It is increasingly common today to run background checks on certain individuals to assess potential employees, screen tenants, vet volunteers and even for one’s own personal safety. What if you could run a background check on a Bible character like the apostle Paul. You would find his religious background, his family background, his employment background, etc. (Phil. 3:5-7; 2 Cor. 11:22; Rom. 11:1; Acts 18:3; 23:6). Depending on the extensiveness of the check, you would likely also find his activity in “persecuting the church” (Phil. 3:6), making “havoc of the church” (Acts 8:3), “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), “consenting to [the] death” of certain disciples (Acts 8:1; 22:20), as the “chief” of “sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Wouldn’t it be nice if God didn’t hold Paul’s past against him? HE DIDN’T! Paul wrote, “And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus…I obtained mercy” (1 Tim. 1:14, 16).
What would God see if He ran a background check on you? Well, it depends. Before forgiving you, He would see everything! But after forgiving you, He would see nothing (Heb. 8:12)!