Saul afterwards

It is unknown how long Saul stayed in Damascus. What happened to Saul afterwards is as follows: (1) Saul went out from Damascus to Arabia. Galatians 1:16-17 says, “to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.” He likely went to Arabia between Acts 9:21 and 22. (2) Afterward, he returned to Damascus. Next time, we will examine Saul’s movements in more detail.

The target of Saul’s evangelism

Saul was an apostle to the Gentiles, but his mission was not exclusively to them. He states his evangelistic principle in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (a) Saul’s evangelistic strategy was “to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile.” (b) He first visited the synagogues to preach the gospel to the Jews. (c) There, he also encountered “God-fearing Gentiles” and “proselytes of the gate,” who also listened to Paul’s message.

The content of Saul’s message

(1) The focus of Saul’s message was “Jesus is the Son of God.” (2) The term “Son of God” had various meanings: (a) The people of Israel (Hos. 11:1), (b) The king of Israel (2 Sam.l 7:14), and (c) The Messiah (Ps. 2:7). “I will announce the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have fathered You.” (3) The word “son” is used to express a person’s faith or nature. (a) Barnabas is “the son of encouragement,” (b) James and John are “Boanerges” (sons of thunder), and (c) Christians are “sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7). (4) When Jesus claimed to be the “Son of God,” He was asserting His divinity. (5) Saul proclaimed that Jesus is God (ref. Acts 9:22). According to Paul, “Jesus = Son of God = Christ = God.” There is no other answer to the question of who Jesus is. We, too, are believers in this truth.