Yes—God showed Paul mercy because of His grace, not because Paul earned or deserved it.
Saul of Tarsus was a self-righteous persecutor who literally hated the name of Jesus and put believers in prison and even to death. Yet instead of giving him the punishment he deserved, God saved him on the Damascus road. Les Feldick calls that grace: God's unmerited favor extended to a rebel.
1 Corinthians 15:10 — Paul himself says he was what he was by the grace of God, not by his own merit or works.
Acts 9:4 — God's first recorded words to Saul show he was persecuting Christ, not seeking mercy.
Romans 9:18 — God declares that He has mercy on whom He will have mercy, showing His sovereign freedom to spare Paul.
Scripture makes clear that Paul's place in God's program was not earned by his credentials or works. Paul himself testified, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10), and he connected salvation to grace through faith rather than works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The record of his encounter on the Damascus road shows Paul was not seeking mercy; he was on his way to persecute believers when the risen Christ confronted him: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4). God's own declaration in Romans 9:18 states, "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." That sovereign mercy is the biblical category for why a persecutor like Paul received what he did not deserve.
Les Feldick says that from the human standpoint, anybody in God's position would have "zapped" Saul of Tarsus or at least punished him severely. Saul was a religious zealot who was contrary to God, hated the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and persecuted believers—putting many in prison and voting for their deaths. Les says if there was ever a man that had every right in the world to be "zapped and be done with," it was Saul of Tarsus. But instead of wrath, God saved him. That is what Les calls grace. Paul did not receive his apostleship because he was educated or merited it; he said "by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Les points out that Saul did not even repent on the road to Damascus first; God intercepted him and said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" That was pure grace. Les calls Paul the epitome of a sinner saved by grace and says we are in the same category: rebels, lost, and condemned, yet God saves us by His grace. Les further explains that God is a sovereign God who deals in mercy. Because of grace, He did not wipe out Israel at the golden calf or after they rejected the Messiah, and He has not destroyed the human race even though they deserve it. Mercy and grace were poured out in Christ's death, and now all we do is appropriate that mercy by faith.
Les describes Saul as a religious zealot who was contrary to God and literally hated the name of Jesus of Nazareth because he thought it opposed his religion. He persecuted those who had faith in Jesus, committed many of them to prison, and even voted to have many put to death. Les says if any man got every right in the world to be "zapped and done with," it was Saul of Tarsus.
Because God acts in grace. Les says we would have zapped Saul or punished him severely, but instead God saved him. Saul did not suddenly come to himself and repent; he was on his way to Damascus to carry out his dirty work when God knocked him off his horse and asked, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" That was grace. Paul later described it as "by the grace of God I am what I am"—not because of his education or merit, but because God did it all.
Scripture says God "will have mercy on whom he will have mercy." Les ties this to God's sovereignty: God had every right to destroy Israel after the golden calf and after they crucified the Messiah, but His grace restrained Him. He also endures the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction with much longsuffering. At the cross, God poured out both His wrath and His mercy, so mercy is now available to be received by faith. Paul's salvation is the clearest picture of this: a deserving rebel received mercy rather than wrath.
Grace Made Paul an Apostle
Grace, not education or merit, made Paul an apostle; "by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Grace Restrained God's Judgment on Israel
Israel deserved destruction after the golden calf and after rejecting Messiah, but God's grace held back His judgment—same grace now restrains judgment on humanity.
God Saved Saul Instead of Punishing Him
Human fairness would have zapped Saul or punished him severely, but God saved him instead—that is grace, and Paul is its ultimate example.
Mercy Poured Out at the Cross
We deserve nothing; God provided a way back through His mercy, and at the cross He poured out both wrath and mercy to be received by faith.
Saul's Persecuting Background
Saul was a religious zealot who hated Jesus, persecuted the church, imprisoned believers, and voted for death sentences—he deserved judgment.
Grace Intercepted Saul on the Damascus Road
Saul was on his way to do more harm when God knocked him down and spoke to him; Saul's salvation was initiated entirely by grace, not by his repentance.
A Sovereign God Who Deals in Mercy
God endures vessels of wrath with longsuffering; He is a sovereign God who deals in mercy through His unmerited favor.
Mercy Already Poured Out
Because mercy was poured out on Christ at the cross, we no longer have to beg for mercy—God now gives grace, which we don't deserve.
1 Corinthians 15:10: But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Paul ties his identity and apostleship directly to God's grace rather than his own merit.
Acts 9:4: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
God's first words to Saul show that Saul was persecuting Christ, not seeking mercy.
Romans 9:18: Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
God's mercy is sovereign; He chooses to show mercy rather than give people what they deserve.
Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Salvation is a gift of grace, not a reward for works.
Romans 9:22-23: What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Paul frames God's longsuffering and mercy even alongside vessels of wrath, highlighting grace.
No. Les says Saul of Tarsus was a religious zealot who hated the name of Jesus, persecuted believers, and voted for their deaths. By every human standard he deserved to be punished, yet God saved him by grace.
Saul was on his way to Damascus to carry out his persecution when God knocked him off his horse and said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" Paul didn't initiate repentance; God initiated the encounter. That is why Les calls it grace.
Les says yes. Before we were saved we were rebels, lost, and condemned already; just as God saved Saul, He saves us by His grace. We are in the same category with the Apostle Paul.
Watch the Teaching: Grace vs. Mercy: What's the Real Difference? (Bible Explained)