Saul (later called Paul) had a strict Pharisee background. Philippians 3:² Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; ³ for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, ⁴ although I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee.” Acts 22:³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today (i.e. the Jews he was making his defense to).” Acts 26:⁴ “So then, all Jews know my way of life since my youth, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and in Jerusalem, ⁵ since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.”

We first read of Saul in Acts 7. Some Jews had brought Stephen before the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) for a trial. They produced false witnesses saying that Stephen was blaspheming Moses and the Law, which he wasn’t doing. Stephen gives his defense, a long summary or the history of the Jews showing how the Jews had always resisted the Holy Spirit, just as in the current situation. His closing words to his defense were sharp: Acts 7:⁵¹ “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. ⁵² Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, and you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; ⁵³ you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” That was too much for them to take. 7:⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they were infuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one mind. ⁵⁸ When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he ^[ak]fell asleep.” The penalty for blasphemy in the Law was stoning. Saul is a young man at this time. Some think that means between 26 and 40 years old. I think he was under 30 (pure speculation). I think he would have been actively throwing stones at Stephen if he were older than that. Instead, he is just holding the garments of those stoning Stephen.

Soon after that Saul begins to persecute Jewish Christians. Acts 8:1 Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death.And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. ³ But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.”

Several verses comment on his persecution of Jewish Christians, whom he considered to be part of a dangerous heretical sect. Galatians 1:¹³ For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; ¹⁴ and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.” Philippians 3: ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”  Acts 22:⁴ I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, ⁵ as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify.” Acts 26:⁹ “So I thought to myself that I had to act in strong opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, after receiving authority from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being put to death. ¹¹ And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was extremely enraged at them.”

Acts 26:9-11 especially gives us a picture of how cruel Saul was toward Jewish Christians. No doubt his memories of torturing, imprisoning, and killing Jewish Christians haunted him after he was converted to Jesus. He did all that with a good conscience, thinking that he was serving God by wiping out this heretical sect called Christians. Acts 23:1Now looking intently at the Council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” Of course, that shows that someone can be very devoted to his religion and yet be in a totally false religion. But God know his heart. He knew that Saul would repent and become a believer if given sufficient proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of God raised from the dead.

That’s next!