Galatians 1:13-14 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, being so far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
We now get some insights into Paul’s background in one of the rare parts of his letters that are autobiographical. He describes his former life in Judaism in order to contrast the significance of the change that happened in his life through the revelation he received. This former life is gone, radically changed forever when he met Jesus in his vision on the road to Damascus. This is the “old self” about which Paul writes in Ephesians 4:22 and Romans 6:6. Paul experienced this change and believed it is possible for anyone else who comes with faith, humility, and submission to the lordship of Jesus.
Paul describes his former life in several ways. First, he persecuted the church of God. Acts 8-9 describe this. In 1 Timothy 1:12-17, he testifies that this persecution made him the worst of sinners, but God in Christ forgave him. The word violently and the phrase tried to destroy it show that this was not just casual verbal assault but physical and abusive. Violently is the word for excessive and over the top. He really went after the early Christians. He took the initiative, made the arrangements, and went himself to take care of this heretical group. His goal was to destroy it. He was a purist who wanted to preserve his Pharisaic version of Judaism. He saw the followers of Jesus as a threat and heresy. He was so caught up in his own interpretation that he missed what God was doing right before his eyes. He heard the testimony of Stephen, which was an appeal to Scripture and the very heritage Paul wanted to preserve. He needed a radical wake up to the truth.
Saul, as he went by at the time, was making good progress in his advancement up the ladder within Judaism. He was on the coat tails of the most powerful Jews at the time. By going after the Christians, he could prove himself loyal and responsible. He may have set off for Damascus to prove himself and to fulfill his inner drive to be righteous before God’s eyes. He was zealous, loyal, and enthusiastic for the Jewish traditions he had been taught by people such as the famed Gamaliel. He knew the law and these traditions and what it took to look good in the eyes of others. Sadly, however, he was mistaken in thinking that this would make him look good enough for God. He was on the same path as the opponents who had come to Galatia with the false gospel. The Galatian churches were in danger of going down this wrong path. Paul may be offering himself as an example here of what to avoid. The gospel radically redefines this whole approach to God. Outward efforts to be holy and righteous will do nothing for our inner spiritual condition.
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