Normally in the bible, it is because of the faith of someone else. Could the Christain faith survive if Saul persisted?
2006-11-12 04:39:19 · 13 answers · asked by Dennis S 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jesus came to Saul (later Paul) on the road to Damascus because Saul was going around persecuting and killing Christians for the Pharisees. Jesus asked Saul "Why are you persecuting me?" to make Saul think about what he was doing and Who Jesus really was. The encounter was the turning point in Paul's life where he accepted Jesus as the Messiah and as his personal Savior. God chose Paul to be an Apostle. God knew the heart of Paul and what he would do when confronted by the truth.
However, for the sake of argument, if Paul had decided not to accept the free gift of salvation, Christianity would still have flourished - because it is of God, not of man.
2006-11-12 04:44:36 · answer #1 · answered by padwinlearner 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Have you considered the possibility that Saul was hallucinating? He fell off his horse and hit his head or something. Or maybe he just wanted in on the post-Jesus action going on down the road and needed a story that would let him claim divine guidance.
Paul radically altered Jesus' teachings, and for the worse. Christianity would be a lot better off without him.
2006-11-12 04:55:53 · answer #2 · answered by The angels have the phone box. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christ appeared to Saul to ask him a) why he was persecuting Christians and b) to show the world that even a man like Saul (Paul) can repent of his sins and trust in the Savior and have his life changed.
2006-11-12 04:46:50 · answer #3 · answered by gachickinaz 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Jesus just gave Saul a little bit of proof, because Jesus knew deep down Saul Had's a good heart, but Saul still had free will to do what he wanted, Although God could of took his life if he wanted to, to protect others,
2006-11-12 05:00:02 · answer #4 · answered by inteleyes 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Actually Saul/Paul says Jesus appeared to him, no other witnesses to the fact.
2006-11-12 04:42:01 · answer #5 · answered by Black Dragon 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
He didn't -- Saul (known later as Paul) made the whole thing up in order to become a power broker in the nascent christian religion. Heck, even the bible is inconsistent in the telling of the appearance between the various gospels.
Jesus was dead -- like everybody else who dies, never appeared to anyone afterwards.
2006-11-12 04:42:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
A close examination of scripture will reveal that Christ appeared to Paul in order to chose him as an apostle. One of the qualifications of being an apostle was you had to be with Jesus and be chosen by him, and Paul says it was Christ who chose him to be an apostle.
Just read all of Pauls letters and you can see this for yourself.
2006-11-12 04:46:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Christian wouldn't exist if Paul didn't.Further more the word Christian appear when Paul is preaching in Antioch.
2006-11-12 04:43:13 · answer #8 · answered by Green Lantern 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Perhaps not. I always thought God pulled a fast one there. He took his greatest enemy and turned him into his greatest apostle. If it was a sporting event, the other team would have cried foul.
2006-11-12 04:43:24 · answer #9 · answered by Calvin James Hammer 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why not? Christ is God, he can and will do whatever is consitent with his nature and mission to save mankind.
2006-11-12 04:41:57 · answer #10 · answered by brilheaint 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋