Why did God save Saul of Tarsus by grace?
God saved Saul of Tarsus by grace because Saul had no merit whatsoever; that is grace. At that point Saul did not yet know that Christ died for his sins and had risen. He had only recognized who Jesus really was, and God stopped him in his tracks.
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus was a religious Jew, a fanatic, and a zealot, but the grace of God stopped him in his tracks. He was saved because he had no merit whatsoever, and that is grace. On the road to Damascus Saul did not yet know that Christ died for his sins and had risen; that was not the basis yet. He had only recognized who Jesus really was. God then dealt with Ananias in Acts chapter 9, telling him Saul was praying and was on communication ground with the Lord Himself. Saul had also seen a vision of Ananias coming to restore his sight, even though Ananias objected because of the evil Saul had done to the saints at Jerusalem.