If there ever was an
illustration of the power of the Gospel changing a person’s life, it was in the
life of an intense Jewish zealot by the name of Saul (Hebrew, name of the first
king of Israel, cf. Acts 9:1, 2, 11) or Paul (Gentile name, Acts 13:9) of Tarsus
(Acts 21:39; 22:3a). The phrase, “Saul of Tarsus,” occurs only in Acts 9:11 and
never is he referred to as “Paul of Tarsus” (cf. “a Jew, from Tarsus, Acts
21:39 and “a Jew, born in Tarsus,” Acts 22:3).
It would still, however, be
accurate to say, “Paul of Tarsus” or “Saul of Tarsus” since we are talking
about one and the same person. “Tarsus” is mentioned five times in the NT and
associated with his Jewish name, Saul (3x), and his Roman name, Paul (2x). This may not have been uncommon
among his Jewish peers living outside of Israel to have a Gentile name as well
because it comes across as a matter of fact in Acts 13:9. Saul appears 22 times
(NKJV, as the one from Tarsus), and “Paul” occurs 158 times in NKJV; the number
of occurrences will vary among translations.
Saul’s hometown of Tarsus
happened to be the chief city of Cilicia that was situated about twelve miles,
give or take a mile or two, north of the coast of the Mediterranean in Asia
Minor (modern-day southern Turkey). Tarsus was a rival to the learning centers
of Grecian culture in Alexandria, Egypt, and Athens, Greece, as well as, one of
the largest trading centers near the Mediterranean coast.
Saul was born in Tarsus to
Hellenistic Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (cf. Acts 22:25-26, 27-28). They
were descendants of the Diaspora when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple
in 586 B.C., and even though they chose not to return to live in Jerusalem, for
whatever reason, Saul’s upbringing was in Jerusalem (“from my youth,” Acts 26:4);
no one knows for sure the age of Saul when he was sent to Jerusalem for
rabbinical training. He probably was a young teenager based on the age of his
bar mitzvah, a ceremony marking the 13th birthday of a Jewish boy and
signifying the beginning of religious responsibility (WordWeb).
Like most Jewish boys, Saul
learned a trade while living in Tarsus (cf. Acts 18:3). A.T. Robertson in Word Pictures on Acts 18:3 quotes Rabbi
Judah (never heard of him), “He that teacheth not his son a trade, doth the
same as if he taught him to be a thief.” Hmm, this might not be a bad idea in
our culture, but the downside is that it sounds too much like work to be
attractive to our youth.
Saul learned to make portable
tents or cloths of goat hair before being sent to Jerusalem to study under a
respected Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3b; cf. Acts 5:34). Saul
did extraordinarily well during his tenure as a Pharisee; he was a rising star
(Acts 26:4-5; Php 3:5-6; contrast Php 3:7-14). Saul was consumed in being
anti-the Way (Acts 9:2; contrast Acts 24:14), a persecutor of the church of God
(Acts 8:3; 9:1; 1 Cor 15:9).
His resume radically changed and
made a pivotal shift on the road to Damascus to arrest people of the Way (Acts
9:1-2). As a result of his encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:3-6), Saul’s life took
a 180-degree turnabout. This hater of the Way became a slave of God (Titus
1:1a), an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1; Titus 1:1),
a missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 13:46, 47; 22:21), and wrote under
inspiration 14 of the 27 books of the NT (if counting the book of Hebrews), and
martyred in Rome under the reprobate rule of Nero. It sounds like the life of
two different people, doesn’t it? This is the power of the Gospel! Once you
embrace Jesus, you are never the same.
Paul’s salvation was an example
that God could save anybody (1 Tim 1:15, 16). The name “Saul of Tarsus” struck
concern in the hearts of believers because he was a blasphemer and zealously
persecuted the people of the Way. Read what a disciple by the name of Ananias said
to the Lord who had spoken to him in a vision about going to where Saul of
Tarsus was staying (Acts 9:11, 12),
“Lord,
I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints
in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who
call on Your name” (Acts 9:13-14).
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” (Acts 9:15-16).
When Ananias went to the house
of Judas on Straight Street in Damascus, he called Saul of Tarsus, “Brother
Saul” (Acts 9:17); this was not a racial comment but a spiritual one. Saul was
already regenerated. Well, you know the rest of the story.
Running into Jesus is a
life-changer; it happened to the “chief” of sinners in Paul’s estimation (1 Tim
1:15). The same Greek word for “chief” is translated as “first” (1 Tim 1:16). This
foremost sinner literally means “first in rank.” Jesus can change the foremost
heart set against Him and His people. I do not think it wise for anyone to
trust in a “salvation” experience that never changed their life; a life lived
where Jesus is always playing second fiddle or not in the picture. That is a convenient
“Christianity.”
A tree is known by its fruit (Lk
6:43-44). Also, dangling fruit is not hidden from the eye; it’s out there for
all to see. It is the main identifier of the tree. Salvation is personal, but it
is also public, not private, like being baptized (Acts 2:41), being a light of
the world (Mt 5:14), and being a witness (Acts 1:8). Read what Paul wrote under
inspiration.
(Php
3:13) Brethren, I do not count myself to
have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting [a continual action]
those things which are behind and reaching forward [a continual action,
stretching for the goal] to those things which are ahead [emphasis mine],
(Php 3:14) I press [continual
action] toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.
These are fruit-producing words.
Paul’s life was not running parallel to his old ways. He was not a HI-HO (half-in/half-out, one
foot in Christianity, and one foot in the world). He wasn’t on or off again; He
was running in another direction than in His former way of life, promoting the kingdom
not destroying it and producing fruit for eternity, not living a barren temporal
life of vanity. He was never the same when Jesus came across His path, and
that’s the point and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you are still the same old
same old after you supposedly met Jesus, you didn’t meet Him! The reason I say
that is because those who are truly born again are never the same afterward, never. Fruit abounds in a Spirit-driven
life, and it is plainly obvious, “For every tree is known by its own fruit” (Lk
6:43-44). <><
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