With regards to the preaching of Saul, we notice that he testifies that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). This tells us something about his theology from the very start of his ministry.

The claim that Jesus is the Son of God is very significant. It draws attention to his life and his nature. Biblically, the sons of God refers to those who obey God and thereby give a true representation of his character. Just as the sons of the devil are those who act in the same way as the devil (see John 8:44), so the sons of God are those who behave in a way that is in keeping with what God has revealed. Proclaiming Jesus to be the Son of God, Saul is thereby stating that Jesus is the one person who is completely and absolutely obedient to God. He is the one who reveals God in a unique manner. In short, he behaves as God behaves and he does so because he is the only begotten Son (see John 1:14–18).

The Sonship of Jesus draws attention to his life and through his life to his nature. One person who is true man and true God. The one who came to make the Father known. This is a staggering claim in and of itself and even more so coming from a Jew. To say that a man is God? This is exactly the charge upon which Saul previously accused Christians of blasphemy, the reason why he sought their death (see Acts 26:10). Nevertheless, it is the claim which he now makes because he has met with Jesus Christ. On the road to Damascus, as certainly as Moses met the Lord at the burning bush, Saul was likewise confronted by the Lord and he discovered that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:11). One person who is true God and true man—it defies understanding but it is the reality to which he will testify.

This then is the theology of Saul which we find in all his preaching. Jesus is the Son of God. And it is a beautiful theology, a wonderful theology because it means that peace with God is not a pipedream. Because Jesus is true God, he was able to bear the burden of God’s wrath without being destroyed himself. Because Jesus is true man, he could die in the place of men. Like for like. Because Jesus is a righteous man, he is free to pay for the sins of others since he has no sins of his own. The good news of Christianity is grounded on the Sonship of Christ. Salvation does not depend on man reaching up to God, it is not about excelling in good works. No, salvation is God coming down to man. The Word taking on flesh, the body of Christ broken in the place of sinners, the blood of Christ given to wash us clean.