How Did the Apostle Paul Stand for His Rights?

Religious liberty still is much on our minds as some jurisdictions still face Covid restrictions on church services. We’ve talked about these matters before, and thankfully, in many places, the restrictions no longer exist or are beginning to relax. Nevertheless, we should still think about the topic, looking to the Scriptures for specific guidance and precedents.

In my preaching through Acts, I recently arrived in Acts 22, where, in v. 25 we find the Apostle Paul secured by leather thongs, and stretched out to receive a brutal beating. Here, Paul raises the question of his Roman citizenship, which quickly puts an end to the threatened torture.

As we’ve discussed religious liberty in recent months, several people said something along these lines to me, “Didn’t Paul stand up for his rights when the Romans threatened him?” This is a fair question since Paul did use his Roman citizenship on two occasions when interacting with representatives of the government.

Let’s look at both incidents and think about how Paul went about this. We will start with Acts 22 first.

Act 22:25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

Note carefully how Paul brings this up. He asks a question, putting the onus on his captors to consider their own law. According to some commentators, since a false claim of citizenship was a serious crime, no one would be guilty of that breach, so the soldiers took Paul seriously.

Consider, though, Paul’s manner. He isn’t belligerent. He makes no demands. He simply asks. He reminds them of their own law. He calls to attention their own risk – just as it was illegal to make a false claim of citizenship, it was equally illegal to subject a Roman to the flagellum, the pending beating Paul faced. When the ambitious tribune heard of it, on doubt his career “flashed before his eyes,” and he had visions of exile and banishment or worse.

So, in this situation, Paul made a quiet appeal, he made no scene, no demands. Just a simple question.

Well, what of the other instance. For that we go back to Acts 16 and the Philippian jail, the day after the earthquake and the conversion of the jailer in the middle of the night. The magistrates sent word that the jailer could release Paul and send him on his way.

Act 16:37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

Here Paul is more energetic in raising his citizenship, that is true. But is he demanding his rights? The time to do that would have been before the beating and imprisonment, not after. (In this case, the beating was with rods — the fasces.) Instead, after the fact, Paul insists the magistrates attend personally and deliver them from prison.

When the magistrates realize their peril, they come immediately and beg Paul’s forgiveness, asking Paul and Silas to leave town quickly. Presumably, with Paul and Silas off the scene, it would be less likely for the officials to find themselves brought up on charges to higher authorities.

Paul complies with their request – he goes to give farewells and instructions to the disciples, then he and Silas leave town, heading for Thessalonica.

Why would Paul leave town after calling his citizenship to the magistrates’ attention? Why wouldn’t he stay on and keep preaching, sure of no more interference from the officials?

The commentators suggest that Paul brought his citizenship up, not for his own protection, but for the protection of the disciples he left behind. He wanted no trouble with the magistrates, and he wanted no trouble from the magistrates for his disciples. Consequently, having gotten their assurances, he complied with their request to encourage the magistrates to give the fledgling church a wide berth in the future.

Again, though Paul made no scene, we can’t say he was standing on his rights for his own benefit. He moved on and preached elsewhere.

Should we demand our rights when we government restrictions face us? These two passages don’t give us much precedent to go on. Paul made no demands. He used his rights to protect himself on the one occasion and to protect the church on the other. His manner, however, suggests that he most of all tried not to make waves, then chose to make appeals when all other resources failed. On some occasions, there was no opportunity for appeal and he experienced severe beatings.

When Paul describes the perils of his ministry, he does it this way:

2Co 11:23-28 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. ²⁴ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. ²⁵ Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. ²⁸ Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

We don’t know all the occasions Paul suffered a beating. He says he endured five beatings from the Jews (this is prior to Acts 22, as he wrote 2 Corinthians somewhere between the ending of Acts 19 and the beginnings of Acts 20). He also, by that time, had the fasces (the rods) from the Romans three times. One was Philippi, Acts 16, but we don’t know the others.

What does this record show us?

A humble spirit, pressing on for the Lord, despite mistreatment and troubles, doing his best to make no waves so that he would not impede the gospel preaching.

Should we make appeals based on our rights? According to Paul’s record, yes. Should we demand our rights? We don’t find a precedent for that in these passages, I am afraid. We need to spend our energy learning to follow the example of Christ (1 Pt 2.21), who laid out the “school lesson” (the example) for us in his sufferings on the cross.

As we study our lesson, we will come to this demeanor:

1Pe 3:8 ¶ Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

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Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

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Peter Paul Rubens, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons