“And last of
all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”1 Corinthians
15:8.
The
resurrection power of Christ transformed Paul into a preacher of the gospel. Throughout
history, reliable eyewitness testimony about a person or event has been one of
the most accepted forms of courtroom evidence.The apostle Paul appeals to the
eyewitness record as an important confirmation of the Resurrection’s reality.
He cites the examples of Peter, the apostles (twice), 500 believers, and James
(1 Cor. 15:5-7). And with today’s verse, Paul presents himself as a special
eyewitness to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. Paul’s case was unique. He was
not among the original apostles, nor the 500 other believers, all of whom had
opportunities to be with the Lord during His earthly ministry and/or see Him
soon after He arose. Paul was not even a Christian during his early life and career
but was rather the leader of those who persecuted the early church. Furthermore,
Paul’s situation was different because Christ’s appearance to him was not only
post-resurrection but post-ascension. The Lord’s dramatic manifestation to the
apostle was probably several years after the forty-day period of His many other
appearings. Paul genuinely viewed the timing of Jesus’ appearance to him as
coming “to one untimely born.” We know he greatly rejoiced in his conversion,
but if he had not seen the risen Savior then or some other time, Paul could not
have become an apostle. In other words, by gracious, sovereign provision God
chose Paul to be an apostle because “He [Jesus] appeared to me also.” The
longtime opponent of the church was now like the Twelve—he had seen the risen
Christ. The power of the Resurrection is always strong enough to change a life.
It transformed Paul’s life in three major ways. First, he recognized his sin
and saw how far removed external religion was from internal godliness. Second,
his character was revolutionized. He went from a self-righteous hatred of the
things of Christ to a self-giving love for the truth. Finally, Paul’s personal
energy and motivation were completely redirected. He went from being a zealous
opponent of Christians to one who fervently served and supported the church.
Suggestions
for Prayer:
Ask God to
help your testimony always show forth the power of the risen Christ.
For Further
Study:
What common
elements were present in Paul’s experiences in Acts 18:9-10; 23:11? Note some
things that were more unusual about Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians 12:1-7.
John
MacArthur
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