The New Testament Saul - Freedom Through Christ

Joe Michael Pleasant New Testament Survey January 29, 2016 Paul or Saul The man that was once known as Saul is one of my favorite bible characters in the whole bible. He was by far one of the most influential people in the book of acts, and all of the New Testament. Saul was the modern equivalent of a Islamic radical pushing his religious agenda. He was a monster. The lowest of the low in the scumbag world would be hands down Saul. On top of being the tool of extermination for Satan in Jerusalem, shortly after the death of Christ, he was also extremely religious. He was a Pharisee. While extremely well educated in the religious practices of Judaism, Saul was differently a hypocrite. He completely pushed is religious agenda while he completely

     Paul began his argument of Romans by proving that the Gentiles are sinners before God. Although God has revealed His truth to them, they have suppressed it, resulting in the darkness of their inner man and rebellion against God to the point of worshipping animals (1:18-23). As a result God gave them over to do the desires of their heart (1:24, 26): idolatry (1:25) and homosexuality (1:26-27). Seeing that they had no desire to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do every sort of evil (1:28-31).

On the road to Damascus the Lord intervenes in Saul’s life (Acts 9: 3-6) and he is genuinely converted during that encounter with the Lord Jesus. Under the ministry of Ananias (a disciple) he was also healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul now known as Paul from that moment on immediately began preaching Christ in the synagogues of Damascus. Paul’s preaching was very convincing and disturbing to the Damascus Jews to the point where they desired to kill him. Therefore, the other Christian disciples assisted him in his escape by night (Acts 9:22-25) that he may escape to Arabia. Paul’s missionary Journeys were defining actions of him, he usually set foot with other companions and he endured hardships on these voyages. He was imprisoned, lashed and stoned several times and almost murdered once (2 Cor. 11:24-27).

St. Paul, other known as Saul, never actually lived the life any of us would hope for. As a young child Saul learned to work with his own hands and create tents. Before his conversion to Christianity, he went out and arrested those who believed in Christ. While he was out arresting many, he also persecuted some of the Christians. Also, Saul was one person who approved the stoning of Stephen. Lastly, God appeared to him and he had a conversion of heart.

After that Saul was refered to as Paul. He left his old life and began his mission as a amasador of Christ’s message to all the world, or the world as it was known at that time. He left Jerusalem and began his missionary journeys, at least five of them. He went to Asia minor (modern Turkey), Syria, Greece, Italy, Spain even Britian.Paul trained Timothy and John Mark. He was so dedicated to the calling Jesus put on him that he paid for it spending five years or more in prison for his teachings and faith on multiple occasions. He was whipped bewaten and tortured on more than one occasion. He even lived through a stoning attempt and being shipwrecked. He paid the ultimate price with his life as a martyr at the hands of the Romans.

Saint Paul, originally named Saul, was a crucial part in the development of Christianity. Paul, who was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, grew up Jewish and was trained as a rabbi (Adcock). Paul eventually converted to Christianity, but before he did, the future of the religion was looking very slim. Rome had made it illegal to practice Christianity. Paul was a pious Jew, so his conversion to Christianity surprised many of his followers. They viewed him with much suspicion and treated him with hostility. Paul was dedicated to his new life and made it his mission to spread Christianity throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and eventually to Rome itself. Paul made two separate journeys throughout the Mediterranean. He preached about the message of Jesus to many and sent his letters to the people he had not visited. Paul saw that his new faith had a message for everything and everyone. By converting to Christianity, St. Paul has saved Christianity from extinction, has written crucial letters about his faith, has preached to hundreds of people, has spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, has caused

Vernon McGee, Saul’s conversion to Paul, a believer in Christ, was not just an experience for that moment, but a life changing experience that continued for Paul’s lifetime. He now lives for Christ. His priorities and what he valued before Christ were no longer precious to him or foremost in his thinking. It was all trash now. It was dung and McGee goes further to say Paul does convert from Judaism to Christianity.

We first met Saul in chapter 7:58 as the one at whose feet the robes of those who stoned Stephen were laid. Acts 8:1, he consented to Stephen’s death. 8:3, he began to destroy the church by entering the homes of the believers, and dragging off men and women to prison. Saul greatly persecuted the early church and caused the believers to be scattered. We would see in 9:1 Saul was breathing threats and murder against the Lord’s disciples. Chapter 9:1-2 he sought warrants from the Jewish authorities to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem anyone who is following Jesus. We learn more about Saul in his personal testimony. In 26:9, He did many things hostile to the name of Jesus. Acts 26:10, he voted for the execution of believers. Verse 11, he punished the believers in their synagogues and forced them to blaspheme the Lord. It’s obvious that Saul hated Jesus and all who followed Him as hated the gospel. He was a murderer and zealous for the law but on the path to hell because he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Saul believed that his actions met the God’s approval because he faithfully maintained the beliefs of the Jewish religion. However, in this text we will see the transformation of his life and his name would later change to Paul. After Jesus he would become the greatest theologian, missionary, teacher and pastor and God would use him to start churches all over the world. He would

Paul was not fighting against the Law of Moses – he knew the law, and that obeying the commandments would lead to happiness. But he also knew that Christ had come to fulfil the law as messiah, and to reconcile the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). He did not interpose rejection of the law, but was polemical of Jewish Christians excluding Gentiles on grounds such as circumcision. As he was later to say of the event, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

An examination of the Pauline epistles should begin with an examination of the author. Saul of Tarsus was a Jewish official a Pharisee. Saul was a persecutor of Christians and an eyewitness to the stoning of Steven. “And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.” (Acts 7.58 King James Version) He had a vision on the road to Damascus and was blinded. God sent Ananias to heal Saul of his affliction. God also sent Paul a vision of Ananias to let him know that he would be healed. Paul did not learn the Gospel from other men. He received his knowledge directly from Jesus.

Paul writes in Acts 22:6 that he experienced a vision, ‘I fell to the ground and heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me... I am Jesus of Nazareth.”’ Paul was blinded but continued on to Damascus where he became certain that his vision of Jesus symbolised his calling to spread the Gospel. When he arrived his sight was restored by a disciple named Ananias and Paul was baptised as he became a Christian, a follower of Jesus. This conversion to Christianity enabled Paul to believe that he had been given a mission to go preach the word of God. Paul embarked on journeys to towns where he would seek employment and gradually get to know people. Paul wanted to influence these people by speaking of his experiences he had with God and what they had taught him about Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. In these towns, Paul also established local churches and invited elders to run them whilst he was out of town spreading the word of God, ‘Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust’ (Acts 14:23).

Exegesis: Romans 7:7-25 This is a biblical exegesis of the passage Romans 7:7-25. The purpose of this exegesis paper is to inform the reader of the surrounding context surrounding the passage such as the author, date, purpose, audience, historical, cultural, literary and geographical context. It also includes interpretation and application of what this passage intends to its original audience, and its flow with the entirety of scripture.

Professor Ambrosio asserts that Saul's vision "establishes a direct connection between Paul's question, 'Who are you, Lord?' and Jesus as the one who is being persecuted in the person of those who have faith in Him" (Hero or Saint Saul of Tarsus). This direct connection is what ultimately helps transform Saul into Paul a new man. Christianity, in other words, is the religion of throwing off the old man and putting on the new. The new, of course, is Christ which is why

Paul whose name was Saul was an early Christian missionary and theologian, known as the Apostle to the Gentiles was born a Jew in Tarsus, Rome. As a minor, he was trained as a rabbi but earned his living as a tentmaker. A zealous Pharisee, he persecuted the first Christians until a vision of Jesus, experienced while on the road to Damascus, converted him to Christianity. Three years later he met St. Peter and Jesus ' brother James and was henceforth recognized as the 13th Apostle. From his base in Antioch, he traveled widely, preaching to the Gentiles. By asserting that non-Jewish disciples of Christ did not have to observe Jewish law, he helped to establish

Paul 's original name was Saul. Saul started out hating and persecuting Christians. Saul had a big conversion moment where he heard God talking to him and he was struck blind for three days. "Paul was on his way to Damascus when he had a vision that changed his life: according to Galatians 1:16, God revealed his Son to him. More specifically, Paul states that he saw the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1), though Acts claims that near Damascus he saw a blinding bright light. Following this revelation, which convinced Paul that God had indeed chosen Jesus to be the promised messiah."("Saint") Paul then became a Christian and left his easy, comfortable life to become a preacher. Once Paul became a missionary he wanted to share the news of Christianity with everyone. "Paul’s great achievement was to take Christianity from Jerusalem throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and finally to the capital itself." (Johnson) Paul 's main goal was to spread the word that Christ is the Son of God. (Adcock)