God's Chosen Vessel

Of St. Paul, Jesus said, "He is a chosen vessel unto Me to bear My Name to the Gentiles." (Acts 9:15.)

He is first brought to our attention as one of those who consented to the death of St. Stephen. Subsequently, he went about "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord."--Acts 9:1.

When we see the power of the Truth in its transforming influence upon the human mind, we are amazed. Yet we should remember that God never coerces the free will. In St. Paul's "conversion," Jesus merely showed an honest man wherein he was wrong, and what privileges he would have in connection with a Divinely-directed course.

St. Paul became the successor of Judas. There were to be twelve Apostles of the Lamb--a crown of twelve stars on the Church's brow--and twelve foundations to the New Jerusalem, and in them were the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. We are sure St. Paul's name is amongst them. This is in accord with the testimony that he was not one whit behind the very chiefest of the Apostles, and was more abundant in visions and revelations than they all. Matthias was chosen before Pentecost and was never recognized by God.

St. Paul is the most prominent amongst the Apostles, all of whom were glorious characters, especially chosen of God for His special service. Like the other Apostles, St. Paul had nothing to say respecting an eternity of torture for anybody. He declared that those ultimately found unworthy should "be punished with everlasting destruction." It is St. Paul who especially set forth that Jesus must come a second time, and then must reign until He shall have put all enemies under His feet. Through this noble mouthpiece Jesus sent us particulars of the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the "change" of the Church at Christ's Second Coming, the character of Antichrist, etc. If St. Paul's Epistles were omitted, how great would be our ignorance on many subjects!