Saul of Tarsus was a star pupil of Gamaliel, the renowned Jewish Rabbi. Yet, unlike his teacher, Saul favored a more hands-on approach to dealing with followers of “The Way”. When the Jewish ruling council advanced from beating the apostles to stoning Stephen, Saul sought and received permission to run down Jesus’ scattered followers. Men or women, it made no difference: these blasphemers had to be stopped, and the Law of Moses was clear on the penalty.
“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,” he would later remember (Acts 22:4). Yet, he could still honestly say, “I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day” (Acts 23:1). Saul really thought he was doing the right thing.
Until he met the risen Jesus, which changed everything! Rather than blaspheming the Law, the claims of Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled it. As someone wanting to live right before God, what he needed to do next was clear. Ananias told the humbled Saul, “The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be a witness for Him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:14-16).
Even after becoming the Apostle Paul, he never forgot what he did as “foremost” among sinners. Even if it was in ignorance, he had been “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (I Timothy 1:13). Yet, he didn’t live in the past: “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (I Timothy 1:16).
By his faith in Christ, Paul was able to move beyond his past. Paul’s life mattered, and his example invites us to live meaningful lives, too.