And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
The men journeying with Saul toward Damascus stood speechless because they heard a voice yet saw no one present. A light from heaven brighter than the sun shone around them in terror and confusion, but while all was mysterious to them, Saul prostrate on the ground alone understood the words and saw Jesus the Son of God clearly before him. When the light left Saul blind, the witnesses of the event led him by the hand into Damascus. Jesus Himself spoke from heaven to arrest Saul, identifying Himself as the One Saul was persecuting in the person of His saints, and by the Holy Spirit convicted him of sin to stop his persecution and make him a messenger of the gospel. Though brought directly into Christ's presence, Saul was not then told his work nor taught truth directly, but was told to go into the city and placed in connection with Christ's church to learn God's will through appointed human agencies.
Journey Toward Damascus
Saul was journeying toward Damascus with companions to find believers in Jesus and seize them. He was going to arrest Christians, to take men and women for imprisonment and death, being exceedingly mad against them and threatening, persecuting, imprisoning and killing them. The Commander of heaven saw the suffering brought upon His church and made His voice heard on that road to arrest the bold persecutor.
Saul had been taught by Gamaliel and was a rabbi and statesman and member of the Sanhedrin. He was zealous to suppress Christianity, had taken part in the stoning of Stephen, and made havoc of the church by entering houses and committing men and women to prison.
Stephen's martyrdom came before Saul's conversion, and Stephen's faith, courage, constancy, godly appearance and glorified face, together with his words, remained in Saul's memory. That lasting and deep impression contributed to his conversion.
Companions Hearing Unseen Voice
The men journeying with Saul stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no man or person present. Though they witnessed the encounter, they did not see the one who spoke and did not share Saul's sight of Jesus. Near Damascus a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shone round about them, throwing Saul and his companions into the greatest confusion. The intensity of that glory struck the companions with terror and frightened them, almost blinding them.
To them all was unintelligible and mysterious. Saul alone, lying prostrate on the ground, understood the words spoken. He saw clearly before him Jesus the Son of God, and that image was imprinted forever upon his soul.
The hearing without seeing shows that heavenly agencies can communicate with men while remaining unseen. The standing speechless of those men proves that heaven itself directly intervened, for the Commander of heaven saw the suffering brought upon His church in Saul's zeal to seize men and women for imprisonment and death and made His voice heard with light from heaven to arrest the bold persecutor. When the heavenly light passed and left Saul blinded without sight, the companions who had witnessed it led him by the hand into Damascus. So he who had set out expecting power entered the city helpless and dependent upon them.
Saul Blinded Humbled Changed
The glory that struck Saul left him blinded so that when he arose he could see nothing, and the effect upon his eyes remained as a lasting mark of Christ's glory. He had neared Damascus in proud satisfaction, expecting honor from the high priest and applause for his zeal and penetration in searching out believers. He was determined that his journey would be crowned with success, that no Christian would escape his vigilance, and that he would inquire after men, women, and children and their connections, enter houses with power to seize them, and carry them as captives to Jerusalem to be condemned and punished without mercy. Instead he entered blind, helpless, dependent on the guidance of his companions who led him by the hand, virtually a prisoner rather than the powerful persecutor he had expected to be. Tortured by remorse, he felt himself under sentence of death and did not know what further disposition the Lord would make of him.
The revelation humbled him by exposing that while he thought he was doing God service he had been persecuting Christ and using his power against the truth. The glory of the One he had blasphemed made him physically blind that he might receive spiritual sight. The encounter first filled him with terror and then became a source of consolation as he was transformed into a penitent believer. During the days and nights of blindness he had time for reflection and no longer saw himself righteous but sinful, with his thoughts, words, and actions condemned by the law. The thought of his zeal in persecuting God's people filled him with abhorrence of himself and bitter remorse, and like Isaiah he saw his own unworthiness. Hopeless and helpless he cast himself on Jesus as the only one who could pardon him, clothe him with righteousness, and grant full and free forgiveness. From a proud Pharisee who thought himself justified by good works and blameless touching the righteousness in the law, he struggled to give up his supposed righteousness and became a humble suppliant for mercy, with his tongue changed from blaspheming the name of Christ to sounding the praises of Him who called him out of darkness into marvelous light.
Seeing the Lord gave him a glimpse of the beauty of God's character and of the loveliness of the divine character, and changed him. It inspired in him a desire for others to be freed from sin. That revelation made an impression that never lost its force on his mind, remaining with him to enable a correct representation of the Christian life and character. It influenced his estimation and delineation of Christian character and of the obligation owed by man to God, and exalted him above every other apostle among believers in Christ. That conversion gave him lasting assurance and encouragement for his later work.
Christ Convicts and Converts
Jesus Himself spoke to Saul from heaven on the road to Damascus, identifying Himself as the One Saul was persecuting in the person of His saints. He had come full of zeal to take men and women for imprisonment and death, being exceedingly mad against believers, and the Commander of heaven made His voice heard with light from heaven to arrest the bold persecutor because of the suffering brought upon His church. Christ miraculously arrested Saul in his course and by the Holy Spirit convicted his mind and heart of sin, stopping his persecution to make him a messenger of the gospel, especially to the Gentiles. That revelation brought light to his mistaken understanding and showed the miraculous power that convicts people of sin.
Saul recognized that Jesus whom he had opposed and counted an imposter is indeed the Christ and Redeemer, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Author and foundation of all the religion of God's chosen people from Adam's day and the Finisher of the faith. Convicted of sin by God's law, he recognized his sin, repented, died to sin, became obedient to the law, asked what the Lord wanted him to do, trusted Christ as his Saviour, was baptized, and began preaching Jesus. His change from a persecutor of Jesus' followers into a believer who preached Jesus as earnestly and zealously as he had once condemned Him was brought about by overwhelming evidence, not by impulse or fanaticism.
Saul persecuted with strict conscientiousness, great zeal, sincerity and bitter prejudice, thinking that wiping out the saints, hailing them before judges, threatening, imprisoning and killing them was doing God service, but his zeal was not according to knowledge and he was in the wrong path. Such sincerity and strict conscientiousness did not leave him guiltless once the Spirit impressed his cruel work upon him, for it does make a difference what a man believes even if he is sincere. The more conscientious a man is in believing error, the more dangerous he becomes in opposing truth, but if converted he will be as zealous and persevering in spreading truth as he was in opposing it. It is not safe to always follow the dictates of conscience, and conscience must be enlightened before spiritual things can be correctly discerned; the Lord's glory struck Paul blind to teach this, and the view given him of his wicked course was a terrible revelation to him that changed his character and his conscience.
With spiritual vision opened Saul learned that he had regarded Christ as making of none effect the law of God, but Christ came into the world for the express purpose of vindicating His Father's law, being its originator and foundation and the foundation and originator of the entire Jewish system of sacrifices. In Christ's death at the crucifixion type met antitype, Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled, and Christ was seen as the vindicator of the truth and the fulfiller of all prophecies. His apostleship came from God and not from men, with plain direction that his work was to be among the Gentiles, and his gospel came through revelation of Jesus Christ, not from human teaching. The greatness of that call and the revelation that made Christ's mission and the distinction between living faith and dead formalism clear drove him to leave Damascus for Arabia for solitude with God for communion, contemplation, searching of heart, deepened repentance, prayer and study and earnest seeking until he knew his repentance was accepted, his great sin pardoned, and Jesus would be with him and had established him in faith with wisdom and grace for his coming ministry.
Directed to Christ's Church
Though brought directly into the presence of Christ to be fitted as a chosen vessel for a most important work, Saul was not immediately told the work assigned to him nor taught directly the lessons of truth he must learn. When arrested in his course and convicted of sin he asked what he should do, and instead of answering directly Christ told him to arise and go into the city, placing him in connection with the church where they would tell him what he must do and he would learn God's will. The account thus shows Christ directing Paul to receive further instruction through His church rather than independently of it, after conviction by God's law, repentance, obedience to the law, trust in Christ as Saviour, baptism, and beginning to preach Jesus.
Christ's manner of working for the salvation of men is to work through appointed human agents and blessings that come through agencies He has ordained, rather than doing every part of the work directly Himself. He could have done all this work for Saul directly, but that is not His plan, so Paul had to take steps in his conversion and something to do in confession to those whose destruction he had meditated. He had to join the disciples he had persecuted and become a learner of them, and God gave a responsible work to do to the men He had authorized to act in His stead. Ananias served as Christ's representative in restoring Saul's sight and laying hands on him to receive the Holy Spirit. With spiritual vision opened he learned from the disciples that Jesus whom in blindness he had counted an imposter is indeed the Author and foundation of all the religion of God's chosen people from Adam's day and the Finisher of the faith, the vindicator of the truth and fulfiller of all prophecies. Though he had regarded Christ as making of none effect the law of God, he learned that Christ was the originator and foundation of the entire Jewish system of sacrifices, that in Christ's death type met antitype, and that Christ came into the world for the express purpose of vindicating His Father's law.
Acts 9:1-18 gives principles to always remember about Christ and His organized and acknowledged church where He has a church. Christ does not sanction religious experience and exercise independent of His church.
Warning and Encouragement Today
The speechless companions who heard a voice but saw no one prove that heaven itself stepped in to stop the maddened persecutor on his way to seize men and women for prison and death, and that all heaven cares for the believing church and will open a way for those who trust God. The Commander of heaven saw the suffering laid on His church and made His voice heard, with light from heaven arresting Saul in full zeal, and Jesus Himself speaking to identify Himself as the One being persecuted.
Saul while still unconverted was hunting souls under Satan's use, and the whole chapter warns unconverted brethren to wake up and receive converting power lest Satan use them the same way to hunt and persecute souls. History will be repeated, for as satanic agencies crucified Christ and as Lucifer exalted himself, that same self-exalting power will work through unconverted men in present and future experience. Yet beneath hatred and contempt, even beneath crime and degradation, a soul may still be rescued by Christ's grace and become a jewel in the Redeemer's crown, as Saul of Tarsus, one of the most determined enemies of the gospel, became Paul the devoted minister of Christ. His change from persecutor to chief apostle stands as an example of mercy receiving the helpless.
Those who now oppose truth with bitter prejudice are no worse than Saul was when filled with bitter prejudice, and God can work mightily for such brethren. Strong iron walls of prejudice can be broken down when God's servant is humble and teachable and molded by His Spirit, hides in God and lets His Spirit soften his spirit, refuses to get in the way and hedge up his own path, lets melting love and pity and tenderness dwell in his heart while he labors, clings to Jesus Christ, is ready to be counseled by more experienced brethren, is not too easily discouraged by difficulties or the fiercest opposition, and goes forth not in his own name but in the might and power of Israel's God, enduring hardness as a good soldier.
Paul was strict, zealous, and religious yet not a Christian until the Saviour revealed Himself to him, and that reveals the difference between being religious and being a true Christian. Ever after that revelation Christ was to him supreme above all others and altogether lovely. The same thorough conversion is what ministers need before they are fitted for God's work, and what all require who with all their powers war against God's law, whose carnal minds are at enmity with God and not subject to His law, neither indeed can be, unless Christ is brought into life and character, without which profession of the Christian name is valueless. Even as a persecutor his heart was susceptible to divine impressions.
Saul acted in conscientious error while threatening, persecuting, imprisoning, and killing Christians, and this proves that people in every church who do not know truth but live up to the best light they have, even while living in error in worshiping an idol sabbath, can be as conscientiously serving the Lord as Saul was until Jesus reveals Himself to them. Sincerity does not remove the difference that belief makes, for the more conscientious a man is in believing error the more dangerous he becomes in opposing truth. But if such a one becomes converted he will be as zealous and persevering in spreading truth as he was in opposing it.
Paul's sudden arrest while persecuting Christ's followers gave him a view of the Saviour that completely transformed him from zealous persecutor to devoted and effective worker for Christ. He had blasphemed His name and used every means to make others blaspheme, thinking that wiping out the saints, hailing them before judges, and bitter rage against them was doing God service, but his zeal was not according to knowledge and he was in the wrong path until Christ stopped him and showed him that in persecuting the saints he was persecuting Christ Himself. When he saw his error he turned and joined the people he had thought worthy only of persecution, exchanged Phariseeism with its popularity, honor, and ambitious preferment for the gospel of Jesus Christ without counting it a sacrifice, served Christ through trials and humiliations, and at last suffered martyrdom for Him, his life wholly devoted to the Crucified One, his one aim to be faithful, to serve and honor Him whose name had once filled him with contempt, to win souls, counting his former righteousness of the law worthless and pressing to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. That conversion experience was afterward related before kings and governors as testimony concerning Jesus, and his turn from religious tradition to liberty stands as the comparison for Farel's turn to the liberty of the sons of God.
The men journeying with Saul toward Damascus stood speechless because they heard a voice yet saw no one present. A light from heaven brighter than the sun shone around them in terror and confusion, but while all was mysterious to them, Saul prostrate on the ground alone understood the words and saw Jesus the Son of God clearly before him. When the light left Saul blind, the witnesses of the event led him by the hand into Damascus. Jesus Himself spoke from heaven to arrest Saul, identifying Himself as the One Saul was persecuting in the person of His saints, and by the Holy Spirit convicted him of sin to stop his persecution and make him a messenger of the gospel. Though brought directly into Christ's presence, Saul was not then told his work nor taught truth directly, but was told to go into the city and placed in connection with Christ's church to learn God's will through appointed human agencies.
Journey Toward Damascus
Saul was journeying toward Damascus with companions to find believers in Jesus and seize them. He was going to arrest Christians, to take men and women for imprisonment and death, being exceedingly mad against them and threatening, persecuting, imprisoning and killing them. The Commander of heaven saw the suffering brought upon His church and made His voice heard on that road to arrest the bold persecutor.
Saul had been taught by Gamaliel and was a rabbi and statesman and member of the Sanhedrin. He was zealous to suppress Christianity, had taken part in the stoning of Stephen, and made havoc of the church by entering houses and committing men and women to prison.
Stephen's martyrdom came before Saul's conversion, and Stephen's faith, courage, constancy, godly appearance and glorified face, together with his words, remained in Saul's memory. That lasting and deep impression contributed to his conversion.
Companions Hearing Unseen Voice
The men journeying with Saul stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no man or person present.
Though they witnessed the encounter, they did not see the one who spoke and did not share Saul's sight of Jesus.
Near Damascus a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shone round about them, throwing Saul and his companions into the greatest confusion.
The intensity of that glory struck the companions with terror and frightened them, almost blinding them.
To them all was unintelligible and mysterious.
Saul alone, lying prostrate on the ground, understood the words spoken.
He saw clearly before him Jesus the Son of God, and that image was imprinted forever upon his soul.
The hearing without seeing shows that heavenly agencies can communicate with men while remaining unseen.
The standing speechless of those men proves that heaven itself directly intervened, for the Commander of heaven saw the suffering brought upon His church in Saul's zeal to seize men and women for imprisonment and death and made His voice heard with light from heaven to arrest the bold persecutor.
When the heavenly light passed and left Saul blinded without sight, the companions who had witnessed it led him by the hand into Damascus.
So he who had set out expecting power entered the city helpless and dependent upon them.
Saul Blinded Humbled Changed
The glory that struck Saul left him blinded so that when he arose he could see nothing, and the effect upon his eyes remained as a lasting mark of Christ's glory. He had neared Damascus in proud satisfaction, expecting honor from the high priest and applause for his zeal and penetration in searching out believers. He was determined that his journey would be crowned with success, that no Christian would escape his vigilance, and that he would inquire after men, women, and children and their connections, enter houses with power to seize them, and carry them as captives to Jerusalem to be condemned and punished without mercy. Instead he entered blind, helpless, dependent on the guidance of his companions who led him by the hand, virtually a prisoner rather than the powerful persecutor he had expected to be. Tortured by remorse, he felt himself under sentence of death and did not know what further disposition the Lord would make of him.
The revelation humbled him by exposing that while he thought he was doing God service he had been persecuting Christ and using his power against the truth. The glory of the One he had blasphemed made him physically blind that he might receive spiritual sight. The encounter first filled him with terror and then became a source of consolation as he was transformed into a penitent believer. During the days and nights of blindness he had time for reflection and no longer saw himself righteous but sinful, with his thoughts, words, and actions condemned by the law. The thought of his zeal in persecuting God's people filled him with abhorrence of himself and bitter remorse, and like Isaiah he saw his own unworthiness. Hopeless and helpless he cast himself on Jesus as the only one who could pardon him, clothe him with righteousness, and grant full and free forgiveness. From a proud Pharisee who thought himself justified by good works and blameless touching the righteousness in the law, he struggled to give up his supposed righteousness and became a humble suppliant for mercy, with his tongue changed from blaspheming the name of Christ to sounding the praises of Him who called him out of darkness into marvelous light.
Seeing the Lord gave him a glimpse of the beauty of God's character and of the loveliness of the divine character, and changed him. It inspired in him a desire for others to be freed from sin. That revelation made an impression that never lost its force on his mind, remaining with him to enable a correct representation of the Christian life and character. It influenced his estimation and delineation of Christian character and of the obligation owed by man to God, and exalted him above every other apostle among believers in Christ. That conversion gave him lasting assurance and encouragement for his later work.
Christ Convicts and Converts
Jesus Himself spoke to Saul from heaven on the road to Damascus, identifying Himself as the One Saul was persecuting in the person of His saints. He had come full of zeal to take men and women for imprisonment and death, being exceedingly mad against believers, and the Commander of heaven made His voice heard with light from heaven to arrest the bold persecutor because of the suffering brought upon His church. Christ miraculously arrested Saul in his course and by the Holy Spirit convicted his mind and heart of sin, stopping his persecution to make him a messenger of the gospel, especially to the Gentiles. That revelation brought light to his mistaken understanding and showed the miraculous power that convicts people of sin.
Saul recognized that Jesus whom he had opposed and counted an imposter is indeed the Christ and Redeemer, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Author and foundation of all the religion of God's chosen people from Adam's day and the Finisher of the faith. Convicted of sin by God's law, he recognized his sin, repented, died to sin, became obedient to the law, asked what the Lord wanted him to do, trusted Christ as his Saviour, was baptized, and began preaching Jesus. His change from a persecutor of Jesus' followers into a believer who preached Jesus as earnestly and zealously as he had once condemned Him was brought about by overwhelming evidence, not by impulse or fanaticism.
Saul persecuted with strict conscientiousness, great zeal, sincerity and bitter prejudice, thinking that wiping out the saints, hailing them before judges, threatening, imprisoning and killing them was doing God service, but his zeal was not according to knowledge and he was in the wrong path. Such sincerity and strict conscientiousness did not leave him guiltless once the Spirit impressed his cruel work upon him, for it does make a difference what a man believes even if he is sincere. The more conscientious a man is in believing error, the more dangerous he becomes in opposing truth, but if converted he will be as zealous and persevering in spreading truth as he was in opposing it. It is not safe to always follow the dictates of conscience, and conscience must be enlightened before spiritual things can be correctly discerned; the Lord's glory struck Paul blind to teach this, and the view given him of his wicked course was a terrible revelation to him that changed his character and his conscience.
With spiritual vision opened Saul learned that he had regarded Christ as making of none effect the law of God, but Christ came into the world for the express purpose of vindicating His Father's law, being its originator and foundation and the foundation and originator of the entire Jewish system of sacrifices. In Christ's death at the crucifixion type met antitype, Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled, and Christ was seen as the vindicator of the truth and the fulfiller of all prophecies. His apostleship came from God and not from men, with plain direction that his work was to be among the Gentiles, and his gospel came through revelation of Jesus Christ, not from human teaching. The greatness of that call and the revelation that made Christ's mission and the distinction between living faith and dead formalism clear drove him to leave Damascus for Arabia for solitude with God for communion, contemplation, searching of heart, deepened repentance, prayer and study and earnest seeking until he knew his repentance was accepted, his great sin pardoned, and Jesus would be with him and had established him in faith with wisdom and grace for his coming ministry.
Directed to Christ's Church
Though brought directly into the presence of Christ to be fitted as a chosen vessel for a most important work, Saul was not immediately told the work assigned to him nor taught directly the lessons of truth he must learn. When arrested in his course and convicted of sin he asked what he should do, and instead of answering directly Christ told him to arise and go into the city, placing him in connection with the church where they would tell him what he must do and he would learn God's will. The account thus shows Christ directing Paul to receive further instruction through His church rather than independently of it, after conviction by God's law, repentance, obedience to the law, trust in Christ as Saviour, baptism, and beginning to preach Jesus.
Christ's manner of working for the salvation of men is to work through appointed human agents and blessings that come through agencies He has ordained, rather than doing every part of the work directly Himself. He could have done all this work for Saul directly, but that is not His plan, so Paul had to take steps in his conversion and something to do in confession to those whose destruction he had meditated. He had to join the disciples he had persecuted and become a learner of them, and God gave a responsible work to do to the men He had authorized to act in His stead. Ananias served as Christ's representative in restoring Saul's sight and laying hands on him to receive the Holy Spirit. With spiritual vision opened he learned from the disciples that Jesus whom in blindness he had counted an imposter is indeed the Author and foundation of all the religion of God's chosen people from Adam's day and the Finisher of the faith, the vindicator of the truth and fulfiller of all prophecies. Though he had regarded Christ as making of none effect the law of God, he learned that Christ was the originator and foundation of the entire Jewish system of sacrifices, that in Christ's death type met antitype, and that Christ came into the world for the express purpose of vindicating His Father's law.
Acts 9:1-18 gives principles to always remember about Christ and His organized and acknowledged church where He has a church. Christ does not sanction religious experience and exercise independent of His church.
Warning and Encouragement Today
The speechless companions who heard a voice but saw no one prove that heaven itself stepped in to stop the maddened persecutor on his way to seize men and women for prison and death, and that all heaven cares for the believing church and will open a way for those who trust God. The Commander of heaven saw the suffering laid on His church and made His voice heard, with light from heaven arresting Saul in full zeal, and Jesus Himself speaking to identify Himself as the One being persecuted.
Saul while still unconverted was hunting souls under Satan's use, and the whole chapter warns unconverted brethren to wake up and receive converting power lest Satan use them the same way to hunt and persecute souls. History will be repeated, for as satanic agencies crucified Christ and as Lucifer exalted himself, that same self-exalting power will work through unconverted men in present and future experience. Yet beneath hatred and contempt, even beneath crime and degradation, a soul may still be rescued by Christ's grace and become a jewel in the Redeemer's crown, as Saul of Tarsus, one of the most determined enemies of the gospel, became Paul the devoted minister of Christ. His change from persecutor to chief apostle stands as an example of mercy receiving the helpless.
Those who now oppose truth with bitter prejudice are no worse than Saul was when filled with bitter prejudice, and God can work mightily for such brethren. Strong iron walls of prejudice can be broken down when God's servant is humble and teachable and molded by His Spirit, hides in God and lets His Spirit soften his spirit, refuses to get in the way and hedge up his own path, lets melting love and pity and tenderness dwell in his heart while he labors, clings to Jesus Christ, is ready to be counseled by more experienced brethren, is not too easily discouraged by difficulties or the fiercest opposition, and goes forth not in his own name but in the might and power of Israel's God, enduring hardness as a good soldier.
Paul was strict, zealous, and religious yet not a Christian until the Saviour revealed Himself to him, and that reveals the difference between being religious and being a true Christian. Ever after that revelation Christ was to him supreme above all others and altogether lovely. The same thorough conversion is what ministers need before they are fitted for God's work, and what all require who with all their powers war against God's law, whose carnal minds are at enmity with God and not subject to His law, neither indeed can be, unless Christ is brought into life and character, without which profession of the Christian name is valueless. Even as a persecutor his heart was susceptible to divine impressions.
Saul acted in conscientious error while threatening, persecuting, imprisoning, and killing Christians, and this proves that people in every church who do not know truth but live up to the best light they have, even while living in error in worshiping an idol sabbath, can be as conscientiously serving the Lord as Saul was until Jesus reveals Himself to them. Sincerity does not remove the difference that belief makes, for the more conscientious a man is in believing error the more dangerous he becomes in opposing truth. But if such a one becomes converted he will be as zealous and persevering in spreading truth as he was in opposing it.
Paul's sudden arrest while persecuting Christ's followers gave him a view of the Saviour that completely transformed him from zealous persecutor to devoted and effective worker for Christ. He had blasphemed His name and used every means to make others blaspheme, thinking that wiping out the saints, hailing them before judges, and bitter rage against them was doing God service, but his zeal was not according to knowledge and he was in the wrong path until Christ stopped him and showed him that in persecuting the saints he was persecuting Christ Himself. When he saw his error he turned and joined the people he had thought worthy only of persecution, exchanged Phariseeism with its popularity, honor, and ambitious preferment for the gospel of Jesus Christ without counting it a sacrifice, served Christ through trials and humiliations, and at last suffered martyrdom for Him, his life wholly devoted to the Crucified One, his one aim to be faithful, to serve and honor Him whose name had once filled him with contempt, to win souls, counting his former righteousness of the law worthless and pressing to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. That conversion experience was afterward related before kings and governors as testimony concerning Jesus, and his turn from religious tradition to liberty stands as the comparison for Farel's turn to the liberty of the sons of God.