What did Saul recognize when the law truly took hold of him?
When the law took hold of Saul, he recognized that he was the biggest lawbreaker of all and that he was nothing. He saw himself as a sinner who had persecuted believers, and he realized that the old Adam had to die - not physically, but that his sin nature had to be dealt with.
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 and claimed that he was such a sinner, having persecuted the believers. When the law finally got a hold of old Saul, he had to recognize, 'I'm nothing.' He said, 'I died,' not physically, but that old Adam had to die. Les connects this to the theme of Romans: dealing with the old sin nature that constantly makes man rebel against the very tenets of God. He stresses that this cannot be done in the energy of the flesh; no one can deal with old Adam in the flesh. He uses the illustration of a trained horse that, when it exploded with an outside source of energy, showed itself for what it really was - just as cantankerous as the worst bronc. That is where our old Adam is, and we have to come to grips with it. Joining a church is not what we have to do to get right with God; Les is not against the church but uses it as an example.