But who is this man whose writings have dominated the New Testament and Christian Theology for the entire Christian epoch? Do we really know what he was like? Was he infallible in his understanding of the gospel and judgments about church planting and leadership? Here are a few things which you may not have spotted about Paul which give an insight into the man’s character and methods.
He probably never met the pre-resurrection Jesus
When Paul set out with Barnabas on his first missionary journey, he came to a place called Pisidian Antioch, not to be confused with Syrian Antioch where he had been a prominent member of the Christian community for some time. Here he gave a potted history of the Jewish people explaining that there is an appendix to the story they already knew – namely that the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy was in Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 13:16-42). This information about Jesus probably came to Paul second hand through those who witnessed his life, death and resurrection – people like Peter, James and John. Paul’s only encounter with Jesus was after the resurrection and is first recorded in Acts 9:1-19. But his encounter with the risen Jesus was sufficient to convince him beyond doubt of all that he had been told about Jesus. Many of us crave for greater assurance but have to rely on what we have been told – and experience for ourselves the reality of Jesus through prayer and our daily walk with him.
He was a natural, but determined leader
It’s impossible to read the latter chapters of Acts and the letters written by Paul without realising his forceful character and determination. Barnabas was the man who first integrated Paul (or Saul as he then was) into the Christian community in Antioch and was clearly seen as the senior disciple of the two. However, not long after the start of the first missionary journey, ‘Barnabas and Saul’ (Acts 12:25; 13:2; 13:7) is replaced by ‘Paul and Barnabas’ (Acts 13:42,43,46,50; 14:1,3,23; 15:2,35,36). It didn’t take Paul long to occupy the driving seat. Paul also had a reputation for being determined, and some would say, stubborn. On the first missionary journey, John Mark, a cousin of Barnabas left the mission and returned home (Acts 13:13). Some would say he couldn’t stand the heat but we don’t know how much of this was down to Paul. As a result, when Paul and Barnabas decided on another missionary journey, they fell out over John Mark in an irreconcilable dispute (Acts 15:36-41). Another example of Paul’s determination can be found in a hot dispute he has with Simon Peter and Barnabas (Galatians 2:11-14).
He used strong language
We are given a warning on TV if the following programme contains strong language or violence. Not so in the Bible. Paul was constantly under fire from a number of opponents and did not hold back in his letters when confronting them. In Romans 6:1&2 we read ’What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means’. This is how the RSV (The Really Sanitised Version) records it so as not to offend its readers. However, the USV (The Unsanitised Version) would render ‘By no means’ in much stronger language which I clearly cannot impose upon you. Paul was annoyed with the ‘antinomianists’ - those Christians who believed that having become a Christian meant that God’s law and moral standards no applied to them.
Another example is in Galatians 5:12 where he says ‘I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!’ Here, Paul is talking about those Christians from a Jewish background who insisted that no one could become a Christian without first becoming a Jew and being circumcised.
He was an untrained preacher
It is immensely rewarding to be involved in tutoring the students on the new Local Preachers’ course taking place in the district. They are receiving the kind of grounding which was denied Paul. In 2 Corinthians 11:6 he says, ‘ I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you.’ You would think that a man who debated with the finest brains in the Greek and Jewish world in public places would have had some preparation – but he did it in the power of the Spirit and won many to the faith as a result.
He deconstructed and reconstructed his faith
It may not be obvious to those who have been drenched all their lives in Christianity that Paul came from a totally different background and belief system, namely Judaism. None could boast credentials matching those of Paul who was trained in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, one of the most respected rabbis of the time. Paul was a match for the best of them and observed the religious duties of a Pharisee to the letter. That is why the transition which started on the Road to Damascus was so dramatic. He had to undo his former faith which was based on strict observance of Jewish Law and embrace a totally different lifestyle whereby his trust was switched to Jesus (whom he had persecuted) and faith in the forgiveness which comes from God through Jesus. It was many years between his conversion and his first missionary journey, some of which were spent in a place called Arabia, not the Arabia we know but probably an area to the east of Damascus (Galatians 1:17), where he no doubt had to unpick his old faith and work out what it meant to be a follower of Jesus – a bit like unpicking a piece of knitting and redoing it in another stitch. Actually, many Christians go through a similar exercise in their own Christian journey - shedding beliefs which they inherited in childhood and adopting a more mature understanding of the faith. This is by no means easy and can cause some to abandon faith altogether.
There’s much more to Paul under the surface. You only have to read the puzzling letter of 1 Corinthians to see the trials and tribulations he experienced in setting up his fledgling faith communities. Nevertheless, we are left in the New Testament with the biography and writings of a remarkable, but flawed individual who has left an indelible stamp on the Christian Church.
It’s little wonder that Paul has always been a controversial and complex character and remains so for us today. Even the early apostles struggled to understand him (2 Peter 3:15,16).
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