Saul Becomes a New Man

Acts 9:1-9, 13-19

GOLDEN TEXT: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”—I Corinthians 5:17

ALL the stories of the Bible are ever fresh and invigorating, regardless of how often we read or hear them. This is particularly true of various episodes in the life of the Apostle Paul, the man who, prior to his conversion on the Damascus road, was the cruel Saul of Tarsus, an outstanding enemy of the early Christian church. Perhaps Saul was not cruel by nature, but only because he verily thought he was doing God a service by stamping out heresy in Israel.

In any case we have in the life of this man an example of how one can be wholly sincere and devoted to the service of God, yet be quite wrong in his viewpoint. Saul was devoutly religious, a Pharisee, a staunch supporter of the Mosaic Law, and a believer in the Old Testament prophets. He was by no means a worshiper of false gods, but of the true, and he had implicit faith in the promises of his God. He knew of Israel’s hope of a coming Messiah and rejoiced in the promises appertaining thereto. His difficulty was in his conviction that Jesus was a false Messiah and that His followers were misled and dangerous to the commonwealth of Israel.

Saul was zealously engaged in what he believed to be the divine will for him when, in a miraculous manner, his attention was called to the fact that he was wrong. This was a genuine test of his humility, but he met the issue squarely and indicated his willingness to learn the right way and to walk in it—“Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” Speaking of the experience afterward, in his testimony before Agrippa, he said, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.”—Acts 26:19

Hidden in the narrative of Saul’s conversion is the revelation of one of the important truths of Christianity, namely, that the true followers of Jesus are a part of The Christ, Saul heard a voice inquiring, “Why persecutest thou Me?” This was the resurrected Jesus speaking to him and revealing the fact that the persecution of His followers in the flesh was in reality against Him.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12, he explains the philosophy of this. He tells us that The Christ; that is, the foretold Messiah, is not one member but many—that Jesus is the Head over a whole company who may be considered as members of His body. Jesus was persecuted unto, death, but the sufferings of The Christ were not finished on Calvary. In Colossians 1:24 the apostle speaks of filling up “that which is behind” of the afflictions of Christ.

Saul was instrumental in helping to bring some of the sufferings of Christ upon Christians in the early church, and later he shared in the suffering that was caused by others who were under the influence of darkness. In Hebrews 2:10 we are told that it was the divine purpose to exalt “many sons” to glory, and that the path to glory for each one, even as for Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, is one of suffering. Again we read, “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.”

When Saul realized who it was that addressed him, and that in his zeal he was opposing God rather than serving Him, he was quick to fall in line and ask for directions as to what should be done. He was well enough acquainted with God’s dealings with His people in the past to know that an experience of this kind meant that there was truly something to be done, that he was being called into the divine service. He was led into Damascus, and there he waited for three days to get further instruction from the Lord, meanwhile fasting and praying.

In Damascus was a devout disciple of Christ, Ananias, by name. The Lord appeared to him in a vision and instructed him to visit Saul. Ananias at first demurred, explaining that the man he was asked to visit was an enemy of the church, and that even now he possessed authority from the chief priests to further persecute the followers of Jesus. To Ananias it probably appeared that Saul was merely pretending, hoping that by his subterfuge he might learn the whereabouts of more Christians.

But when the Lord explained that Saul was a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name “before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel,” Ananias no longer hesitated. He went to the home where Saul was staying, and entering the house he put his hand upon the head of his former enemy and addressed him as “Brother Saul.” What a sweet spirit of true Christian love is here manifested! Sometimes we may be inclined to hold aloof from those who once opposed us, even though their attitude is changed, but this is not God’s way.

It was the privilege of Ananias to explain to Saul what great things he would have to suffer for the name of Christ. To have the privilege of suffering with Christ that one may reign with Him is a wonderful token of divine favor—a “witness of the Spirit” that such a one is a child of God. (Rom. 8:16,17) Saul’s change from a persecutor to one fully consecrated to co-operate in the work of the church, was sudden and dramatic, but he was equal to it, and as later lessons will show, proved the sincerity of his heart by faithfulness in the divine service.

QUESTIONS:

Was the mistake of Saul one of the head or of the heart?

In what sense was Saul persecuting the glorified Jesus?

Why does Paul speak of the sufferings of Christ as a witness of the Spirit?

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