Paul's developing theology of grace/gift

It is unlikely that this interpretation of the Christ-gift came to Paul fully formed in his Damascus-experience: he reconstructs this connection after many years alongside Gentile converts, whom he found gifted with the Spirit despite their failure to observe the Torah (cf. Gal 3:2–5). Paul’s experience, scriptural re-reading, reflection on the story of Christ, and extended interaction with “un-judaized” believers combined to forge his theology of incongruous gift. It is hard to imagine how Paul’s theology could have taken this shape had his mission been limited to Jewish communities in the homeland or the Diaspora: his Gentile mission not only embodied but also shaped his thought. Theology and practice reinforced one another in a protracted dialectical relationship that made his apostolic calling to the Gentiles central to his version of the “good news.”—J. M. G. Barclay, Paul and the Gift, 361