Apostle Paul !
The great apostle Paul was initially a zealous persecutor of Christians. What made him change his mind on the Damascus road? Only Jesus’ resurrection can explain the Apostle Paul’s dramatically changed life, his commitment to Christ and ultimately his martyrdom.
Paul, the great apostle who founded churches throughout Asia and Europe, whose missionary spirit fills the book of Acts, and who wrote much of the New Testament was initially a fanatic Christian killer.
Known originally as Saul of Tarsus, Paul is introduced in the New Testament at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1), one of seven Hellenistic deacons, around 34 AD, only about twelve months after the resurrection.
Next, “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison” (Acts 8:3). Extending the vigorous Jewish persecution of the young Christian movement, Saul traveled to Damascus with letters from the high priest to imprison more Christians. However, on the Damascus road he encountered the resurrected Jesus. A few days later he was baptized in Damascus and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9). Paul, in his own words described his dramatic conversion in letters to churches in Corinth (1 Corinthians 15:9-10), Galatia (Galatians 1:12-23), and Philippi (Philippians 3:6-7).
Initially, Paul’s conversion was met with suspicion; even the apostles were reluctant to meet with him when he returned to Jerusalem the first time after his conversion: “Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him for fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles – only James the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:18-19, emphasis added). In these days, so soon after the resurrection, the apostles remained in the Jerusalem area; apparently they were still not convinced that Paul’s conversion was genuine. Only years later, all apostles felt comfortable with Paul as a fellow Christian and apostle. This might also be one of the main reasons that Paul’s ministry was mostly in Gentile territory as far away as possible from his initial anti-Christian, Pharisaic roots.
Saul/Paul spent the remainder of his life in ministry and church planting until his death as a martyr in Rome around 66/67 AD.
A dramatic conversion as what happened to the apostle Paul on the Damascus road is not necessarily unique. Critics and skeptics will assert that history shows numerous examples of people that convert from one set of beliefs to another. What makes Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus such strong evidence is its cause. People usually convert to a particular religion because they have heard the message of that religion from a secondary source and have believed it. Quite similar is how Christians today reach out to non-Christians and share the gospel of Christ.
Very contrary to this, Paul’s conversion to Christianity did not include any sharing by any Christian. It was based completely on his personal encounter with Jesus. Today, we might believe that Jesus rose from the dead based on secondary evidence, trusting the testimony of the disciples and Paul who saw the risen Christ, but for Paul, his experience came from an unexpected primary source: Jesus appeared to him personally. His conversion was not based on the testimony of someone else. R1
So that He said,
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, also by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, and set apart for the gospel of God in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
God is calling, are we willing !
R1 : Windmill Ministries – Christian Apologetics – Evidences for Christianity.
