Paul needed those three years to unlearn his deep-rooted Judaism and to receive the unprecedented revelations of grace directly from the Lord.
Les Feldick teaches that Saul of Tarsus was saturated with Judaism and had to be cleansed. The Lord also used this time to give Paul new revelations that had never been disclosed before, and God deliberately separated him from the Twelve because they were still steeped in the Law.
Galatians 1:11 — This verse is the foundation where Paul insists his gospel came by revelation, which sets up the need for the three-year preparation.
Acts 9 — Acts 9 records Paul's conversion and the early phase of his life as a believer, forming the biblical timeline for the three-year period.
The Bible records Paul's own testimony that his gospel was not received from men but through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12). In the same passage Paul recounts how after his conversion he went into Arabia and returned to Damascus, and only after three years did he go to Jerusalem to meet with Peter (Galatians 1:17-18). Acts 9 also tells of Paul's calling and his early preaching in Damascus. Scripture presents the three-year period as the time between Paul's conversion and his first meeting with the apostles, though it does not explicitly explain why the interval was exactly three years.
Les Feldick explains that Paul's three years were not wasted time but a divine preparation. He believes Paul spent the entire three years at Mount Sinai, where God personally dealt with him. The key reason is that Saul was steeped in Judaism, and it probably took two and a half years to get Judaism out of his system. During this time God also gave Paul clear-cut understanding of things never revealed before, and He distanced Paul from the Twelve because they were still living under the Law. After these three years, Paul was ready to begin his ministry to the Gentiles.
Les Feldick holds that Paul went from Damascus to Mount Sinai in Arabia and spent the entire three years there. He acknowledges that some scholars disagree, but he believes the Lord dealt with Paul alone in the desert during that whole time. As Les puts it, 'It probably took the Lord two and a half years to get Judaism out of His system.'
Les gives several reasons: Saul was saturated with Judaism and needed to cleanse his thinking and behavior; he was receiving revelations that had never been disclosed before, which naturally took time; and God wanted to distance Paul from the Twelve, who were still steeped in the Law. Paul had to start with a fresh slate.
After the three years, Paul returned to Damascus and eventually went to his home city of Tarsus. There he began his ministry among the Gentiles, always approaching the Jew first. He continued for about eleven years before the Jerusalem council, and his first epistles (Thessalonian letters) were written around 54 AD.
Why Did Paul Spend Three Years Alone Before Preaching? — Galatians Explained
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, an Oklahoma rancher and farmer. Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for over 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say, time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Three Years at Sinai
Les believes Paul spent the whole three years at Mount Sinai, where the Lord dealt with him personally, preparing him for the trials ahead.
God's Personal Seminary
Les calls the three-year period 'God's personal seminary,' after which Paul went to Tarsus and began his public ministry.
Cleansed From Judaism
Les directly answers the question: Saul was steeped in Judaism, so it took time to cleanse his thinking and behavior; the new revelations also demanded an extended period.
Why Paul's Gospel Is Different From Peter's — Acts 9 & Galatians 1
Yes he did, it took a while, but come back to his little epistle, 2 Peter chapter 3. Now Peter is writing this little epistle just shortly before he's martyred, about 66-67 A .D., or about 30 years after Saul's conversion. Time is rolling by, maybe not as fast as it does today, but time still went by, and so 30 years have been elapsed since Peter and Paul first had their meeting at Jerusalem, unti…
Ministry Timeline
Paul's conversion is placed around 37 AD, and after three years of desert training he begins his ministry around 40 AD.
Distancing From the Twelve
God deliberately distanced Paul from the Twelve because they were steeped in Judaism, and it took about two and a half years to remove Judaism from Paul's system.
Fourteen Years Later
After the three years in Sinai and subsequent ministry, Paul returned to Jerusalem 14 years later for the council, showing the timeline.
Les Feldick believes Paul was at Mount Sinai in Arabia. He says the Lord took the whole three years dealing with Paul alone in the desert, preparing him for his ministry.
No. Les emphasizes that Paul did not confer with the Twelve. God kept him separate so that Paul could receive the gospel of grace directly by revelation, without the influence of Jewish law.
Paul went to his home city of Tarsus and began ministering among the Gentiles, always approaching the Jew first. He later attended the Jerusalem council, approximately 11 years after beginning his ministry.
Watch the Teaching: Why Did Paul Spend Three Years Alone Before Preaching? — Galatians Explained