Forrest D. Moyer

We often find it difficult to really define the grace of God and what it means in our lives. When asked in a Bible class, "What is grace?" we have a quick answer: "the unmerited favor of God." Such is certainly true, but do we understand what we have said? The purpose of these studies is to help us come to know and appreciate the wonders of His grace. The case of Paul is one of the best ways of our coming to understand God’s grace and how it can save the vilest of men. When we are introduced to Saul, we would never think of him as being a servant of Christ. In fact, if we had been there at that time, we probably would not have wasted our time in trying to teach such a one as he.

We Are Introduced to Saul

Our first introduction to Saul is when Stephen was being stoned. Luke tells us, "the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul" (Acts 7:58). He continues, "Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death" (Acts 8:1). "But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison" (Acts 8:3). Luke further informs us, "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1-2).

From what Luke tells us, we understand that Saul was in such opposition to Christ that he abetted the men who were stoning Stephen and was in hearty agreement with killing him. We learn that Saul ravaged the church and had men and women who were Christians put into prison. His disposition was such that he "breathed out threats and murder against the disciples." Acting upon his deep-seated hatred of Christ and His disciples, he was willing to travel as far as Damascus to bring disciples bound back to Jerusalem where they might be imprisoned or put to death. Thus, we have met one of the vilest of men in the New Testament. Can the grace of God ever forgive him and use him in His service?

Paul’s Own Description of His Life (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

When Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, he described his former manner of life in forthright terms. In chapter one he spoke of those who were all kinds of sinners (9-10). Then he spoke personally of what he had been. "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim 1:12-14).

1. A BLASPHEMER

The word used here finds its root in blasphemeo which is defined "to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate" (Thayer, 102). This well describes Saul as he blasphemed Jesus and the church. He also tried to compel the saints of God to blaspheme (Acts 26.11). Try to get the picture of this man as he rails at, reviles and calumniates the disciples of the Lord. This was the person Saul was.

2. A PERSECUTOR

He was one who "chased the Lord’s people as one chases wild animals (Acts 22:4, 7) who himself acted like a wild animal (Acts 9.1), who in this activity persecuted the Lord himself (Acts 9.4,5)" (Lenski, 518). Just picture him looking in every crack and crevice for one who believed in the Lord Jesus. He was obsessed with stamping out disciples of the Lord.

3. A VIOLENT AGGRESSOR

The word that Paul uses is quite descriptive. It is hubristes and is defined as "an insolent man, ‘one who, uplifted with pride, either heaps insulting language upon others or does them some shameful act of wrong’....Rom. 1.30, 1 Tim. 1.13" (Thayer, 633). Paul used this word for a reason. He had been that kind of a person.

4. THE FOREMOST SINNER OF ALL

In verse 15 he tells us that Jesus came to save sinners "among whom I am foremost of all." His reason for saying this is expressed in 1 Cor. 15:9: "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." To the Galatians he wrote: "For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it" (Gal 1:13). He considered himself the chief of sinners because of his persecution of Jesus and His people.

5. IGNORANCE OF GOD'S TRUTH

Paul tells us that in all this he was acting in ignorance. He thought he was doing what was right (John 16:2; Acts 26:9). It was this kind of ignorance that crucified Jesus (Luke 23:34, Acts 3:17). Does God overlook ignorance and forgive all the sins done in ignorance? "His ignorance did not excuse him. Ignorance is itself part of the result of sin and is itself sinful. But he had not deliberately acted against better convictions, stubbornly hardened his heart, or willfully resisted the Holy Spirit. He had acted in blind unreasoning prejudice, mistakenly thinking he was thereby doing God a service (Acts 26.9). It had not set him beyond the pale of divine compassion. When his ignorance was shattered on the Damascus road by a mighty burst of enlightenment he was no longer an unbeliever (Hiebert, 41). As he came to realize the reality and deity of Jesus, his unbelief was changed to faith. Ignorance will not excuse one. It is just another sin that must be forgiven.

Is it possible for one who is a blasphemer, a persecutor, a violent aggressor and the chief of sinners to ever be saved? Does not such character and action forever seal one's doom? Human thinking would tend to consign such a person to hell without ever trying to bring the good news to him. This is where the wonders of His grace is seen.

The Worst Sinner Can Be Saved

Paul had described himself as foremost of sinners. Then he tells us that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." All of this was for a purpose. He states that purpose in verse 16: "Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." Paul stands as an example of the grace of Christ. Jesus demonstrated His perfect patience in saving Paul and thereby shows that any person, however vile he or she may have been, may be saved by God's grace through faith in him.

As we follow Saul on the road to Damascus, we see him as the foremost of sinners. He was a violent aggressor, a blasphemer, and a persecutor. There was one thing that he had not confronted. That was the reality of Jesus Christ. Jesus saw the kind of person Saul was. He also saw that Saul was a man of deep conviction. He was, as stated in verse 12, "faithful." Thayer says that this is used "of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties..." (514). He could be relied on to do what he thought was right. As Paul himself expressed it, "Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day" (Acts 23:1). Jesus saw a vile person who was ignorantly following the road to destruction.

Jesus made a dramatic appearance to Saul. Having seen Jesus, Saul becomes a believer. He cries out, "Lord what will you have me to do?" (Acts 9.6). Jesus tells him to go into Damascus and, in a vision, that a person named Ananias would tell him what to do (Acts 9.12). Ananias did come. When he came to deal with Saul’s sins, he said, "Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16). God's mercy has reached down; God's grace is at work; Saul's sins can be forgiven. They are washed away as he is buried in baptism. He had sinned by blasphemy; that sin is now washed away as he is baptized. His persecution of the Lord and His people is forgiven as he is baptized. He comes forth from baptism with every sin removed. He has been saved by grace. Please note that his being baptized was not a means of meriting salvation or earning forgiveness in his own way. It was simply an act of faith in what God requires. The mercy of God has been extended; the grace of the Lord was more than abundant. Paul reached out for that grace, was saved, and stands as a great example for all sinners that all can be saved. There is no sin so vile that the grace of God cannot forgive. Whatever sin may have been in your life can be sent away by the love of God reaching out to you. Oh, the wonders of His grace!