There is no doubt that something happened on the road to Damascus. The men accompanying Paul either heard something , did not understand the voice , or some combination. Either Paul alone fell to the ground , or they all fell down , or some combination. The apparent discrepancies in the accounts, themselves separated by years of time, reflect human nature, whether by forgetting details or emphasizing certain facts over others.
This conversion story is useful to all Christians in a variety of ways. Those who fear that they are too sinful for God to save have a useful role model. Those who doubt the authority of Paul as an apostle can be reassured in his God-given authority. It is a model for believers today. You are wrong. In the NIV Bible, v.
He got up and was baptized, v. Acts As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Light shines. Paul falls to the ground.
Paul hears a voice. His companions hear a voice but see no one. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. What authority would they have had in Damascus? Despite his previous beliefs as a Pharisee, he now knew the truth about God and was obligated to obey him. Paul's conversion proves that God can call and transform anyone he chooses, even the most hard-hearted.
Jesus did not distinguish between his church and his followers, and himself. Jesus told Saul he had been persecuting him. Anyone who persecutes Christians, or the Christian church, is persecuting Christ himself. A person's past does not matter to Christ. He is more interested in a person's future. Even though Saul had been one of Jesus' cruelest enemies, he became one of his closest friends. God's forgiveness is full and final.
God often chooses the most unlikely people to accomplish his will. Over and over in the Bible, God picked flawed men and women to help carry out his plan of salvation. The lesson is that the power comes from God; the person is only a vessel. When God calls a person to a task, he equips that person for it. Paul received the Holy Spirit, along with the truth of the gospel so he could share it with others. Paul could not have achieved this remarkable accomplishment in his own strength.
He was empowered by God. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. After this incident, God spoke to a believer named Ananias, asking him to find Saul, lay hands on him, and restore his sight.
Saul then began proclaiming the gospel in Damascus and beyond, inaugurating a life of dedicated ministry. However, in Acts , Ananias refers to him as Saul after his conversion.
He writes about the number of times he's been beaten, the number of times he's been put in prison, the number of shipwrecks he's endured and he seems proud of them. He was physically quite weak but he always attributed his staying power to the grace of God or the power of God. He had a strong sense of experiencing the power of God through suffering.
The tradition is that women were submissive but at the end of Romans a letter of Paul's tells a different story. The letter is to be delivered by Phoebe, the first deacon we know of in the Christian church. She is also a benefactor or patron and very significant figure. Paul also talks about Aquilla and Priscilla. Priscilla is usually named first when he mentions the couple which implies that she is the head of the household.
He also talks about Andronicus and Juniar, one of whom may have been a female apostle. In fact we may have a situation where the apostle, the church founder, perhaps even the founder of the church of Rome, included a woman and the main leadership in Rome was by women. Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus is believed to have happened in 36 AD. St Paul's Day is not a major feast day.
The Catholic Encyclopaedia describes it as of comparatively recent origin and notes that it may have been observed originally to mark the transfer of his remains to their resting place in Rome. It is celebrated alongside the martyrdom of St Peter and is one of the oldest saints days in the Christian calendar. In mediaeval times, people believed the weather on this day like that on St Swithin's Day to be an indicator of their fortune in the months to come.
If Saint Paul's day be fair and clear, It doth betide a happy year; If blustering winds do blow aloft, Then wars will trouble our realm full oft, If clouds or mist do dark the sky, Great store of birds and beasts shall die; And if by chance to snow or rain, Then will be dear all sorts of grain.
Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Paul Last updated Map of the locations in Paul's story However one explains the phenomenon, there is little doubt that the events of the first Easter, sometime in the early 30s of the first century, made a powerful impact on the first followers of Jesus.
Paul the persecutor At this stage, it is incorrect to talk about Christianity. So Paul attempted to snuff out this fledgling movement before it could do too much damage. Damascus road The importance of Paul's conversion, his turn-around from persecuting Jesus to preaching Jesus, cannot be underestimated. His achievement was a matter of some pride for him: Luke tells us of three enormous missionary journeys, charting [Paul's] progress from Antioch in Syria and moving westwards through modern day Turkey and Greece and finally back to Jerusalem again.
Revelation At the end of the Bible, though, lies not Paul but Revelation, a book that at first sight looks like the black sheep in the New Testament family. Questions about Paul What was Paul's background? See also. Religion and Ethics home Interfaith calendar Ethics guides. Settings Sign out.
0コメント