NOTES for Act 22:3-16

The conversion of the Apostle Paul is an event that has influenced the lives of billions of people and changed the destinies of countries and continents. Yet we must understand that the man who became the apostle to the Gentiles had not known Jesus personally, had not come to the empty tomb, and had not passed with the other apostles through the first sanctification by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Paul had been one of the most zealous and relentless persecutors of Christians. Besides his fervent faith and thirst for truth, and the other personal qualities that we discover as we read his epistles, Paul is living proof of the principle expressed by his teacher Gamaliel. To this day, there is no more reliable way to discern whether something before us is human or eternal. “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (Acts 5:34-39). Believing that he had to persecute Christians, Paul encountered the risen Jesus. The light blinded him, the voice stunned him, and when he realized that he had become an enemy of God, he submitted to the God who revealed Himself as humiliated and crucified in order to draw everyone to Himself.