“But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.”
Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.—Saul's growth in power (dynamis) is both pneumatic (Spirit-empowerment) and intellectual; his rabbinical training now serves the gospel. He 'proves' (symbibazō, 'brings together,' 'demonstrates') from Jewish Scripture that Jesus fulfills messianic expectations. This pattern—taking the opponent's own textual tradition and showing how it testifies to Christ—becomes his lifelong apologetic method.
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