Saul Of Tarsus: A Madman Saw The Light
There is no description of an unconverted madman in Holy Scripture more evident than Saul of Tarsus.
He called himself “the chief of sinners.” Listen to his clear words of confession: “This is a faithful saving and worth of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (I Timothy 1:15-16) He said in his defense before King Agrippa and his consort and sister, Bernice, who was reportedly in an incestuous relationship with him, and Felix the governor of Judea, even stronger words.
After Paul was converted, he constantly used his own sorrowful state before conversion to describe the great grace of God. He gave the following testimony: “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.” (Acts 26: 9-11) Such a testimony serves to clearly present the power of the cross of Christ to utterly redeem a deranged man.
This witness of Paul’s mad condition before he saw the great light at Damascus was a gripping experience to those present. Governor Festus cried out in defense with a loud voice, “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” (Acts 26: 24b) But King Agrippa responded in the opposite fashion: “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” (Acts 26: 28) Bernice must have turned red with shame from Agrippa’s confession of unwilling belief.
Over and over through the years I have heard it said, “Do not tell the world about those sins under the blood.” Some call it giving the devil credit when we tell of our dark past. The life of the transformed Paul is proof of the opposite. When we rightly balance the past with the “Born Again” life of the present, we are at our best. The man or woman that forgets where Christ found them and transformed them, will probably forget the glory of the cross. In your saved state you are still nothing but the masterwork of His horrible death. His death should always show its evidence of pain in your life. Only Jesus Christ is the beautiful Bridge to His eternal Life.
Look at these four great scriptures to see this great apostle that gave all glory to God:
1. “And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” (Acts 22:4)
2. “As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.” (Acts 22:5)
3. “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.” (Acts 26:9-10)
4. “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:13-14)
His life as Saul of Tarsus is fascinating. Tarsus was a great commercial and educational center. It was one of the largest cities in Paul’s day and had been for at least 200 years. Antiochus Epiphanies had settled a large company of Jewish people in the city to govern and prosper and give stability. Saul’s family was most likely a part of this history and now he is a citizen of the city as well as the Roman Empire. He spoke at least four languages and was given the best education. He was a committed Jewish believer and trained to defend his faith with the vigor of a Pharisee. He even testified that his faith and commitment to Judaism was above his equals.
Before Saul left to meet his calling in Damascus, he was the leader of the great persecution against Jesus Christ the risen Messiah. He considered it all false, even dangerous, and a threat to everything he believed. He had guided the crowd that stoned Stephen to death. Many believers had been killed, put in prison, and others driven all over the Middle East. He had led his army of the Jewish faithful to every possible city or community and razed the synagogues. He admitted that they had forced many believers to blaspheme Jesus Christ. He was making great headway in putting the new faith called “the way” out of business. It will be breathtaking in eternity to meet the multitude of Christians who died or suffered under Saul’s great rampage.
But now he approaches Damascus with a letter of authority from the highest source in Judaism. At all cost of lives and suffering, the revival in Syria has to be stopped. Saul was not alone but had ample military and ecclesiastical powers for the job. But the Lord of the Church had other plans and the hour of revelation had come. A man that could do the most harm was also a man who could do the most good.
Suddenly, without notice, it all began. “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” (Acts 9:3-6) What a marvelous way to stop a madman in his tracks!
“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) The transformation was instant. It would be impossible not to see that Saul had been under great conviction. From the moment that Stephen died aglow with the glory of God and praying for those casting the stones, this man probably remembered. The words of the Lord, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks,” suggests that the Lord was nettling his every step. Seeing a young beautiful girl, rich in faith, dying at the street curb had caused him to turn his head away. Watching a mother put in prison was not easy to forget. Moving from a dying system to perfect new life was not going to be easy.
Over and over Saul had seen events that sound like they came from his study of the Torah. Prophets like Daniel, David, Isaiah, and others had told of the suffering Messiah. You can almost hear him thinking, “Could this be the man?” The pricks of the Spirit, the light from heaven, and now a voice saying “I am Jesus,” finished Saul. His exclamation was “What would thou have me do?”
What happened to his fellow travelers will be a question to ask him in Heaven. Three days later he is healed of blindness and baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the Holy Ghost. The action of obscure Ananias as God’s servant to finish the transformation and prepare Saul to be called “Brother Saul” was evidence of grace that perfects God’s child.
But then in Acts thirteen, Saul is called Paul. “Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.” (Acts 13:9) The First Testament was an open book to Saul now called Paul, and he was ready to preach Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. His conversion was complete and the great victories he won for Christ are a living testimony of what the grace of God is all about. God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
A New Name In Glory
Verse 1
I was once a sinner, but I came
Pardon to receive from my Lord:
This was freely given, and I found
That He always kept His word.
Chorus
There’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
And the white robed angels sing the story,
“A sinner has come home.”
For there’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
With my sins forgiven I am bound for Heaven,
Never more to roam.
Verse 2
I was humbly kneeling at the cross,
Fearing naught but God’s angry frown;
When the heavens opened and I saw
That my name was written down!
Verse 3
In the Book ’tis written, “Saved by Grace,”
O the joy that came to my soul!
Now I am forgiven, and I know
By the blood I am made whole!
Music & Lyrics by C. Austin Miles
Don’t Miss Our Live Streaming Broadcast of Open Bible Dialogue
Every Saturday at 1:00 pm Eastern ** Click Here **
The White Horseman and the Great Tribulation
SuperCounters
Judy
Rabbu Sha’ul was never a deranged madman, nor did he ever “convert” to a different religion.
Born in Rome and raised in Israel, he was a very educated, holy man. He continued to preach from the Torah scrolls in the Temple on Sabbath, as did Jesus. ( there was no Bible then )
Dear Judy
To deny the Holy Bible is a very serious matter! Please flee from such thought.
Pastor Chambers
RJ
Pastor Chambers: Today is my 55th birthday. And as is my nature, I tend to spend a lot of time thinking on and “regretting” my past! See, though I became a Christian at a tender age and loved the Lord and loved His Church and His work, yet from not having a Christian environment nor a Christian home and from intense peer pressure (even in my 20’s) with the people I worked with ~ I set off to “sow my wild oats” as they say, indulging the flesh.
During my prodigal phase I am sooo grateful Jesus didn’t come then — I would have been left behind!! And I am forever grateful that I was granted enough time to return to Him!! Or I would have languished in the Lake of Fire forever. {Back then, I had that ignorant mentality of “sure, I’m a Christian, sooo…. it’s *okay* if I purposely sin….} Nothing could be further from the truth; regardless of what the “it’s okay to sin, once saved always saved” preachers tell you!! Readers: there are ones out there who though they may mean well, they are not telling you God’s truth!! Even if they bear big names and have a huge ministry. You CAN NOT be sleeping around or sleazing your way through life or just be coming out of a bar and go in the rapture!!
For as long as I have memory of this life, I will forever live with my own regrets. I do look forward to the day when our past memories will be wiped clear. Even often times now, I wish I could “re-do” my entire earthly life, as I made such a mess of it.
I was looking for the Scripture just the other day and I’m going to have to keep this one in front of me! Also from the Apostle Paul: Philippians 3: 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
I, too, must FOCUS on: “FORGETTING THE PAST AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD”!!
Thank you for this timely article, Pastor! For the first time I understand what it means to “kick against the pricks” (another translation says, goads, I think & I admit that up till now I just never understood that!)
Also I must get my focus off “me” and the mess/es I made and focus on the LORD!! ~ that HE alone pulled me up and out of the miry clay and set my feet on solid rock!!
I cannot wait to get to heaven, so that we may never sin (even in thought) against Him ever again! May He come soon.
Lionel P. Oliver
“Probably the earliest acceptable date for the conversion on the Damascus road is AD 33. This would leave AD 33-46 for the visit to Arabia (Gal. 1. 17) and the restoration of the man after the shattering experience he had known, and for the early ministry in Tarsus, Syria, Cilicia, and Antioch, which prepared mind and method for the major assault on the pagan world. The splendid deliberateness with which God forged His human tool is the great lesson of these years. Impatient men forget that God is not bound by time. His conversion was by far the most vital influence in Paul’s life. Ancestry, Pharisaic training, Hellenistic education, were fused by it into the character which the Holy Spirit formed and fashioned over the fourteen years of training. At length, in God’s good time, the door opened, and the events of half a lifetime assumed final and complete significance.” E. M. Blaiklock, The Acts of the Apostles, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company {photo-lithoprinted}, 1966), p. 90.