Saul of Tarsus went through an incredibly thorough transformation in becoming the apostle Paul. It was more than just a name change; it was a wholesale change of everything about him. That he went from “persecutor to persecuted” is more than just a catchy way of saying it, it was visibly true.
Visibly true? Do you mean that it was visibly evident that Paul had committed his life wholly to the Lord? While on his Third Missionary Journey (and still having about 12 years of life to add to this visible evidence), Paul recorded that he had been “beaten times without number,” plus “five times” he received “thirty-nine lashes,” plus “three times” he was “beaten with rods,” plus “once” he “was stoned” (2 Cor. 11:23-25). Do you suppose that there was residual evidence on the body of Paul that served as regular reminders of the commitment that he made to Christ?
Likely on that same missionary journey, Paul wrote the book of Galatians. In the next-to-last verse of that book, he stated, “I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17, NASB). The ASV translates that, “I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus.” It is very probable that Paul bore the wounds and scars of persecution that he had violently endured for the cause of Christ. Interestingly, in this passage, he chose to use a word (“brand-marks”) that was used of the marks that were put on a slave to identify his owner. The marks on Paul’s body were visible identifiers of his owner.
Christians today may not bear literal marks of persecution that would identify them with the cause of Jesus Christ, but I want to ask you a question. Do you bear any marks that would help an observer to identify you with Christ? Paul stated it another way in 2 Corinthians 4:10, “Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” Is the life of Jesus manifested in your body?
When others look at you, do they see the humility of Jesus? The compassion of Jesus? The servant-heartedness of Jesus? The forgiving spirit of Jesus? The steadfastness of Jesus? The gentleness of Jesus? The obedience of Jesus? The patience of Jesus? The self-control of Jesus? The courage of Jesus? The friendliness of Jesus? The honesty of Jesus? The dependability of Jesus? The purity of Jesus? The zeal of Jesus? The peace of Jesus? The love of Jesus?
There were certain “marks” that made Jesus stand out as the Son of God. Those same “marks,” when emulated in our lives, can help us to stand out as sons of God and friends of Jesus Christ. If someone looked at the “brand-marks” manifested in your life, who would they surmise to be your owner?