Paul's Conversion

These are the notes for the next in the series of studies on the Apostle Paul a group of seniors in Glen Abbey United Church, Oakville, Ontario, Canada is working through with considerable diligence. These notes are also posted on the website of the congregation: glenabbeyunitedchurch.com . They may be used with attribution by anyone who so desires.

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Not a great deal is known about Paul’s conversion other than that as a zealous Jew he was on his way to Damascus with a licence to persecute all followers of Jesus he could find there. It would appear that his transformation from a pharisaical zealot to a convinced believer and dedicated apostle occurred in some kind of religious experience of a mystical nature. In 2 Cor. 12:1-10 he wrote of a “thorn in his flesh” given to him to prevent excessive elation about what had happened. Although many attempts have been made to diagnose what this disability may have been, no objective symptoms can be discerned. Were the two related?

Scottish scholar and preacher, James S. Stewart (1896-1990) described Paul’s experience as reactive mysticism in contrast to the other common type of proactive or meditative mysticism. In other words, Paul reacted to a divine initiative. As a sincere and able Pharisee, he believed he had been doing God’s will in defending the Law of Moses against the Jesus movement. He did so with great passion.  But God had acted in some way, perhaps by means of Paul’s physical disability, to completely reverse his deep commitment as an orthodox Pharisee.

In the Old Testament at least two other similar mystical experiences stand out: the call of Moses when he turned from herding sheep at the sight of a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-12); and Isaiah’s call while attending the morning sacrifice in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-13). Do both of those correspond to the Paul’s conversion experience? On the Damascus Road did Paul have some sudden some physical incident which he interpreted mystically as divine revelation?

Moses and Paul both suffered from great inner conflicts which their respective calls resolved. Isaiah, worried about his nation’s future, was going about his daily routine of attending worship. Through the ages other people have reported similar spiritual experiences in either circumstance. Divine revelation described as reactive mysticism appears to occur in such different ways regardless of human desire or will.

In the other main type of mystical experience, known as proactive mysticism, someone intentionally engages in activities such as prayer, meditation, dedicated personal devotion, or other rites for the specific purpose of discerning the presence and purposes of God. It is possible that prior to his Damascus Road experience, Paul used this “God-seeking” mysticism in dealing with whatever his “thorn in the flesh” may have been.

Through the ages radical conversions have occurred in many forms and still occur today. The famous 18^th century evangelists, John and Charles Wesley, both devoted Anglicans, had been instructed from childhood by a deeply religious mother. As students at Oxford University they formed a small group nicknamed disparagingly as “the Holy Club” which actively engaged in prayer, bible study and methodically sought to live a holy life. Later, as an ordained minister John Wesley failed as a missionary in Savannah, Georgia, but came into close contact with a group of Moravians whom he found to have a much deeper conviction than he did.

While in Georgia, Wesley became romantically involved with a young woman but broke off the relationship on the advice of a Moravian preacher. Wesley faced a suit for breach of promise, but the trial ended without resolution. Returning to England, he experienced a life-changing experience while listening to a reading from Martin Luther’s Preface to the Letter to the Roman. He “felt his heart strangely warmed,” and found new trust in Christ that gave him assurance that Christ had saved him from sin and death. His long preaching ministry thereafter changed the course of English society by bringing innumerable others to a deep experience of God.