Acts, Part 17

Saul’s Conversion

Life Changing Meeting

Acts 9:1–9 ESV

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

This passage begins with Saul’s persecuting the church intensely. He isn’t content with merely persecuting believers in Jerusalem (8:3); his campaign extends to Damascus (9:1–2; see 26:11). Only the spilling of more blood will satisfy his obsessive hatred of Christians. He wants to liquidate every vestige of Christianity. The arrest warrants he receives from the high priest, authorizing him to arrest believers, fill him with the hope that others will soon face a fate similar to Stephen’s.

The earliest Christ followers probably took on the title “the Way” based on the words of Jesus, who referred to himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; see Acts 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Saul, the text says, hoped to eradicate men and women belonging to “the Way” as he headed north toward Damascus.

But something happens along his journey. The risen Christ arrests Saul. A light representing the blinding glory of God (cf. Luke 2:9) flashes around the persecutor. Like the prophets who were called through the vision of God’s glorious light, so this man is now confronted with the Holy One. The encounter happens around noon (see Acts 22:6), yet the midday sunshine is swallowed up by the greater light. Traumatized, Saul falls to the ground.

Like many Old Testament individuals, Saul is summoned by name. Then, as he wonders whose voice he hears, Jesus stuns him by identifying himself as the speaker (v. 5). Saul had thought he was on a righteous mission to eradicate followers of this very Person, but now he’s quivering on the ground before the blinding glory of Christ, and he’s made aware that he’s on the wrong team. Saul learns that to persecute the church is to persecute Jesus. The Lord identifies with his bride. Theirs is an amazing union.

The risen Lord then directs Saul to go to the city in order to receive further instructions (vv. 5–6). Saul did not see, eat, or drink for three days (v. 9).

Saul’s worldview got demolished. A new one was about to take its place. Jesus humbled this arrogant and violent man, turning the terrorist into a soon-to-be evangelist. The self-righteous persecutor is about to become the Christ-centered apostle.

Pauls’ Commissions

Acts 9:10–19 ESV

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

In contrast with the Ananias mentioned in Acts 5, this Ananias in verse 10 is a faithful Christian who is set to welcome Saul into the company of disciples (cf. 22:12). When first the Lord tells him to go meet Saul, Ananias objects. Saul was well known for his violent acts in Jerusalem, and Ananias knew Saul’s intentions in Damascus. The Lord, however, calms Ananias’s fears; he describes Saul’s entirely new identity and purpose. God’s word would prove true. In the following chapters Saul—who would soon be known as Paul—addresses “Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.” He suffers much for the sake of Christ; he will be shipwrecked, slandered, imprisoned, and worse.

Ananias goes, lays his hand on the waiting Saul, and says, “Brother Saul …” (v. 17). This means that the first word Saul hears from this man, this follower of the Way, is “brother.” What a comfort! Surely in that moment Saul not only received his new identity but recognized that in Christ he also received a new family. Becoming a follower of Jesus involves coming into a family of brothers and sisters in the faith.

Ananias then reported why he came: Saul was to regain his sight and be filled with the Spirit. And just like that, boom! Everything changed. Saul can suddenly see again and gets baptized (vv. 18–19). Imagine it! Saul of Tarsus, who once despised Christ and his church, is now being buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life. From this point forward, he is identified with Christ and with Christ’s people. The adversary thus becomes the apostle. He is no longer corrupt but cleansed, no longer a church foe but part of the family. What grace!

Paul says that his conversion is an “example” of Jesus’s saving grace and mercy (1 Tim 1:16). While his conversion and commissioning are unique, we still can learn several lessons about all conversions by studying this one.

Salvation is by God’s amazing grace (cf. 1 Cor 15:10). Instead of executing Saul on that Damascus road, Jesus shows him unspeakable grace (1 Tim 1:16). Later Saul would become a theologian of grace, writing breathtaking passages about the nature of salvation (cf. Eph 2:1–10). The good news of the gospel is that God pursues sinners. Saul was not on a quest to find salvation; he was on a quest to persecute Christians! Yet God arrested Saul by his sovereign grace (cf. Gal 1:13–16).

All conversions involve a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Conversion happens dramatically for some, but for others it happens quietly. In Acts 16 we find the dramatic conversion of a jailor. God sends in an earthquake, and then the man asks, “What must I do to be saved?” (16:30). In a previous story, however, a lady named Lydia converted more quietly. She simply heard the gospel, God opened her heart to it, and she repented and believed (16:14–15). Both individuals were changed after an encounter with Jesus.

All conversions involve a surrender to Jesus Christ. Saul can only humbly surrender to the sovereign Lord. Jesus humbles Saul by showing him the truth, namely that the resurrection is true. This Jesus, whom Saul once thought a phony, showed himself in power. Jesus also humbles Saul by blinding him, forcing the tough guy to be led by the hand. And Jesus further humbles him by sending him to Damascus to await instructions. All of this helps Saul realize that he isn’t in charge. The King is. Saul can only surrender.

While one may not have the same blinding experience as Saul, the metaphor of blindness to sight, darkness to light, applies to every Christian theologically. Saul’s blindness pictured the spiritual darkness and ignorance in which he had been living, but God showed him the glory of the truth about Christ. Paul writes about this to the Corinthians:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:4–6)

Though Paul thought he was righteous (Phil 3:6), he was actually walking in spiritual darkness until Jesus arrested and transformed him. If God has transferred you out of darkness and into the kingdom of his beloved Son, then your heart should soar in praise to him (Col 1:13–14).

Sincerity alone doesn’t save. Saul truly believed he was righteous, yet he couldn’t have been more wrong. All of his good deeds, all of his careful rule keeping amounted to nothing. To our culture’s expression, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, just be sincere,” we must object. Saul was sincerely wrong about Jesus and the way of salvation, like many today (Rom 10:1–4). One must put faith in Christ alone for salvation (Acts 4:12).

Conversion involves the receiving of the Spirit. As Saul received the Spirit, so does every Christian who truly repents and turns to Christ for salvation. Saul would later go on to write much about the Spirit’s involvement in Christians’ lives (e.g., Rom 8:9–17).

God can save the worst of sinners. Some people think the least likely person to be converted to faith in Jesus is a terrorist, yet this story disproves the theory. Imagine a leader of the terrorist group ISIS being converted and then preaching Christ to his former jihadists. Would that not be remarkable? Yet here we have Saul, ravaging the church, “terribly enraged,” persecuting them “even to foreign cities” (26:11), who suddenly begins preaching about Jesus because Jesus captured his heart. Don’t doubt God’s power to convert the worst of sinners. Pray even for the salvation of terrorists.

When you become a new person, you also receive a new purpose. All Christians are sent on a mission to preach the good news to the spiritually blind and to tell sinners how to find forgiveness (26:16–18). Saul was elected not just to salvation, but also for mission. Too many Christians walk around pontificating about theological topics like predestination without ever sharing the good news with lost people. This doesn’t square with the Bible’s idea of election. With the privilege of receiving salvation comes the responsibility of making much of Jesus in word and deed in this broken world. And when we share the good news, we can be confident that some people will say yes. If you’re a Christian, you’re a chosen instrument in the hands of God to be used for mission (cf. Eph 3:7–10).

Conversion involves receiving a new family. As Christians we participate in Christ’s mission of making him known by partnering together. Saul will soon write some wonderful pieces about the body of Christ serving Christ and one another faithfully (cf. 1 Cor 12).

The ultimate question this passage invites us to ask is this: have I truly experienced conversion? John Stott emphasizes this need as he summarizes how we should apply Saul’s conversion narrative:

We too can (and must) experience a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, surrender to him in penitence and faith, and receive his summons to service. Provided that we distinguish between the historically particular and the universal, between the dramatic outward accompaniments and the essential inward experience, what happened to Saul remains an instructive case study in Christian conversion. Moreover, Christ’s display of “unlimited patience” towards him was meant to be an encouraging “example” to others. (Message of Acts, 166)

Have you surrendered to Christ in repentance and faith, receiving his summons to service? If so, then allow the grace of God to encourage you as you live on mission. God saves sinners, and he wants to reach others through you. Rejoice! If you haven’t surrendered to him, then do so now. You can’t use the excuse that you’re too bad or even count on all of your religious efforts to buy your salvation. Look at Saul! You are just the right candidate for grace.

Merida, Tony. 2017. Exalting Jesus in Acts. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.