Paul is hands down my favorite Bible character! His background and story are amazing! The way he lived his life is astounding. The impact he had on the gospel of Jesus being spread cannot be measured!
Paul wrote 13 or 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament. He of course didn’t know he was writing books of the Bible. As far as he was concerned, he was writing letters to various individuals and groups of Christians. The 13 books Paul wrote are: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, & Titus. The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown and Bible scholars cannot agree if Paul wrote it or not.
The first reference of Paul is Acts 7:58. Please feel free to read the full account in Acts chapters 6 and 7. What we see in Acts 6 is a man named Stephen, who was full of faith and power, the Lord was using him to perform wonderous signs. As was so often the case with these early Christians, some religious people didn’t like Stephen teaching Jesus, so they made up lies about him and said that he was speaking blasphemy. So they grabbed him and brought him before the High Priest. In chapter 7 we see Stephen has an opportunity to speak and uses it to preach! He calls them out for rejecting Jesus, the very Savior they have been waiting for. This makes them irately angry! They grab him and drag him out of the city where they stone him to death. This brings us to our first glimpse of Paul, or as he was known at the time Saul. (I will be using Saul and Paul interchangeably for a bit, so please understand they are the same person.)
Acts 7:58-58 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Paul was there at the stoning death of Stephen, giving his approval. Not the introduction we would expect for such a mighty man of God, is it? Acts 13:9 is where we see Saul’s name changed to Paul and from that point on he is called Paul.
Let me share a few facts about Saul:
- Saul was a Jew. He was born in Tarsus of Cilicia which was a Roman province.
- Saul was trained as a Pharisee (a Jewish Religious group) which meant he was well trained on the Jewish law and knew the Old Testament very well.
- Saul was very zealous for God. Jesus and the rising of Christianity were a significant threat to his belief system as a Jew.
These details about Saul and many more can be found in the book of Acts. Much of Paul’s life is recorded in the book of Acts. Paul didn’t write the book of Acts though. Acts was written by Luke who was a doctor and historian.
Saul loved God and he wanted to please God. He didn’t believe Jesus was the messiah and Saul felt a responsibility to stop those who were saying He was. But Saul has an incredible encounter with Jesus that changes everything! The full story is recorded in Acts 9.
Acts 9: 1-9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Starting in verse 1, Saul is still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples. He goes to the high priest and asks for letters giving him authority to arrest anyone who follows the teachings of Jesus in Damascus and bring them to Jerusalem. He was given those letters, so a small group sets off for Damascus. When he’s almost to Damascus something happens that changes everything. He’s walking along and suddenly a bright light flashed around him! He instantly falls to the ground and he hears a voice calling him by name “Saul Saul why do you persecute me?” Saul asks who is speaking. The answer must shock him beyond anything I can imagine. The voice says “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting go into the city and you will be told what to do.” What was probably equally as shocking, when he opens his eyes he can’t see, he’s blind!
As we continue on in the chapter, Jesus uses a man named Ananias to meet Saul in the city. As you can imagine Ananias was a reluctant; he knew about Paul and why he was coming to Damascus. As Ananias is sharing his concerns with the Lord, this is Jesus’ reply to him:
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16
Ananias is obedient and he meets with Saul, prays for him, Saul’s sight is restored, and Saul gives his life to Jesus!! Saul is never the same! He’s an instant, sold out, follower of Jesus Christ!
Amazing! It’s absolutely amazing! The man that was giving approval of the stoning death of a Christian; the man that was seeking to arrest those following Jesus; that same man- Jesus CHOSE! Jesus chose him as a chosen vessel to share the gospel of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles! It’s amazing! And that’s just the very start of his story! The amazing doesn’t stop there, that’s just the beginning!
If God can use someone like Saul, if God can change someone like Saul, He can use YOU! And He can change YOU! I pray you will have an encounter with Jesus that will change you! I pray that you will, in an instant, be changed forever and forever be a sold-out follower of Jesus!
Perhaps Jesus has already revealed Himself to you (maybe you didn’t even need a light so bright you’re blinded and 3 days without eating and drinking), do you need a fresh renewal? Do you need a fresh commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly? Take this opportunity to renew your love, commitment, and desire to follow Jesus! He’s calling you!
-A.E.
If you’re interested in studying the writings of Paul, consider checking out the independent study I put together over the book of Romans! It’s amazing how much of the Bible you can learn by studying Romans! It’s a great foundational book and I believe understanding it can change your life! https://purposethatprevails.com/a-walk-through-romans/
