Scripture Reading: Gal. 2:20; 6:17; Phil. 1:19-21a; 3:8-10; 4:4-9, 11-13; 1 Tim. 1:16
Ⅰ
The book of Acts reveals that the apostle Paul lived the life of a God-man, a life with the highest standard of human virtues expressing the most excellent divine attributes—Acts 27:1—28:10; note 1 on 28:9:
A
This was Jesus living again on the earth in His divinely enriched humanity.
B
This was the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man, who lived in the Gospels, continuing to live through one of His many members.
C
This was a living witness of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ—Phil. 1:20-21a.
Ⅱ
The Epistles reveal that Christ lived within Paul as Paul's life and Paul lived Christ, taking Christ as his living—Gal. 2:20; 6:17:
A
Paul lived the life of a God-man by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to live Christ for His magnification—Phil. 1:19-21a:
１
Not living by his natural human life but by the divine life of Christ in resurrection—v. 21a; Col. 3:4.
２
Living Christ to magnify Him to participate in the salvation of Christ in life—Rom. 5:10.
３
Experiencing a continual salvation by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and the operation of the indwelling God—Phil. 1:19-21a; 2:12-16.
B
Paul lived the life of a God-man, being found by others to be in Christ and having the righteousness of God through faith in Christ—3:7-9; Gal. 2:19-20:
１
Aspiring to have his whole being immersed in and saturated with Christ that all who observed him might find him fully in Christ—Phil. 3:9a.
２
Not living in his own righteousness but in the righteousness of God, and being found in such a transcendent condition expressing God by living Christ, not by keeping the law—v. 9b.
３
As such a person, Paul was not a man in culture, religion, philosophy, ethics, or morality but one who was absolutely in Christ and who lived God as his daily life.
C
Paul lived the life of a God-man, gaining Christ by experiencing the power of resurrection—vv. 10-16; Rom. 1:4; 8:11:
１
Pursuing to know and experience not merely the excellency of Christ but the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings—Phil. 3:10.
２
Being conformed to the mold of Christ's death, dying to his human life to live the divine life—v. 10.
D
Paul lived the life of a God-man, being full of forbearance and without anxiety—4:4-7; 1 Thes. 5:16-18; 2 Cor. 12:7-9:
１
Forbearance being reasonableness, considerateness, and consideration in dealing with others, the sum total of a life that lives Christ.
２
Being one with the Lord, Paul was not anxious about anything, for he was not only under the Lord's sovereign hand but was in the Lord Himself.
E
Paul lived the life of a God-man, manifesting the excellent virtues of the humanity of Christ—Phil. 4:8:
１
Christ being true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, well spoken of; He is the reality of these praiseworthy virtues.
２
Christian humanity being a life lived out through the mingling of the divine attributes and the human virtues with the proper human flavor.
F
Paul lived the life of a God-man, having learned to take Christ as his secret and power—vv. 11-13:
１
Learning how to take Christ as life, how to live Christ, how to magnify Christ, and how to gain Christ in every matter and in all circumstances.
２
Being able to do all things in Christ through the empowering of Christ within him.
Ⅲ
Paul was shown mercy and was graced by the Lord that he might be a pattern to those who are to believe on Him—1 Tim. 1:16 and note 2:
A
We should practice the things that we have learned, received, heard, and seen in the apostle—Phil. 4:9 and note 3.
B
Because Paul was an imitator of Christ, we should imitate him that we may also become imitators of Christ and a pattern to all the believers—1 Thes. 1:7 and note 1; 2 Thes. 3:7-9 and note 1 on 3:7.