Paul in the Bible

Paul, originally named Saul of Tarsus, was the most influential apostle of the early church and the author of much of the New Testament. Before his conversion, he was a zealous Pharisee and a fierce persecutor of Christians. He himself recounted his impeccable Jewish credentials: "circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee" (PHP.3.5). Trained "at the feet of Gamaliel" (ACT.22.3), Saul was respected, learned, and convinced he was serving God by opposing the followers of Jesus. Everything changed on the road to Damascus. As Saul traveled to arrest believers, the risen Christ appeared to him in blinding light, and he heard the voice say, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (ACT.9.4). In that moment the persecutor became a follower. The Lord declared His purpose for him to Ananias: "He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" (ACT.9.15). From that point, Saul, also called Paul (ACT.13.9), became the great apostle to the Gentiles, planting churches across the Roman world and writing letters that shape Christian doctrine to this day. Paul never forgot the grace that saved him. He described himself with deep humility as "the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1CO.15.9), yet he recognized that his calling was rooted entirely in God's sovereign grace, for God "separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace" (GAL.1.15). His life testifies that no one is beyond the reach of God's mercy, that grace can transform the fiercest opponent into a faithful servant, and that God delights to use surrendered lives for His glory among the nations.