jew by descent, of the stock of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews and in relation to the law a Pharisee. He was a Roman citizen by birth, educated in Jerusalem by the most eminent rabbis, and regarded by the rabbis as a young man of great promise. His standing gave him elevation to membership in the Sanhedrin after the death of Stephen, placing him in a position of power that he used in bitter opposition.
From Law to Christ
On the road to Damascus Christ met Paul in bright beams of glory, and Paul was struck physically blind so that he might gain spiritual sight and have time for reflection. That revelation ended his attack on the followers of Christ and turned his boasted law-righteousness, once thought of great worth, into worthless loss beside knowing Christ. From then on his longing was to win Christ and be found in Him, not with his own righteousness of the law but with the righteousness from God through faith, to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
When the spiritual depth and holy demands of the law broke upon him, he saw his sin as God saw it and lost his self-esteem with confession of guilt. Its far-reaching claims took hold upon secret things, reaching even to the thoughts and emotions of his sin-corrupted heart, so that his aroused conscience condemned him in thought, in spirit, in word and in deed. Having offended in one point he stood a transgressor before God, utterly lost, with bitter remorse and abhorrence of himself over his zeal. His confidence in good works gave way as he recognized the law's claims and his own unworthiness.
It was a hard, severe and humiliating struggle to have all his supposed goodness, virtue, good name and perfection swept away as nothing and to give up his imagined goodness. But he yielded, repented, confessed his guilt, and helpless and hopeless cast himself upon Christ whom he had despised, blasphemed and poured contempt upon. He was saved, pardoned and clothed with righteousness by the only One who could pardon him, changed from a proud Pharisee to a humble suppliant for mercy whose tongue praised Christ for calling him out of darkness into light.
He immediately forsook his former ways, believed in Jesus, and joined the people he had wanted to destroy. He sought pardon and acceptance through the merits of the crucified and risen Christ, gave up honor and ambition, and devoted himself to teaching and living for Christ even to martyrdom. His opposition had been conscientious, but he now understood that persecuting the saints was persecuting Christ Himself. He expected his changed life and account of his conversion to convince his former associates.
That former righteousness of his own in the law, once counted faultless and of great worth, he counted as worthless loss and proved unrighteousness that he might win Christ. He would no longer trust in the flesh or in keeping the letter perfectly, but desired to be found in Christ not with his own law-righteousness but with the righteousness which is from God through faith in Christ. His former confidence did not amount to living faith, for zeal for the ceremonial law and outward correctness without Christ was a false hope of no avail while he refused the One who gave the law its value. The sacrificial rites and ceremonies had pointed forward to Christ's death and were no longer binding when the reality came, while God's unchangeable Ten Commandments remain binding in spirit and letter.
Ceremonial correctness alone does not make a person truly religious or righteous before God, even with outward strict integrity and amiable traits. True Bible religion is love for God and neighbor as a principle in the heart, with virtuous acts as its fruit, whose worth God weighs by motive and spirit rather than mere outward performance. Like the rich young ruler who thought his integrity and good conduct made him spiritually perfect and in harmony with Christ, Paul had flattered himself that by good deeds and strict integrity he was fulfilling the law. Being blameless by a human standard of letter-keeping cannot save anyone from death; God's standard must be recognized, acknowledged and followed.