Fine in principle, you say. But did this sort of thing hold true when the chips were down? Suppose, for example, Paul
had been in prison. How would he have reacted in that kind of situation? Wouldn't his nice little theory have gotten a pretty rough challenge?
A fair question. And we can give a fair answer. For, as a matter of fact, Paul spent a great deal of time in prison. And some of his "prison letters" have been preserved. A look at one of them (Philippians) can tell us how Paul reacted to real hardship.
Is Paul discouraged at finding himself behind bars? No, he can even rejoice over the fact, because it means that the gospel can be made known to the guards. He realizes that what happens to him is unimportant, so long as Christ is being preached. Even the matter of whether he lives or dies becomes incidental -- he would like to depart and be with Christ, but he realizes that he has work to do now, and that he should remain in the flesh. It is a glory, he says, to suffer on behalf of Christ. The Philippians themselves must not be anxious; they are to make their requests known to God and trust in him, since "the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" ( Phil. 4: 7). Paul does not grumble about being where he is. He is more than equal to the occasion:
I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me ( Phil. 4: 11-13, italics added).
This is how Jesus "changed" Paul. In the midst of trying circumstances Paul could be serene. When things were rough, Paul could rejoice. Not only that, he could call on others to be serene and to rejoice also.
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