Paul tried to convince the Jews of the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was their Messiah but they refused to accept Him as the suffering servant choosing to believe instead that He would come as a powerful King.
Their Old Testament Covenant Law and all its traditions, power and control that came with it, were of more importance to the Scribes and Pharisees than the truth of Jesus Christ.
All scriptures is the inspired word of God and profitable for learning.
Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The intent of Paul was to prove to the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Steeped in Judaism and the law they found it hard to accept the Gospel of grace only found in Him.
Hebrews 1:1010 And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
In the beginning Christ laid the foundations of the world. Everything made is the works of His hands.
Everything is provided by God for mankind’s good. Psalm 104
When we start to doubt whether God cares about the hard circumstances in our lives, we can remember that Jesus understands our suffering (Hebrews 4:14-16). Because of His death and resurrection, we have hope (Lamentations 3:29). Even when waiting feels impossible, we can be confident in His promise: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Jesus also demonstrated this truth when He said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). First 5
I was so grateful to receive this affirmation of the gift of grace and restoration, from The Retired Reverend Steven Charleston’s reminder, “Anytime, night or day, happy or sad, safe or scared, you can be in touch with the holy. Heaven is open all night. It is available 24/7. The Spirit never sleeps. To make contact all you have to do is open your heart, reach out with your mind, and send a signal to the universe: I am here. Please hear me. Please help me. Please listen to my story. And in the silence that follows, coming from all four directions at once, you will feel a hand touch your shoulder: I am here. I hear you. Let me help. Tell me your story. Anytime.” Sabbath Moments
Acts 9:20–22
20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. 21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. The New King James Version
Saul has been radically transformed; he now uses his extensive training and zeal to build up and defend the gospel rather than to attack it. In the Old Testament, being a son of God usually belongs either to Israel in general or to the Davidic line in particular.
The ultimate Israelite and descendant of David, the Messiah, is identified as God’s Son (Psalm 2:7). Faithlife Study Bible
Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
The people in Damascus were amazed that Saul was preaching, because Saul had come to kill Christians, not defend their faith.
Saul’s fame as a persecutor of Christians was well known to the Jews in Damascus. The leaders of the synagogues were probably notified of his coming and instructed by the high priest to welcome this zealous defender of Judaism. They seem to have been unnerved at first, not only by the fact that Saul had become a Christian, but by the strength of his faith and of his argument from Scripture that Jesus was indeed the promised Savior of Israel, the Messiah. So powerful was Saul’s argument from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ that the Jews plotted to kill him. They even enlisted the cooperation of the governor of Damascus under King Aretas IV of Arabia, who reigned from 9 b.c. to a.d. 40.. The NKJV Study Bible
Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Acts 9:13–14 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
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