Saul or Paul?

Good morning!

Outside of Jesus and perhaps Peter and John, Paul is the preeminent person that we read about in the New Testament.  The second half of the book of Acts is devoted to his missionary journeys, and we believe that he wrote at least 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament.  Paul has been, at times, called both the “World’s Greatest Missionary” and the “World’s Greatest Evangelist.”

Of course, when we first read about Paul in Acts 7:58 he is called Saul and is part of a mob that is stoning Stephen.  He is also referred to as Saul in Acts 8, which describes his persecution of the early Christians, and again in Acts 9, which describes his conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus.

So when did Saul become Paul?  And why the name change?

Well, the book of Acts refers to him as Saul the whole way up to Acts 13:9, when we read this:

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas…

From that verse on, the Bible always refers to him as Paul.  It is often assumed that Paul had his name changed from Saul to Paul by Jesus (like when Jesus told Simon that he would now be called Peter in Matthew 10:2), but the Bible never says this.  In all likelihood, Paul himself decided on the name change.

So why did he do it?  “Saul” is his Hebrew name.  “Paul” would have been his Roman name.  Since Paul was born a Roman citizen, he was probably called both names as he was growing up and then chose to go by Saul as an adult.  Paul describes himself this way in Philippians 3:5:

Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee.

It’s little wonder why a guy who was so zealous and devout as Jew (Hebrew) would prefer to go by his Hebrew name!  It was also a way to show his devotion to his heritage while he was persecuting Christians.

At some point after he became a Christian, however, he evidently began to reconsider his name.  Going by Paul probably had two purposes:

1.       It reflected the new identity that he now possessed through Christ.

2.     Using his Roman name made a lot of sense since he would be the “apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13) and travel throughout the Roman Empire.   Using his Roman name allowed Paul to put the Gentiles “at east” when he approached them to talk to them about Jesus.

Some scholars speculate that there was a third reason for the name change.  “Saul” was a name that had kingship identified with it, since the first king of Israel was named Saul.  “Paul,” on the other hand, meant “little” or “small” in that culture.  Changing his name to Paul may have reflected Paul’s desire to “become smaller” and proclaim Jesus as “greater.”

So what is the big deal?  Well, we are also given new names through Christ.  Now it’s not that if we were Jimmy we become Joe or if we were Sally we become Flo.  But the Bible does tell us a number of new names that God wants to give us.

The world wants to call you worthless, but Isaiah 51:11 says that God calls you Redeemed

The world calls you Unlovable, but James 2:5 says that God calls you Beloved.

The world calls you Cursed, but Genesis 24:21 tells us that God calls you Blessed.

The world says that you are Unwanted, but Paul tells us in Galatians 3:39 that we are Heirs.

The world says that you are Low-Class, 1 Peter 1:29 says that you are Royalty.

The world says that you are darkness, but in Matthew 5:14 Jesus says you are the light of the world.

The world calls you a Loner, but in John 15:15 Jesus calls you Friend.

The world wants to call you a Loser or a Failure, but in Psalm 16:3 God declares you to be Excellent or Noble.

That’s pretty good isn’t it?  Whenever we study a passage about Paul or a book written by him, we should remember the change in identity that we all receive through Jesus.

Here's what’s happening:

1.                TONIGHT - National Day of Prayer Evening of Worship at Lancaster Bible College starting at 6:15 pm.

2.               Double Nickels next meet on 5/18 after the worship service, due to Mother’s Day being on the 11th.

3.               Save the Dates – Upcoming Youth Group Dates – 5/8, 5/22, & 6/12.  Sub order pick up at the church on the 8th in the evening (or see Thomas).

4.               If you are interested in learning more about our church and/or membership, please let me know by Sunday.

5.               If you are interested in being baptized this summer, please let me know soon.

6.               The church is now livestreaming the Sunday morning worship service.  Head to www.youtube.com/@andrewsbridgechristian and click on the “Live” button to find the services.

7.                The Witness Music Festival is making a return – Saturday, 6/14 at the SECA Park in Quarryville.  There is a huge need for volunteers that day.  Please see me if you are interested.

8.               The Oaks Ministry is still in need of a house manager for their Wakefield facility.  They are looking for a single lady to live at the house and provide oversight for the ladies that are receiving services.

9.               ServeNow is hosting the Uganda Children’s Choir for a concert at Mt. Vernon on 6/1 at 6:30 pm.

On Sunday we’ll continue our look at 1 Thessalonians but studying Paul’s account of his ministry in Thessalonica. God calls on each of us have to have a personal ministry, even if we aren't in professional ministry.  The truth is that many of the most effective ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ do not have "Rev." in front of their name!  We’ll look at what the marks of a thriving personal witness and ministry look like.

See you on Sunday,

Scott