During interviews about my most recent book, "Jesus Is Risen: Paul and the Early Church," many hosts have asked me why the greatest persecutor of Christians, Saul of Tarsus (later known as Paul), became Christianity's foremost evangelist.
This is a fascinating question because Paul, by all appearances, was the least likely person to pioneer early Christianity's missionary efforts. He was born a Jew in Tarsus but raised and educated in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, a highly respected rabbi and Jewish scholar who mentored him on the "strict manner of the law of our fathers" (Acts 22:3). Paul touted his own Jewish bona fides, saying, "If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:4-6).
When Paul saw some of his Jewish brothers converting to Christianity, he was more than a little upset. He viewed Christianity not as some harmless competing religion but as one that was seeking to co-opt his religion, corrupt it at its core and twist it into something it was never intended to be. So he set out to bring to justice the heretics who were betraying the God he'd worshipped his entire life.
Why would God choose such a man to present the very Gospel that drove him to persecute and even execute early Christians? Scripture clarifies that God specifically chose Paul, before he was born, to proclaim the Gospel, mainly, but not exclusively, to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15-16).
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Because in a fictional fantasy book you can write it however you want to!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrible story. We all have to believe in this hide and seek champion who has zero evidence for his existence, but Saul gets the Damascus road visit and then turns to Paul. Hmmm, I wonder, Paul now got first hand evidence of God ( who if he really cared about our eternal souls could do this with no effort at all), did Paul having first hand knowledge loose his free will?
Part of Devine hiddeness is ensuring free will right?
What obvious utter fiction written by men.
A beautiful story, one that gives hope for those who have loved ones that deny Christ, people like 5:38
ReplyDeleteAs a born again Christian - I can probably tell you that why he chose Paul, it's because of Paul's burning desire to repent for his earlier persecution of the christian jews. Remember, he also witnessed and participated in Stephen's stoning death. Not to mention he was stricken blind - and then he miraculously healed after his change of heart.
ReplyDeleteBottom line - I think we all see a little 'Paul' in each of our day-to-day lives.
paul was obviously an imposter and a spy who infiltrated the fledgeling christian religion for the purpose of perverting,distorting and attempting to destroy it, and he succeeded.
ReplyDelete@ October 28, 2018 at 7:58 AM
ReplyDeletePaul gets the Damascus road visit from God, but now God hides himself from everyone else?
It's not the story you pretend it to be. If God can just present himself, then why doesn't he do so?
If he did exist, and this is system, then he would be a moral monster. Considering that not believing in him sends you to hell? Right? Paul gets a visit, yet everyone else is playing hide and go seek.
Tell me, did Paul loose his free will when God showed himself to Paul? Is there free will in heaven? Does God have free will? Does Satan have free will?
The divine hiddeness argument to support free will is so obviously flawed it's laughable.
Point being, is that if God can just present himself to get people to believe, and according to the story of Paul he can do it, why doesn't he then?