4. An Example from History

Saul of Tarsus: Zealous for His Religion, But the Enemy of God

It seems very strange that someone could be an adherent of a God-given religion, and zealous for God and for what he thought were the things of God, and yet in truth he was the enemy of God, and worthy only of the wrath of God.

Saul of Tarsus was such a man. He was a Jewish leader, who had been educated under the Gamaliel, the great teacher of the first century. He was circumcised on the eighth day according to God's command, a member of the tribe of Benjamin —a tribe which resisted pagan culture, and concerning the law, a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect, which was outstanding for its zeal for the law of God and its strict adherence to it. They were as the religious zealots of their day. Paul was preeminent among them and probably a member of their ruling council. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, as opposed to those who compromised with the pagan Greek culture of the day. See Philippians [in the Injil] 3:4-11.

Paul demonstrated his zeal by persecuting Christians, even to death. He was present when the early Christian leader Stephen was martyred for the glory of God, giving his approval (Acts [in the Injil] 8:1). Under the authority of letters from chief priest, he traveled to Damascus to continue to persecute and murder the followers of Isa. On his journey, a strange thing happened:

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts [in the Injil] 9:3-6).