Who Was Paul the Apostle — In Biblical Context

The Biblical Context

Originally named Saul, Paul was 'a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee' (Acts 23:6), trained under Gamaliel (22:3), and zealously persecuted the church: 'I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it' (Galatians 1:13). He approved Stephen's stoning (Acts 8:1). On the road to Damascus to arrest Christians, 'suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' (Acts 9:3-4). Blinded, then healed by Ananias, Paul was baptized and immediately began preaching (9:20). He undertook three missionary journeys establishing churches throughout the Roman Empire — in Galatia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. He wrote 13 New Testament epistles (possibly 14), shaping Christian theology on justification by faith, grace, the church as Christ's body, and the Spirit-filled life. He endured extraordinary suffering: shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, and stoning (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). He declared, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith' (2 Timothy 4:7). Tradition says he was beheaded in Rome under Nero. Paul's transformation from chief persecutor to chief apostle is among the strongest evidences for the resurrection.

Where It Sits in Scripture

Supporting Passages