People of the Bible
Who Was Paul the Apostle in the Bible?
Paul was a fierce persecutor of Christians whom the risen Jesus met on the Damascus road, transformed into the great missionary and writer of much of the New Testament.
Once known as Saul, he was a zealous Pharisee who hunted down believers, approving the death of Stephen. On the road to Damascus the risen Jesus stopped him with blinding light and a question, Saul, why persecutest thou me, and his life was turned inside out.
The persecutor became the apostle to the nations, planting churches across the Roman world and writing letters that fill much of the New Testament. He suffered beatings, prison, and shipwreck for the Gospel, and counted it all worth it to gain Christ.
Key verses
“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”Acts 9:4, King James Version
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”Philippians 1:21, King James Version
A key moment
On the Damascus road a light from heaven throws Saul to the ground, and the voice of the Jesus he was persecuting turns the church's fiercest enemy into its greatest missionary.
What we learn
We learn that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace, and that a life seized by Christ will gladly spend itself to make Him known.
How Paul the Apostle points to Jesus
Paul's whole message was Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His dramatic conversion proves that grace can transform even the hardest opponent, and his words, to live is Christ, capture the passion of a life wholly taken over by the Saviour.
Common questions
Where is Paul the Apostle in the Bible?
Acts chapters 9 to 28, and his letters from Romans to Philemon.
What can we learn from Paul the Apostle?
We learn that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace, and that a life seized by Christ will gladly spend itself to make Him known.
The same God who met Paul the Apostle is near to you today. Step inside The Living Bread to read the Scriptures, pray, and walk with the family of God.