Proofs of the Resurrection: The Life Change of Paul

One of the most significant proofs of the Resurrection is the life change that took place in those who were initially skeptics. The life change of Paul might be the most profound of them all. He persecuted and killed Christians for a living. In Acts 7, Paul was the one who oversaw Stephen’s martyrdom. Stephen was brutally and mercilessly stoned. And as it was happening, he fell to his knees and asked the Lord to not hold that sin against his offenders (Acts 7:60). A profound story! Absolutely horrific! Yet Paul sat by and willingly approved. God granted Stephen’s request for the mercy of his offenders, at least in part, through the salvation of Paul. How did this happen, you might ask? On the road to Damascus, Paul encountered the resurrected Jesus and it marked him forever (Acts 9). Paul obeyed Jesus’s command to preach the gospel to the Gentile world. And Paul even went on to write approximately two-thirds of the New Testament. Outside of Jesus, Paul may be the most influential person in Christendom. Paul was eventually martyred by Nero in the early 60’s AD. A bold and courageous carrier of the message of Jesus. He equipped so many people who went on to carry the message of Jesus, even after his death. Paul went from major persecutor to major proclaimer of Jesus’s gospel of grace. What happened to him that caused such a dramatic life focus and change? The answer is simple: Paul was an eyewitness to the Resurrection. Paul’s life transformation carried tremendous weight to those who heard his message. How do you explain this apart from the fact that Jesus is alive? Risen? And Lord over all the universe!