But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 WEB

In 1 Corinthians 15:9, Paul describes himself as unworthy of being an apostle of Jesus Christ saying, “For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God. WEB” Before converting to faith in Jesus, Paul approved the imprisonment and death of the faithful in Christ. In his initial fanaticism, he attempted to destroy the belief that Jesus defeated sin and death in the resurrection.

Acknowledgement to God

In this passage from 1 Corinthians, the apostle seeks no credit for changing his ways. Instead, he gives full acknowledgement to the grace of God. Jesus caused him to believe when he confronted him on the road to Damascus. We read of this encounter in Acts 9:3-5 that states, “As he traveled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ WEB”

Paul was also known as Saul. Scholars are not quite sure if he took a name change or if he was referred to as Saul in Jewish circles and Paul due to his status as a Roman citizen. What is clear is that after his conversion, the gospel begins to refer to him as Paul.

An encounter with Jesus Christ is even more significant than a name change, however. It is the life transforming power of the grace of God in Paul’s life that made him the great apostle that he was. Consequently, Paul wanted to emphasize this grace. All of the credit goes to God.

Yesterday’s Devotional: Open My Eyes