Galatians 1:13 Commentary and Bible Study

Paul has just referred to the time in the past when he lived by an entirely different principle, and he adds these biographical details as proof that he did not receive his gospel from men but directly from God. Before his conversion he had been a persecutor of the church, a fact that was widely known. Before we are called by God, all of us are opposed to God and to the gospel, but Paul’s opposition was so strong that he took positive steps to try to stamp out this new religion, being the most zealous persecutor of the church in his day. He does not go into details here, but describes his actions as ‘beyond measure’. Luke in the book of Acts supplies some of these details and we therefore interpret the words ‘beyond measure’ as expressing the fanatical violence of his action. Paul was present at the stoning of Stephen as an eager supporter of his death (Acts 7:58); he forced an entrance into people houses, arresting men and women in his hatred (Acts 8:3); he was prepared to travel to foreign cities in order to hunt down Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial (Acts 9:21); he persecuted followers of what was known as ‘the Way’ to death (Acts 22:4); and he tried to force them to blaspheme the name of Jesus (Acts 26:9-11).Paul did all this as a result of his mistaken conviction, for he believed as a Pharisee that his religion required him to eliminate this new sect. He saw the gospel as completely incompatible with what he understood of the teachings of Moses, and was convinced that the two could not exist side-by-side. He was therefore determined to annihilate the disciples of Christ. He uses the word ‘church’ in this verse in the universal sense to include not just the church at Jerusalem, but in all parts of the known world where the gospel had spread. Damascus, to which he travelled intending to arrest Christians, is about one hundred and forty miles from Jerusalem. Clearly no effort was too great for him and he was determined to eliminate this heresy wherever it spread. In this state of mind it was impossible that Paul should have willingly received instruction from the apostles or any other Christian. Instead God had to deal with him directly and those with him on the road to Damascus could testify that that was exactly what had happened.