Paul Character Bible Study Background and Lessons

Name: Hebrew name Saul. Roman name Paul.

Meaning of name: Saul = “asked.” Paul = “little”

Ancestry and family life: A Benjamite, a Pharisee trained under the famous Gamaliel, circumcised the eighth day, a Roman citizen. Extremely zealous follower of Judaism (Php 3:5-6). Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews.

When and where he lived: Paul lived during the time of the early church. His exact age isn’t known, but he was probably about the age of Peter. He came from Tarsus near the Northeast shore of the Mediterranean.

Events surrounding birth: No info.

Training and occupation: Paul was a Pharisee (Php 3:5-6). Therefore he was highly educated in that time period. He trained under another famous Pharisee named Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was a student of the Scriptures and knew them well. He was a skillful writer, debater, and public speaker.

Place in history: Paul was an apostle of Christ. He traveled extensively, spreading the gospel and establishing churches. He was a missionary to the Gentiles, yet deeply loved his brethren. He was the spiritual leader of many far-flung churches and trained pastors and elders to oversee those churches. He wrote much of the New Testament, giving us fundamental doctrines and teachings. Eventually, he was martyred.

Special traits: (1) Poor eyesight? (2) Unimpressive appearance (2 Co 10:10). (3) Roman citizen. (4) Miraculous gifts (healing, tongues, etc.)

Weaknesses:

1. Temper/Pride – Paul sometimes struggled with pride and had a hot temper. He says that God sent a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble (2 Co 12:7). On the second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark, but Paul disagreed because of a previous mistake that Mark had made. Evidently, Barnabas was right because Mark went on to be a faithful missionary. Paul also grew angry with the servant girl who was a fortune teller and cast that spirit out, apparently in anger (Acts 16:18). He wouldn’t leave the prison in peace when he was wrongfully jailed with Silas, wanting an apology (Acts 16:37). He also was disrespectful of the high priest (Acts 23:3).

Strengths:

1. Whole-hearted- Paul was an “all-or-nothing” kind of guy. He was never lukewarm. He either zealously persecuted Christianity or zealously proclaimed it. That zeal was a very good quality when he finally focused his energy on serving Christ. He was highly educated and could have done many other things, but he gave his life to Christ. See Philippians 3:3-14.

2. Endurance- Paul faced continual opposition to his goal of sharing the gospel and building churches. The Jews opposed him every step of the way, often stirring up riots, throwing him in prison, getting help from the local authorities in persecuting Paul and his companions, and forcing them from town to town. Paul also faced many false teachers who spoke out against his