Acts 9:1-43

Saul Becomes a Christian

1-30. The Conversion of Saul is to regarded as a miraculous event. The way for it may have been prepared by Stephen's speech, by the spectacle of the constancy of the Christian martyrs, and by Saul's own consciousness of the imperfections of the Law (Romans 7:7 to Romans 8:11). Yet there is no indication that he was anything but a violent enemy of Christianity until the moment of his conversion. His own language on this point is quite clear (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:12; 1 Timothy 1:13). St. Paul always maintained that the appearance of the risen Christ to him which brought about his conversion, was as objective and real as the appearances to the other Apostles. He regarded it as the turning-point of his life, and the beginning of his new vocation. He claimed to be an Apostle of equal rank and authority with the other Apostles (2 Corinthians 11:5; Galatians 2:8, etc.), (1) because Christ had appeared to him as to the others (1 Corinthians 15:8; 1 Corinthians 9:1), and (2) because Christ had appointed him an Apostle just as He had appointed the others (Acts 22:21, etc.). For confirmation of the truth of this he appealed to 'the signs of an apostle' (miracles, conversions, etc.) which accompanied his ministry (2 Corinthians 12:12).

Saul's conversion at once gave Christianity a higher social status. He was an educated man, of good family, a rabbi, and (probably) a member of the Sanhedrin. It could no longer be objected to the teachers of the new faith that they were all ignorant and unlettered men.
The conversion of Saul is a turning-point in the history of Christianity. By conversion he became not merely a Christian, but an enlightened Christian. He perceived that the ceremonial Law was no longer binding, and his perception of this fact enabled him to preach Christianity as a universal religion. The Twelve already held this view in principle, but to Saul belongs the credit of acting upon it with energy, and of carrying it out to its logical results.