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The kindness of God in putting me into so noble a service was the greater and more thankworthy, because
before that time I was a blasphemer, one who spake of Christ reproachfully, for that blasphemy signifieth. Paul was a zealous man in the Jewish religion, his blasphemy therefore only respected the Second Person in the Trinity, which the Jews owned not. Paul compelled others to blaspheme, Act_26:11.
And a persecutor: of his persecution, see Act_8:3: he entered houses, haled men and women to prison; he breathed threatentings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, Act_9:1; he persecuted Christianity even to death, Act_22:4,5. Thus he was injurious, for in other things he was, as to the law, blameless, Phi_3:6, bred up a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of the Jewish religion, Act_26:5; but he verily thought with himself that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, Act_26:9; so as he went according to his conscience, (such a one as he had), and, Act_26:10, he had also authority from the chief priests. But neither the dictates of his own erroneous conscience, nor yet the command of his superiors, could (according to Paul’s divinity) excuse him from being a
persecutor, and injurious, and standing in need of the free pardoning mercy of God, which he saith he obtained of God’s free grace, because
he did it ignorantly. We cannot reasonably think that ignorance of the Divine law (once published) should excuse any transgressor of it, we see men will not allow it as to their laws, after promulgation; so that although Paul persecuted Christians ignorantly, yet he stood in need of mercy. Ignorance excuseth not a toto, but a tanto, not in whole, but in part, and makes the sinner’s sin not to be so exceeding sinful, especially where it is not vincible. Paul’s ignorance here mentioned was vincible; he lived in Judea, where the gospel had been preached some years before he persecuted the professors; he might have heard the sermons preached, and seen the miracles wrought, by Christ and the apostles; but he was bred a Pharisee, and under the prejudices of that sect which were implacable enemies to Christ, this kept him in ignorance. Christ allows something for the prejudices of men’s education. He did what he did also while he was in a state of
unbelief. He believed one true and living God, (all the Jews did so), and worshipped him according to the Jewish manner, yet styles himself an unbeliever. Every man is an unbeliever (in a gospel sense) that receiveth not Jesus Christ as the Son of God and his Saviour, though he believes there is one God, &c. Paul addeth this circumstance of his ignorant blaspheming and persecuting the truth, partly to justify the Divine mercy that pardoned and preserved him; for the gospel peremptorily excludes from pardon all that sin against the Holy Ghost, such who, being enlightened by the knowledge of the saving truth, yet for carnal reasons deliberately and maliciously oppose it; now the showing mercy to Paul was no contradiction to this most wise law of God: and partly he mentions his ignorance to prevent the abuse of the Divine mercy by men; as if from his example they might securely imitate his persecuting the saints, or live in a course of sin, though convinced of their wickedness, and hope for mercy at the last.