I. INTRODUCTION
A. We meet Saul of Tarsus, Acts 7:58-8:1.
1. God has chosen to spread His Word through man.
2. He has specifically chosen some men because of their potential.
3. Saul of Tarsus was such a man.
4. The stoning of Stephen Saul was present,
a. consenting to his death, (Acts 22:20)
b. known to the murderers,
c. later condemns his own attitude, (Rom. 1:32).
B. The Mind of Saul
1. Qualified by God to propagate and defend Christianity.
2. No man (except Jesus Himself), has done more to spread Christianity.
a. by explaining and vindicating its doctrines,
b. by adapting it to the world and the world to it,
c. by developing its great principles,
d. by giving it a systematic form,
e. by establishing it as "the faith" for all mankind.
3. Responsible for much of the New Testament
a. "Acts of the Apostles" is mostly about him.
b. He wrote at least 13 of the remaining 27 books of the NT.
1) These epistles are doctrinal in nature (not just history).
2) They are the best explanation and defense of Christianity available for our study.
3) Without his contributions, the Gospel would be hard to understand.
C. Why Choose Saul?
1. He never knew Jesus during His earth-life, he was not one of the 12.
2. He was obviously at odds with the cause of Christ.
3. The answer is to be found in the character, the training and the learning of Saul of Tarsus. He was raised in a place where language, learning, and philosophy prevailed.
II. DISCUSSION
A. The Character and Position of His Father Reflected in Saul.
1. "...the son of a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6) Little is known of his mother, (Gal. 1:15,16), while more is known of his sister (Acts 23:16), and various other relatives (Rom. 16:7,11,21).
2. What was a Pharisee? A man who placed the form of his religion first; a believer in revelation and the resurrection of the dead; an advocate of the Law, government, morality, his own opinions, the traditions of the Fathers.
3. His Roman citizenship though he was a Jew (Phil. 3:6), his father had obtained Roman citizenship, (Acts 22:28).
a. It allowed him protection from the Jews
b. It acted as a "passport" as he traveled.
c. See Acts 16:37; 22:25-29; 25:10,11.
B. The Birthplace of Saul Tarsus in Cilicia
1. A Greek city on the river Cydnus. Known as a city of trade, commerce and, Greek philosophy, education, and literature.
2. A crossroads of diverse religions and cultures.
3. While he was raised a Hebrew, the influence of the Greek and Roman cultures would have their impact on Saul. He was not a stranger to Greek learning, (Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12; 1 Cor. 15:33).
4. This Greek background would be invaluable to his ministry, as Greek was the international language of the day, (Acts 17:18).
C. Saul's Training Under Gamaliel
1. Educated and nurtured at the feet of Gamaliel, (Acts 22:3).
2. His manner of life from his youth, (Acts 26:4).
3. Sent to Jerusalem by his father to be trained in the "Law."
4. Gamaliel the most celebrated Jewish teacher of his time.
a. Gamaliel was characterized by his candor and coolness of judgment. He had a good reputation among the people. (See his defense of the Apostles in Acts 5:34-40.) He was thoroughly: religious, Jewish, and a Pharisee, yet a man of noble principles.
b. Tradition holds that Gamaliel was versed in Greek learning and this probably impressed the young Saul, the product of a Greek city. In retrospect, we can easily see the results of this preparation, because Saul was to spend much of his public life in the centers of Greek philosophy, learning, and power.
c. Gamaliel held authority in high regard as a teacher and expositor of the Law. He was not ruled by his passions, as some of his colleagues obviously were (Acts 5:34ff.), but was a man who stood squarely for law and order.
d. There is no evidence to suggest that Gamaliel ever obeyed the Gospel of Christ. It is possible that he would have condoned Saul's later activities, including persecution of the Church, but only if sanctioned by the Law.
5. Gamaliel's influence made manifest in Saul.
a. Saul persecuted the church under sanction of the Sanhedrin.
b. Saul endeavored to keep the Law, and by his own admission was successful to the degree that any man could keep the Law, (Phil. 3:6).
c. He was religious, conscientious, moral, restrained from lawless violence.
d. The stoning of Stephen was the act of a lawless mob and while Saul did not participate, his heart, was with the murderers!
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. How did Saul's early training prepare him to preach the Gospel in general?
2. What about Saul's early training prepared him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles in particular?
3. Do we ever restrain ourselves from participating in something, because of our conscience or the manner in which it is being done, yet in our hearts approve of it being done? If yes, give an example from your life.