The Conversion of Saul

7 THE CONVERSION OF SAUL (Acts 9:1-31)
In the two thousand years since his death and resurrection, millions have turned to Jesus. Lives have been transformed. Directions changed. But no conversion is more dramatic then that of Saul of Tarsus. His is the most famous in church history. This is the young man who approved of Stephen’s brutal death and then set out to single-handedly destroy the church. He went from house to house to drag men and women off to prison because of their faith in Jesus. Then Saul met Jesus.
Yes, Saul’s conversion was dramatic. He became the apostle to the Gentiles, and we today continue to reap the benefits of his life. However, though it will probably not be on a Damascus Road, we too must experience a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in order to be converted. We too must turn to him in faith and repentance and receive a call to serve Christ and his church.
Luke has already mentioned Saul three times in Acts, each time as a bitter opponent of Christ and his church. He had not changed. He was still in the same mental condition of hatred and hostility. Some of the language that Luke uses to describe Saul in his reconversion state seems deliberately to portray him as “a wild and ferocious beast.”
If we ask what caused Saul’s conversion, only one answer is possible. What stands out from the narrative is the sovereign grace of God through Jesus Christ. Saul did not “decide for Christ,” as we might say. On the contrary, he was persecuting Christ. It was rather Christ who decided for him and intervened in his life.
To ascribe Saul’s conversion to God’s initiative can easily be misunderstood, however; the sovereign grace which captured Saul was neither sudden (in the sense that there had been no previous preparation) nor compulsive (in the sense that he needed to make no response). This was not the first time Jesus Christ had spoken to him. According to Paul’s own words, Jesus said to him, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14), a Greek proverb describing the useless resistance of an oxen who is being broken in.
Sovereign grace is gradual grace and gentle grace. Gradually and without violence, Jesus pricked Saul’s mind and conscience. Then he revealed himself to him in a way as to enable him to make a free response. Divine grace does not trample human personality, but rather it enables human beings to be truly human. It is sin that imprisons. It is grace that liberates.
Summary: Thus the story of Saul’s conversion in Acts 9 begins with him leaving Jerusalem with an official mandate from the high priest to arrest fugitive Christians, and ends with him leaving Jerusalem as a persecuted Christian himself. Witness to Christ involves suffering for Christ. It is not an accident that the Greek word for witness (martyrs) came to be associated with martyrdom.
Open
It is good to reflect on the work of God in our lives. What was it like when you became a follower of Jesus?
Study
1. Read Acts 9:1-19. Describe Saul according to verses 1 and 2.
2. Describe Saul’s experience on the Damascus road.
3. If you were Saul, what do you think it would be like to meet Jesus in this way?
4. In what ways does Saul’s conversion demonstrate the marvelous grace of God?
5. What immediate evidence of transformation do you see in Saul after his encounter with Jesus?
6. William Barclay calls Ananias “one of the forgotten heroes of the Christian church” (The Acts of the Apostles in The Daily Study Bible [St. Andrew Press, 1953], p. 74). What is the significance of Ananias’s ministry to Saul?
7. Read Acts 9:19-31. Just as in Damascus, the believers in Jerusalem were afraid of Saul. What does Barnabas teach us about relating to new Christians?
8. By Paul’s own testimony later in the book of Acts (26:16), on the Damascus road Jesus appointed him “as a servant and as a witness” and as the apostle to the Gentiles. How does Paul live out his responsibility to the world in this passage of Scripture?
9. What connection do you see between Saul’s conversion and the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoying a time of peace?
Apply
How did your conversion compare or contrast with Saul’s? How are you continuing to experience the grace of God in your life? How do you need to be more like Ananias and Barnabas in your church or Christian community? How do you expect to see God working in the lives of those around you who are not Christians?
PrayIn silence, reflect on the miracle of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Thank him.