Tim Allen reveals he's studying Apostle Paul’s teachings on law, sin amid spiritual journey

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, January 06, 2026

Actor and comedian Tim Allen recently revealed his interest in faith, philosophy and the foundations of Christianity has led him deep into the writings of the Apostle Paul, particularly Paul’s teaching that law exists to expose humanity’s sin.

The 72-year-old “Home Improvement” star discussed those ideas during a wide-ranging conversation with comedian and political commentator Bill Maher on his “Club Random” podcast, where the two touched on topics ranging from stand-up comedy and race to geopolitics, aliens and early Christianity.

Paul’s writing, Allen said, has challenged him to think differently about morality and human nature.

“Paul said something very intuitive that I’m still studying, because he says law was basically invented to develop sin,” Allen said. “Without law, you don’t know what sinful is. So, law was basically just to give you guardrails of what the world is.”

Allen contrasted that idea with his long engagement with philosophy, which he said left him unsatisfied.

“What you’re going to find is the cycle of ignorance with philosophy,” he said. “And that’s where I’ve been in the last 20 years. Philosophy gets run in these circles. It can’t explain anything, really.”

At one point, Allen recalled visiting Jerusalem and being struck by the physical reality of biblical history after a tour guide casually pointed out places associated with Jesus.

“Out of nowhere [the tour guide said], ‘And that’s where Jesus walked through here,’ and then you’re going, it never occurred to me that the dude actually existed,” Allen said.

“Well, He may not have,” Maher shot back.

“Not according to this guy,” Allen said, recounting the guide’s insistence on Jesus’ historical presence. The guide, Allen added, referred to Jesus as “probably the strongest, most powerful Jew ever.”

The “Toy Story” actor shared that his daughter told the guide that Jesus was Christian, a comment Maher dismissed as “stupid,” emphasizing that Jesus was Jewish and that Christianity emerged from Judaism. 

“That Christianity came out of Judaism, that, you know, for the first hundred years after Christ died, it was sort of a debate,” Maher insisted.

“Not even a debate,” Allen responded.

Allen later returned to Paul’s story, describing Paul as a zealous Jew who initially persecuted Christians.

“Undoubtedly gay,” Maher quipped. “No, really. He seems … he’s very hostile to women.”

Allen went on to recount Paul’s dramatic conversion experience on the road to Damascus, where Jesus confronted him as he was traveling to persecute Christians.

“And he [Paul] goes, ‘Oh, God, we screwed up,’” Allen said. 

“He went back to Jerusalem and said, ‘Guys, we’ve screwed up,’” Allen continued. “‘I think we did kill the actual living entity, whatever you call that, so, I think we’ve got to include these pagans into Judaism.’”

Allen, who majored in philosophy, also spoke about Paul’s engagement with Greek thought, noting that while Paul was not himself a Greek philosopher, he interacted with Stoic ideas during his ministry.

“He wants to include the pagans into the Jewish religion,” Allen said, “because … we shouldn’t have murdered this guy Jesus. […] He was telling the truth.”

Allen described Paul’s transformation as a shift from persecutor to devoted follower, a change that repeatedly put his life in danger. Allen reiterated that he's “still studying” Paul’s teaching on law and sin.

Last June, Allen revealed he’d started reading the New Testament as part of his journey of reading through the Bible and was “amazed” by Paul’s letter to the Romans.

“Finished the Old Testament and it is such a gift when I get out of the way and the words and meaning flow. This week I am now in the book of the Gospel of Paul. A Roman Jew familiar with Plato, Stoicism, and other Greek schools of thought. I am amazed in seven pages!” he wrote at the time. 

Last February, Allen announced he’d read through and re-read the Old Testament — an experience he described as a "treasure."

"After nearly a year, I have finished [the] entire Old Testament and the experience of re-reading, dedicated focus and no drifting has made this a humbling, overwhelming experience. What a treasure," he wrote.

Though raised Episcopalian, Allen has said his faith journey was shaped by seasons of skepticism following personal hardship, including the death of his father when he was 11.

In 1978, Allen was arrested at a Michigan airport after authorities found more than a pound of cocaine in his luggage. He later pleaded guilty and served two years in federal prison in his mid-20s.

By his own account, Allen carried that cynicism into adulthood. In a 2011 interview, the "Shifting Gears" star said he did not “like the idea of God” and described himself at the time as a “cynic.” Over the years, however, his perspective shifted, and he began referring to God as “The Builder,” someone he turns to for guidance and purpose.

“I always do ask … The Builder, what did you want me to do?” Allen said. “And I do ask it. But you got to be prepared for the answer.”