Paul: From Terrorist to Evangelist

God's call, on the other hand, is action and God's Word is deed. It is reality. When God says, "Let there be light," there is light. Jesus says, "Silence! Be still!" and it gets still. No need to say, "I invite you to be still" or "I hope you are still." Jesus says, "Lazarus, come out!" He does not have to go into the tomb to do CPR or try to offer an incantation. His word brings life.

If you are a Christian, you have sensed at some point God's powerful calling. You have sensed that something or someone is dealing with you. Maybe it was after a sermon, in your room, or in a worship service. Paul was called on the Damascus Road. How did you respond to God's call?

Consider that this powerful calling is an act of grace. Paul says, God "called me by His grace." We meet this all-important subject in every chapter of Galatians. When asked, "How did you become a Christian?" we must simply say, "It was by grace. Pure grace." Paul was not searching for God; he was actually an enemy of God. The Bible is filled with stories of people who received God's grace and blessing, not because of their goodness, but because of His grace.

I heard pastor Mark Dever tell a story about his relative who said that the church was a "pit of vipers."

To this he replied, "Do you think those outside the church are better?"

She said, "No."

He said, "Well, I don't disagree with you. We are. And we've got room for one more, any time you want to slither on in" ("The Church Is the Gospel Made Visible"). We the church are the company of redeemed sinners, people who have been saved by grace.

Conversion involves seeing the glory of Christ. Paul adds, God "was pleased to reveal his Son to me" (ESV). The wonderful reality of Jesus Christ—crucified, risen, and reigning—was made known to Paul. What an amazing truth: God opens the eyes of believers that they may see "God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6).

35Paul previously knew Christian teaching, but he did not accept it. The idea of a crucified Messiah was repulsive to him and to Jews in general. Then Christ was revealed to him, and everything changed. You may not have a Damascus Road experience. You probably will not, but you will have a 2 Corinthians 4:6 experience. By His Spirit God makes the reality of Christ known to us. We are blind until God opens our eyes. We should thank God that this is no longer true of us: "the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" (2 Cor 4:4), and we should pray for those who are still spiritually blind.

When I took my driver's exam to get a North Carolina license, the lady behind the counter asked me if I needed to wear my glasses when driving. I said, "No. They're not that strong. My eyes are not that bad." She proceeded to tell me to read the first line of numbers on their vision-testing screen. I started laughing when I tried to do it because I had no idea what the numbers were. It turned out that I could not see them without my glasses. At her prompting, I put my glasses on and tried again. I could see perfectly!

Apart from the corrective lens provided to us by the Holy Spirit, we can see nothing. We need His help. Upon our conversion we are made into new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:16). We see with new eyes, hear with new ears, and feel with new affections. Rejoice that Christ has been made known to you.

What can we apply from Paul's post-conversion life?

Like Paul, we can say that Christ now lives in us (v. 16). The phrase translated "to me" (ESV) could be rendered "in me" (HCSB). Either way, we know that Christ dwells in us based on other verses, such as Galatians 2:20: "Christ lives in me."

The mystery of conversion is that after you come to Christ, you are not yourself but you are yourself. There is a new "I." "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (2:20). You have a new identity and a new source of power.

Once you become a Christian, you do not then try to live in your own power. You live the same way you enter. Notice Galatians 3:3. Paul says, "After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?" We live by the Spirit. Every true Christian has Christ dwelling on the inside. The opposite is also true: "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9).

36We also share in the responsibility of making Christ known to others (vv. 16-24). Paul said the purpose of his calling was "so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles" (v. 16). Notice the purpose clause, "so that." Paul was not converted just for his own benefit. His conversion came with a commission (cf. Ps 67:1-2). And so does ours! Peter writes, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet 2:9, emphasis added).

Paul's life was not easy, but it was purposeful. And I would rather have a difficult life with purpose than an easy life that is meaningless. Think of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and John the Baptist, all guys whose calling preceded their time in the womb. They had hard, tear-filled lives. But they were meaningful lives.

Paul reveals his own experience of being converted and then preparing for a life of public proclamation. In so doing, he shows that he acted independently of the apostles. He did not need anyone to confirm this message. He mentions his journey to Arabia in verse 17.

Galatians adds to what is missing in Acts. Paul started by proclaiming Christ in the synagogue in Damascus (Acts 9:19-22) and then went to Arabia. This fact is not mentioned in Acts, though it may be alluded to in 9:23a: "After many days had passed." Paul then returned to Damascus (probably Acts 9:23b-25) and then went to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26).

Paul's reference to "three years" (Gal 1:17-18) likely meant that three years had passed since his conversion, after which he met with the apostles. Some believe this corresponds to the three years the disciples spent with Jesus. But during this time Paul was probably preaching, and he was alone.

Three years of silence is a long time, right? Some of you think you are in a desert. Remember that others in the Bible like Moses, Nehemiah, and even Jesus endured "silent years." Waiting time is not wasted time. God wastes nothing in the lives of His servants.

Paul goes to Jerusalem for a very brief visit (Gal 1:18-20) to meet Peter (also called Cephas) and James. According to Acts 9:28-29, Paul spent most of this time preaching. He then goes to Syria and Cilicia (Gal 1:21). Cilicia (Tarsus) was Paul's home territory. The reference to Syria implies that he might have revisited the churches in Damascus.

In verse 22 Paul says that the churches in Judea did not know him personally. They had only heard that this former persecutor was now a preacher. They had heard that he was now preaching the faith that he37 tried to destroy (v. 23)! Because of this, Paul says, "They glorified God because of me" (v. 24).

Eleven years pass ("14 years" after his conversion) before Paul goes to Jerusalem for an extended stay (2:1). The previous ventures show that he was away from Jerusalem, except during a short visit, thus proving his independence from the apostles. Paul got his message directly from Jesus (cf. 1:11-12).

This passage causes us to stand amazed at God's transforming grace. Paul summarizes God's work to the Corinthians by saying, "Everything is from God" (2 Cor 5:18). To which we say, "Amen." Consider the story of Paul:

For us, Paul's is a story that shows us that God loves to save bad people. No one is beyond the reach of His amazing grace! This message only comes from God. The gospel is not good advice from man; it is good news from God. Rejoice in this gospel. In Christ, you find what your heart has always longed to find. No other love is this great. No other hope is this secure. No other forgiveness is this complete. No other joy is this deep. No other freedom is this liberating. No other peace is this sweet. All of it is found in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Do you know this Savior, the fountain of saving grace? Come and drink!

Reflect and Discuss