The Life of the Apostle Paul

The apostle Paul is typically regarded as a famed theologian who wrote a major chunk of the New Testament. Some may take it a step further and recognize his dramatic conversion, which prompt some to use the phrase “Pauline conversion” in casual talk when they are referring to a radical shift or innovation in their life. Some others may perhaps know even more facts about Paul, such as his strict Pharisaism prior to his conversion or the various emphases in his writings, which have now become bullet points of contemporary theology.

Whatever the typical modern understanding is of Paul, what can often get lost is the reality of this man’s life and the profound impact he had on early Christianity. He was not merely an author of thirteen New Testament books, but a practician who wore his theology. This paper will seek to study the transcending dynamics that were embodied in the life of Paul, giving us a clearer picture of his world and the patterns of life that characterized God’s mission through the early church. Paul should not be distinguished as a theologian who wrote doctrinal treatises; rather a participant in God’s grand agenda, who saturated communities with behaviors that invited people into God’s family and mission.

May we broaden our horizons when it comes to thinking about the apostle Paul-- humbly examining his holistic desire to “know Christ” and be His instrument. We will begin by examining his roots, which are pivotal to understand, because it magnifies God’s grace and provision over his life.

Roots

In Philippians 3, Paul highlights how, because of his roots, he should have confidence in the flesh,

“circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.”[i]

In Paul’s letters, he is very quick to remember where he came from, and the religious devotion of his past makes it natural for him to highlight how he has reasons for confidence in the flesh. Prior to his understanding of the gospel and being a participant in God’s mission, it is evident that Paul life’s was rich in Pharisaic traditions.

What is pertinent to understanding this is that Paul was not just familiar with these traditions, but was “outshining many of his contemporaries” and was “well known” for holding to his ancestral traditions.[ii] Paul highlights this in Galatians 1:14,

“And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.”

Paul’s devotion to the traditions was certainly not nominal, and it is evident that he possessed a strong reputation for firmly holding to the facets of the Law.

This strong reputation was vividly seen through his intense persecution of Christians prior to His conversion. Paul (then called Saul) was present at the stoning of Stephen, approving of the execution.[iii] Paul was also said to be “ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”[iv] This man surely had a sense of fire and initiative that must have been innate in his being. This intense devotion undoubtedly made him effective in whatever he pursued, which is why he was perhaps chosen to be God’s instrument to profoundly build the early church and bring the gospel to the Gentiles.

The roots of Paul are foundational in understanding his inherent being and gaining a better perspective of where he came from. Paul always remained humble in remembering his past and how God graciously called him. He invariably attributes his calling to God’s grace and mercy, which is seen through various passages.[v] In his different writings, he refers to himself as the “chief of sinners,” “the least of all the saints,” and recognizes that “by the grace of God I am what I am.”[vi] Paul’s sense of humility that recognized God’s grace over his life was the catalyst that prompted God’s mission in His life. In knowing his prior persecution of the church, he recognized His depravity and saw God’s calling of Him to be an act of grace, which he embraced and infused him with longing to suffer for the sake of the gospel. We will now turn toward how this began taking place with his radical conversion.

Conversion and First Steps

Acts 9 begins with Paul (still called Saul) “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,” and just a couple verses later he is on a road to Damascus when a “light from heaven flashes around him.”[vii] This supernatural occurrence can only be attributed to the work of God, because Paul was firmly amidst his persecution of Christians and God suddenly altered the scope Paul’s life. The holiness of this conversion is remarkable, as the light caused Paul to fall to the ground, as he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Paul was then told that Jesus was speaking to him and that he was to enter the city, where he would be told what to do, and it is also recorded that those with him were understandably speechless.

The power of this happening is unquestioned, as Paul was without sight for three days and did not eat or drink. Not long after this bizarre occurrence, the Lord spoke to Ananias, a disciple, and told him to lay his hands on Paul so that his sight could be regained. But Ananias questioned this because he knew of Paul’s reputation. This makes it increasingly evident that Paul was not merely a Pharisee, but a devout persecutor of the church whom the disciples feared.

However, the Lord revealed that Paul was His chosen instrument to carry His name to the Gentiles, and that he was going to have him suffer for his name. Ananias then went to Paul, who was praying, and laid his hands on him, and scales fell from his eyes as he regained his sight. He was then baptized and strengthened, and the Holy Spirit was preparing to launch this man into God’s mission.

The “Pauline conversion” is clearly radical and bizarre, as Paul’s identity was overwhelmingly reshaped in a matter of moments. All believers encounter an identity shift when their faith in Jesus Christ is realized. The means of this taking place in Paul’s life was very unique, and such occurrences are rarely, if at all, seen today. But what remains is the intensity of becoming a member of God’s family. The story of Paul’s conversion should prompt us to consider how one’s life is altered upon entering “God’s household.” Tony Evans writes,

“When Christ redeemed us, He brought us into His Father’s house and gave us all the rights and privileges that come with being members of God’s family.”[viii]

Paul’s initiation into God’s family was holy, and there was no sense of this being nominally understood. While the means of being adopted into God’s family looks different in our lives, the holiness of this reshaping, transforming entrance into God’s family must remain.

A Strategic Mission

Paul’s mission to reach the Gentiles was soon commenced, as he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues.[ix] His life was quickly filled with vision, as Schreiner notes,

“The passion of Paul’s life, the foundation and capstone of his vision, and the animating motive of his mission was the supremacy of God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.”[x]

Paul’s mission was simple, yet highly profound and costly. The simplicity of Paul’s mission was seen in his steady desire to reach the Gentiles. He was willing to strategic think and move in ways that would promote the gospel. One of his primary modes of strategy was to invest in cities, because this was where the power was. Wayne Meeks discusses this in The First Urban Christians, recognizing the social world of the apostle Paul and how cities were the foundational places for change to occur.[xi] Paul was characteristically doing work in Hellenistic cities, with Antioch being a prime example. Antioch became the center for many of his activities, and it was regarded as the center of political, military, and commercial communication between various influential locations.[xii] Paul’s overall mission spread by establishing strategic churches from Jerusalem to Illyricum.[xiii] Overall, it was decidedly apparent that Paul recognized the relevancy of cities, because they were ultimately where the power was. And since they held power, they held great sway to influence people.

Today, Timothy Keller is seeking to reenergize the way that believers and churches are thinking about cities, and it very much relates to Paul’s framework. Keller emphasizes that more and more people are moving to cities, but churches sadly are not.[xiv] Frankly, many churches have moved away from the city. But Paul’s logic in reaching people is simple and very clear. He saw cities as the epicenters of human life, and the ripest places for seeds to be planted and watered.

Another element of Paul’s life to be distinctly regarded is his initiative. In the previous section, we noted how quick Paul was to mention God’s grace and how every aspect of who he became was a result of God’s provisional mercy. In many areas of his writings, he was also quick to point out his untiring effort and work as an apostle.[xv] Paul’s life was embedded with a deep sense of God’s grace and a firm understanding of his calling, which he performed with initiative and intense labor. We can see how these two realities meshed in his life in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10,

“For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

The life of Paul was characterized by a concrete understanding of grace that prompted action, giving us a major example of how grace realized sparks fruitful labors for the sake of the gospel.

A Heart for the Gentiles

It has been mentioned that Paul was chosen to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, but the grandiosity of this calling must be examined further. It had profound implications in the life of Paul, as this was his labor and he often encountered persecution as a result, and it continues to have implications for the gospel to be carried to all people today.

In Galatians, it is obvious that Paul’s message to the Gentiles was under attack, because there are defenses of His commission to reach the Gentiles. Adversaries to Paul’s message likely thought that Paul was preaching a circumcision-free gospel to please people rather than God.[xvi] The legitimacy of his message was undoubtedly questioned, but never did he recant from what His mission was. If anything, he labored all the more. His focus to bridge the gospel to the Gentiles rings throughout his life and letters. Ephesians 2:14 declares,

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

This passage exclaims that Christ has abolished the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and that the gospel is alive to the Gentiles. Meeks recognizes that “the unity of mankind is dramatically realized in the equality of Jew and Gentile within the church.”[xvii] Paul’s mission was to promote this and to form the church on the unity of all people. This was his calling and he did not fail to strive toward this.

Engaging the Drama

The curious thing about a great deal of Pauline thought is that he is often regarded as a mere theologian, as was mentioned in the introduction. However, as we have seen, the intensity of his mission makes him more of a practician of his theology. This should prompt us to dramatically consider, or reconsider, how we read Paul’s letters; because often times he is read from a framework where people are merely seeking to extract theological principles. New Testament scholar and a former professor of mine, Timothy Gombis, writes in his book on Ephesians,

“Conceiving of the task of Bible reading as the discovery of isolated principles in the text that need to be recognized, extracted and arranged in a systematic outline of theology leaves interpreters in a situation where there is no demand that they experience transformation.” He goes onto say, “But if we think in terms of a compelling and inviting drama that communities seek to inhabit and perform, this demands the participation of the whole person and of entire communities.”[xviii]

Gombis’ recognitions are foundational when it comes to reading Paul, because he did not write for us to extract theological principles, but to engage souls in the drama of God’s mission. Seminary professor Kevin Vanhoozer relays similar ideas concerning theology and doctrine,

“Evangelical theology deals not with disparate bits of ideas and information but with divine doings- with the all-embracing cosmic drama that displays the entrances and exoduses of God.”[xix]

These insights from such scholars should make us reconsider how we read Paul, because it is fine to establish theology, but Paul was much more concerned with engaging his readers in a greater story, a deeper mission, a growing drama that transcends our world.

Paul ultimately desired for readers to understand the overarching dynamics of his writings. A prime example would be the doctrine of justification, which Paul expounds upon in Romans 4, amongst other places. New Testament scholar N.T. Wright helps us better understand a doctrine like this, as he writes,

“Justification is not just about “how I get my sins forgiven.” It is about how God creates, in the Messiah Jesus and in the power of his Spirit, a single family, celebrating their once-for-all forgiveness and their assured “no condemnation” in Christ, through whom his purposes can now be extended into the wider world.”[xx]

These various quotes from New Testament scholars and professors help broaden our thinking when it comes to Paul. They help us see the richness of Paul’s overall message, instigating our participation in the drama that Paul engaged. His letters are filled with the beauty of knowing Christ and seeking to embody God’s character. And the life that he lived makes it manifest that his theology was worn in the way he lived. His life was a part of God’s grand story and His letters invited people to engage in the same drama.

Conclusion

Paul’s persecution and the endless amounts of trials he faced are recorded in the book of Acts and throughout his letters. He even wrote four of his letters from prison, now termed the “Prison epistles.” Philippians, one of these epistles, describes his joy despite his exhausted, persecuted earthly condition. He truly learned what it meant to have an “upside down” logic, as his joy was in the eternal rather than the earthly. He even stated that he has “learned in whatever situation…to be content.”[xxi] Paul’s death is not recorded in the Bible and there are not many accounts of this to be found. Christian tradition believes that Paul was beheaded in Rome around the mid 60’s.[xxii]

Paul’s devotion to God’s calling of His life is profound and frankly, inspiring. Despite this, it is crucial to remember that he was a flawed man, as he continually pointed out. It can sometimes be easy to elevate Paul to a near “perfect” status, because he is a biblical example and he wrote inspired Scripture. However, he was nonetheless a human being who God used to carry His name, which should remain the simple yet costly focus of our lives today.

[i] Philippians 3:5-6

[ii]Schreiner, Thomas R. Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: a Pauline Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001, p. 44.

[iii] Acts 8:1

[iv] Acts 8:3

[v] Schreiner, p. 40.

[vi] 1 Timothy 1:15; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:10

[vii] All accounts of these happenings are taken from Acts 9.

[viii] Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On: Experiencing What the Bible Says about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Angels, Salvation, the Church, the Bible, the Last Things. Chicago, IL: Moody, 2008, p. 734-735.

[ix] Acts 9:20

[x] Schreiner, p. 35.

[xi] Meeks, Wayne A. The First Urban Christians: the Social World of the Apostle Paul. New Haven: Yale UP, 1983, p. 15.

[xii] Meeks, p. 10.

[xiii] Schreiner, p. 61.

[xiv] Keller, Timothy. "Reaching Your City With the Gospel." Christ and the City. McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. 14 Apr. 2011. Speech.

[xv] Schreiner, p. 41.

[xvi] Schreiner p. 42; Galatians 1:10

[xvii] Meeks p. 107.

[xviii] Gombis, Timothy G. The Drama of Ephesians: Participating in the Triumph of God. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010, p. 16.

[xix] Vanhoozer, Kevin J. The Drama of Doctrine: a Canonical-linguistic Approach to Christian Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005, p. 39.

[xx] Wright, N. T. Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009, p. 248.

[xxi] Philippians 4:11

[xxii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle#Arrest_and_death