The Defense Strategy for Paul in Rome

Part 67 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series 

In looking at the book of Acts, David Pawson says that most of the Bible was written for human reasons but was ‘edited’ for divine reasons. In this first talk, he looks at the human side. The author, Dr. Luke is the only Gentile writer of scripture. Medics were trained to be observant, careful and analytical and this comes out in how Luke wrote his gospel and Acts. In Acts he recorded how the good news of the Gospel went from Jerusalem to Rome – from the Jews to the Gentiles. He had insight because he travelled with the Apostle Paul, possibly to look after his health, on his missionary journeys and he was a skillful writer and at heart, an evangelist. Luke wrote for ‘Most Excellent’ Theophilus and it is possible that he was a judge, or a lawyer who was going to defend Paul at his trial. And from details in the Bible, it would seem that Paul’s lawyer was successful at this particular trial and he was released and able to proceed with his great work. David Pawson says that it was really Christianity that was on trial in Rome, rather than Paul. Luke draws attention to those seemingly small events which resulted in spreading the Gospel.