The Apostle Paul was brutally honest whenever he shared his testimony about his conversion to Christ. Luke, a doctor who cared for Paul in the later years of his ministry, recorded many of the details of Paul’s story in the book of Acts. Luke tells us that Paul, who was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, stood by approving of the execution of Stephen, the first martyr of the church (Acts 8:1). Luke said, “And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:1-3).

Luke’s account of Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus is recorded in Acts chapter 9. Luke began by stating that Paul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples when he headed toward Damascus where he planned to round up more Christians. Luke went on to say:

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Later in the book of Acts, Luke recorded Paul sharing his testimony with some people in Jerusalem. In the later account, Luke used a different phrase to convey Jesus’ instruction to Paul. Luke said, “you will be told all that is appointed for you to do” (Luke 22:10). The word appointed refers to Paul being ordained by God for his ministry of preaching the gospel.

Paul’s pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus were intended to capture the essence of this ministry, what you might call Paul’s lessons learned for the men he expected to take over his work after he was executed. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul talked about false teachers who did not understand the gospel’s core message, which was, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul began explaining this important doctrine to Timothy using himself as an example of someone who desperately needed to be saved. Paul told Timothy, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:12-14).

Paul went on to explain that the reason Jesus saved him was so that he could make him an example for others who might think they don’t need or deserve the gift of salvation. Paul said, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Tomothy 1:15-17).

Paul described himself as the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16). What Paul meant by foremost was that he outranked all other sinners as an enemy of Jesus, as an opponent of Christ’s gospel. It wasn’t until he was converted on the road to Damascus that Paul realized he was completely wrong about everything that he had believed about Jesus. Paul said afterward that he had been acting “ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13). Paul was living in a state of unbelief before he embraced the gospel (G570). Paul credited the grace of our Lord overflowing for him with faith and love as being the catalyst for his miraculous transformation.