An Interview with the Apostle Paul

by Bryan Gibson

Question: At one time you were very active in persecuting Christians. What made you decide to become a Christian?

Paul: When the Lord appeared to me on the road to Damascus, I could no longer ignore the evidence. I knew then that the Jesus whom I was persecuting was the Christ, the Son of God. It was time to serve Him, not fight against Him (Acts 9, 22, 26).

Question: Today, we are hearing different answers to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” What did you do to become a Christian?

Paul: Of course, it started with my belief in Him. Once I knew that He was the Christ and My Savior, I knew I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing. I had to repent. I acknowledged or confessed my faith in Jesus, and when Ananias told me to be baptized and wash away my sins, I did that immediately (Acts 9, 22, 26). This is what I did to be saved, and it is exactly what the Lord charged me to teach others.

Question: Before you became a Christian, you made quite a name for yourself, advancing greatly in Judaism (Galatians 1:14). How do you feel about all that now?

Paul: Compared to the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, everything else is rubbish. I wouldn’t trade what I have now for anything else in the world (Philippians 3:7-11). In fact, I wish every one could be what I am, and have what I have (Acts 26:29).

Question: You must be very thankful for the grace of God, seeing that you describe yourself as the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Paul: Yes, I am eternally grateful—not only for His grace, but also for His love, His mercy, and His longsuffering. Before I became a Christian, I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, so it is indeed by the grace of God that I am what I am (1 Timothy 1:12-16; 1 Corinthians 15:9-10). If you think you’ve done too many bad things for God to accept you, if you think that somehow you are beyond God’s grace, think again. If I can be saved, then you can, too!

Question: What are some of the benefits you’ve found in being a Christian?

Paul: It’s hard to know where to start—there are so many. Forgiveness of sins, the hope of eternal life, joy, peace, contentment, fellowship with God and with His people. Did I mention prayer? I couldn’t make it without help from God (Acts 26:22; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10), and I can receive that help any time I ask (Ephesians 2:18; 3:12; Philippians 4:6-7). Let me put it this way: If God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31).

Question: Do you have any instruction for preachers today?

Paul: Be diligent in your study of God’s word (2 Timothy 2:15). Give yourself entirely to it (1 Timothy 4:13, 15). Preach the word, not yourself, and not the wisdom of man (2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 4:5). Be humble; be patient and gentle with others (2 Timothy 2:24-26; 4:2), but be bold in proclaiming the truth (Ephesians 6:19). Live what you preach (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). A lot more needs to be said, so if you want to know more, be sure to read my two epistles to Timothy and the one to Titus.

Question: If you had to sum up your life as a Christian, how would you do it?

Paul: Here are three statements from my writings that will help answer that question:

“For to me, to live is Christ...” (Philippians 1:21).

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

“I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me...I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).