Life and Ministry of Paul

An Overview of Paul's Life

Paul is one of the greatest Christian heroes in the New Testament and throughout Christian history. He wrote more New Testament books and founded more churches than any other apostle. His life has been a model for many Christians, and his teaching has touched thousands of lives for the last 2000 years. It is, therefore, important to examine his life and ministry before we study his letters.

A. Paul's Life

Paul's life was sharply divided into two parts by his conversion. Before his conversion he was a furious persecutor of Christians, but after the conversion he became one of the most dedicated followers of Jesus in the entire Christian history. Unfortunately, we do not have much information about his life before conversion. Only scanty information is found in Acts and in his letters.

Life before His Conversion

By referring to Acts 8:1-3, 21:39, 22:1-29, 23:34, 26:4-11, and Phil. 3:5-6, answer the following questions:

Where was Saul (Paul) born?

What was his ethnicity?

What citizenship did he have?

What language did he speak?

To which religious party did he belong before his conversion?

Where and under whom was he formally educated?

His Conversion

Acts 9:1-19, 22:1-21, and 26:1-32 describe Paul's conversion experience. Acts 9:1-19 is Luke's description of Paul's conversion. Acts 22:1-21 is Paul's testimony which he gave before the crowd in Jerusalem when he was arrested. Acts 26:1-32 is another testimony which he gave before the Roman procurator Festus and a Jewish king, Agrippa II. Read these passages and answer the following questions.

Why was Paul headed for Damascus?

Who gave him authority to arrest believers in Damascus?

What happened to Paul on the road to Damascus?

What discrepancies can you find among these three accounts?

Who were the audiences for Paul's testimony in Acts 22 and in Acts 26?

Who ministered to Saul (Paul) in Damascus?

Where do you think Saul became a Christian, on the road to Damascus or in Damascus? What difference does it make?

What did Paul do in Damascus immediately following his conversion?

Why did he have to escape from the city?

Where did he go after he escaped from Damascus? Read Galatians 1:17.

Who introduced Paul to the Jerusalem Apostles who were afraid of meeting Paul because of his notorious reputation as the persecutor of the church?

Where did the disciples in Jerusalem send Paul and why? It was his hometown. Paul spent the next ten years there until he was invited to the church in Antioch.

Life after His Conversion

Among many, the following two passages most clearly show what kind of person Paul became and what kind of life he lived after his conversion.

Phil. 3:7-9, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

2 Cor. 11:23-29, " . . . I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

Summary of Paul's life after his conversion:

Paul was converted on the road to Damascus.

Following his conversion, he preached in Damascus. Threatened by his Jewish opponents, he escaped a Jewish plot by being let down in a basket through an opening in the wall at Damascus and went to Arabia. He stayed there for about three years, but we have no record of what he did during those years.

After three years, he returned to Damascus and then to Jerusalem. He was introduced by Barnabas to the church (apostles) in Jerusalem. Paul met the apostles for the first time. His reputation was so notorious that the Jerusalem apostles did not believe the genuineness of his conversion and were afraid of meeting him until Barnabas personally introduced Paul to them.

Again threatened by the Jewish opponents, he was sent off to Tarsus in Cilicia, his hometown, and stayed there for approximately ten silent years. We do not know what he did during these years either. Gal. 1:23 tells us that he continued preaching the gospel.

Barnabas brought him to Antioch in Syria as his co-worker, and the two of them served the church for about one year.

Barnabas and Paul brought a famine relief gift to the Jerusalem church which believers in Antioch had collected. About this time, Herod Agrippa I killed James the Apostle. Herod soon died (around A.D. 44).

Soon after returning from Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey, which involved cities such as Cyprus, Perga in Pamphylia, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Upon completion of their journey, they returned to Antioch in Syria.

Paul and Barnabas attended the Jerusalem Council in which the apostles and the elders discussed the issue brought up by the Gentile churches, that is, whether Gentile believers should conform to the Jewish law and customs including circumcision. The Jerusalem Council decided that the Gentile believers did not have to observe the Jewish law and customs. With this good news, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch.

Upon returning from Jerusalem, Paul went on his second missionary journey with Silas, one of the Jerusalem delegates. Timothy and Luke later joined Paul. On this journey, Paul visited not only those cities which he had visited on his first journey, but also for the first time he visited the major cities in Europe which included Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. Paul returned to Antioch in Syria after briefly visiting Jerusalem.

Paul took another missionary journey to visit those cities which he had visited during his first two journeys. He did not visit a new city during this journey.

Upon completion of the third missionary journey, Paul was headed for Jerusalem despite many warnings made against him. While visiting Jerusalem, he was arrested by a Jewish mob and eventually placed in the custody of Roman soldiers.

When Jews plotted to ambush Paul, Roman soldiers transferred Paul secretly from Jerusalem to Caesarea where Felix, Roman procurator, resided.

While imprisoned in Caesarea for two years, Paul defended himself before Roman procurators, Felix, Festus, and Jewish king, Agrippa II. Knowing that the newly appointed procurator, Festus, was inclined to compromise with his Jewish opponents, Paul used his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to Caesar.

Festus granted Paul's request and sent him to Rome, bound in chains. Paul's voyage to Rome was delayed for several months due to a heavy storm and a shipwreck.

Paul arrived in Rome and stayed in a house-prison. While imprisoned in Rome for two years, he preached to Jews and Gentiles. Luke's tracing of Paul's life and ministry ends here. We do not know exactly what happened to Paul after this.

According to early church tradition, Paul was released from his first imprisonment, continued his missionary activities in East and probably also in Spain, was rearrested, and finally martyred near the end of Nero's reign, that is, around A.D. 67 or 68.

B. Acts 13-28: Paul's Three Missionary Journeys and Voyage to Rome

Paul's life has been already summarized above. What follows is more detailed survey of his life and ministry focused on his three missionary journeys. In addition to the three missionary journeys, Acts describes Paul's journey to Jerusalem, which can be considered as a part of the third missionary journey, and journey to Rome. Please remember who accompanied Paul, which cities they visited, what significant events took place, which New Testament churches were established, and which letter of Paul was written during or right after each journey.

Paul's First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:1-14:28)

Paul's first missionary journey began in Antioch in Syria with Barnabas and his cousin, Mark. On this journey, he visited the Island of Cyprus, Perga, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. After reaching Derbe, Paul reversed his travels and returned to Antioch in Syria. I think it was very natural that they went to Cyprus first. Cyprus was Barnabas' hometown and many of the church members at Antioch were from Cyprus.

Click here to follow Paul's first missionary journey on a map.

Here are some facts about Paul's first missionary journey:

Saul (Paul) and Barnabas were ordained and sent by the church in Antioch for Gentile missions.

They were accompanied by John Mark, Barnabas' cousin. Mark, however, turned back in Perga in Pamphylia and returned to his home in Jerusalem (Acts. 13:13). Luke did not tell us why Mark departed, but his early return displeased Paul (see Acts 15:37-40).

Luke began to call Saul by the name "Paul" for the first time (Acts 13:9), probably because the Greek name "Paul" was more appropriate than the Hebrew name "Saul" for his Gentile missions.

Paul's missionary activities reveal a certain pattern. You will notice this pattern throughout his missionary journeys: (1) He visits a major city, (2) finds a synagogue to preach, (3) converts many Gentile proselytes and God-fearers, (4) faces Jewish hostility and persecution, (5) withdraws from the synagogue, (6) continues the successful ministry to the Gentiles, (7) faces more severe persecution, (8) moves on to another city, and (9) continues to support the newly established church through letters or his associates.

In Lystra, the crowd mistook Barnabas and Paul for the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. Paul and Barnabas corrected their misunderstanding. Paul was also stoned to near death by some Jews who came from Antioch and Iconium.

Nevertheless, he established churches in this region (South Galatia).

Paul returned to the church in Antioch.

Shortly after his return, Paul heard the news that some false teachers infiltrated the church in Galatia and taught a perverted gospel, insisting that the Gentile believers must be circumcised and conform to the Mosaic law and customs in order to be saved. In response to this false teaching, Paul wrote a letter and furiously refuted their claims. This letter is known as Galatians.

Persons Involved Barnabas, Paul, and Mark

Cities Visited Island of Cyprus, Perga, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe

New Testament Churches Established Galatian churches

New Testament Letters Written Galatians (around A.D. 49) written from Antioch

The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-35)

Occasion: Some men, similar to the false teachers at Galatia, came down from Judea to Antioch and taught that Gentile believers must be circumcised, according to the Mosaic law, in order to be accepted into the church. These people are called the "Judaizers." Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed with them. To resolve the conflict, the church in Antioch sent Paul, Barnabas, and others to the church in Jerusalem to seek the opinions of the Apostles and elders.

Decision: Supported by Peter and James, the Jerusalem Council decided that Gentile believers were not obligated to observe Jewish laws and practices, including circumcision. They were, however, advised to avoid practices that would unnecessarily offend Jews, e.g., eating the meat of an animal that had been offered to an idol, that had been strangled, or that still contained the animal's blood, and sexual immorality. The Council inscribed their decision in a letter and sent it with their own delegates, Judas and Silas. Silas apparently did not return to Jerusalem, for he accompanied Paul on the second missionary journey.

Significance: This decision by the Jerusalem Council is very significant because it officially approved Paul's Gentle missions and removed many obstacles for him.

Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36-18:21)

On returning from Jerusalem, Paul suggested Barnabas revisit the cities which they had visited during their first missionary journey. Barnabas agreed on the need for the trip, but the two men disagreed on whether they should also take Mark. Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance, but Paul refused. They could not come to an agreement, so they decided to split. Barnabas took Mark and headed for Cyprus, and Paul took Silas, who had come from the church in Jerusalem, and went in a different direction. On this second journey, Paul added to his team the young man Timothy and also Luke. Paul's second journey was more extensive. He visited not only cities in Galatia and Asia Minor, but also important cities in Europe (Macedonia and Achaia), including cities such as Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth.

Click here to trace Paul's second missionary journey on a map.

Know the following facts about this trip:

Timothy joined Paul in Lystra. Remember Paul was stoned to near death in this city?

At Troas Paul had the Macedonian vision. This vision prompted Paul to go to Macedonia. At this point, Luke describes Paul's activity in the first person ("we"). This suggests that Luke joined Paul at Troas and accompanied him to Philippi. For this reason, some scholars think that the Macedonian man in Paul's vision was actually Luke.

Paul started the first European church in Philippi, a gateway city to Europe. Since a "we" section ends after the Philippi narrative and resumes with the return of Paul to Philippi at a later date, Luke probably stayed in Philippi as Paul proceeded to Thessalonica.

Paul continued preaching in Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia, and Berea. The unbelieving Jews at Thessalonica were very hostile, but the Bereans were more gentle and truth-seeking. They carefully examined the Scripture to confirm Paul's teaching.

Due to the severe persecution by the Thessalonian opponents, Paul went down all the way from Berea to Athens, the birthplace of most of the Greek philosophical schools. Here he delivered his famous speech about the resurrection of the dead on Mar's Hill in front of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. I hope you still remember the difference between these two schools of philosophy.

From Athens he moved to Corinth, the capital city of the Roman province of Achaia. In this city Paul started working as a tent-maker while preaching at night. His ministry in Corinth extended for approximately one-and-a-half years, the second longest ministry next to his three year ministry in Ephesus. Know the following facts about his Corinthian ministry:

(1) Paul met Priscilla and Aquila, a Jewish couple who came to Corinth because the emperor Claudius expelled Jews from Rome. They became invaluable assets to Paul's subsequent ministry.

(2) Paul was accused and brought to Gallio, the proconsul of the senatorial province, but Gallio dismissed the Jewish opponents' accusation of Paul as an internal Jewish issue. Luke's mention of Gallio is significant for establishing a Pauline chronology because it provides us a concrete historical date. According to a Latin inscription found at Delphi in Greece, Gallio's proconsulship extended from about A.D. 51 to A.D. 53.

(3) While in Corinth, Paul heard the news from Timothy and Silas that the newly established Thessalonian church was faithful to the Gospel despite severe persecutions, but misunderstood Paul's teaching about the return of Christ. In order to correct their misunderstanding, Paul wrote two letters consecutively, First and Second Thessalonians.

Persons Involved Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke . . .

Cities Visited Cities in Galatia and Asia Minor and cities in Macedonia and Achaia such as Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth

New Testament Churches Established Philippian church, Thessalonian church, Corinthian church

New Testament Letters Written 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Paul's Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:22-21:16)

This journey is also known as the collection visit because on this journey Paul collected offerings for the believers in Jerusalem. Paul basically visited those cities which he had visited during the first two journeys. The significant development during this journey includes Paul's incredibly successful ministry in Ephesus and his anticipation of and preparation for the journey to Jerusalem. Paul spent the longest time in Ephesus, about three years. After another brief visit to Macedonia and Achaia, Paul returned to Miletus near Ephesus, to deliver his emotional farewell speech to the elders from Ephesus. The reoccurrence of the "we" section in Acts 20:5 indicates that Luke again joined Paul in Philippi and accompanied him to Jerusalem. After Paul's arrival in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-18) and subsequent arrest, the "we" section disappears until Paul sets off his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:1).

While in Ephesus, the people from Corinth visited Paul and told him that the Corinthian church was facing all kinds of problems (internal divisions, sexual immorality, law suits among members, frequent divorce and remarriage, participation in idol worship, abuse of the Lord's Supper, misuse of the spiritual gifts, and misunderstanding about the resurrection of the dead). In response to these problems, Paul wrote a number of letters, of which two letters are preserved in our Bible. They are First and Second Corinthians. At the end of his third missionary journey, as Paul was headed for Jerusalem, he wanted to go to Spain through Rome. So, he wrote Romans to the church in Rome, probably from Corinth.

Click here to follow Paul's third missionary journey.

Persons Involved Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy, Erastus, Gaius, Aristarchus, Titus . . .

Cities Visited Mostly the same cities he had visited during the first and second journeys, longest time in Ephesus

New Testament Churches Established Ephesian church, Colossian church

New Testament Letters Written 1 & 2 Corinthians, Romans

Paul's Final Journey to Jerusalem, Arrest, Imprisonment, Defense, and Appeal to Caesar (Acts 21:17-26:32)

Upon arriving at Jerusalem, Paul was greeted by Christians there, and he reported what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. About seven days later, Paul was seized by a Jewish mob and dragged out from the temple, but he was rescued from the mob by the Roman soldiers garrisoned at the Fortress of Antonia near the temple. Paul defended himself before the crowd and later before the Jewish Sanhedrin. When the Roman commander was informed of a Jewish plot made against Paul, he ordered his men to transfer Paul secretly to Caesarea. While imprisoned in Caesarea for about two years, Paul defended himself before the Roman procurators Felix (Acts 24:1-27) and Festus (Acts 25:1-12). Knowing that the newly appointed procurator, Festus, tried to curry favor with the Jews by offering to conduct Paul's trial in Jerusalem, Paul, exercising the right of his Roman citizenship, appealed for a trial to be conducted before Caesar. Festus granted Paul's appeal and sent him off to Rome, bound in chains (Acts 25:13-26:32).

Persons Involved Paul, Timothy, Luke, Aristarchus, Sopater, Gaius, Tychicus, Trophimus . . .

Paul's Voyage to and Imprisonment in Rome (Acts 27:1-28:31)

Due to dangerous weather conditions, no sailing normally occurred on the Mediterranean Sea from mid-November to early March. However, Paul's voyage to Rome began near the beginning of this dangerous season. Consequently, the trip was interrupted by a heavy storm and resulted in a drift on the sea for two weeks and a shipwreck. Paul and other passengers including crew members had to spend that winter on the island of Malta. They arrived in Rome in the following spring. It is interesting to notice that the "we" section reappears in Acts 27 as Paul prepares for his voyage to Rome. This indicates that Luke joined Paul again on the journey to Rome. It seems that Luke stayed with Paul until his death.

Luke joined Paul on three occasions: (1) Paul's journey from Troas to Philippi during the second missionary journey, (2) Paul's journey from Philippi to Jerusalem after the completion of the third journey, and (3) Paul's journey from Caesarea to Rome.

Click here to follow Paul's voyage to Rome.

Soon after his arrival in Rome, Paul called together the Jewish leaders in Rome and explained why he had to appeal to Caesar. Paul probably did this to avoid any misunderstanding from or conflict with Jews in Rome. For the following two years in a house-prison, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him. Why was Paul's trial delayed for two years? Luke does not tell us, but it was probably due to one or more of the following reasons: (1) the necessity for accusers to come from Palestine; (2) the destruction in the shipwreck of the document drawn up by Festus concerning the accusations brought up against Paul; and (3) the crowdedness of Nero's court calendar.

Luke concludes his description of the triumphal march of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome with the following statement: "Boldly and without hindrance he [Paul] preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 28:31).

While imprisoned in Rome, Paul converted a runaway slave, Onesimus, who was from Colossae, and heard the news from Epaphras that the false teachers were infiltrating the church at Colossae. Using the occasion of returning Onesimus to his master (the host of the Colossian church) and prompted by the report of Epaphras, Paul wrote three letters--Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians.

Also while in prison, he received a special gift from the Philippian church personally delivered by Epaphraditus. Deeply touched by their love, Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians as a "thank you" note for the gift he received. These four letters are called the "Prison Letters" because they are believed to have been written while Paul was in the Roman prison.

Persons Involved Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, Timothy, Epaphras, Tychicus, Mark, Demas . . .

New Testament Book Written Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon (the Prison Letters)

Story beyond the Book of Acts

The Book of Acts does not tell us what happened to Paul, whether he was tried by Nero, condemned and executed, or acquitted and released from prison. However, testimony of a number of early church fathers and Paul's travel information in the Pastoral Letters indicate that he was released from the Roman imprisonment and continued his ministry for a number of years until he was rearrested and executed around A.D. 67.

During his post-imprisonment ministry, Paul wrote 1 Timothy and Titus to give practical instructions for two young ministers, Timothy and Titus, who were in charge of the churches in Ephesus and on Crete, respectively. 2 Timothy is believed to have been written during Paul's second Roman imprisonment just before his death. Thus, it is often considered as his last will.

Persons Involved Paul, Timothy, Titus, Tychicus, Luke . . .

New Testament Letters Written 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus (the Pastoral Letters)