Old and New

The apostle Paul was not always a friend to Christians, nor was he always a follower of Christ. When Paul was introduced in the book of Acts, his actions favored violence toward Christians. Paul, who is referred to as Saul, guarded the coats of the men who were actively stoning Stephen, a man devoted to God who had confronted the Jewish council with their sins moments earlier. Acts 8:1 says Saul was “in hearty agreement with putting him to death.” The only reason Saul was not throwing stones with them was that someone had to watch the coats.

Saul’s hatred for the church is seen in the first few verses of Acts 8, where he was dealing damage to the church and to individual Christians. Acts 9:1 further records that Saul was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” The imagery paints Saul like a fire-breathing monster, chasing down and murdering Christians because of their faith. The contrast in his lifestyle before and after he met Jesus could not be greater.

Paul reflected often on his former conduct (see Gal. 1:13, Phil. 4:1-7, etc.). As he reflected on the changes Christ had made and continued to make in him, he also instructed the church to examine themselves and set aside their old selves. He said in Ephesians 4:22, “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 according to God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Christians lay aside all the sinful ways they used to live outside of Christ to please Christ and become what He teaches us to be, because what He teaches us to be is best. If Paul could lay aside his old self, every Christian can lay aside their old self and put on the new self, which is the best self.