The greatest act of conversion in the Bible was that of Saul to Paul. And, from being the greatest persecutor of Christians, Saul became the greatest advocate for Christ as Paul. 

Saul was on his way to Damascus on a mission in connection with the persecution of Christians when he had a personal encounter with the risen Christ in a dazzling light, which threw him on the ground and instantly robbed him of his sight.

His mission thus aborted, he had to be led by hand to Damascus where he remained in darkness for the next three days, with neither food nor water. 

Through a vision, the Prophet Ananias was sent to him to restore his sight, and confer on him the Holy Spirit which was now badly needed for his new mission. Reassuring Ananias of the true transformation of Saul, the Lord said: “Go, for this one is an instrument chosen by me to convey my name before nations and kings and the sons of Israel. For I will reveal to him how much he must suffer on behalf of my name” (Acts 9:15-16). 

Saul had a devastating career as one of the leading persecutors of Christ, and he played a prominent role in the stoning of Stephen, one of the earliest Martyrs of the Church. Contrary to popular conception, it was not God that changed Saul’s name to Paul.

There are many theories regarding the change, but they are of little importance in the discussion of Paul’s changed career. What is clear is that the name Saul has a Greek or Jewish derivative, while Paul is the Latin or Roman version of Saul. 

In Acts 13:9, we learnt for the first time that Saul is also called Paul, and has been filled with the Holy Spirit. The change of name must have occurred in the light of Paul’s new assignment, to dissociate him from his previous ignominious role as Saul.

Also, the name Paul would endear him to a wider Roman audience than the previous limited Jewish group of co-persecutors of Christ. What ultimately matter is not the change of nomenclature from Saul to Paul, but the change of theological status from sinner to saint. 

Paul the Apostle is credited with thirteen books of the New Testament, known as the Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul. The Pauline passages, addressed to different groups (to the Galatians, to the Romans, to the Corinthians, to the Philippians, to Philemon, and so forth), clarify very many issues of faith and conviction, which have become standard points of reference today.

They are parts of the canon of the New Testament, and foundational texts for both ethics and Christian theology (Internet Source), although Paul’s authorship of some of them is widely debated, as mere issues of intellectual scholarship. 

Paul paired up with Peter in the dissemination of the Gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles; hence, we have many institutions named after the pair. While Peter focused more on the Jews, Paul was more preoccupied with the Gentiles who were regarded as outsiders, and often thought of as being unworthy of salvation.

But the Bible is full of instances where the Gentiles have demonstrated even greater faith than the hypocritical Jews, the Pharisees and the Scribes.

When the woman of Canaan called on Jesus to save her daughter from affliction, Jesus responded that “it is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs.” But, undeterred, the woman responded: “Yes, Lord, but the young dogs also eat from the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.” Jesus, overwhelmed by the faith exercised by this so-called unbeliever, said to her: “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you just as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour (Matthew 15:22-28). 

So, Paul’s role in carrying the Gospel to the ends of the earth cannot be discounted. Not all conversions or call of Jesus can be as dramatic as the conversion of Saul. A whole lot of subtle conversions from sinner to saint go on in our daily lives, and it is up to us as individuals to know when we are being called and for what purpose. 

Like the famous Cinderella from-rags-to-riches fable, the transformation of Saul to Paul, or from sinner to saint, is an outstanding illustration of transmutation from one extreme negative state to the opposite. It also exemplifies the fact that Jesus is perfectly capable of choosing the weakest or the strongest of us to achieve his divine purpose, with or without our consent. The Pauline passages often occur as the second reading during the Sunday Masses, which underscores Paul’s significance in Christian theology.