Paul was such a great example of what the blood of Jesus Christ can do to make the transformational change in a person, proving that the Blood of Jesus Christ can save the worse of the worse sinner. Paul certainly showed his loyalty to the Jew and the Temple leaders – dragging Christians out of their homes for torture and even death, just as the example of Stephen that he held the coats for the men that stoned him.
I believe the validity of Paul was reinforced by the Apostle Peter (who oversaw the Jerusalem Jewish Christian Church) -The story of Paul’s rebuke of Peter for shunning the Gentile with the Gospel. I would think it would be just a little hard for Peter to accept this rebuke from a man with the documentation and history of persecuting Christian as Paul had done; when Peter had truly walked with the Lord – truly followed Jesus during the 3 years of Christ’s ministry.
Man wants to label everything and everybody – however you shall know them by their fruits. Even so, the true test is not who is the most righteous, but who has found favor and approval in God’s eyes through Repenting and Believing in the Wisdom of the Cross; then being baptised in to the body of Christ. As Jesus said, “Unless you are reborn of the water and the spirit, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Was Paul saved when Jesus appeared to him? He was humbled, blinded, and told to go and it would be told to him what he must do. After he was baptised and received the Holy Spirit of God, his eye sight was restored. It this a different Gospel than what is being taught today?
Paul certainly preached the Word in season and out of season to all men and women, no matter their orientation or race – he certainly believed the Good News of Jesus Christ was for Salvation of the whole World, for all men and women – a message that was free – and even though he wrote and authored over half of the New Testament – he kept his day job – tent making as he did not want to be controlled by man or to answer to any man – He only answered to God and God’s Son Jesus Christ – who put Paul in the category of the original Apostles – by Jesus appearing to Him – seeing Jesus after His Resurrection, the true definition of an Apostle.
There is only one organization that is important – The Kingdom of God with God’s selected King; our Savior, Redeemer, Mediator, and High Priest.