as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
Parallel translations
- WEB concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.
- KJV Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
- NKJV concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
- NASB as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
- NLT I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In zeal he persecuted the church and was blameless by the law's righteousness. His religious zeal was intense but misdirected.
Overview
Paul's earnestness even drove him to persecute Christians, and outwardly he kept the law faultlessly. This was the pinnacle of fleshly confidence, sincere yet tragically opposed to Christ. His blamelessness by the law sets the stage for the radical reversal that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Gal 1:13–14For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
- Acts 8:3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
- Acts 26:9–10So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Acts 22:3–4“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just as zealous for God as any of you here today.
- Acts 26:5They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.
- Matt 5:20For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Rom 9:31–32but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
- Rom 7:9Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
- Matt 23:25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
- Phil 3:9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
- Luke 1:6Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
- Mark 10:20–21“Teacher,” he replied, “all these I have kept from my youth.”
- Acts 21:20When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
- 1 Tim 1:13I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- 1 Cor 15:9For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
- 2 Kgs 10:16saying, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride in his chariot.
- Acts 9:1–19Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest
- 2 Sam 21:2At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
- Rom 10:2–5For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.
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Original language
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