Paul
“When I am weak, then I am strong.”
The man who met Christ on the road he was traveling to kill Christians.
Saul was a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, from Tarsus, trained in the Law under Gamaliel. He first appears at the edge of the scene where Stephen is stoned to death. He was guarding the coats of those doing the killing, and he approved of that death. Afterward, 'he began to destroy the church, going from house to house, dragging off men and women and putting them in prison' — the place where he was more zealous than anyone.
But at noon on the road to Damascus, a light from heaven surrounded him. Falling to the ground, he heard a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' He asked in reply, 'Who are you, Lord?' The answer came: 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.' That day he was led blind into Damascus, and three days later a disciple named Ananias laid hands on him so he could see again. His name changed to Paul, and the whole direction of his life began over again on the ground.
After his conversion he did not begin his ministry right away. Only after spending three years in the Arabian desert did he go up to Jerusalem. For nearly thirty years after that, he traveled across the entire Mediterranean world. Three missionary journeys, multiple imprisonments, five floggings of thirty-nine lashes, three shipwrecks, constant threats. Many of his deepest theological letters — Romans, Galatians, Philippians, Ephesians — were written from prison. 'When I am weak, then I am strong.' He was eventually martyred in Rome, but before that he wrote in his final letter, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' The place where a persecutor ended his life as the one who loved most deeply.
After falling on the Damascus road, he spent his life on the road. A thinker who carried theology and action, calling and conflict, all at once.
Defining Moments
The events that made this person who they were
Falling Before the Light on the Road to Damascus
On the road to Damascus to arrest Christians, a light shines from heaven at noon. Falling to the ground, he hears a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' The place where a man's identity begins over again on the ground.
Three Silent Years in the Arabian Desert
After his conversion, he does not begin his ministry at once. He goes to the Arabian desert and spends three years there. The most zealous man falls silent for the longest time. A depth is shaped at the end of that silence.
A Midnight Hymn Sung from Prison
In the Philippian jail, with their feet in stocks, he and Silas sing at midnight. The other prisoners listen. An earthquake occurs, the prison doors open, and the jailer is converted on the spot, along with his entire household.
Personality
The colors revealed through their story
An Intensity That Runs a Single Road to the End
Before his conversion he went to the end as a persecutor; after it, he goes to the end as an evangelist. There is no middle ground. Once he sets a direction, he does not stop.
A Man of the Paradox Who Boasts in Weakness
'When I am weak, then I am strong.' He does not chase his own glory but looks deeply into his own weakness instead. A theology deepened by an unanswered prayer to remove a thorn.
An Honesty That Conflicts, Reconciles, and Rises Again Within Community
He clashes head-on with Peter in Antioch, splits from Barnabas over Mark, and later calls for Mark again, saying he is 'useful to me.' He hides neither conflict nor reconciliation.
★ Strengths
- Clarifying complex truths
◐ Shadow
- Strong arguments pushing people away
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