W. T. P. Wolston
"When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in 'not to] me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:15-1915But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. 18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. (Galatians 1:15‑19)).
What took place in these fifteen days God has not been pleased to record, but we can, from our other knowledge of these two dear men, safely conjecture what that meeting meant. A good deal can be learned in two-weeks residence with a brother in Christ. The time was not long, but surely long enough for the apostle of the circumcision and he of the uncircumcision to mutually get to know and love each other in the Lord.
Possibly Peter, with a keen remembrance of the part Saul had played in Jerusalem at Stephen's death, and the fact that he had been so long in presenting himself at what Peter doubtless regarded as "Headquarters," may have been reserved. That the assembly as a whole was leery of receiving him is clear from Acts 9:2626And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. (Acts 9:26), "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.”
But Barnabas came to his rescue and heartily commended him as a sincere believer and disciple. When confidence was established, communion was assured. Peter's nature was not to harbor suspicion, and Paul was so simple and straightforward that the former's heart, we may well be assured, was soon gained. That it was so is certain as we hear him speak at a later date of "our beloved brother Paul" (2 Peter 3:1515And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (2 Peter 3:15)).
How much of surpassing interest Peter would have to tell Paul of the Lord's earthly life, and of all that had taken place up to the date of their meeting. With what interest, too, Peter would listen to Paul's tale of his unique conversion, of his seeing Jesus in glory and of the special commission he held in regard to the Gentiles.
The meeting of these two remarkable men has a peculiar interest to my heart. Neither they nor those about them knew how much was to be connected with their ministry. One thing is certain, that of all the men that then lived these two are the best known today. Others may have had a passing notoriety or possibly a place in the page of history; these two have honorable mention and a marvelous record in the eternal pages of God's Word. Their words and testimony for Christ were the means of the conversion of thousands of precious souls while they lived, and their inspired writings have been the priceless heirloom of the church.
Untold millions in hundreds of languages have had the faith of their souls imparted, fed and nourished by the words of God, which, as His "chosen vessels," they received and indicted and the Holy Spirit has applied. Thank God for Peter and Paul! Their reward will be great in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and a poor outlook has that man who has not an assured place in that kingdom. In face of this, who would not be a follower of the Lord Jesus? The soul who declines this blessing and this honor will have eternity in which to repent of his folly.
The fifteen days Paul spent with Peter were not idle days, for we read, "And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him" (Acts 9:28-2928And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. 29And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. (Acts 9:28‑29)). To save his life, the brethren sent him away to Tarsus, his own town.
The conversion of Saul must have caused immense joy, as well as relief, to the Christians, and we can understand how thanks went up to God concerning him, as they said to each other, "He which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed" (Gal. 1:2323But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. (Galatians 1:23)).
At this moment, under the good hand of God, the persecution against the saints began to lull, and the assemblies throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria, having rest, were edified. Peter thereupon again comes on the scene outside of Jerusalem and passes throughout all parts of Israel (Acts 9:3232And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. (Acts 9:32)). This circumstance the Spirit of God relates after Paul's conversion, and before the record of his special work. This is without doubt to show the spiritual and apostolic energy still existing in Peter at the very time that God was calling a new apostle who should bring in much new light and commence a new work. What God had done by Peter and what He was about to do by Paul are thus intermingled to preserve the unity of the church. Although Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, it is Peter who is first instrumental in bringing them into the church.
First we have the peculiar place that Peter occupied in the Lord's work strikingly attested by the healing of Eneas and the raising of Dorcas. There is something exquisitely beautiful in the record of the last few verses of Acts 9, because that which comes before us occurs among the saints and not out in the world as such.
It is noticeable that this title "the saints" is first found here in the New Testament scriptures as applied to believers in the Lord Jesus. Most people when they speak of "saints" think of the dead and are apt to limit the number of those who are worthy of the title to a few bright examples such as St. John and St. Peter. That those who have died are called saints is clear from Matthew 27:5252And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, (Matthew 27:52), but in Acts 9 the term is applied three times to the living (see verses 13, 32, 41). It belongs to all who are born of the Spirit and washed in the Savior's blood; all such are set apart to God as belonging to Him by redemption. All through the epistles it is the common term applied to God's children.
I know many dislike to accept the term. Why? Because they rightly connect practice with it and say, "If I were to acknowledge that I was a saint, you would want me to walk like one, and that I know I cannot do." The great thing is to find out what you really are before God, and then to be it practically.