Paul's Persecuting of the Church

Paul called himself not only a persecutor and a slanderer of Christ, but an insolent opponent. He was sinning against his own destiny because God had set him apart from his mother's womb to be an apostle. And my guess is that this set Paul to thinking, not just about the greatness of Christ as the one he was persecuting, but also about the privileges that he was sinned against. Only God could see this evil perfectly and only Paul could feel it, extensively.