Paul, the Unexpected Apostle

Passage: Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:13-16

Today is Cadet Sunday and in the providence of God, I planned to preach on the first word of Romans today, Paul.  He is a great example and teacher to our Cadets, and to all men, and to all Christians.

If we are going to study the most important letter this man wrote, and as we heard last week, perhaps the most important letter ever written, we should know something about the man who wrote it.  Paul’s letters are personal, they all bear the stamp of his personality and background.

Rom. 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

Someone in the first century reading this for the first time, might be shocked.  “Wait a minute, you mean Paul as in Saul of Tarsus?  You mean that arrogant, zealous, murderer and persecutor of Christians, hater of the church of Jesus Christ?  The Paul who has more in common with a Taliban terrorist than an apostle?”

How in the world did he become the author of the greatest letter in history?  What is this amazing thing the Lord has done?  What does Scripture tell us know about this man called Paul?  What do we learn about Paul, and what do we learn from Paul?