The Apostle Who Divided the Church
Knowing Your Apostles — Part 9
This is a fun, lighthearted series intended not necessarily to teach, but to spark conversation. Consider this an open invitation to share what you know, like, dislike, or simply find interesting about any of the apostles. This is a judgment-free zone, so feel free to share your thoughts and opinions.
Series Question
The ninth question of this series is: Who’s the most controversial apostle?
My Answer: Paul
I believe the apostle Paul is, arguably, the most controversial of the apostles.
Before going any further, let me clarify what I mean by “controversial.” I don’t mean it in a negative sense. Rather, I mean that, more than any other apostle, Paul’s life, personality, and teachings have sparked the greatest number of debates, disagreements, and theological discussions throughout history.
With that definition in mind, let’s begin by looking at his biography.
A Few Biographical Facts
In this article, I won’t spend much time on Paul’s biography, as I’ve already covered much of it in earlier articles.
In Part 4 of this series, The Greatest Apostolic Dispute, I examined Paul’s disagreement with the apostle Barnabas over John Mark. In Part 7, The Other Apostolic Dispute, I discussed Paul’s public rebuke of the apostle Peter. Finally, in Part 8, The Apostle Who Seemed to Contradict Paul, I explored whether the apostle James truly disagreed with Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith.
Together, these articles cover many of the key events and relationships that shaped Paul’s life and ministry.
Paul’s Personality
I believe any profile of Paul would be incomplete without examining his personality. I don’t mean a clinical or psychological examination, but a philosophical one based on the available evidence.
Paul is first introduced at the martyrdom of Deacon Stephen. There we see a young man who already had considerable influence. Scripture says Stephen’s stoners,
“laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
— Acts 7:58
This was not merely someone watching over their clothes or a bystander; he was someone endorsing the outcome. The Bible says he was “consenting to his death” (Acts 8:1).
Paul then went on to make “havoc of the church” (Acts 8:3), arresting believers and dragging them to prison. With the authority of the Jewish council, he even traveled to foreign cities to pursue them.
Paul seemed unstoppable until the Lord stopped him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
From this, we see a passionate individual who was already a leader and a force of nature. Paul later channeled that same intensity into defending the gospel through his ministry and teachings.
I believe this personality provides a possible backdrop to his disagreements with first Peter and later Barnabas. His larger-than-life tendencies can be seen in his ministry with Barnabas, where Paul would eventually become the more prominent figure. The transition from “Barnabas and Saul“ to “Paul and Barnabas“ reflects this shift in prominence. While this does not necessarily diminish Barnabas, it does reveal Paul’s forceful presence and leadership style. This is one reason I personally think Paul is the apostle I would have been least likely to get along with.
In some ways, Paul was like Moses when God called him: forceful and even impetuous. Like Moses, Paul also possessed remarkable intellectual ability. Stephen said of Moses,
“...was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.”
— Acts 7:22
Similarly, Festus said of Paul,
“...you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
— Acts 26:24
Passion and talent are still qualities God seeks in those who represent Him. God can refine your passion, but you must invest yourself in learning to become an effective vessel in His hands.
I see many passionate Christians on social media who lack biblical knowledge and understanding. They may have large followings, but they are not qualified to teach God’s Word. James warned,
“...not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”
— James 3:1
Now that we have examined Paul’s personality, let’s explore his doctrines. Many of his teachings—including justification by faith, predestination and election, women’s roles in the church and marriage, speaking in tongues and spiritual gifts, the nature and timing of Christ’s return, and homosexuality as sin—continue to be debated today, making him, as I previously noted, the most controversial apostle.
For some of these doctrines, I believe the debates are sincere because they are difficult to understand, even for the most seasoned biblical scholars and theologians. However, for others, I believe the debates come from revisionists, including so-called biblical-historical scholars. This includes scholars of the “New Perspective on Paul” and those who question Paul’s authorship of some of the books that bear his name and have traditionally been attributed to him.
For this latter group, I will focus on just one of Paul’s doctrines that has generated debate both then and now.
Circumcision: A Trojan Horse
Circumcision is the subject of one of Paul’s greatest theological battles, and I believe it was his fiercest. We see him oppose it throughout several letters, including Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Titus.
This should not have been a battle Paul needed to fight, since the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 had already settled the matter. The early church leadership decided Gentiles were not required to be circumcised (Acts 15:23–29). Yet the “circumcision party” continued insisting on it.
However, Paul’s fight was not merely about the physical act. It was about something far more fundamental. The “circumcision party” was effectively attempting to require Gentiles to observe the Law and its rituals through the back door.
Paul understood what was at stake: if they succeeded, they would undermine the gospel and justification by faith. This was especially clear in Galatians, where Paul called it a different gospel—not the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6–9).
He directly refuted it by writing,
“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ...”
— Galatians 2:16
Paul would not allow this to stand. He called them “mutilators” (Philippians 3:2–3), referred to them as agitators, and even wished they would go all the way and emasculate themselves (Galatians 5:12, NIV).
Paul also recognized that there were financial motives involved:
“For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.”
— Titus 1:10–11
The same pattern can be seen today, where some false teachers revise settled doctrines for financial gain or greater influence. They seek to legitimize practices Scripture forbids, such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and polygamy.
Others seek to overturn God’s created order for the home and society by embracing feminist ideologies and rejecting male headship as mere patriarchy.
In the church, I do not believe Scripture forbids women from serving in leadership. However, the biblical pattern shows that God has primarily entrusted leadership to men. Sadly, some men have also joined in promoting these departures from biblical teaching and other destructive heresies.
Paul’s Legacy
Paul’s greatest legacy is arguably the extensive body of work he contributed to biblical literature and theology. Beyond this, I believe the debates and arguments he engaged in throughout Acts were also critical to preserving the faith.
I believe Jesus chose him, in part, because He needed someone with Paul’s intellect, passion, and energy to stand against error during the early church’s formative years.
The early church may not have remained as intact without Paul’s ministry and apostleship. The church today also needs people like Paul.
Your Turn
Who do you think was the most controversial apostle? Do you think Paul fits that description, and why? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
This is the final article in my series, Knowing Your Apostles. If you missed any previous articles or would like to revisit them, you can find the full series on my Substack, Bible Apostles.