Was Saul of Tarsus sincere in his persecution of the church?
Saul of Tarsus was sincere in his persecution, but sincerely wrong. As a religious practitioner of Judaism, he saw the inroads Jesus of Nazareth and the Twelve were making into Judaism, went into orbit, fought it tooth and nail, and tried to stamp it out. His sincerity was directed toward hating Jews who had embraced Jesus.
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus was not passive or half-hearted. As a religious practitioner of Judaism, when he saw the inroads Jesus of Nazareth and the Twelve were making into Judaism, he went into orbit, fought it tooth and nail, and tried to stamp it out. Les says he was sincerely wrong, but he was sincere in hating these Jews who had embraced Jesus of Nazareth. This fits with Paul’s own statement, “I persecuted the assembly of God, and wasted it.” The context also connects this to Stephen’s stoning, when the leaders cried out, stopped their ears, and ran upon him.
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Who was Saul of Tarsus before his conversion and what did he do to the early church?
Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, corrupt in the Jewish religion, and showed no mercy to those who opposed it. He dragged them in, threw them into dungeons, or committed them to stoning, while profiting in the Jews' religion.
Who was Saul persecuting before his conversion?
Prior to his conversion, he persecuted Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah. He tried to stamp out anyone in Israel who proclaimed Christ, arresting those in synagogues who believed in Him and bringing them to Jerusalem for trial, punishment, and often death.
More Questions
What was Saul doing to Christians in Israel before his conversion?
Before his conversion, Saul was trying to stamp out everyone in Israel who had proclaimed and believed Jesus was the Messiah.