📖 Biblical Definition
Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, the chief theologian of the New Testament, and the human instrument through whom the Holy Spirit revealed the doctrines of justification by faith, union with Christ, the body of Christ, and the mystery of Jew and Gentile united in one new man. Before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus was the foremost persecutor of the church — present at Stephen's stoning, breathing threats against the disciples, and hunting believers with letters of authority (Acts 8:3). On the road to Damascus, the risen Christ struck him down and called him to apostleship (Acts 9:15). Paul's thirteen epistles form the doctrinal backbone of the New Testament. Romans systematically unfolds justification by faith alone. Galatians defends the gospel against legalism. Ephesians reveals the mystery of the church. Philippians displays joy in suffering. Paul's theology is not his own invention — he received it by direct revelation from Christ (Galatians 1:12). He planted churches across Asia Minor and Europe, endured shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, and ultimately martyrdom — all for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord (Philippians 3:8).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The great apostle to the Gentiles; originally Saul of Tarsus.
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PAUL, n. [L. Paulus, small.] The apostle of the Gentiles, a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, converted on the road to Damascus, who became the greatest missionary and theologian of the apostolic age, authoring thirteen epistles of the New Testament.
📖 Key Scripture
• Acts 9:15 — "He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel."
• Galatians 1:12 — "I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."
• Galatians 2:20 — "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
• Philippians 3:8 — "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
• 2 Timothy 4:7 — "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Paul is accused of misogyny, dismissed as a mere opinion-giver, or pitted against Jesus.
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Modern scholarship and progressive Christianity routinely attack Paul from multiple angles. First, he is accused of misogyny for his teachings on male headship, women's roles in the church, and marital submission (1 Corinthians 11, 14; Ephesians 5; 1 Timothy 2). These teachings are dismissed as "cultural" rather than authoritative — even though Paul grounds them in creation order, not cultural convention. Second, liberal theologians pit "the Jesus of the Gospels" against "the Paul of the Epistles," claiming Paul invented a religion Jesus never intended. This ignores that the risen Christ personally commissioned Paul and revealed the gospel to him (Galatians 1:12). Third, the "New Perspective on Paul" redefines justification to be about covenant membership rather than the imputation of Christ's righteousness, gutting the Reformation's central recovery. Paul's writings are not opinion — they are Scripture, breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16), and Peter himself calls Paul's letters "Scripture" (2 Peter 3:16).
Usage
• "Paul did not invent Christianity — the risen Christ appeared to him and commissioned him to reveal the mystery hidden for ages: that Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel in Christ."
• "When people dismiss Paul's teachings on headship as 'cultural,' they must explain why he appeals to Adam and Eve, not to Greco-Roman customs."
• "Paul is the clearest proof that salvation is by grace — the chief persecutor became the chief apostle, not by his merit, but by sovereign mercy."