Chompter wrote
Jesus never even knew Paul.
How do you know this? Is it because the bible never says so? This is just an argument from silence, which may or may not be true. It is true that we are not told whether Paul had any actual contact with Jesus during His ministry. However, it is unlikely that Paul was unaware of the claims Jesus made or of the miracles He performed, particularly if he was in Jerusalem at this time. It's not impossible to think that he may even have witnessed Jesus' trial or even His crucifixion.
I think Paul realized that Christianity was the next big thing. It was catching on and Paul saw an opportunity to become an extremely powerful influence by using people's faith against them.
You say you think Paul saw an opportunity to
become an extremely powerful influence. In saying Paul would become this great influence, you are asserting by implication that he wasn't already a peson with great influence, and that the reason he (according to you) faked his conversion is because of his hunger for power. This thought, which is known as the "power theory" just shows the lack of familiarity of Paul's background before his conversion. There are at least three problems with this. Yes, there are three reasons why the "power theory" applied to Paul is unlikely.
Before I give the three reasons, Let's get some background on Paul.
Mark A. Copeland explains:
1. Paul began his life known as Saul of Tarsus...
a. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe
of Benjamin
b. A Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee and a son of a Pharisee - Ph
3:5; Ac 23:6
2. He was on the "fast track" as far as his Jewish faith was
concerned...
a. Living according to the strict sect of His religion - Ac 26:5
b. Advancing in Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries - Ga 1:14
3. His zeal for Judaism led to his persecution of the church...
a. He tried to destroy it - Ga 1:13
b. By seeking to imprison and put Christians to death - Ac 22:3-5
c. This he did because he believed it to be God's will - Ac 26:9-12
From these 3 points and sub points, we can see that Paul already had power and influence. He had enough power to get some Christians imprisoned and others put to death. Now here are the three reasons why Paul didn't convert for power (assuming he didn't already have it)
First, if Paul was looking for some fast power through a position of authority in Christianity, then why did his actions not provide an indication that this was the case? I mean, based on Paul's own testimony, even after being a Christian for 17 years, he visited Jerusalem in order to compare the gospel he preaching with the gospel preached by the apostles. He done this, to make sure that his labors had not been in vain and that he was not preaching a false gospel. Perhaps it was at that time that the apostles completely accepted him into fellowship as a leader in the Church. (See Gal. 2:1-10).
Second, if Paul was after great power and influence, then why didn't he pursue a place of power within the Roman government? After all, he was a Roman citizen.
Third, it is true that a hunger for great power and influece comes is rooted in a desire of self-gratification. The problem we have here, is that Paul's life as a Christian isn't portrayed as one who's after that (self-gratification). Why?
1 Cor. 11:24 (Paul says) From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness-- 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. {emphasis mine) Gal. 6:17 From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
He endured all of this, for the sake of the churches, for the gospel's sake, and to imitate Christ. In fact, Paul resisted self-gratification.
1 Cor 9:27 - But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Paul taught to by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body, (Rom. 8:13) which he taught to be selfish ambitions, envy and the like among with several other things/deeds. (Gal. 5:19-22). He taught that nothing should be done out of selfish ambition, that we are to esteem others better than ourselves, (Philp. 2:3) and that each of us should look out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others (Phil. 2:4).
Then he went on and said "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:9-11).
This was the way of Christ, and Paul uses this here to teach us that we are to follow the example of Christ, which is humility. If Paul lusted after power and influence, then why don't we find this in his teaching? In fact, we find the opposite. I am convinced that those who try to use the "power theory" to explain Paul's conversion and perserverance as a follower of Christ, have not thoroughly examined his letters. In fact, if Paul made up his conversion and testified to it which would have been a lie, then why did he endure such hardships all because of a lie? Furthermore Paul died for what he believed, and if all along he had been lieing about the reason for his conversion, the why did he become a martyr? Let's look at Paul's death.
M. G. Easton gives this poignant account of the death of Paul:
"There can be little doubt that he appeared again at Nero's bar, and this time the charge did not break down. In all history there is not a more startling illustration of the irony of human life than this scene of Paul at the bar of Nero. On the judgment-seat, clad in the imperial purple, sat a man who, in a bad world, had attained the eminence of being the very worst and meanest being in it, a man stained with every crime, a man whose whole being was so steeped in every nameable and unnamable vice, that body and soul of him were, as some one said at the time, nothing but a compound of mud and blood; and in the prisoner's dock stood the best man the world possessed, his hair whitened with labors for the good of men and the glory of God. The trial ended: Paul was condemned, and delivered over to the executioner. He was led out of the city, with a crowd of the lowest rabble at his heels. The fatal spot was reached; he knelt beside the block; the headsman's axe gleamed in the sun and fell; and the head of the apostle of the world rolled down in the dust" (probably A.D. 66), four years before the fall of Jerusalem.13
The power theory crumbles as we examine the Pauline epistles, and the martyrdom of Paul.
chompter, you wrote
I am having a hard time believing that Paul was anything but a con man or maybe a power/authority freak.
You shouldn't anymore. Would a con-man or a man with a power/authority obsesion die for a lie?
It seems like that majority of Christianity is based more on what Paul said than on what Jesus said.
Paul letter's make up a small portion of the bible in comparison to the rest of the bible.
I am starting to wonder if any of it is true... It just doens't seem to stand up to critical reasoning.
The bible claims to world is corrupt. Is that a true depiction of the world? The reason it doesn't stand up to critical reasoning, is because the things of God (message of the bible) are spiritually discerned, and fleshly (critical) reasoning can't receive it (the bible's message). We must learn to think spiritually..l
