Paul’s experience

In the Epistle to the Romans, in the middle of a passage about God’s activity in time, Paul writes:

“How unsearchable are His judgments, and how inscrutable His ways!”
Rom 11:33

Certainly, Paul is not only writing about God, but also writing from his own experience. God left important traces in Paul’s life. His own course of life must have been puzzling to him in some respects. Because God’s action with him starts even before his birth. In Galatians the apostle writes:

“But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles through the gospel…”
Gal 1:15-16

Here we learn that God already “set Paul apart from the womb” for a later task. However, that comes much later. Indeed, Paul first persecuted the church (Acts 7:58, Acts 8:1-3, Acts 9:1-2) and he was a “blasphemer and persecutor and sacrilegious” (1 Tim. 1:13). That is, until it “pleased God to reveal His Son in me” (Gal 1:15-16). This is an amazing account and context that shows that God chose Paul, yet allowed him to remain for a long time. Until it was enough. Until it was time.

An understanding of God’s ways takes time

To Timothy Paul writes:

“And therefore I give thanks to him who has given me strength, to Christ Jesus our Lord, that he has counted me faithful and appointed me to the ministry, who before was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an evildoer. But mercy was shown to me because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the mercy of our Lord became great beyond all measure, together with the faith and love that is in Christ Jesus. Credible is the word and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the greatest. But for this reason mercy has been shown to me, so that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as an example to those who would hereafter believe in him for eternal life.”
1Tim 1:12-16

“But therefore mercy has been shown to me …” Paul is anything but proud of his “career”, but he knows where all these experiences and God’s grace should lead: He should become an example for those who should believe in Christ after him.

Whether Paul or Job, the ways of God and His mercy are experienced by men only after long, difficult years. Of course, this does not always have to be the case, but we should not be surprised if we ourselves experience many things before God speaks into our hearts. Paul thus came to know something of God’s action particularly deeply, namely His “grace,” which is nowhere more evident in the Bible than in Paul’s letters.

Exchange questions

• Can we say from our own experience that some things only become clear or resolved with time?
• What if some things in our lives are not resolved at all?
• Are there things worth advocating for here and now so that a solution comes? And what in this can we confidently leave to God?
• Can you name two Bible passages that show God accomplishing His purpose? Do you trust the statements?
• Read and discuss: Romans 8:18, Romans 8:28 (best read in context).
• Read and discuss the following text by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
  “I believe that God can and will bring good out of everything, even the most evil. For this he needs people who will let all things be for the best [cf. Rom 8:28]. I believe that God wants to give us as much resilience as we need in every adversity. But he does not give it in advance, so that we do not rely on ourselves, but on him alone. In such faith, all fear of the future should be overcome. I believe that even our mistakes and errors are not in vain, and that it is no more difficult for God to deal with them than with our supposed good deeds. I believe that God is not a timeless fate, but that He waits and responds to sincere prayers and responsible deeds.”
  Source: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werke, vol. 8, p. 30ff (via Wikipedia).