Acts 9:6

THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL

‘And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice … Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.’

Acts 9:4; Acts 9:6

Of all the followers of Christ, surely none had a life so full of interest and none had so great influence for the cause of Christ as St. Paul.

I. His conversion.—The stoning of St. Stephen, no doubt, was a turning-point in the life of St. Paul. Augustine says that the Church owes St. Paul to the prayer of St. Stephen at that time. The spectacle of so much constancy, so much faith, so much love, could not possibly be lost. St. Paul went his way, but conscience began to work within him. To drown his conscience, he took up the cause of persecution, and sought for letters patent to enable him to go to Damascus to arrest those he found of this Way, whether they were men or women, and commit them to prison. But he could not go on like this for ever. He could not for ever stifle his conscience. In the very midst of his work, as he was journeying to Damascus, the Lord met him, and his conversion changed the whole course of his life. Instead of persecuting Christians, he was to teach the faith which once he denied.

II. His ministry.—Immediately after we find St. Paul going forth and speaking to the people of Damascus, proving that this was the very Christ. But he could not remain in Damascus. As soon as the Jews got over their first astonishment at seeing this man, on whom they had relied to exterminate the Christians, as soon as they found that he himself was a Christian, they began to persecute him. He went into Arabia, the mountainous country where God spoke to Moses and Aaron and Elijah. He dwelt in solitdue, conversing with his Lord and being instructed upon his future teaching. It was there that Christ taught him about the Holy Communion. It was there, perhaps, that he was caught up into the seventh heaven and heard things unspeakable, and therefore kept silence upon what he saw. It was there that he learned more fully to know Jesus Christ and was instructed in the doctrine in which he was to preach. As soon as that period was ended, he returned to Damascus, but not to remain long. He went back to Jerusalem, however, and taught. His mission was to the Gentiles, and he began a life of suffering; but he was always full of zeal, full of energy, preaching the Gospel of Christ, teaching others that Christ had died for them, and bidding them turn from their evil ways, showing them that a life of surrender and devotion to Christ’s service is the life to be desired on earth.

III. A pattern to us.—This true and noble service for Christ should inspire us to be more like St. Paul, and to be more earnest, more fervent, more zealous in our daily life in upholding the cause of Christ, in striving to live such a life that we may turn others to Christ, and let others take knowledge that we have been with Christ. May we grow daily more like St. Paul, devoting and surrendering our lives to the service of Christ.

Rev. W. N. Matthews.

Illustration

‘St. Paul was born of God-fearing parents. He early learned to keep righteousness and to walk according to the Law. In his early days he showed great promise, and he was sent to Gamaliel to be trained and educated. The education of those days was different to that of our days. There was a prejudice against the use of any books except the sacred writings. At a meeting of learned men some passage of the Scriptures was taken as a text and made the subject of their conversation. Various interpretations were given, allegories were told and suggested, and the ancient writings on the subject quoted. At this discussion young students were present to listen and to ask questions, and it is probable that from this system of education St. Paul acquired his power of argument and his fluency of speech. We do not know of the social position of St. Paul’s parents. It is not possible to say whether they lived in affluent circumstances or whether they were people of humble origin. St. Paul speaks of his trade as being that of a tent-maker, but this does not necessarily imply that he had to labour with his hands for his living, for it was the custom amongst the Jews that every boy should be taught a trade. In the Talmud it says he that teacheth not his son a trade is doing the same thing as if he taught his son to be a thief. Intellectually, he had a mind logical and acute, and his memory was well stored. Morally he was a strict observer of the requirements of the Law, and while he lived a careful and conscientious life, after the example of his ancestors, he imbibed a spirit of fervent and, as it afterwards turned out, persecuting zeal. Probably after his education in Jerusalem was finished St. Paul returned to his home at Tarsus, and there he had abundant opportunity to become acquainted with Greek literature.