Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, began as a fierce enemy of Christianity. A devout Pharisee, he viewed the Christian movement as a perilous heresy threatening Judaism’s purity. Acts 9:1-2 captures his early zeal, “Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” His methods included violence, fear, and intimidation, marking him as a terrorist in his mission to obliterate Christ’s followers. Yet, this relentless persecutor would experience a transformation so profound that he became a foundational figure in the very faith he sought to wipe out.
Saul’s turning point came on the road to Damascus. As Acts 9:3-9 recounts, a blinding light from heaven engulfed him, and Jesus confronted him directly: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Falling to the ground, Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply was, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” which shattered his worldview. Blinded and humbled, he fasted for three days, awaiting God’s direction. This moment was echoed by the story of John Newton, a slave trader who, after surviving a life-threatening storm in 1748, saw it as divine intervention and later penned “Amazing Grace.” Both lives underscore a powerful truth. No one lies beyond God’s reach. Jesus declared His mission to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and Saul’s encounter proves its boundless scope.
God’s grace continued its work through a hesitant vessel. In Acts 9:10-19, He called Ananias, a disciple wary of Saul’s brutal reputation, to visit him. Ananias’s fears are apparent as we read his response, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done.” However, God insisted, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine.” Ananias obeyed, laying hands on Saul, and “something like scales” fell from his eyes. Restored and baptized, Saul began proclaiming Christ with the fervor he once wielded against Him. Nicky Cruz’s journey, in a sense, mirrors Paul’s. Cruz was a New York gang leader dubbed “Son of Satan” by his occult-practicing parents. After encountering evangelist David Wilkerson, who boldly declared, “Jesus loves you,” Cruz surrendered to Christ, trading violence for redemption. Paul later reflected on such change: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), affirming salvation’s transformative power.
From this rebirth, Paul’s life took a radical new course. He embarked on multiple missionary journeys across the Roman Empire, founding churches in cities like Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi. His epistles, such as Romans, Galatians, Corinthians, and others, articulate salvation by grace through faith and champion the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s plan. Facing shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonment, and ultimately martyrdom in Rome, Paul’s resolve never wavered. His theological insights and missionary zeal cemented his legacy as one of Christianity’s greatest champions, inspiring countless believers to pursue God wholeheartedly.
Paul’s story resonates today, offering hope and challenge. For unbelievers, it’s a testament that no sin exceeds God’s grace. Consider Josh, a tough teen I met at a California camp years ago. Resistant and intimidating, he reluctantly attended, yet one night, he surrendered his life to Christ. The next day, he boldly shared his faith with his Buddhist father. He ended a toxic relationship with his girlfriend and shared Christ with her. He returned as a transformed, yes, new creation. Yet, like all of us, he was a work in progress, as his use of colorful language that night to express his newfound love for Jesus during a worship service revealed.
For believers, Paul prompts introspection. Are we fully embracing God’s grace to live as new creations? His journey from persecutor to Apostle unveils a God who interrupts our paths, confronts us with love, and redirects us for His glory. No one is too lost, and every heart can be remade, every life transformed by His power. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!