Forty Stripes Save One – Rare Church Event | Bible TCG
Updated: Sep 27
Genesis Set Card 160/250
Forty Stripes Save One is a Rare Event from the Church Age, costing 2 Faith. It Exiles Target Enemy Being with the highest Hope.
The Bible Story Behind Forty Stripes Save One
Paul endured extraordinary suffering while carrying the Gospel throughout the Roman world. Among his many persecutions, Jewish authorities scourged him on five separate occasions. The man who had once persecuted believers now willingly suffered because he proclaimed Jesus as the risen Christ and salvation apart from the works of the law.
The law of Moses limited a beating to forty stripes so that excessive punishment wouldn't disgrace an Israelite beyond measure. To avoid accidentally exceeding that number, the Jewish practice was to administer thirty-nine lashes. Forty Stripes Save One therefore presents Paul repeatedly receiving the severe punishment associated with Israel's law while faithfully preaching the grace revealed in Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:24 says: "Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one."
Paul listed these beatings not to glorify pain or prove that suffering earned him favor with God. He was defending the sincerity of his apostleship against false teachers who boasted in outward credentials while avoiding the cost of ministry. The scars upon Paul's body testified that he valued the truth of the Gospel above his comfort, reputation, and physical safety.
Paul's stripes could never remove sin or contribute to mankind's redemption. Jesus alone bore our sins in His own body upon the tree and endured the judgment necessary to save us. Christ's suffering was substitutionary and complete, while Paul's suffering was the persecution of a servant carrying the message of that finished sacrifice.
The same Lord who saved Paul didn't promise to remove every beating, prison, or hardship from his ministry. Instead, Christ supplied grace, preserved his faith, and used his testimony to spread the Gospel among Jews and Gentiles. Opposition could wound the messenger, but it couldn't bind the Word of God or undo the everlasting life contained within its message.
Forty Stripes Save One Bible TCG Strategy
Forty Stripes Save One is powerful removal against the Enemy Being with the highest Hope. This makes it especially useful against durable Enemy Beings that would normally be hard to remove through Damage. Because it Exiles instead of dealing Damage, it can remove the Target without being stopped by Anointing or high Hope. Rank legal Targets using Current Hope after modifiers and Damage. Exclude active Darkness before determining which eligible Enemy Being has the highest Hope.
Synergies
Highest Hope Removal: Forty Stripes Save One Exiles Target Enemy Being with the highest Hope.
Control Strategy: It helps remove the Enemy Being that's hardest to Exile through Damage.
Event Synergy: Forty Stripes Save One works well in Decks that care about Events being Played.
Questions and Answers
Q: Can an Opponent's Hope buffs change which Being Forty Stripes Save One can Target?
A: Yes. Active Hope increases can change which Enemy Being currently has the highest Hope.
Q: What if two Enemy Beings are tied for the highest Hope?
A: Choose one of the tied legal Targets.
Q: Can Forty Stripes Save One remove Jesus, Son Of God if He has the highest Hope?
A: Yes, provided He is the required legal Target. Eternal prevents Damage, but Forty Stripes directly Exiles.
Q: Does unused Anointing matter against Forty Stripes Save One?
A: No. There is no Damage instance for Anointing to ignore.
Q: Why might an Opponent hesitate to put every Hope buff onto one major Being?
A: Concentrating Hope can make that Being the clear highest-Hope Target for Forty Stripes Save One.
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