I. INTRODUCTION
A. Saul persecuted the Church under the auspices of the Sanhedrin, (as implied in Acts 8:3).
1. He was a young man. In general, the young and the educated are not the ones at the forefront of persecution.
2. In religion, as in other things such as politics, it is usually the older folks that are intolerant of new opinions, conservative, envious of youth, stubborn, ignorant by choice, and perhaps even bigoted. They are the ones who long for the "good old days."
3. The young are often skeptical of doctrines held true by their elders and willing to defend ideas proposed by others of their own generation.
4. Old men are either confirmed believers or unbelievers and account in a large part for the stinginess and bigotry of this world.
a. It was no accident that the Sanhedrin that condemned the Savior was composed of the "elders" of the Jewish nation.
b. The "Council" that condemned Stephen was made up of these same old men.
B. Few men (young or old) have persecuted with the zeal of Saul of Tarsus.
1. His manner "breathing out threatenings and slaughter," (Acts 8:3; 26:9-11).
2. His rage knew no gender barriers, (Acts 8:3; 9:2; 22:4).
3. He "persecuted the church of God, and wasted it," (Gal. 1:13; 1 Tim. 1:13; 1 Cor. 15:9).
C. The Sanhedrin claimed jurisdiction in religious matters over Jews in foreign countries. It is probable that the Sanhedrin wanted to stop the spread of Christianity to Damascus, a city of many of their Hebrew brethren. No one was more able to that task than Saul.
II. DISCUSSION Throughout the ages, new views on philosophy and religion have not been well received to say the least. Anaxgoras was imprisoned and later exiled for teaching that their was an intelligent Cause of all things. Socrates was condemned to death for the same reason. Galileo was thrown into prison for teaching against the Roman Catholic Church and their theory of the earth-centered universe. The pure religion of Jesus Christ has encountered opposition of men all over the world, from the Cross in Jerusalem to our very doorstep.
A. The Cause of Persecution
1. The war of opinion man is not easily detached from the views he already holds.
a. The world measures a man by his opinions, to them opinions are the man. Opinions measure his reputation and his influence and show his experience and his education. To attack a man's opinions is to attack the man himself.
b. Opinions already held, slow the progress of new views in religion.To attack an opinion held concerning religion attacks our conscience and our immortal hopes.
c. More wars have been fought over religious opinions than for any other reason in the history of mankind.
2. The vested interests connected with opinions.
a. Most religions of history have been sustained by the law of the land. While religions of other countries might be tolerated, most cultures reject any attack on their own beliefs.
b. Christianity violated this principle by condemning all idols, of all religions, of all countries. It further called for the overthrow of all altars and the disbanding of every priesthood of every nation.
3. Most false religions appeal in some way to the corruptions of the heart. When Christianity attacks the vices of this world, many of them are sanctioned by the false religions of the world.
4. The human heart seems to have an aversion to holiness . If not, why is the preaching of the Gospel an "offense" to some and a "stumbling-block" to others? Why do men recoil from the truth concerning the plan of salvation, and a life of self-denial, prayer, and benevolence?
5. It is not hard to see how all these things influenced Saul and contributed to his persecution of the church.
B. The Effect of Persecution
1. Persecution has never destroyed anything that was good and true. Conversely, it has only established the truth more firmly. Man seems to show an interest in those persecuted and in the things for which they are persecuted. A saying handed down from the early church: "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church."
2. Persecution tests the reality of a religion, not necessarily its truth. Pagans, Moslems, Buddhists, Atheists and others have been persecuted and their religions still exist. Yet, the manner in which our Savior suffered on the cross caused the centurion to say, "Truly, this was the son of God." The world as a whole has been impressed by the Christian martyrs from Stephen on down to today in places like China, Russia, and the Philippines.
3. The results of persecutions are worth their costs. The happiness (blessedness) brought into this world by true Christianity more than outweighs the suffering of all its martyrs.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. What contributed to a young Saul having old opinions?
2. If Christianity was to be destroyed by persecution would it have been destroyed by now?
3. What is the greatest threat to Christianity today?
4. The Effect of Persecution Has the gain been worth the cost?