‘Who are thou, Lord’ . . . ‘What wilt thou have me to do?’
— Apostle Paul, Acts 9:5-6, on the road to Damascus
The Lord always finds the right man, in the right way, at the right time.
The Lord was just as dramatic in the method and manner of his choice of the Apostle Paul, as he had been with Abraham and Moses.
There is no mention of the Apostle Paul in the New Testaments four gospels, yet the Apostle Paul is perhaps the most well known New Testament figure other than Christ. Known as the “Apostle Extraordinaire,” the Apostle Paul was blessed by God to leave a tremendous gift to the Lord’s church by his examples of devotion to God, his Christian leadership, and his wonderful writings in “rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Paul was raised as “Saul of Tarsus,” a welleducated religious man of Jewish heritage and a Roman citizen, who turned out to be the great prosecutor of the church. Acts 22:1-5; 22:25-29. Saul was present and consented to the stoning death of Stephen. Acts. 7:58-8:1. He was well known for the “havoc” he created for the church, arresting both men and women for their worship of Christ. Acts 8:3, 9:1-2.
The man who was filled with hate for those who worshiped Christ, became the best-ever known advocate for Christ after the Lord pierced his heart on the road to Damascus. Acts. 8:3-9. He came to understand, better than anyone else, the great undeserved honor to be a sinner saved by the sovereign grace of God. 1 Tim. 1:15; and the humility that brings strength in the service to the Lord. II Corinth. 12:5-10.
Paul’s conversion
The Lord demonstrated his choice of the Apostle Paul in a dramatic conversion of this man who had previously brought physical fear by his presence among Christians. The 9th chapter of Acts details the Lord’s action, describing how Paul, then known as Saul, was traveling to Damascus with companions on a mission to arrest followers of Christ.
Although surrounded by companions, when the Lord chose to speak loudly to Paul, only Paul heard the Lord’s admonishment. Paul’s traveling companions witnessed the bright light that shone around them and were frightened and heard Paul responding, but did not hear the Lord. Acts 22:9.
It was after the Lord pierced Paul’s heart, that the Lord then called on a reluctant minister, Ananias to go and minister to the converted future apostle, and to baptize him. Acts. 9:10-18.
Paul’s ministry
The Apostle Paul’s ministry had its beginning in the 13’ chapter of Acts, with his work in the details of the conversion of a political leader named Sergius Paulus. Acts 13:7. Whether this act of ministry impacted the apostle’s name change from “Saul” to “Paul” is not clear, but the timing is coincidentally debatable in Acts 13:7-12.
The described event started off the record of Paul’s expansive ministry for the Lord. Thereafter, the world was blessed with hearing Paul’s preaching through his extensive travels; and the remainder of us have historically been blessed by the Apostle’s extensive inspired writing of epistles that form much of the New Testament interpretation and explanation of the new covenant of grace that Christ brought to replace the Old Testament covenant of laws that the nation of Israel so often violated.
His epistles have been relied on by so many followers of Christ for explanation of both Christ’s timely and eternal salvations. His clear choice of written words to detail his inspired thoughts appeal and strike understanding chords with such a variety. Having come from the City of Tarsus known for its athletes, he frequently employed athletic terms in his writings with great explanatory impact. I Corinth. 9:24- 26; Hebrews 12:1.
Paul is unquestionably the author of 13 epistles [i.e., letters or books] of the New Testament, and is strongly contended by most to the author of a 14th. It is unanimously believed the apostle wrote the New Testament books of Romans, I and Il Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I and II Thessalonians, I and II Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
The disputed book is the book of Hebrews because it does not expressly state Paul is the author as the other 13 books specifically credited to Paul’s authorship. However, because of the writing style and the subject, Paul is credited by the large number of biblical scholars as also the author of Hebrews. The Apostle Peter equated Paul’s writings to the level of “other scriptures” II Peter 3:15-16.
The impact cannot be underestimated of the Apostle Paul’s three great journeys to spread the gospel as told in the Book of Acts. The subsequent letters/epistles he wrote relating to the churches he visited have provided tremendous inspired insight to millions of believers of Christ.
Paul, the man
The Apostle Paul is reported to have been a man of weak stature. His bodily presence was weak and his speech “contemptible” and “rude” (II Corinth. 10:10; 11:6; Gal 4:20). The “weak” body is not necessarily consistent with a man who prosecuted Christians and hauled them to jail, but he could have been weaker as he aged, or used his companions to do the brute force of arrests.
He admitted his sometimes frail, sinful body (Gal 4:13), and his possible bad eyesight (Gal. 4:15), which some believe was his literal “thorn in the flesh” as opposed to an otherwise physical, spiritual, or emotional “thorn.” (Il Corin. 12:7-9)
As a man of great travels to preach the gospel and who spent much of his time in prisons, Paul undoubtedly suffered the physical ailments of the primary travel methods of his day and the cruelties of medieval prison life and malnourished food.
Yet, while Paul had spent his early career putting Christians in jail, he was one who literally “reaped what he had sown’ when he was thrown into prisons. Yet, he never thought of himself as a prisoner of man, only as a prisoner of Christ.
Paul’s death
While there is no documented record of the Apostle Paul’s death, most biblical historians seem certain that Paul died in Rome in about 68 A.D. It has been religious legend that he was beheaded by the Roman Emperor Nero.
His death is said to have occurred while he was in the famous Mamertine prison in the converted sewer tunnels in Rome, awaiting trial for the second time. As a Roman citizen, he was not crucified, but executed as a Roman by beheading. It is suggested he was approximately 63 years old at his death.
Outside Rome about three miles to the southwest is a church building known as “St. Paul’s Without The Walls.” Inside are three small chapels, each enclosing a small spring fountains. Local religious legend contends the three fountains sprang up where the Apostle’s head touched after his beheading.
This is the final in a series of 14 articles on the Apostles of Jesus Christ. We have attempted over the past year to present a background of each of the apostles and their personalities as depicted in the New Testament.
The series opened 14 months ago with an opening article’ about the apostles, then we looked at each of the original 12 apostles of Christ.
The series concludes with this article as webriefly outline the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul.
