Christian Romano Biography

liberty university
The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
BIBL 364 Research Paper

Christian Romano

Contents

I. Introduction………………………………………………………………………page 3
II. Saul the Pharisee………………………………………………………………….page 3 A. Heritage and Citizenship…………………………………………………….page 3 B. Education and Religious Training…………………………………………...page 4 C. Persecutor of “The Way”……………………………………………………page 5
III. The Encounter with Christ………………………………………………………page 6 A. The Light………………………………………………………………….…page 6 B. The Voice……………………………………………………………………page 6 C. Blindness…………………………………………………………………….page 8
IV. Paul the Apostle…………………………………………………………………page 9 A. The Chosen Vessel…………………………………………………………..page 9 B. The Preacher…………………………………………………………………page 9 C. The Hunter Becomes the Hunted……………………………………………page 10
V. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..page 10 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………...…page 12

The Conversion of
Saul of Tarsus
I. Introduction The conversion to Christianity of Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as the Paul the apostle, is likely the one single event which had the greatest impact on the spread of the gospel and the growth of the early church throughout the Roman Empire. His zeal as a Pharisee and persecutor of the church before his conversion was translated into a passion for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ after encountering the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. More than any other individual, Paul was responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout the civilized world. He made three missionary journeys through much of the Mediterranean world, tirelessly preaching the gospel he had once sought to destroy.1 Many have listed him second only to Christ Himself as the most influential person in history. He authored at least thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Paul’s conversion is the perfect illustration of the rebirth of the believer. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). The Book of Acts provides three accounts of Paul’s conversion, one by Luke (9:1-19) and two others in Paul’s own words (22:1-21; 26:1-23).
II. Saul the Pharisee A. Heritage and Citizenship Very little is known about Paul’s life before he first appears in Scripture at the stoning of Stephen. All of the knowledge of his up-bringing is provided by Paul himself. He state that he was a Jew (Acts 22:3; 26:6) born in Tarsus of Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:3), a free Roman city2 in the Greek-speaking Diaspora,3 in the first or second decade.4 Tarsus was a center of commerce as well as one of great learning, comparable to Athens or Alexandria as a “university city.”5 His parentage is unknown other than he was the son of a Pharisaic Jew. Hengel suggests that his father was a Palestinian Jew as well (Acts 23:6).6 Paul claimed Roman citizenship by birth (Acts 22:28). To be born a citizen, one’s parent must have been a citizen. It is unknown how the citizenship came into Paul’s family.7 Roman citizenship was hard to come by. Buckley notes that of an empire numbering well over one hundred million, only about five million were citizens. “While citizenship was extended to Italians generally, those outside Italy acquired it by virtue of some service to an emissary of the government or Caesar. That a Jew should have acquired Roman citizenship is the more remarkable.”8 B. Education and Religious Training Paul states that he was “brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God” (Acts 22:3).
Gamaliel was the most renowned rabbi of the day, the most distinguished student of Hillel and succeeded him as the head of the school which bore his name.9 Paul notes his academic success in Gal. 1:14, “And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” Bruce points to the extent of Paul’s mastery of the law: “To master the corpus of law, both written and oral, was difficult; to observe it in detail was more difficult still; but twenty years and more after he became a Christian, Paul could look back on his earlier days and sum up his conduct in the words: ‘as to righteousness under the law blameless’ (Phil. 3:6).”10 In addition to his rabbinical training, Paul would have been taught in Greek culture as
well. Paul was obviously well-versed in multiple languages. His statement that his parents were “Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5) implies that they were Aramaic-speaking - not exclusively, for no one could not live for long in Tarsus without speaking Greek.11 Of course, to study the Law would require in intimate knowledge of the Hebrew language. C. Persecutor of “The Way” The first mention of Saul appears at the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr in Christendom (Acts 7:58-59). As a witness of Stephen’s death, Saul held the coats of those who threw stones. Acts 8:1 claims his consent of this murder, as does his own confession (Acts 22:4). Paul then takes the lead role in the persecution of the “The Way”, the church of Christ (Acts 9:2; 18:26; 19:9; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Bruce suggests that he must have been ordained to the rabbinate, based on the authority given to him by the high priest to go to Damascus in order to extradite those believers who fled the persecution in Jerusalem.12 There is a sharp contrast between Gamaliel’s moderate policy (Acts 5:34ff) and his student Paul’s intolerant attitude. Paul explains this as his great zeal toward God and the Law (Acts 22:3; Gal. 1:14; Phil. 3:6). Paul’s different attitude may have been due not only to a difference in temperament but also to his keener appreciation of the threat implicit in the new movement to those features of his ancestral religion that he held most dear – above all, the supremacy of the Torah.13 To him the incompatibility of the old order and the new was as clear as it was to Stephen. If Stephen argued, “The new has come; therefore the old must go,” Paul argued, “The old must stay; therefore the new must go.”14 Paul’s persecution of the church was relentless and violent. He would not stop until those who claimed that Jesus was the Messiah who superseded the Law were exterminated.15 It seems that Saul was blinded by emotion, his rage over the apparent attack on the Law. Saul’s rage was the more deeply inflamed by the thrusts of an uneasy conscience, which is the only explanation of his “kicking against the goads” (Acts 26:14).16 There is a great lesson here for all Christians to remain calm, rely on God and not sin in their anger when encountering those who would ridicule, persecute or teach contrary to the Word of God.
III. The Encounter with Christ A. The Light “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around Him from heaven” (Acts 9:3; cf. 22:6; 26:13). A lightning-swift light (so the verb), brighter than Syria’s noonday sun, could only be the Shekinah glory, indicative of divine presence.17 The fact that this light was indeed the unveiled glory of God is evident when compared to such appearances throughout Scripture (cf. Ex. 3:1-15; Isa. 6:1-9; Ezek. 1:1-3:14; Dan. 10:7-11). This experience parallels those of the Old Testament prophets when called into divine service.18 Note the Shekinah glory, the prostration and the commands. B. The Voice “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one” (Acts 9:4-7; cf. 22:7-10; 26:14-16). The voice speaking from the glory of God identifies Himself as Jesus Christ. Trenchard remarks on the profound impact this revelatory moment had on Saul: “…in one tremendous moment of time, Saul had to identify the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament whom he zealously sought to serve, with Jesus of Nazareth whom he ferociously persecuted in the person of His saints.”19 It is interesting to note the variations in the three accounts of Saul’s encounter with the Lord in Acts. Luke’s description in chapter 9 indicates that Saul’s companions heard the voice. However, Paul’s own account in chapter 22 states that they did not, as does the implication in chapter 26, “I heard…” MacArthur explains, “This is no contradiction with 9:7. Since Jesus spoke only to Paul, only he understood the Lord’s words. His companions heard the sound, but could not make out the words.”20 Trenchard expresses a similar opinion: “Paul’s companions ‘felt’ the celestial presence but did not see the Lord; they heard Saul’s voice, but not that of the Lord.”21 Each of these three accounts serve a different purpose, thus contain a different emphasis. Luke’s account in chapter 9 is of a historical nature, therefore only the factual details are addressed. Paul’s recount in chapter 22 is addressed to the Jerusalem mob. Trenchard notes, “It is natural that Ananias’s intervention should be stressed here and not in 26:12-20, as the witness of a pious Jew would be valuable as a means of gaining the ear of the Jerusalem crowd, but useless before Agrippa and an audience of Palestinian and Roman officials.”22 C. The Blindness “Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:8-9; cf. 22:11). There is little doubt that Saul’s temporary blindness was due, in part, to exposure to the Shekinah glory of the Lord Jesus. Trenchard adds another possibility, “The shock to his innermost soul was tremendous and showed itself physically in the loss of sight…”23 There also seems to be a symbolic meaning to this temporary blindness. Perhaps it typifies the spiritual blindness which Saul was under prior to meeting Jesus face-to-face. After having three days to contemplate his actions, spiritual beliefs and future, he received the Holy Spirit through Ananias’s laying on of hands, and immediately he could see again. Now, however, he saw things in a different light; the light of the glory of Jesus Christ.
IV. Paul the Apostle A. The Chosen Vessel While Saul spent three sightless days fasting, Jesus appeared to Ananias, a Jewish Christian and an unimpeachable witness to the truth of Saul’s call and apostleship.24 The Lord told Ananias to find Saul and lay hands on him so that he may regain his sight. Ananias was reluctant, having heard of the persecution at the hands of Saul. “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.’ And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized” (Acts 9:15-18; cf. 22:12-16). Five fundamental points stand out in this description of Saul’s commission: (a) he was the “chosen vessel” especially set aside by the Lord Himself; (b) he was to be the Lord’s standard-bearer among the Gentiles; (c) he was to witness before kings and those in authority; (d) he would minister to the people of Israel; (e) he who had caused many to suffer was to be made an example of suffering for Christ’s sake.25 The laying on of hands signifies the affirmation and support of his ministry as well as identifying Saul with the people he had formerly persecuted. Saul received the Spirit without any apostles present because he was a Jew, the inclusion in the church of which had been established at Pentecost, and because he was an apostle in his own right, being personally chosen and commissioned for service by Christ.26 His baptism was not only a public profession of his recognition of Jesus as Lord, but also a public disassociation from the sins which he committed against Christ and His church. B. The Preacher “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ‘Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?’ But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 9:20-22). Saul’s conversion and transformation was now complete. He openly and boldly preached that Jesus is indeed Messiah and God. His message was received with apprehension by the Jewish community in Damascus; for fear that this was a trap. They had heard of his persecutions of the church in Jerusalem and knew that this is why he had come to Damascus. Their fear was certainly understandable. Saul increased in boldness, effectiveness of delivery, and strength of argument. The Holy Spirit strengthened him just as He had the original apostles. The boldness and authority with which he preached left the Jews confused as to his true agenda because he proved that Jesus is the Christ. C. The Hunter Becomes the Hunted “Now after many days were past the Jews plotted to kill him” (Acts 9:23). Thus begins his suffering for Christ’s sake. The Jews perceived the danger of the witness of an outstanding theologian-turned-renegade, and persecution was the natural result.27 As it has been throughout history and continues today, fear, fear of the unknown, fear of change, and fear of the truth, always leads to persecution, whether verbal, mental, emotional, social, or physical.
V. Conclusion Saul’s conversion typifies the new birth of the believer in that his life was turned completely on the opposite direction; from Judaic authority to humble bondservant; from persecutor of Christ to proclaimer of Christ to the world. To his contemporaries his conversion was inexplicable. To the multitudes throughout history that have heard or read his preaching it is a miracle and a blessing. “Many miracles are recorded in Acts…none was so unexpected, so dramatically demonstrative of the divine power and grace, so pregnant with future possibility, as the conversion of the Pharisee Saul. In a moment, without warning and contrary to his own desire, the fiery persecutor was transformed into a ‘slave of Jesus Christ.’”28

Bibliography
Error: Reference source not found