Saul or Paul?

Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him – Acts 13.9

There are a few cases in the Bible where we get to see a name change take place. Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah. Jacob became Israel, and I am sure there are a few others.

There is always a reason for it. Sometimes God directs a name change and sometimes people take on another name for cultural reasons.

The Saul to Paul reference is one I had never thought about before.

'Saul, who is also called Paul...'

From this point on we read only about Paul and no more about Saul.

So why this change of name?

Saul was his Hebrew name. He was born a Jew and was the Jew of Jews. But he was also a Roman citizen, a natural born citizen of Rome. His Latin name was Paul.

But the question remains - why this obvious change of usage?

From this point on Paul’s ministry is going to primarily be to the Gentiles. With his change of focus came a change of perspective. It was no longer so important to identify with his ‘Jewishness.’ If he was going to preach to the Gentiles he was willing to take on his Gentile name.

There is a great example here for anyone serving God outside of the country or culture they are born into. While we must never compromise on the word of God and its principles, and while we can never excuse sin as a local custom, we can and must be willing to lay aside the focus on the homeland. We must, as much as we can, learn to live among and as the people where we are so that we cause no unnecessary offence.

When we change countries or cultures or ways of life and refuse to make any concession to where we live we say that our way is better. We say that it is beneath us to change and though we live here, it is not as good as home.

Paul set a pattern for all of us you serve and live outside of the place we were born or raised. He wrote this to the Corinthians – ‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;  to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.’

‘That I may by all means save some…’ Isn’t that goal more important that clinging to our culture?