Saul, was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, a Jew with Roman citizenship. He grew up in Jerusalem educated under the famous rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly trained in the Law of Judaism according to the strictest sect of the Jews, the Pharisees. In adherence to this tradition, he displayed outstanding zeal. He knew God’s promise:

“I will come and dwell in your midst. . . . Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst” . . . . . Zechariah 2:11.

He believed that required total commitment to the Law and God's covenant. This led him to the conviction that he should do everything possible to persecute the followers of Jesus as deviants from the call of Israel. Within Jerusalem, he was diligent in having many Christians imprisoned, and at times cast his vote for the death sentence, as in the case of Stephen.

Saul’s belief and passion for God’s law, took him beyond Jerusalem, in a relentless search to destroy Christians. He was on his way to Damascus on this mission, when he was suddenly stopped short by a blinding light, and a voice asking him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul had a supernatural encounter with Jesus!

It left him blind, he had to be led into Damascus, by the men who had been with him, they had heard the voice, but had not seen the bright light and the Lord. Saul's calling now was to be a witness for Jesus and an apostle to the Gentiles. A couple of days later the Lord spoke to a believer in Damascus called Ananias. Saul had gained a reputation with his activities against the Christians and Ananias knew who he was, in spite of the danger, Ananias obeyed the Lord and went to Saul, he laid hands on him in prayer and Saul’s eyesight returned. From that moment Saul began to preach openly in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God, the long-awaited Christ.

On his first missionary journey Saul began using the Roman version of his name, because it was the Gentiles to whom he was mainly called to preach. Paul became an outstanding missionary, apostle, writer-teacher, and theologian of the early Christian church. He had under-gone a complete transformation in Christ.

Paul learned that God’s grace was far broader than he had ever imagined. God had visited Israel for redemption, not in a demand for ritual purity, but in grace and love that fulfilled the Law. Through faith, Jew and Gentile alike had access to what God in Christ had done. The zealous Pharisee had become the passionate apostle.