THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAUL OF TARSUS
Acts 8:1-3
(4/16/23)
I regularly listen to a radio program called “Unshackled”. This program provides dramatic reenactments that tell the stories of people who were in desperate situations and by the grace of God they had an encounter with Jesus and repented and believed in Him for salvation. One such story is that of Shaul Katzav who was an avid student of the Torah but through a certain chain of events he came to truly know the God of the bible. Another example is Roger Munchian, a man who was the head of a multimillion dollar drug trafficking empire who surrendered to Christ and turned away from that lifestyle. Then there is Brett McCormick who was an obsessed porn addict who was saved and delivered from his addiction. Kyle Hebert joined a motorcycle gang and lived a life of crime until he met Jesus inside of a prison cell. On and on I could go, recounting the stories of drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, homosexuals, gang members and criminals of every kind who hit rock bottom and then had an amazing encounter with the Savior.
Some of you have not just heard such stories, you have actually lived them. There are numerous people within our own faith family who have been delivered from the bondage of sin by the transforming power of Jesus Christ. You can personally testify that “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Throughout the Bible it is apparent that no one is without hope; no one is too lost to be saved. Writing to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul said “1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
That is devastating news, but the following verse contains great hope and a wonderful promise. Paul goes on to say “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (I Corinthians 6:11) When Paul wrote these words, he was writing from personal experience. This man who eventually became the greatest advocate of the Church was at one time its greatest adversary.
Quite often you will hear the conversion of Saul used as evidence that the worst sinner is not beyond the reach of God’s amazing grace. It is certainly true that no one is too lost to be saved. But it is important to understand that Saul was not your stereotypical sinner; on the contrary, he was actually as devout and religious as they come. Granted he was just as lost as anyone who has yet to surrender to Christ, but the things he did, he did with a clear conscience. Saul genuinely believed that persecuting Christians and attempting to destroy the church was a way to honor and serve God and to protect the Jewish faith and the traditions that had been handed down from his ancestors.
- I would like to survey the scriptures today and examine “The Life And Time Of Saul of Tarsus”.
Even those with limited Biblical knowledge know of the wonderful things that God did through the Apostle Paul; but in order for us to truly appreciate the transformation that occurred in his life, we must look to the persecution and destruction that he was involved in before he met the Savior.
Acts 7 closes with the death of Stephen. That faithful servant of God stood before the Sanhedrin and many other Jews and boldly defended the faith and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He indicted his listeners for their part in the death of Christ. When they heard his accusation they were infuriated. As a result they “cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. (Acts 7:57-58)
Acts 8 begins with the declaration that Saul was “consenting to” or “in hearty agreement” with his death. (v1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.)
We are briefly introduced to Saul of Tarsus in Acts 7:58; there we are told that as they cast Stephen “out of the city and stoned him… the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
In the Book of Acts as well as in his own Epistles, Paul shares many important facts about his life before Christ. Together these passages serve as an autobiography of Saul of Tarsus who, as we know became the Apostle Paul. He tells us that he was “a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia” (Acts 22:3), he was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5), he was the “son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6), and he was a “Roman citizen” (Acts 16:37; 22:25–28). His religious training took place in Jerusalem at the feet of the revered Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Saul was an extremely devoted Pharisee (Acts 26:4–5), concerning the Law, he was “blameless” (Phil. 3:6). Without question Saul of Tarsus was a rising star among the Pharisees in Jerusalem. He was on the fast track to becoming a prominent leader among the Jews. He said in Galatians 1:14 “I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”
As he would later confess, Saul was “consenting to the death” of Stephen. When sharing his testimony in Acts 22, Paul says that when the Lord commanded him to depart from Jerusalem he replied: “Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' (Acts 22:19-20)
The hatred that Saul possessed for Christ and His followers manifested itself in his actions toward Stephen. Though it doesn’t appear that he threw any stones himself, he was in such hearty agreement with Stephen’s death that he guarded the coats of those who carried out the first act of martyrdom in Christian history.
I would imagine of all the regrets that Paul had after his conversion; his part in the stoning of Stephen was one of the greatest. Interestingly, in his many Epistles, Paul never shied away from his past, nor did he try to justify his actions. As we have already mentioned, on many occasions Paul testifies that he violently persecuted Christians with the intention of destroying the church. He told Timothy that he was “formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.” (I Timothy 1:13). Writing to the Galatians he said “you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. (Galatians 1:13). As the angry mob gathered their stones and saw to it that Stephen was martyred, Saul was in hearty agreement.
- In verse 3 we are given some specific details concerning Saul’s actions toward the members of Christ’s Church.
v3 Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.
Luke says that “Saul began ravaging the church”. This literally means that Saul “exercised brutal and sadistic cruelty.” The picture here is one of a wild animal savagely tearing a body into pieces. This is a fitting description because Saul’s desire was to tear apart the “body of Christ”, the Church.
Though Saul’s endorsement of Stephen’s death is a well-known fact concerning his life before Christ, it was only a brief moment in a life that was devoted to destruction. By his own admission he “persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22:4).
Saul aggressively entered into homes and synagogues and had Christians imprisoned and beaten (Acts 22:19). His goal was to cause Christians to renounce their faith in the Lord Jesus. In Acts 26:11 he says “I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” When the Lord Jesus confronted Him he was on his way to Damascus for this very purpose. If those who professed faith in Christ were to “blaspheme” and renounce their faith, their lives would be spared. If they remained faithful to Jesus they were then imprisoned and many were killed as a result of their faithfulness.
Even though he possessed much regret concerning his time as a “persecutor and a violent man”, Paul was faithful to share the entirety of his testimony. He was able to use his conversion and an example of the marvelous grace and mercy of God. Writing to Timothy he said “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:15-17). This is just one of many passages where Paul looks back to his life before Christ and praises God for the amazing change that occurred after he met the Savior. In every instance, you can see his humility and amazement that God would not only save him, but also call him into the ministry after all that he had done in the past.
We will spend ample time studying the great change that God wrought in Paul’s life in later chapters, but it is important for us to remember just how malicious his manner of life was before meeting Jesus. He was instrumental in the persecution of the church and the resulting “scattering” of the Christians. The Apostle would later write “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). His own story serves to prove the reality of this promise.
I am sure that many Christians prayed for deliverance from Saul and his fellow Jews who were so violently persecuting the Church. Perhaps some even asked the Lord to pour out His vengeance and kill those who were harming His people. However, God had a far greater plan. Interestingly, the Lord was using Saul to contribute to the spreading of the Gospel and the advancement of the Church even before he was part of it. By no means is this a justification of the actions of Saul of Tarsus, but it is a fantastic example of the sovereignty of God.
There are many things in the world today that we do not understand. The Church is facing extreme opposition and violent persecution all over the world. At times it seems as if there is no hope for the future, but even in such perilous times we can rest assured that the same God who “worked things together for good” concerning the 1st Century Church is still in control and He is still working things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose today.
There is much that we can learn from the life and times of Saul of Tarsus. Perhaps the greatest truth is that absolutely no one is beyond the reach of God’s amazing grace. It is true that an innumerable multitude will face eternal condemnation. Revelation 21:8 says that “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." These are very sobering verses; they must be proclaimed, and they must be believed.
It is important for people to heed the warnings that are given in scripture concerning death, judgment and the wrath of God. It is only when one comprehends the righteous indignation of God that he can truly appreciate the love, mercy, grace and salvation that is available in Christ. The wonderful news of the Gospel is that salvation is available for those who are lost and headed for Hell. There is hope for the adulterous spouse. There is hope for your rebellious children. There is hope for the drug addicted, wife abusing, dead beat father in your neighborhood. There is hope for the thief that is locked up in the local jail. There is hope for the serial killer on death row. There is even hope for the politicians in Montgomery and Washington DC!
It is encouraging to know that many former fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, and swindlers have been saved and radically transformed by Jesus. This is great news, but it is also important for you to comprehend that there are many people who we see as being decent, moral and respectable that are just as lost and Hell bound as those that I have previously mentioned.
Furthermore, there are many people in the world today who are devoutly religious that will join them in the Lake of Fire. I am not just referring to those who are involved in false religions such as Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. Nor am I specifically speaking of those involved in cults such as Mormonism or the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The reality is that a great multitude of people will go to hell from the pews of Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Presbyterian and other protestant denominations. Moreover, there will be people in Hell whose names are recorded on the roll of Stockdale Baptist Church.
So many people are living their lives putting their confidence in the wrong things. They are convinced that they are right with God because they have prayed a prayer, made a profession of faith, been through baptismal waters, and joined a church. They are basing their eternity on the fact that they attend church, give tithes and offerings, and serve in some capacity.
Tragically, many will face eternal condemnation that rarely miss a church service; they pray daily and study their Bible regularly. Hell will be filled with preachers, pastors, deacons and Sunday school teachers and other church members. The point is no one will attain eternal life because of the things that they do or the things that they refrain from doing.
The things that I have mentioned are good and should be seen in every true Believer, but these things will do you no good if they are not preceded by genuine faith and repentance. To sum it up it up, what you need is regeneration, not religion!
The story of Saul of Tarsus provides us with great hope. This man who devoted his life to persecuting the Church had an amazing encounter with the Savior that he was so intent on destroying. When Jesus called his name, Saul responded accordingly. He turned from his religion and surrendered to the Savior. After that, he became what most consider to be the greatest Christian who ever lived.
What Jesus did for Saul, He can do for you today. I encourage you to repent and believe in Jesus for salvation, allow Him to do His transforming work in your life and then you can experience a change similar to what we see in “The Life And Times Of Saul Of Tarsus”.
