Paul in Context: A Jewish Apostle to the Nations
Most of the New Testament letters come from one man: the Apostle Paul. Many people assume Paul left Judaism to start something new called “Christianity.” If that were true, he would have rejected both the Torah and the teaching of Jesus (Yeshua) who affirmed the Torah (Matt 5:17–19). But the New Testament itself tells a different story: Paul remained a Torah-observant Jew and a follower of Israel’s Messiah, and his unique assignment was to bring that good news to the nations.
Who Paul Was—In His Own Words
Paul gives his own biography in Philippians 3:4–8. He was born Jewish (“circumcised on the eighth day”), from the tribe of Benjamin, raised as a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” trained as a Pharisee (a rigorous Jewish sect), and known for zeal. None of this is a boast of sinlessness; it means he was serious about keeping God’s commandments.
When he met the risen Jesus, Paul didn’t renounce his Jewish identity. He says that compared to knowing Messiah, the status those credentials once brought him is “loss”—not because Torah is evil, but because Jesus is worth more than reputation. In Acts, Paul still identifies as a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), claims a clear conscience before the Sanhedrin (23:1), worships at the Temple (24:17–18), and affirms that he believes “everything laid down by the Torah and written in the Prophets” (24:14). Far from abandoning Judaism, Paul remained within it as a disciple of Yeshua.
Side note on names: “Saul” is his Hebrew name; “Paul” is his Greco-Roman name. First-century Jews commonly used both depending on context (Acts 13:9). There was no dramatic “name change” that marked a conversion away from Judaism.
Why the Confusion? Rumors and Reality in Acts 21
In Jerusalem, rumors spread that Paul told Jews in the Diaspora to forsake Moses—stop circumcising their sons and stop keeping Jewish customs (Acts 21:21). The apostles rejected these allegations as false. To show it publicly, they proposed Paul finish a Nazirite vow at the Temple and even pay the expenses for others doing the same (21:23–24). Paul agreed. In other words, when the credibility of the gospel was at stake, Paul demonstrated—openly—that he “walked orderly, keeping the Torah.”
So where did the rumors come from? Most likely from a confusion between what Paul taught Gentiles and what he practiced as a Jew. Paul did not tell Gentiles to become Jews. He insisted they could belong to Israel’s God through faith in Messiah without undergoing circumcision or taking on all Jewish identity markers (see Galatians and Acts 15). Some misheard that as “Paul rejects Torah.” He didn’t. He opposed pressuring Gentiles to convert ethnically or ritually in order to be saved.
Peter recognized that Paul’s letters contain “some things hard to understand” which unstable people twist (2 Pet 3:15–16). That warning still applies. Acts anchors our reading: any difficult sentence in Paul should be weighed against his public, Torah-faithful life in Acts 21–28.
Paul’s Assignment: “Apostle to the Gentiles”
From the start, Jesus said Paul was a “chosen instrument” to carry His name to Gentiles (Acts 9:15). Paul embraces this: “I am an apostle to the Gentiles; I magnify my ministry” (Rom 11:13; see also Gal 2:7–9; 1 Tim 2:7). Nearly all of his letters address Gentile-majority congregations. Their questions were Gentile questions: Do we need circumcision? How do we leave idols? How do we live holy lives in pagan cities? How do we relate to Israel and the covenants?
If we forget that audience, we will misread Paul. Statements aimed at protecting Gentiles from thinking they must “become Jews to belong” can be wrongly universalized into “no one should keep Torah”—including Jews. That is not Paul’s argument and not his practice.
One Family, Two Callings (Distinction without Division)
Paul’s simple rule is this: “Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned… Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone… uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision… What counts is keeping the commandments of God” (1 Cor 7:17–20).
Translated for beginners: in Messiah, Jews remain Jews and Gentiles remain Gentiles. Both are saved the same way—by God’s grace through faith in Jesus—but their covenant responsibilities are not identical. God’s family has diversity within unity. Imposing Jewish identity markers on Gentiles distorts the gospel; erasing Jewish covenant life also distorts it. Paul protects both Israel’s integrity and the nations’ inclusion.
“All Things to All People” Isn’t Hypocrisy
When Paul says, “I have become all things to all people” (1 Cor 9:19–23), he’s not confessing manipulation. He’s describing missionary flexibility within faithfulness. Among Jews, he uses the shared language of Scripture and halakhic sensitivity. Among Gentiles, he doesn’t demand they adopt Jewish ritual identity. Yet he adds a crucial boundary: he is not “outside the law of God” but “under the law of Messiah” (9:21). Paul flexes where he can for the sake of the gospel; he does not abandon obedience.
Paul’s Worldview: Israel’s Apocalyptic Hope
Paul thinks and speaks within Second Temple Jewish hope. His letters are full of phrases like “the Day of the Lord,” “the resurrection of the dead,” “His appearing,” and “the kingdom.” These are not vague metaphors; they point to concrete expectations drawn from Israel’s Scriptures: God will judge the world, raise the dead, restore Israel, and bring the nations to worship Him.
Within that hope, Paul preaches three tightly linked realities:
The death of the Messiah (atonement, redemption, justification).
The gift of the Spirit (a foretaste of the age to come).
The mission to the Gentiles (nations turning from idols to Israel’s God).
This is not a new religion replacing Israel. It is Israel’s God keeping His promises—now extending mercy to the nations through Israel’s Messiah.
Why This Matters for You When You Read Paul
You’ll honor the story the Bible tells. The gospel is the climax of Israel’s story, not a story that cancels Israel.
You’ll handle “law” passages wisely. When Paul warns Gentiles against relying on “works of the law” or demands circumcision, he’s guarding them from thinking they must become Jews to be saved—not erasing Jewish obedience.
You’ll see your place. If you’re a Gentile believer, you’ve been grafted into Israel’s cultivated olive tree (Rom 11). Give thanks, walk in holiness, and don’t boast over the root that carries you.
A Simple Path for Self-Study This Week
Read these short passages (ESV) and note one sentence after each: “What is Paul guarding or guiding here?”
Acts 21:17–26 – How do the apostles address rumors about Paul? What does Paul do?
Romans 11:13–24 – What image does Paul use for Gentiles and Israel? What attitude does he forbid?
Galatians 2:7–10 – How do the apostles divide their labor? What does that imply about Paul’s audience?
1 Corinthians 7:17–20 – What is Paul’s “rule in all the churches,” and how does it protect both Jews and Gentiles?
Then finish with this prayer:
“God of Israel, thank You for Your faithfulness to Your covenants and for welcoming the nations through Jesus the Messiah. Teach me to read Paul as he intended—within Your story, with humility, gratitude, and obedience. Amen.”
Bottom Line (one paragraph to remember)
Paul did not abandon Judaism or cancel the Torah. He remained a Torah-faithful Jew and was commissioned by Jesus as “apostle to the Gentiles.” His letters mainly shepherd Gentile communities on how to follow Israel’s Messiah without erasing Israel’s calling or adopting Jewish identity to belong. Read Paul inside Israel’s Scriptures and hope: the cross, the Spirit, and the coming kingdom. That frame will keep you from common distortions and anchor you in the story the Bible actually tells.