What kind of opposition did Paul face?
Paul faced tremendous opposition from Satan and from the pagan background, which sought to stamp out this new idea. The Roman government also opposed Christianity because it was new, not ancient like Judaism, and they martyred those adhering to it.
Les explains that Paul had tremendous opposition from Satan throughout, and also from the pagan background around him, which was trying to stamp out this new idea of Christianity. Les wondered why the Roman Empire came down so hard on Christianity when they did not bother Judaism. He answers that the Romans had due respect for any ancient religion, and since Judaism went back into antiquity, they protected it and even guaranteed safe arrival of temple offerings. But Christianity was something new, seen as coming from the upstart of one man, so the Romans had no compunctions about putting it to death and martyring those who adhered to it. This helps explain the opposition Paul faced as he wrote to the Corinthians, with 1 Corinthians written from Ephesus.