Paul's good works*

Mark Swinney

One of my favorite statements in the Bible is "to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Rom. 8:6). The man who said that was the Apostle Paul. Yet as wonderful as that statement is, there was a time in Paul's life when his behavior suggested he was anything but a wonderful person.

He wasn't always called Paul either. His parents called him Saul. He was born around the same time as Jesus and was raised in the Middle East. Unlike Jesus, though, who grew up mostly in small towns in this area, Saul and his family lived in Tarsus, a big city. Saul was educated by Hebrew teachers, and he probably learned from his father to be a tentmaker. He was also a Roman citizen, which meant he had certain privileges.

As Saul grew, his views became more and more shaped by those Hebrews who were known as Pharisees. The Pharisees felt that the Jews should separate themselves from the heathen, or non-Jews, who sometimes were a bad influence. They taught Saul that it was very important to follow strictly all the rules of Jewish law, and they also taught him the importance of serving one God and being wholeheartedly devoted to Him.

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