The Religious Man VS. The Man In Christ

Acts 8:58, “and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.", Acts 8:1 "And Saul was consenting unto his death...", Acts 8:3 "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church...", Acts 22:20 “I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death...", Jhn. 16:2 "the time comes, that whosever kills you will think that he does God service.", Rom.10:2 “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

Why did God choose Saul, the very height of the religious man, to be the special messenger, His ambassador, for the highest and most glorious thing that God has ever done? Because only God, through Christ, by His grace, could take a man and place him in the highest height in the Son of His love. What a contrast to what he was, in his own natural religion, alienated (a non-participant in the life that Christ is) through the ignorance that was in Him.

Someone has said, "it is the religious aim which so peculiarly betrays the nature of the enmity (strong, settled feelings of hatred) of the natural mind against God; and it is here where the mind of Christ is most distinctly expressed in contrast to it. In nothing is the natural mind against God so disclosed and revealed as in religion."

Oh, how satan is the master of distance by creating division in the body of Christ. Severing members of Christ's own body from one another by a lack of loving forgiveness. Finding every other reason, other than Scripture, for their distance from each other (at times it may be necessary for scriptural principles of discipline).

Now let's hear Paul, born again, and functioning in the life of Christ in Him. 1 Cor. 15:9—10, “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not qualified (in himself) to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But (a contrasting conjunction = contrast and separation) by the grace of God I am what I am...”

Eph. 3:8, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all the saints (those in Christ, separated from the old self), is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles (what a contrast!) the unsearchable (in terms of never coming to the end of its glorious beauty and majesty) riches of Christ.”

1 Tim. 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

In 2 Cor. 12:2, Paul said, “I knew a man in Christ”, I believe God had to bring him into the very presence of God, in the third heaven, so he could hear what God would declare to him his position in Christ without the distractions of accusations and lies from the enemy.

Oh Lord, let this be how we see ourselves in Your Son, without distance or distraction from You, and all those others that are Yours in Christ.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; YET NOT I, BUT (contrasting conjunction) CHRIST lives in me; and the life that I now live in this body I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself FOR ME.” Gal. 2:20.