Abraham-Paul’s Mentor

Can a Pharisee Be Saved?

In the Gospels, we regularly encounter the religious class known as the Pharisees and Sadducees. They looked to Moses and the Law for instructions in faith and practice. From childhood, the Apostle Paul (aka Saul) was raised in these traditions. How could Paul, raised in a Pharisaical background, having never met the Messiah or his disciples, receive forgiveness from God and then grow in faith and grace? I believe the answer lies in what he discovered about Abraham.

Not What He Signed Up for, but Exactly What He Needed

Finding the Gospel in the Old Testament?

Paul did not have a New Testament to read or study; his Bible was the Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures…and he knew them well. From his writings, we know Paul was detail-oriented and a stickler for accuracy. But without a New Testament, without three years of face-to-face interaction with Jesus, or at least some time with the earlier disciples, how could this Pharisee learn about grace, mercy, and forgiveness from the Old Testament?

In Acts 9:1-22 and Galatians 1:11-20, Paul recounts his conversion experience, his preaching in the synagogues, and his subsequent alone time in the Arabian wilderness. From his comments in Galatians 1:15-19, it appears that Paul had no interaction with the existing apostolic leadership for at least 3 years. His understanding of faith must have been revealed during his time in the Arabian desert as he searched the Scriptures. In other words, Paul found Old Testament evidence to support his Damascus Road experience.

Setting the Stage for Paul’s Conversion

Paul’s conversion experience was very different than anyone else we’ve seen in the gospels or the book of Acts. The Lord Jesus accused him of personal persecution.

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Acts 9:3-5 (ESV)

Before Jesus revealed himself to Paul, Stephen, a well-respected early disciple, was martyred under Paul’s supervision. God was greatly using Stephen when followers of Moses confronted him and forced him to defend himself before the High Priest and Council. These accusers said Stephen was undermining the teaching of Moses and his customs. Read their accusations and Stephen’s defense beginning in Acts 6:11 through chapter 7.

At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel. This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you. So Abraham left…..Acts 6:15-7:2 (NLT)

In his defense, Stephen began with Abraham. He wanted to highlight the redemption story, which began with Abraham. Stephen explained that Jewish history was intended to create a pathway for the coming of the Messiah.

At the end of Stephen’s speech, Paul, the Pharisee in charge, approves of Stephen’s death. These Jews were so focused on following Moses that they couldn’t hear Stephen’s defense (rooted in the call of Abraham, not Moses). And for that reason, Stephen must die.

Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:54-58 (ESV)

The Lights Go On

After the Lord revealed himself to Paul, he had to process what it meant personally, theologically, and in his community. Earlier, I suggested that Paul found evidence to support his Damascus road experience in the Hebrew Scriptures, but where? To understand the insight given to Paul, we must go back to Genesis and consider Abraham’s life. Why Abraham, you may wonder?

In his epistles, Paul repeatedly refers to Abraham, both directly and indirectly. In fact, if we attribute the book of Hebrews to Paul, his letters contain nearly 30 references to Abraham. I believe it was through this “Abrahamic lens” that Paul came to understand the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Read some of what Paul came to understand regarding Abraham in a related post (Jesus Christ-Son of Abraham).

Paul’s pathway to Jesus is very different from the twelve disciples. The twelve disciples benefited from living with Jesus for three years; Paul had no such mentor! He didn’t even meet the disciples until three years after his conversion (Gal. 1:17). What Paul did have was a deep and rich understanding of the Hebrew scriptures, and I believe that is why God taught him the way He did. The disciples enjoyed personal, face-to-face experiences with Jesus. Paul, on the other hand, was taught through the Hebrew scriptures, especially the stories of Abraham. The beauty here is that the Old Testament scriptures and the disciples’ personal experience with Jesus both provided a consistent revelation of Jesus the Messiah.

The stories about Abraham’s life were likely the most valuable tools Paul had for learning about salvation, faith, and grace. Perhaps this is why he continually refers to the patriarch in his letters. Here are a few examples:

So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. Galatians 3:9 (NLT)

Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:14 (NLT)

And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Romans 4:23-24 (NLT)

Redemption and Restoration

Let’s try to bring the points together and see what God is doing through Paul’s conversion experience.

• Since Paul had only the Hebrew Scriptures, God used those stories(especially Abraham) to instruct him in the same Gospel as the first disciples. So, when we compare the disciples’ understanding of the Gospel with Paul’s, their writings are incredibly consistent even though they arrived at them through a different process.
• Through Paul’s repeated reference to Abraham in his epistles, God validates the value of the Old Testament stories. In a day when many dismiss the Bible (especially the OT) as unnecessary or not the “Word of God,” Paul points us to a different conclusion.
• For me, one of the most admirable things about Paul is that when confronted with the truth, he searched the Scriptures to see if what he had experienced was true. Once convinced, he was willing to change his mind despite years of education and training in the ways of Moses and Pharisaical customs. That was a huge cost and a great example for us.

Conclusion

When we consider the scripture examples above and other references Paul makes to Abraham in his letters, I feel certain that Paul learned a great deal about faith and grace from his mentor, Abraham. He did not have Jesus or the disciples on earth to teach him. But he did have the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Hebrew Scriptures, and Stephen’s testimony.

So, the next time someone tells you that faith and grace are New Testament concepts, that the Old Testament is about an angry God, or only for Jews …remember the author of half the New Testament was mentored by Abraham.

As a follow-up for further study, you may wish to look up the Abraham references in Paul’s letters; then go back and read those sections in Genesis. How does Paul come to understand the Gospel from those Old Testament passages?

–Be Blessed!