This lesson was taught in the Sunday School class at Liberty Baptist Church, Muncie, using the Striving Together Publications curriculum Stories of Grace.
Few stories in all of Scripture are as dramatic, as humbling, and as gloriously redemptive as the transformation of Saul of Tarsus into the Apostle Paul. This Bible record reminds us that no heart is too hard, no past too dark, and no sinner too far gone for the grace of God.
A Child Shaped by the Law
Saul was born in Tarsus, a prominent city in the region of Cilicia, into a devout Jewish family of the tribe of Benjamin. From his earliest years, he was steeped in the traditions of his fathers. He was circumcised on the eighth day, raised according to the strictest sect of Judaism, and sent to Jerusalem to study under the great rabbi Gamaliel — one of the most respected teachers of the Law in all of Israel.
"I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day." — Acts 22:3
Saul was brilliant, passionate, and deeply committed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was, by every measure of his culture, a rising star — a Pharisee among Pharisees, zealous for the Law, and utterly convinced that he was doing God's will.
Why He Persecuted the Christians
When the followers of Jesus of Nazareth began to spread their message throughout Jerusalem and beyond, Saul saw them as a dangerous threat to everything he held sacred. To him, the claim that a crucified carpenter was the long-awaited Messiah was not just wrong — it was blasphemy.
Saul did not merely disapprove of the Christians. He hunted them. He dragged men and women from their homes and threw them into prison. He stood and watched approvingly as Stephen — the first Christian martyr — was stoned to death, holding the coats of those who cast the stones.
"And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem." — Acts 8:1
He obtained letters from the high priest authorizing him to travel to Damascus and bring any followers of Jesus back to Jerusalem in chains. This was boldness — but it was a boldness that came from his own heart, from pride, from zeal without knowledge, from the flesh. And as our lesson reminded us, boldness that comes from our own heart leads us away from God, not toward Him.
The Light on the Road to Damascus
But God had other plans.
As Saul and his companions drew near to Damascus, a light from heaven — brighter than the noonday sun — blazed around him. Saul fell to the ground, blinded and trembling. And then he heard a voice.
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
Saul asked: "Who art thou, Lord?"
The answer shattered everything he thought he knew: "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." — Acts 9:4-5
The very One Saul had been persecuting was the risen Lord of glory. Jesus was alive. And He was speaking directly to Saul.
Saul arose from the ground blind, led by the hand into Damascus, where he fasted and prayed for three days — neither eating nor drinking — waiting on the Lord.
Ananias: The Man God Sent
Meanwhile, the Lord appeared in a vision to a faithful disciple in Damascus named Ananias and told him to go find Saul. Ananias was afraid — he had heard what this man had done to the saints. But the Lord reassured him:
"Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." — Acts 9:15
And so Ananias went. In one of the most tender moments in all of the New Testament, this faithful disciple walked into the room where the feared persecutor of the church sat blind and broken — and called him brother.
"And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." — Acts 9:17
Ananias laid his hands upon Saul and prayed over him. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes. His sight was restored. He arose and was baptized. And he was filled with the Holy Ghost.
A Lesson for Our Children: Two Kinds of Boldness
One of the most powerful truths our Stories of Grace lesson brought out for our Sunday School class at Liberty Baptist Church is this: there are two kinds of boldness.
The first kind of boldness comes from our own heart — from pride, from self-will, from wanting to be right. This is the boldness Saul had before Damascus. It was fierce and passionate, but it was leading him straight into sin. The Bible tells us that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). Boldness that comes from our heart alone will always lead us in the wrong direction.
The second kind of boldness is the boldness that comes from the Lord. This is the boldness that filled Paul after he was filled with the Holy Ghost. It is a boldness that allows us to speak for God, to serve Him faithfully, and to share our testimonies with others — not because we are confident in ourselves, but because we are confident in Him.
"And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God." — Acts 9:20
The same man who had come to Damascus to destroy the church was now boldly proclaiming Christ in the synagogues. That is what the boldness of the Lord looks like. It transforms. It testifies. It serves.
We encouraged our children to ask themselves: Where does my boldness come from? Is it from my own heart — wanting my way, speaking out of pride? Or is it from the Lord — speaking His truth, serving others, sharing what He has done in my life?
What This Means for Us
The story of Saul becoming Paul is a living testimony to the power of Jesus Christ to transform any life. If God could stop Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus and turn the church's greatest enemy into its greatest missionary — what might He do in your life?
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." — 2 Corinthians 5:17
That is the miracle of grace. And it is still happening today.
Read the King James Bible Online
All scripture references in this post are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. You can read the complete King James Bible online at KingJamesBibleOnline.org — a free, searchable resource for the Word of God.
Further Reading: The Life of the Apostle Paul
If this lesson has inspired you to learn more about the life of the Apostle Paul, we recommend Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright. This beautifully written book traces Paul's remarkable journey from zealous Pharisee to the greatest missionary the world has ever known — bringing the ancient world to life and showing how Paul's letters continue to speak to us today. Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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We are grateful for the Liberty Baptist Church, Muncie Sunday School family and the Striving Together Publications curriculum that continues to ground our children in the Word of God.
