Bulletin Articles
Former Manner of Life
“For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it…” (Gal 1:13)
We are well aware of Paul's former way of life. He was a devout man in Judaism, a Pharisee, zealous, righteous by the standards of Law, blameless (Phil 3:5-6). By his own admission, he did what he did in good conscience, thinking that he was serving God while really acting ignorantly in unbelief (Acts 23:2; 1 Tim. 1:13).
However, for all the good he thought he was doing, he was also a persecutor of Christians. He was part of the violent uprising against the Christians when Stephen was killed, standing present and ready to help (Acts 7:58). Paul was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord," pursuing them to try to force them to renounce their faith. Paul may have been devout, but he could not have been more wrong. His former manner of life, even though lived with good conscience at that time, was one that he later recognized was ignorant, violent, blasphemous, and unbelieving. He was lost.
“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:15-16).
The book of Galatians, in which Paul also speaks of his former manner of life, is a letter that expands on the idea of coming out of a previous way of living. One of the reasons why that standard of the gospel is so important is that it shows us God's will for leaving our old ways and conforming to His ways. Christ "gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age" (1:4). Anything that threatens our rescue, including "another gospel" is to be accursed. Anything that would detour our road to God needs to be identified and shunned. Whatever our former manner of life, now we are bond-servants of Christ and we are seeking the favor of God, not men (Gal. 1:10). As the writer of Hebrews said, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (12:1-2).
Changing our former ways so that we become more conformed to the image of Christ is what being a Christian is about. For Paul, “they kept hearing, ‘He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.’ And they were glorifying God because of me” (1:23-24). Isn't that what Paul would have wanted all along? To glorify God is the ultimate goal here, and anytime we change our former ways to serve the Lord His way, then we have met our purpose.
Paul also speaks in terms of putting off the old man and putting on the new man who was been remade in Christ (Col. 3; Eph. 4). If we have been raised with Christ, we seek that which is above. Why? “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col. 3:3-4).
As opposed to living ignorance and the hardness of heart, Paul writes, “in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:22-24).
Of course, the problem with changing our former ways is that our old stubborn self keeps trying to get back out. Yet if Paul could change, any of us can change. Don't sell yourself short on how much you can change in order to glorify God; God certainly doesn't sell you short. He sent Jesus to die for you, knowing that you can, with His help, make those changes from your former manner of life to serve Him in ways that you may never have imagined. Like Paul, we can learn to forget those things that are behind and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27).
