What did Saul realize when the law got hold of him on the Damascus road?
When the law finally got hold of Saul on the Damascus road, he realized he was the biggest lawbreaker of all. He recognized he was nothing, having persecuted the believers, and that his old Adam had to die, not physically.
Les explains that on the road to Damascus, when Saul was confronted with the ascended Lord, the law suddenly meant what it said to him. He realized he was the biggest lawbreaker of all, which is why he claims he was such a sinner, since he had persecuted the believers. When the law finally got hold of old Saul, he had to recognize that he was nothing. He says he died—not physically, but that old Adam had to die. Les connects this to Romans and the sin nature that constantly makes man rebel against God's tenets, and he stresses that old Adam cannot be dealt with in the flesh or by merely joining a church.