November 30: Being changed by the Gospel

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

In telling someone about our conversion experience, we establish a context for the conversation. Then we tell the person what our life was like before we met Jesus, how we came to confess Him as our Savior, and what our lives have been like since then. Paul defended himself before people who were ready to do him bodily harm. Their anger arose from a misunderstanding. They believed Paul had desecrated the temple by taking an uncircumcised person, Trophimus (21:29), inside. He had not. He convinced his Roman guard (21:40) to let him speak to the crowd from some stairs.

• As elementary as it may sound, to share our faith we must speak a common language (vv. 1-3). When making his case before the mob, he reverted to the language spoken by the Jews, probably Aramaic but possibly Hebrew. He further established contact with the mob by citing his religious credentials. Reared a Jew, he had studied under a famous teacher, Gamaliel. He knew Jewish law and practiced it zealously.

• Paul’s second defense was to face honestly his sinful past (vv. 4-5). As is so often true, what he thought were acts of obedience to God were really contrary to God’s purposes. Realizing the Christian message was undermining most of his dearly held religious and cultural principles, he decided to destroy the preachers, arresting and putting them in jail. When Stephen, the first martyr, was being stoned to death, the "witnesses," probably men whose warrants legalized the execution (7:58), placed their robes in Paul’s care, thus implicating him in the travesty (8:1). Seeing Stephen’s blood encouraged Paul to greater zeal (8:3).

• God was preparing Paul for a life-changing event as He led him to a personal encounter with Jesus (vv. 6-11). On his way to Damascus, Paul was stricken to the ground at noon by a bright light from heaven. As he was falling to the ground, he was startled by a Voice which asked, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Dumbfounded, Paul asked for the identity of the Speaker. The answer further confused Paul.

The account in Acts 9:7 says Paul’s companions heard the voice, whereas 22:9 says they did not. The language of the earlier account says they heard a sound, but not a discernible language. Paul’s conversation with Jesus was restricted to his ears alone. Jesus then instructed Paul to continue his journey to Damascus and there await further instructions. Paul had been blinded by the glory of the light. His heart and mind must have been in turmoil as he fasted for three days (9:9).

• Our Lord had been preparing an obedient witness (vv. 12-16). While we may wonder why Jesus did not instruct Paul directly, this much is clear. God uses people who have been saved to share the plan of salvation with others. In Damascus, a man named Ananias, apparently had been praying because Jesus appeared to him in a vision and instructed him to visit Judas on Straight Street and inquire about Saul of Tarsus (9:11). Ananias was reluctant (9:13-14), but Jesus informed him of Paul’s ministry among the Gentiles (9:15). Ananias obeyed.

We are not sure at what point Paul was saved, but he received his sight at the command of Ananias (v. 13). He arose and was baptized. The verse could be translated, "Having arisen, [he was] baptized, having called on the name of the Lord." Water baptism cannot save. Only regeneration washes away sins (Tit. 3:5). Paul immediately was filled with the Holy Spirit (9:17). According to the original experience, the filling preceded his water baptism (9:17-18).