Saul "becomes" Paul, Unbecomingly

No matter what, the world would rather have their king to be Saul; as opposed to non-king Paul.

 

“Give us a king…so that we can be like everybody else.”

 

Let’s see why:

 

Phillipians 2-3, Paul formerly Saul’s last known letter from prison, prior to his execution:

 

“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write these same things to you, and it is a safeguard to you. (See Galatians to expand on this.)

 

…we who worship God by the Spirit of God (the only way to go per Jesus in John 3)

…who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh…though I myself (as Saul) have every reason to do so…(as a zealous Pharisee)

 

…as for legalistic righteousness, faultless…(but)

 

…whatever was to my profit, I now consider everything a loss, for the sake compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing  Christ Jesus, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which is through faith—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

 

“I want to know Christ and the Power (caps mine) of His Resurrection and the fellowship that comes from sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death , and so, somehow, to attain to the Resurrection from the dead.”

(It was precisely at this point that Paul lost most of his philosophy majors at Mars Hill—just as he was stoned for it by both Pharisees and Sadducees in Jerusalem—only to be rescued by the Romans, who would then kill Paul themselves…”yet some believed.”)  While Herod, responsible for the slaughter of the innocents to try to kill the Christ, stood by, snickering.)

 

More Paul, post- forced dismounting of his Great High Hobby Horse:

“Not that I have already obtained all this (even though he was under  multiple death sentences), or that I have already been made perfect,” (nota bene) but I press on to take hold of that for which Jesus Christ took hold of me.  Brothers,” (keeping in mind to whom he was writing who, as was the nature of the Phillipians who gave Paul great joy; and who would therefore understand him) ,”I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But this one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, and straining for what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

(It is beyond the world’s comprehension that God would call anyone to anything this specific—“foolishness to Gentiles,” as Paul said elsewhere. )

 

“…and if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  (but you have to have at least enough interest to ask!). But let us ( while not having yet attained, yet,) live up to what we have already attained.”

The world cannot discern what is spiritually discerned—it is too concerned with its own material affairs—and it by its very Nature rejects Who Christ actually is and said He was—it is the persistent and sometimes deliberate delusion of McWorld  that Jesus Christ came solely to create, “nicer people with better morals.”  (proof-testing at its very worst)  And this is what it feels it has every right to claim—never mind that it was a coalition of forces alive and unfortunately  all the more thriving in the world today, that crucified God Himself, and would do so again in a nanosecond  when given another whack at it. As we also see, vividly, across the globe today at fever pitch. 

 

But in that light, we must recall, and recall again, that we are not struggling primarily against people esp. not individuals for whom Christ died, and who, like us, are not done yet.  Paul also says that, “We struggle not against flesh and blood “(you and I)  “but against principalities and powers of wickedness in high places.” (higher than that to which mere flesh/sarx can possibly attain)  The reality of the struggles we really have are artistically and uncannily revealed in The Screwtape Letters, a wonderful but awful depiction about how our chains are continually jerked by powers for which we, in ourselves, are no match.  Not even with our I-phones, may I add!)