Apostle Paul

Apostle Paul
Learned of God

The apostle Paul was not one of the original apostles of Christ nor was He a follower before Christ's ascension, although like the other apostles He was called by Jesus.

Titus 1 1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.

His conversion took place after the Lord's ascension. Paul was on the road to a city called Damascus with the intention of persecuting those who called themselves followers of Christ (Acts 9:1-2). Previously, he had overseen the death of one of those followers (Acts 7:54-60; 8:1).

To his surprise, the Lord Jesus spoke to him from heaven.

Acts 9 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Paul was now a reformed Paul and was being prepared to serve Christ (Acts 9:6,15-16). He would go on to be one of Christ's greatest servants, an apostle to the gentiles (Acts 22:21; Gal. 1:7; Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:6-8; Rom. 1:1), the founder of churches throughout Asia and Europe, the writer of most of the church letters known as the New Testament epistles, and the instructor of the writings that his co-worker in Christ (Col. 4:14) would put in to the Book of Luke. Luke the physician (Col. 4:14), whose Christian perspective was heavily influenced by Paul, would tell Christ's earthly story in the Book of Luke and write about much of Paul's missionary travels in the Book of Acts (Kirby, "Ireneus Book III").

After Paul was converted, he gained Christian values from a servant ("deacon" from diakonos: deacon, minister, servant) (Strong 1249) named Phoebe.

Romans 16 1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

("succourer" from prostatis, fem. of proistemi: rule over (Strong 4368, 4291)

But Paul's primary instructor was God.

Galatians 1 1 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

Paul was a servant of the most high, taught directly from God.

Tradition teaches Paul was condemned for martyrdom during the same time and place as the apostle Peter, in Rome. Because he was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:24-28), he was not crucified. He was beheaded (Kirby, "Acts of Paul").

Like Paul, Luke was martyred for Christ. ("The Martyrdom of saint Luke the Evangelist").

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Works Cited

Kirby, Peter. "Ireneous of Lyons, Book III." Early Christian Writings. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/irenaeus-book3.html. Accessed 6 January 2018.



Kirby, Peter. "The Acts of Paul." Early Christian Writings. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/actspaul.html. Accessed 6 January 2018.

Strong, James. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Hendrickson Publishers, Incorporated, 2009.



"The Martyrdom of Saint Luke the Evangelist." Coptic Orthodox Church Network. http://www.copticchurch.net/synaxarium/2_22.html. Accessed 6 January 2018.

The apostle Paul was not one of the original apostles of Christ nor was He a follower before Christ's ascension, although like the other apostles He was called by Jesus.

Titus 1 1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.

His conversion took place after the Lord's ascension. Paul was on the road to a city called Damascus with the intention of persecuting those who called themselves followers of Christ (Acts 9:1-2). Previously, he had overseen the death of one of those followers (Acts 7:54-60; 8:1).

To his surprise, the Lord Jesus spoke to him from heaven.

Acts 9 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Paul was now a reformed Paul and was being prepared to serve Christ (Acts 9:6,15-16). He would go on to be one of Christ's greatest servants, an apostle to the gentiles (Acts 22:21; Gal. 1:7; Cor. 15:9; Eph. 3:6-8; Rom. 1:1), the founder of churches throughout Asia and Europe, the writer of most of the church letters known as the New Testament epistles, and the instructor of the writings that his co-worker in Christ (Col. 4:14) would put in to the Book of Luke. Luke the physician (Col. 4:14), whose Christian perspective was heavily influenced by Paul, would tell Christ's earthly story in the Book of Luke and write about much of Paul's missionary travels in the Book of Acts (Kirby, "Ireneus Book III").

After Paul was converted, he gained Christian values from a servant ("deacon" from diakonos: deacon, minister, servant) (Strong 1249) named Phoebe.

Romans 16 1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

("succourer" from prostatis, fem. of proistemi: rule over (Strong 4368, 4291)

But Paul's primary instructor was God.

Galatians 1 1 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

Paul was a servant of the most high, taught directly from God.

Tradition teaches Paul was condemned for martyrdom during the same time and place as the apostle Peter, in Rome. Because he was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:24-28), he was not crucified. He was beheaded (Kirby, "Acts of Paul").

Like Paul, Luke was martyred for Christ. ("The Martyrdom of saint Luke the Evangelist").