Repentance: Transition From Saul To Apostle Paul

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Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 7:57-60 (New King James Version)

Murder at Saul’s feet

Stephen was the first Christian to be martyred. A martyr is defined as a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs by the Oxford dictionary. He died for his belief in God. He died because he preached about his God. Paul (then Saul) was there when Stephen was executed and he was, indeed, in agreement with the murder of Stephen.  Paul looked on as Stephen was stoned to death.  The people that stoned Stephen threw his clothes at Saul’s feet as a way of telling him that the mission had been accomplished. Saul couldn’t have exonerated himself from the murder of Stephen.

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women,
he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Acts 9:1-2 (New King James Version)

Before Paul was converted, he had a great interest in the arrest and killing of Christians. Paul would go to the high priest and ask for letters that gave him the authority to enter churches and to arrest anybody he found. He would go to any extent to locate Christians no matter where they were. He had a strong aversion for Christians and took pleasure in persecuting Christians. Nothing brought fulfillment to Paul than to see Christians suffer at his hand, persecuting Christians gave him a sense of purpose. 

Turning point near Damascus

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Acts 9:3-9 (New King James Version)

One day, Paul was going on his usual errand of arresting Christians. On his way, he had an encounter that changed him forever. He was met by the Lord Jesus Himself on his way to Damascus. Jesus had just one question for him. Jesus asked Paul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”( Acts 9:4 NKJV). The essence of the question was to make Paul understand that his persecution of Christians was, in fact, the persecution of Jesus Himself. Jesus wanted to find out why Paul was so obsessed with persecuting Him (Christians). Paul was gripped with fear. It was an experience he had not had before. Jesus told him where to go after the encounter. He directed Paul to Ananias as God had already instructed Ananias to pray for Paul. He received his sight after the prayer.

Rebirth into a new man

From this point on, Paul repented and became a follower of Jesus. Paul did not go back to his old way of life after that humbling experience. He did not continue to arrest or kill Christians anymore. Rather, he became an apostle and did the work of the Lord. He openly spoke about his faith in Christ. This is why Paul said to the Romans “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 NKJV). He was changed from one persecuting Christians to an advocate for Christians. He completely turned away from his old ways.

As believers, we cannot profess to be Christians and yet hang on to our own ways. We must bear in mind that genuine repentance is what will make us enjoy our relationship with God. When we repent and never go back to things we were redeemed from, we feel calm. However, when we claim to have repented but continue in our old ways, we deceive no one but ourselves. We can learn from the life of Paul. If Paul was able to do it, we can also do it with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Let’s keep the fire burning until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!