(Acts 9: 1-22; chaps. 22 and 26)
THE first mention of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7:58).
His life as a Pharisee and persecutor of the Chris-
tians (Acts 8:3; 26:9-11). He was sincere in his
religion before he became a convert of Christianity,
and, at the same time, absolutely wrong. Saul was
following the dictates of his conscience while perse-
cuting and destroying the churches. We can follow
conscience and be in the wrong oftentimes. Do you
remember a time when you were sincerely in the
wrong? We can follow conscience only to the extent
that human conscience is trained in accordance with
the Word. We must follow the conscience of God as
revealed in the Book.
The story of the appearance of Jesus to Saul, on
the road to Damascus, briefly related. The conclusion
of the story in the house of Judas. We shall study
this conversion under three headings:
1. What Jesus did. He appeared personally to
Saul on the way to Damascus. Why? To tell him
what to do to be saved? No. To pardon him? No.
After the ascension, Jesus never appeared to any one
to pardon sins. Why? Because God has ordained a
law of restoration or pardon (Mark 16 : 16 ; Acts 2 : 38).
Why did Jesus appear to Saul in person? To make
him an apostle (Acts 26:16-18). To be an apostle, a
man must have seen the risen Christ (Luke 1: 2; 2 Pet.
1: 16). Saul was a chosen vessel (Acts 9: 15) ; i 1 born
out of due time" (1 Cor. 15:8).
Jesus then appeared in a vision to Ananias (Acts
9: 10-12) ; for it was the plan of God that the sinner
should be told what to do by the preacher, as in the
case of Philip and the eunuch. The divine part ended
when preacher and sinner were brought together (Rom.
10:17).
2. What the preacher did. He went to the house of
Judas, where he found the sinner in a penitent condi-
tion. He instructed him what to do (Acts 22:14-16).
3. What the sinner did.
a. He believed. Jesus appeared to him on the road
to Damascus. Hitherto he had been a persecutor of
the Christ and His followers. But the moment he
listened to the voice of Jesus, he believed. He knew
he had been in the wrong (Acts 22: 10; 26: 14-18).
b. He repented. From that moment his entire atti-
tude was changed (Acts 26:19). He was willing to
do whatever the Lord commanded (Acts 22:10). He
went into Damascus, to the house of Judas, at the
Lord's command. There he waited for three days in
a penitent condition (Acts 9:9).
c. He was baptized. He was a penitent believer
when Ananias found him. Therefore, there was but
one thing left for him to do (Acts 22: 16). How was
he baptized? What was the action? Let him answer
himself (Rom. 6:3-5): "Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into
his death? Therefore we are buried with him by bap-
tism unto death." Note the pronouns "us" and "we,"
by which Paul includes himself among those buried
with Christ by baptism. This last action put him into
Christ (Gal. 3:27).
Paul's conversion was genuine. He brought forth
the fruits of real repentance. From a persecutor of
the Christians, he changed into the matchless champion
of the true faith. While he was once a Pharisee of the
strictest sect, he was now a loyal, consecrated Christian.
He was a powerful minister because he was educated.
He became a matchless logician and author. He was
loyal to the gospel and consecrated to the service of
Christ (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 2:2; 9:16; Phil. 1:21-24).
He was courageous and bold. Notice his display of
courage on Mars' Hill (Acts 17) ; and at Ephesus
(Acts 19) ; and in the presence of Agrippa (Acts 26).
He endured all manner of persecution for Christ's sake
(2 Tim. 3:10, 11; 2 Cor. 11:23-33). Witness also his
marvelous faith (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Would that we had
to-day ministers of the gospel as loyal, as courageous
and as consecrated as Paul!
