We have already established that the Apostle Paul (who was originally known as Saul) hated believers in Christ until he had a life-changing encounter with the living Lord on the Road to Damascus. While on his way to arrest those who professed faith in Jesus, he met the Savior face-to-face.
The words he heard arrested him! “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” All the religious zealot could do was stammer, “Who are You, Lord?” The answer was probably the last thing the well-intentioned persecutor of the fledgling faith could have imagined hearing! “I am Jesus…” (See Acts 9:4-16).
Paul’s vantage point on life in general, and on his ability to please God with his righteousness in particular, were changed at that moment. In Philippians 3:8, 9 he says of himself following his encounter with the Lord, “I count all things as dung compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him, I have renounced all those things I once cherished, knowing they are worthless.
“I now have Christ and belong to Him. I am now right with God, not because I follow the law but because I believe Jesus who perfected the law in my behalf. My faith in His finished work makes me right with God.” May we be like Paul, who awakened to the reality that there is nothing a man can do to escape the wrath of our Holy God except to exchange our unworthiness for His righteousness by receiving Christ’s unspeakable gift.
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