The Story That Turned Paul’s Life Around

Abstract

Abstract This chapter turns to the theme of conversion to explore further what it means to be accountable to God in Christ. To do so, it begins by proposing a theological definition of conversion that is distinctive to the Christian faith. It then elaborates on this definition by applying it to a contemporary debate in New Testament studies about how to construe the turn that Paul’s life took following his road to Damascus experience. In so doing, it is argued that while it can be helpful to make Paul’s turn a focal point in the story of his accountability to God, we better represent Paul’s story when we make it primarily about the one God who holds him accountable and, furthermore, the one in whom Paul is held accountable, Jesus Christ. To do so, we must index the story of Paul’s life to the Christological stories of creation and reconciliation.