Saul of Tarsus was a vicious persecutor of Christ’s beloved followers. Most Christians likely viewed him as a lost cause, beyond any hope of repentance. Yet, the resurrected Jesus was far above such flawed human reasoning. He and his Father saw good qualities in Saul. Jesus said: “This man is a chosen vessel to me.” (Acts 9:15) Jesus even used a miracle to lead Saul to repentance. (Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-9, 17-20) After becoming a Christian, Saul​—later known as the apostle Paul—​often expressed his appreciation for the way he had been shown kindness and mercy. (1 Tim. 1:12-15) When Paul heard about a scandalous problem regarding immorality in the Christian congregation in Corinth, how did he handle it? He did so in a way that teaches us a great deal about Jehovah’s loving discipline and about the importance of showing mercy. w24.08 13 ¶15-16

Through the centuries, Jehovah gradually made it clearer and clearer how sinful humans could draw close to him. Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, was the first human to put faith in Jehovah after the tragedy in Eden. Because Abel loved Jehovah and sought to please Him and draw close to Him, he offered up a sacrifice. Abel was a shepherd, so he took some of his young lambs and slaughtered them, offering them up to Jehovah. How did Jehovah respond? He “looked with favor on Abel and on his offering.” (Gen. 4:4) Jehovah expressed approval of similar sacrifices offered up by people who loved him and trusted in him​—such as Noah. (Gen. 8:20, 21) By accepting such sacrifices, Jehovah showed that sinful humans could gain his favor and draw close to him. w24.08 3 ¶5-6

We may feel deeply hurt and distressed by injustice. (Eccl. 7:7) Faithful servants, such as Job and Habakkuk, felt the same way. (Job 6:2, 3; Hab. 1:1-3) While these feelings are natural, we need to be careful about how we react so that we do not do something foolish and make matters much worse. When those who act unjustly seem to go unpunished, we might question whether it is worthwhile to do what is right. Consider the psalmist who observed that the wicked seemed to prosper at the expense of the righteous. “These are the wicked, who always have it easy,” he said. (Ps. 73:12) He was also so distraught about the injustice he saw that he almost lost confidence in the benefits of serving Jehovah, saying: “When I tried to understand it, it was troubling to me.”​—Ps. 73:14, 16. w24.11 3 ¶5-7