How the Apostle Paul Fully Embraced the Way of Love, Faith, and Dependence on God
For years, critics have claimed that Paul took Christianity in a direction Jesus never intended. That he turned a message of love into a religion of rules. That while Jesus walked with the poor, welcomed children, and preached mercy, Paul introduced hierarchy, guilt, and theological complexity.
But the truth is far more beautiful—and far more humbling.
Paul didn’t hijack Jesus. He was hijacked by Jesus.
He was a man on a completely different road—one paved with pride, certainty, and zeal—until Love Himself knocked him to the ground, blinded his eyes, and opened his heart.
Paul’s writings are not the work of someone inventing a new religion. They are the desperate, joy-filled, love-soaked letters of someone who met Jesus—and never got over it.
A Life Interrupted by Love
Paul (formerly Saul) wasn’t searching for Christ. He was hunting His followers. He wasn’t curious—he was hostile. He wasn’t soft-hearted—he was seething with religious fury.
And yet, Jesus didn’t meet Paul with condemnation. He met him with a question:
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
That one moment—blinding, disorienting, overwhelming—shifted Paul’s entire existence. Jesus didn’t give him a new set of rules. He gave him a new heart. A new name. A new mission.
Paul didn’t just change what he believed. He changed how he lived: from self-righteous independence to total dependence on Christ, from control to surrender, from pride to humility, from violence to love.
Paul Was All About Love
Far from being cold or dogmatic, Paul placed love at the very center of everything. His words in 1 Corinthians 13 are not a theological aside—they are the beating heart of everything he believed.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal… If I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
(1 Corinthians 13:1–2)
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
(Galatians 5:6)
“Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
(Romans 13:10)
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
(Ephesians 4:2)
In letter after letter, Paul echoes the very teachings of Jesus: Love God. Love others. Let love be your guide, your goal, your greatest aim.
Paul Lived by Faith in Christ Alone
Jesus constantly taught about childlike faith—a simple trust in the goodness of the Father. Paul carried this message forward with piercing clarity:
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith… not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 2:8–9)
“We live by faith, not by sight.”
(2 Corinthians 5:7)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20)
To Paul, faith wasn’t a system of belief—it was surrender. It was dependence. It was resting in the love of Jesus. Just as Jesus taught, “Remain in me… apart from me you can do nothing,” Paul lived out this radical reliance with every breath.
Paul Was Dependent on Love—From God and Others
Paul had once been strong, self-sufficient, untouchable. But after encountering Christ, he became a man deeply dependent on love—both divine and human.
“We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.”
(1 Thessalonians 2:7)
“I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:8)
“Encourage one another and build each other up.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Paul didn’t isolate himself as a spiritual authority—he constantly reached out for community, support, and love. He encouraged churches to care for one another, to live in peace, to forgive as they had been forgiven.
Even in his letters of correction, his aim was always restoration—not punishment. He wept over those who strayed. He rejoiced when love triumphed.
This is not the posture of a cold theologian. It is the tenderness of a spiritual father. A man whose strength now came from relationship, not rule-keeping.
The Same Jesus, The Same Spirit
Jesus said:
“By this everyone will know you are my disciples—if you love one another.”
Paul wrote:
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14)
Jesus said:
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Paul wrote:
“As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)
Jesus said:
“Forgive seventy times seven.”
Paul wrote:
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)
They are not two different voices. They are a harmony. Paul didn’t water down Jesus—he was saturated in Him. Every line he wrote was dripping with the same Spirit of love, joy, peace, and grace that Jesus embodied.
Final Thought: From Oppressor to Servant of Love
If anyone had reason to boast, to dominate, or to preach performance—it was Paul. But after Jesus found him, he said things like:
“I am the least of the apostles.”
“I was shown mercy so that Christ might display his unlimited patience.”
“I am what I am by the grace of God.”
“Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
This is not a man who hijacked the Gospel. This is a man who laid his own life down for it.
He didn’t reinvent Jesus. He was reborn by Him.
Paul Didn’t Hijack Jesus — He Was Hijacked by Jesus
And in that sacred takeover, Paul became one of the clearest voices of the love of Christ the world has ever known.
— Donald Flor, Cofounder of Love Love Love