Memory Text: Romans 15:17 NIV “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.”

Sunday – Paul’s Background
Acts 22:3-5 CEV “3 ¶ I am a Jew, born and raised in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I was a student of Gamaliel and was taught to follow every single law of our ancestors. In fact, I was just as eager to obey God as any of you are today. 4 I made trouble for everyone who followed the Lord’s Way, and I even had some of them killed. I had others arrested and put in jail. I didn’t care if they were men or women. 5 The high priest and all the council members can tell you that this is true. They even gave me letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, so that I could arrest people there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.”
Acts 22:3 SDA COMMENTARY Although born abroad, Paul reached maturity in the conservative atmosphere of the citadel of Judaism
Acts 22:3 COMMENTARY ROBERTSON’S NT WORD PICTURES At the feet of Gamaliel. The rabbis usually sat on a raised seat with the pupils in a circle around either on lower seats or on the ground. Paul was thus nourished in Pharisaic Judaism as interpreted by Gamaliel, one of the lights of Judaism.
Acts 22:25-29 CEV “25 While the soldiers were tying Paul up to be beaten, he asked the officer standing there, "Is it legal to beat a Roman citizen before he has been tried in court?" 26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and said, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!" 27 The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," Paul answered. 28 The commander then said, "I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen." But Paul replied, "I was born a Roman citizen." 29 The men who were about to beat and question Paul quickly backed off. And the commander himself was frightened when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.”
Acts 22:24 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY It would have been a grave offense for Paul to claim to be a Roman citizen if he were not. The centurion realized at once that he had more on his hands than a troublemaking Jew. Roman citizenship was highly prized, for it ensured to its possessors many privileges. Upon various occasions Roman citizenship proved to be a protection to Paul.
Romans 11:1 CEV “Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin.”
Philippians 3:5 CEV “I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses.”
Philippians 3:5 COMMENTARY BY JAMIESON, FAUSSET, AND BROWN In three particulars he shows how he "might have confidence in the flesh" (Php 3:4): (1) His pure Jewish blood. (2) His legal preciseness and high status as such. (3) His zeal for the law. The Greek is literally, "Being in circumcision an eighth day person," that is, not one circumcised in later life as a proselyte, but on the eighth day after birth, as the law directed in the case of Jew-born infants.

Monday – Paul and His Conversion and Calling
Acts 9:1-9 God’s Word to the Nations “1 ¶ Saul kept threatening to murder the Lord’s disciples. He went to the chief priest 2 and asked him to write letters of authorization to the synagogue leaders in the city of Damascus. Saul wanted to arrest any man or woman who followed the way of Christ and imprison them in Jerusalem. 3 As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?" 5 Saul asked, "Who are you, sir?" The person replied, "I’m Jesus, the one you’re persecuting. 6 Get up! Go into the city, and you’ll be told what you should do." 7 Meanwhile, the men traveling with him were speechless. They heard the voice but didn’t see anyone. 8 Saul was helped up from the ground. When he opened his eyes, he was blind. So his companions led him into Damascus. 9 For three days he couldn’t see and didn’t eat or drink.”
Acts 9:3 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Bright as is the midday glare of the Eastern sun, Paul later says the light he saw from heaven was “above the brightness of the sun” (ch. 26:13). In the midst of this effulgence he so clearly saw the glorified Christ that he includes himself among those who were privileged to behold the Lord after His resurrection.
Acts 13:47 NRSV “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’"”
Isaiah 49:5-6 NRSV “5 And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength— 6 he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."”
Luke 2:30-32 NRSV “30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."”

Tuesday – Paul: A Man of Like Passions
Acts 15:37-39 MKJV “37 And Barnabas determined to take with [them] John, he being called Mark. 38 But Paul thought it well not to take that one with [them], he having withdrawn form them from Pamphylia, and did not go with them to the work. 39 Then there was sharp feeling, as to separate them from each other. And taking Mark, Barnabas sailed to Cyprus.”
Romans 7:19-25 MKJV “19 For I do not do the good that I desire; but the evil which I do not will, that I do. 20 But if I do what I do not desire, [it is] no more I working it out, but sin dwelling in me. 21 I find then a law: when I will to do the right, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man; 23 but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin being in my members. 24 O wretched man [that] I [am]! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
1 Corinthians 9:27 MKJV “But I buffet my body, and lead [it] captive, lest proclaiming to others I myself might be rejected.”
1 Corinthians 9:27 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES And bring it into subjection, doulagwgw. This word properly means, to reduce to servitude or slavery; and probably was usually applied to the act of subduing an enemy, and leading him captive from the field of battle; as the captives in war were regarded as slaves. It then means, effectually and totally to subdue, to conquer, to reduce to bondage and subjection. Paul means by it, the purpose to obtain a complete victory over his corrupt passions and propensities, and a design to gain the mastery over all his natural and evil inclinations.
2 Corinthians 12:7 MKJV “and by the surpassing revelations, lest I not be made haughty, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be made haughty.”

Wednesday – Life and Salvation Through Christ
Romans 5:10 Moffatt NT “If we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son when we were enemies, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”
Romans 5:10 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES By his life. We were reconciled by his death. Death may include possibly his low, humble, and suffering condition. Death has the appearance of great feebleness; the death of Christ had the appearance of the defeat of his plans. His enemies triumphed and rejoiced over him on the cross, and in the tomb. Yet the effect of this feeble, low, and humiliating state was to reconcile us to God. If in this state--when humble, despised, dying, dead--he had power to accomplish so great a work as to reconcile us to God, how much more may we expect that he will be able to keep us now that he is a living, exalted, and triumphant Redeemer!
Romans 6:18 Moffatt NT “set free from sin, you have passed into the service of righteousness.”
Romans 7:2-4 Moffatt NT “2 Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive; but if the husband dies, she is done with the law of ‘the husband.’ 3 Accordingly, she will be termed an adulteress if she becomes another man’s while her husband is alive; but if her husband dies, she is freed from the law of ‘the husband,’ so that she is no adulteress if she becomes another man’s. 4 It is the same in your case, my brothers. The crucified body of Christ made you dead to the Law, so that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead that we might be fruitful to God.”
Romans 8:15-17 Holman “15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 ¶ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Galatians 2:16 CEV “But we know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith.”
Galatians 2:16 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE Neither the works of the Jewish law, nor of any other law, could justify any man; and if justification or pardon could not have been attained in some other way, the world must have perished. Justification by faith, in the boundless mercy of God, is as reasonable as it is Scriptural and necessary.
Ephesians 1:7 CEV “Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,”
1 Timothy 2:6 CEV “God showed us this at the right time.”
Not from Paul but along the same lines:
1 Peter 1:18-19 CEV “18 You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. 19 You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.”

Thursday – Themes of Hope
2 Peter 1:3-8 Holman “3 For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 4 By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. 5 ¶ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”