Origins of Grace
Up until that fateful day on the Damascus Road, Saul was a respectable, upstanding Pharisaical Jew in first-century Israel. He was unprepared for the events that were soon to unfold, setting his life on a new course. Saul was the epitome of a law-abiding Pharisee. It was this man, who was “full of truth” and believed that he was serving God, who was in truth persecuting Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.
Remember that Saul did not have a New Testament to read or study – his Bible was the Old Testament, and he knew it well. From his writings, we know that he was extremely detail-oriented and a stickler for accuracy. But without a New Testament, how was God to take such a man and teach him about grace from the Hebrew scriptures?
In Acts 9:1-22 and Galatians 1:11-20, Saul, aka Paul, recounts his conversion experience, his preaching in the synagogues, and his subsequent alone time in the Arabian wilderness. It seems from his comments in Galatians 1:15-19 that Paul had no interaction with the existing apostolic leadership for at least 3 years. His understanding of faith, grace, and the kindness of God must have been revealed supernaturally during and after the Damascus Road experience or from his study of the Old Testament scriptures. I am suggesting it was both; Paul found evidence in the Old Testament to support his experience on the Damascus Road.
To understand the insight given to Paul, we must go back to Genesis and consider the life of Abraham. In his epistles, Paul repeatedly refers to Abraham (directly and indirectly). If we attribute the book of Hebrews to Paul, there are nearly 30 references to Abraham in his letters. Personally, I believe it was through the lens of Abraham’s life that Paul came to understand the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
The twelve disciples benefited from living with the Messiah for three years. But Paul had no such mentor. He did not even meet the disciples until three years after his conversion (Gal. 1:17). But what he did possess was a deep and rich understanding of the Hebrew scriptures. Abraham’s life and stories were quite possibly the most valuable mentors for learning about salvation, faith, and grace. Perhaps this is why he continually refers to the patriarch in his letters. Here are a few examples.
So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
Galatians 3:9
Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:14
And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Romans 4:23-24
Setting the Stage for Saul’s Conversion
Before Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the Damascus Road, Stephen in Acts 7 explained God’s care for the Hebrew people. His care and long-suffering of the Jewish people was intended to create a pathway for the coming of the Messiah.
At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel. This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you. So Abraham left…..
Acts 6:15-7:2
Notice that Stephen begins with Abraham. I find it peculiar that Stephen did not mention the earlier events of Genesis. His point was to trace the redemption story, not the story of evil, pain, and suffering in the opening chapters of Genesis. And that story of grace and redemption began with the call of Abraham. At the end of Stephen’s speech, we are left looking at Saul approving of Stephen’s death.
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 7:54-58
Paul choose a great mentor
When we consider the examples above and other references Paul makes to Abraham in his letters, I’m certain that Paul, who authored half of the New Testament, learned a great deal about faith and grace from his mentor Abraham. He did not have Jesus or the twelve disciples on earth to teach him. But he did have the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the witness of the Hebrew scriptures.
So, the next time you hear that faith and grace are only revealed in the New Testament, remember Paul’s mentor. As a follow-up for further study, you may wish to look up references for Abraham in Paul’s letters. Then consider how Paul arrived at his New Testament conclusions about the patriarch from studying the original Abrahamic stories.
~~be blessed!
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