21  The  Transformed  Life (9:1-31)

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.” And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Behold, here am I, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 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.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. (9:1–31)

At a young age, John Newton went to sea. Like most sailors of his day, he lived a life of rebellion and debauchery. For several years, he worked on slave ships, capturing slaves for sale to the plantations of the New World. So low did he sink that at one point he became a slave himself, captive of another slave trader. Eventually, he became the captain of his own slave ship. The combination of a frightening storm at sea, coupled with his reading of Thomas á Kempis’s classic Imitation of Christ, planted the seeds that resulted in his conversion. He went on to become a leader in the evangelical movement in eighteenth-century England, along with such men as John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and William Wilberforce. On his tombstone is inscribed the following epitaph, written by Newton himself: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy” (Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories [Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1982], 28). When he penned the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace,” he knew firsthand the truths it proclaimed.

Mel Trotter was a barber by profession and a drunkard by perversion. So debauched had he become that when his young daughter died, he stole the shoes she was to be buried in and pawned them for money to buy more drinks. One night he staggered into the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago and was marvelously saved. Burdened for the men of skid row, he opened a rescue mission in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He went on to found more than sixty more missions and became supervisor of a chain of them stretching from Boston to San Francisco (Elgin S. Moyer, Who Was Who in Church History [New Canaan, Conn.: Keats, 1974], 411).

One day in August 386, a professor of rhetoric named Aurelius Augustine sat despondently in his garden. Although the son of a Christian mother, he had abandoned his mother’s faith in favor of the Persian religion known as Manichaeism. He also took a mistress, with whom he lived for thirteen years. Abandoning Manichaeism as unsatisfactory, he continued a futile search for truth. Through the preaching of the church Father Ambrose, he became intellectually convinced of the truth of Christianity. Yet he held back, “prevented from accepting the faith by weakness in dealing with sexual temptation” (R. S. Pine-Coffin, “Introduction,” to Saint Augustine: Confessions [New York: Penguin, 1978], 11). Now, in the midst of his turmoil, he heard a child’s voice singing in Latin tolle lege (“take and read”). In his Confessions, he describes what happened next:

Delivered from a life of sin and confusion, Augustine went on to become the greatest theologian the church had known since the apostle Paul.

Church history is replete with accounts such as these, which highlight the marvelous power of the gospel to transform sinners. But no transformation is as remarkable, or has had such far-reaching implications for history, as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. So significant an event was his conversion that Scripture records it no less than three times (cf. Acts 22:1–16; 26:4–18).

It is fitting that such a unique individual would have a unique conversion. Saul was by birth a Jew, by citizenship a Roman, by education a Greek, and purely by the grace of God a Christian (cf. Phil. 3:4–9). He was a missionary, theologian, evangelist, pastor, organizer, leader, thinker, fighter for truth, and lover of souls. Never has a more godly man lived, except our Lord Himself.

Saul was born in Tarsus, an important city (Acts 21:39) in the Roman province of Cilicia. Tarsus was located near where Asia Minor and Syria meet, not far from Antioch. It was famous for its university, which ranked with those of Athens and Alexandria as among the most honored in the Roman world. Saul’s father must have been a Roman citizen, since Saul was himself a citizen of Rome by birth (Acts 22:28). His Jewish credentials were equally impeccable. Like his father before him, he was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), who studied in Jerusalem under the most respected rabbi of his day, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Since he had apparently never met Jesus, he must have returned to Tarsus to live after completing his studies.

Saul makes his first appearance in Scripture in connection with Stephen. As noted in the discussion of Acts 6:9 in chapter 15, Saul may have been one of the Hellenists who unsuccessfully debated him. When Stephen was executed, Saul guarded the robes of those involved in the stoning. His position so close to the action suggests he was deeply involved with the whole affair.

There is no question as to Saul’s role in the persecution that broke out after Stephen’s death—he was its mastermind and ringleader. As noted in the discussion of Acts 8:1–3 in chapter 18, Saul was terrifyingly adept at persecuting believers. The Jerusalem fellowship broke up under the force of his attacks. Many of the Hellenist believers, who apparently bore the brunt of the persecution, fled Jerusalem. As the events of this chapter unfold, Saul is hot on the trail of those who fled to Damascus. In his testimony to Agrippa (Acts 26:9—11) he articulated the fierceness of his assault:

After the interlude of chapter 8, which describes the ministry of Philip, the scene shifts back to Jerusalem. Saul, Luke notes, was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. Persecuting Christians consumed him; it had become his whole life. The very air he was breathing was that of threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. The term disciples refers to all believers, not merely the twelve apostles. Every Christian is a follower of and learner from the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul wanted every one he could lay his hands on.

Hearing of a group of Christians in Damascus, Saul driven by deadly ambition and twisted religious zeal, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. The high priest, in his capacity as president of the Sanhedrin, was viewed by the Romans as head of the Jewish state. He thus had authority over Jewish internal matters such as this one. Accordingly, Saul needed letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus to have authority to apprehend Christians. He intended, if he found any belonging to the Way (whether men or women), to bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Damascus, the ancient capital of Syria, had a large Jewish population. That is evidenced by the massacre of some ten to twenty thousand Jews in A.D. 66 (F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971], 194). Given the size of the Jewish population, there would have been several synagogues.

The description of Christianity as the Way appears several times in Acts (19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It apparently derives from Jesus’ description of Himself as “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The Way is an apropos title for Christianity, since it is the way of God (Acts 18:26), the way into the Holy Place (Heb. 10:19–20), and the way of truth (2 Peter 2:2).

Having obtained the necessary papers, Saul and his entourage set out for Damascus. The normal route north and east would cause them to pass through Samaria. The revival there, led by Philip, Peter, and John, may have infuriated Saul all the more. With intense hostility he approached Damascus and the encounter that would turn his world upside down.

From the dramatic story of Saul’s conversion emerge seven features of the transformed life: faith in the Savior, fervency in supplication, faithfulness in service, the filling of the Spirit, fellowship with the saints, fervency in speaking, and fearlessness in suffering.

FAITH IN THE SAVIOR

And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.” And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (9:3–9)

The remarkable conversion of Saul, in which he put his faith in the Savior he had been so viciously persecuting, unfolds in five phases: contact, conviction, conversion, consecration, and communion.

CONTACT

And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;(9:3)

Saul was still charging full speed for Damascus when he was suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. A light from heaven flashed around him, and Saul and his companions fell into the dirt (Acts 26:14).

Confronted with the appearance of the blazing glory of Jesus Christ, Saul, the hardened persecutor of Christians, was speechless with terror. Luke’s other accounts of this event (Acts 22, 26) fill in more of the details. From Acts 22:6 we learn that the encounter took place about noon. The light from heaven was not anything from the material creation, since it transcended in brilliance even the bright Middle Eastern sun (26:13). Those who traveled with Saul heard the voice of the Lord as he did, yet did not understand the words spoken (cf. v. 7 with 22:9; John 12:29), because the Lord’s words were for Saul’s ears only. Saul actually saw Jesus in glorious brilliance as he repeatedly testifies (Acts 9:17, 27; 22:14; 26:16; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8) while his co-persecutors saw only the light (Acts 22:9).

Ironically, the last person till then to have seen the resurrected, glorified Christ was Stephen. Here is yet another connection between the ministries of Stephen and Paul (cf. chapter 15 of this commentary). It is a testimony to the power of God’s grace that the man involved in Stephen’s death would be the next to see Jesus Christ.

Although He does not do it so dramatically, God always initiates the contact in salvation (cf. John 6:37, 44; 10:27–29; 17:2, 6, 9, 11, 24; 2 Cor. 4:6; Phil. 1:29; James 1:18). As noted in chapter 20 of this volume, the Holy Spirit sovereignly arranged the circumstances leading to the Ethiopian eunuch’s conversion. That was, and is, necessary, since unbelieving men, being dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), cannot come to God on their own (cf. Rom. 3:10–12; 1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:4–10; Col. 2:13).

That salvation is initiated by God is nowhere more powerfully stated than by Paul to Titus:

CONVICTION

and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (9:4)

Prostrate on the ground, Saul heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” The repetition is emphatic, as elsewhere in Luke’s writings (cf. Luke 10:41; 13:34; 22:31). Here it marks a rebuke of Saul, intended to bring anguish of soul, so Saul would realize how wrong he had been, and guilt would overwhelm him. He was one who had hated Jesus Christ without cause (John 15:25).

Our Lord’s words “Why are you persecuting Me?” reflect the inseparable link between Himself, as head of the body, and its members. No blow struck on earth goes unfelt in heaven by our sympathetic High Priest. By persecuting Christians, Saul inflicted blows directly on their Lord.

Saul, who had been so violent, was violently brought face to face with the enormity of his crimes—not against Christians but against Christ. Those who go to hell do so ultimately because of their rejection of the Savior. Even those who don’t persecute believers, but simply live apart from Jesus Christ, are as guilty of crimes against Him as was Saul. As Saul himself was later to write, “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed” (1 Cor. 16:22). Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convict men “concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:9). The crime of all crimes for which men will be eternally damned is to refuse to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

True salvation must include conviction of this damning sin, since it is this very sin and no other that finally separates man from God. Saul knew enough about the Christian faith to hate it and persecute it. He knew the claims of Jesus and the true history of God’s redemption as Stephen had preached it. He knew the apostles and their associates Stephen and Philip had miraculous power over disease and demons. All that the Spirit had laid as the groundwork in Saul’s life. When Jesus confronted Saul, the conviction must have been overwhelming. He knew about the truth; here he was crushed into the dust and made to believe it.

CONVERSION

And he said “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, (9:5)

Saul’s immediate response, “Who art Thou, Lord?” was a recognition of deity—he knew it was the Lord. The whole Christian gospel filled his mind (negatively) all the time as he pursued his passion of persecuting believers. It is not hard to believe that he already knew the answer to this question as he asked it—if not by faith, then by fear. His worst imaginable nightmare would have been to discover that Jesus was the Messiah, Christianity was true, the gospel was God’s truth, and he had been fighting God. When Saul heard the words “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” the light of truth was confirmed in his soul and the gospel became positive. The Christian message he knew well, having debated it with Stephen. Jesus, whom he had believed dead, was obviously alive and obviously who He claimed to be. And the Lord reminded him at that moment how pointless and painful his efforts against Him were. In Acts 26:14, the Lord said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads [sharp, pointed sticks].” Saul’s resistance was crushed at that moment and his heart, broken by repentance, was healed by faith. Philippians 3:4–11 describes the mental change that occurred in his soul at this moment:

Some have foolishly attempted to explain away Saul’s experience as the result of an epileptic seizure. That explanation is inadequate, even granting the dubious assumption that Saul was an epileptic. No such seizure could account for the complete about-face Saul’s life took. Nor does it account for the fact that Saul’s traveling companions saw the light and heard the voice. For the rest of his life Saul offered only one explanation—he had in fact seen the risen, glorified Lord Jesus Christ.

This miraculous conversion, without human involvement at its occurrence, is an example of the extent and power of saving, sovereign grace. Paul testifies to that grace in 1 Timothy 1:13–17:

CONSECRATION

“but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.” And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. (9:6–8)

The genuineness of Saul’s conversion immediately became evident. From Acts 22:10, we learn that he asked, “What shall I do, Lord?” Saul’s surrender was complete, as he humbly submitted himself to the will of the Lord he had hated. In contrast to the teaching of many today, Saul knew nothing of accepting Christ as Savior, then (hopefully) making him Lord later. The plain teaching of Scripture is that Jesus is Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9–10), independent of any human response. The question in salvation is not whether Jesus is Lord, but whether we are submissive to His lordship. Saul was, from the moment of his conversion to the end of his life.

In response to Saul’s inquiry, Jesus told him to rise and enter the city of Damascus, and it shall be told you what you must do. Luke notes that the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. This incident was no subjective projection of Saul’s mind but an actual historical occurrence. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. His entry into the city was very different than he had anticipated. Instead of barging in as the conquering hero, the scourge of Christians, he entered helplessly blinded, being led by the hand.

God crushed Saul, bringing him to the point of total consecration. From the ashes of Saul’s old life would arise the noblest and most useful man of God the church has ever known.

COMMUNION

And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.(9:9)

So startling and sudden had been his placing of faith in the Savior that Saul needed time to reflect on the transformation of every aspect of his life. During his three days without sight, when he neither ate nor drank, God led him through the process of reconstructing everything he was and did. Although salvation is an instantaneous transformation from death to life, darkness to light, it takes time to plumb the depths of its meaning and richness. Saul began that process.

FERVENCY IN SUPPLICATION

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Behold, here am I, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 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.” (9:10–12)

While Saul waited, blinded and fasting, thinking deeply about what had occurred, God was dealing with another man. The certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias was obviously not the same Ananias executed by God in chapter 5. Acts 22:12 describes him as “devout” and “well spoken of by all the Jews who lived” in Damascus. He was likely one of the spiritual leaders of the Damascus church. If so, he also, ironically, would have been one of Saul’s main targets. The Lord told him in a vision to arise and go to the street called Straight and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. That was a severe test of Ananias’s faith, since Saul’s fearsome reputation was widely known (cf. vv. 13–14). Ananias would have had no way of knowing of Saul’s conversion, since the Lord did not reveal it to him.

The footnote for behold, he is praying informs us of what Saul did during his three days without sight. Prayer is the spontaneous response of the believing heart to God. Those truly transformed by Jesus Christ find themselves lost in the wonder and joy of communion with Him. Prayer is as natural for the Christian as breathing. Paul became a man of unceasing prayer.

While he waited for Ananias, God gave Saul a vision that Ananias would come and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. God, in His tender kindness to this persecutor, did not want him to be in any unnecessary sorrow, so He gave Saul hope for receiving his sight. A pair of visions were about to bring together two men who had been poles apart.

FAITHFULNESS IN SERVICE

But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight,” (9:13–17a)

In answer to Saul’s prayer, God directed Ananias to go to him. As already noted, that command provided a severe test for Ananias’s courage. Understandably, he balked at going, protesting, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.” Since the word from the believers in Jerusalem had arrived before Saul, the church at Damascus knew he was coming and why. So Ananias said in effect, “Lord, do You know what You are asking?” The request no doubt appeared to him to be suicidal. His life was at stake, and so was the ministry he had in the church. He was asking if the Lord really meant to end both.

Ananias’s protest was overruled, as God explained to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.” The call to the ministry is not based on the whims of men but on the sovereign choice of God. Ananias understood that truth clearly, and so did Saul. In Galatians 1:1 he wrote, “Paul, an apostle (not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). To the Colossian church he said, “I was made a minister,” and that “by the stewardship of God bestowed on me” (1:23, 25). He also understood that though he often preached to the Jews first (Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1, 10; 18:4; 19:8), his primary calling was to minister to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13; 15:16). Further, he was privileged to bear witness to his Lord before kings, such as Agrippa (Acts 25:23ff.), and, most likely, Caesar (cf. 2 Tim. 4:16–17).

Those trials were only a small portion of how much Saul would suffer for Jesus’ name’s sake. First Corinthians 4:9–13, 2 Corinthians 11:23–29, and 12:7–10 catalog the suffering Saul endured for the sake of His Lord. And his suffering, which never stopped until an ax severed his devout head from his faithful body, didn’t wait long to begin—only a few days.

Strengthened by the direct word from the Lord, and overcoming his fears, Ananias departed and entered the house of Judas, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight.” As Acts 22:14–15 reveals, this was Saul’s commissioning for service: “And [Ananias] said, The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.’”

The stories of both Ananias and Saul illustrate the truth that the transformed life demands service to Christ. As Saul was later to write, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1).

THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT

and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (9:17b)

Ananias was the bearer of far more important news to Saul than that he would regain his sight. Far more wonderfully, he would also be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was already active in Saul’s life, convicting him of sin (John 16:9), convincing him of the lordship of Jesus (1 Cor. 12:3), converting him (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), placing him into Christ’s body, the church, and indwelling him permanently (1 Cor. 12:13). Beyond all that, he was to be filled with the Spirit in a way that uniquely empowered him for service (cf. 2:4, 14; 4:8, 31; 6:5, 8). (For a further discussion of the filling of the Spirit, see Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1986], 245ff.)

It is significant that unlike the Jews (Acts 2:1–4), the Samaritans (Acts 8:14–17), and soon the Gentiles (Acts 10:44–46), Saul had received the Spirit and his commissioning to service with no apostles present. Saul was a Jew, so there was no need to repeat the initial coming of the Spirit that occurred at Pentecost. Also, he was an apostle in his own right and did not derive his authority from the other apostles (Gal. 1:1; cf. 1 Cor. 9:l; 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11; Gal. 1:15–17), nor was he subject to their authority. Like them, he was chosen personally by the Lord Jesus Christ and received the Spirit for his commissioning and power directly from Him.

The Spirit transformed Saul in two fundamental ways. First, He took Saul’s natural strengths and refined them. Saul was a gifted natural leader, with strong will power. He was a man of strong convictions, a self-starter, bold, a master at using his time and talents, a motivated individual, and a profoundly gifted thinker and speaker.

The Holy Spirit also eliminated undesirable characteristics and replaced them with desirable ones. He replaced Saul’s cruel hatred with love; his restless, aggressive spirit with peace; his rough, hard-nosed treatment of people with gentleness; his pride with humility.

Only the Spirit of God can so thoroughly sanctify a life. Saul later expressed that truth to the Corinthians: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).

FELLOWSHIP WITH THE SAINTS

And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, (9:18–19)

Immediately after Ananias’s words, there fell from Saul’s eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight. In response to Ananias’s exhortation (cf. Acts 22:16), Saul arose and was baptized. By that act he openly united with the very people he had hated and persecuted. His hated enemies became his friends, while his former friends instantly became his enemies (cf. v. 23). In keeping with the consistent pattern of believers’ testimonies in Acts, Saul’s baptism followed his conversion.

Saul enjoyed his first taste of Christian fellowship as he took food and was strengthened. He remained for several days with the disciples who were at Damascus, allowing them to celebrate his conversion with him and minister to his needs. One can imagine the overwhelming joy of those days and the incessant praise to God.

One sure mark of a transformed life is the desire to be with fellow Christians. First John 3:14 reads, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” Believers are those who do “not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers” (Ps. 1:1). They can say with the psalmist, “I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who keep Thy precepts” (Ps. 119:63).

That does not mean, of course, that Christians are to have no contact with unbelievers (1 Cor. 5:9–10). But a professing Christian who prefers the company of the people of the world is probably still one of them.

FERVENCY IN SPEAKING

and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. (9:20–22)

Those transformed by the saving grace of God cannot stop speaking about it (Acts 4:20), and Saul was no exception. After a few days of fellowship with the saints, he immediately began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues. To the shocked Christians, surprised by his conversion, can be added the shocked Jews, who were expecting him to take Christians prisoner, not preach Jesus Christ in their synagogues. From the beginning he felt that courageous compulsion that later caused him to exclaim, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16).

In the very synagogues to which he had come with warrants for the arrest of Christians, Saul now began to proclaim Jesus. The content of that preaching was that Jesus is the Son of God, a title for our Lord that speaks of His deity (cf. John 10:31–36). (For a discussion of the issue of the sonship of Jesus Christ, see Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1983], 26ff.)

The shock and consternation Saul’s preaching produced is inconceivable for us. The most zealous defender of Judaism now became the most zealous evangelist for Christianity. Not surprisingly, all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” They could not comprehend the drastic change in Saul.

Far from wilting under the pressure of confusion turning into hostility, Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Like Stephen before him, he met the Jews in open debate about the deity and messiahship of Jesus. Saving faith “comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

That Saul was confounding the Jews in this dialogue should surprise no one. He had the finest education first-century Judaism could offer, and they could not hope to match his knowledge of the Scripture. Once he understood who Jesus was, he had the key that unlocked the whole Old Testament. He was then able to use his vast knowledge of those Scriptures and his Spirit-controlled brilliance, as well as the truth of Jesus’ miracles, words, death, and resurrection, to prove that this Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah.

FEARLESSNESS IN SUFFERING

And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. (9:23–31)

Luke’s phrase when many days had elapsed marked out a time period that is more specifically defined in the statement of Galatians 1:17–18: “Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.” In actuality, three years elapsed between verses 22 and 23. It is implied that Saul spent those years learning from the Lord in the kingdom of Nabatean Arabia. (This is an area not to be confused with the territory of modern Arabia, but located from nearby Damascus south to the Sinai peninsula. Some historians say that a colony of Nabateans lived in Damascus.) He returned and began preaching in Damascus more powerfully than ever, thoroughly exasperating the Jews who plotted together to do away with him. In God’s providence, their plot became known to Saul. He noted in 2 Corinthians 11:32 that “in Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me.” Apparently the Jews were not the only ones Saul had irritated. During his three years in Nabatean Arabia, he had thoroughly preached the gospel and had worn out his welcome with both the Jews and the Arabs.

United in their desire to kill Saul, they were watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death. The city was surrounded by a wall, and the only exit was through the gates. The Christians, however, found another way out. One of them evidently had access to a house on the city wall, so Saul’s disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

Having made good his escape, Saul went immediately to Jerusalem, and began trying to associate with the disciples. They, understandably, were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Saul must have seemed to them to be the quintessential wolf in sheep’s clothing, now trying to destroy from within what he had previously tried to destroy from without.

How long this impasse lasted is unknown, but the imperfect tense of the verb translated was trying suggests that repeated attempts by Saul to join the fellowship were rebuffed. Finally, Barnabas (called “Son of Encouragement” in Acts 4:36) took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. With the highly regarded Barnabas to vouch for him, Saul was finally accepted.

Having at last gained acceptance, Saul began moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. Picking up where Stephen had left off, he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews. Because of the intolerant attitude that he himself had done so much to initiate (cf. Acts 8:1), they turned on him immediately and began attempting to put him to death. The ways in which they attempted this action are not stated.

The church soon discovered that it was almost as bad having Saul with them as against them. He quickly stirred up a hornet’s nest, and, no doubt in the minds of some, as much for their own good as his, they decided to send him home. According to Galatians 1:18, his stay lasted a mere fifteen days. The brethren learned of the Hellenists’ plot, probably from Saul’s own vision recorded in Acts 22:17—21:

For his own safety, they brought Saul down to Caesarea (the seaport on the Mediterranean) and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown in Cilicia.

Thus did Saul disappear from the scene for a few years. During that period, however, he was far from idle. Between this time and the time when Barnabas found him in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch (11:25–26), he was aggressively doing what the Lord had called him to do. According to Galatians 1:21, he “went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.” At least some of the churches of that region mentioned in Acts 15:23 must have been founded by him in those years.

With Saul the firebrand gone from the scene, both as the persecutor of the church and the chief target of the Christ-haters, things quieted down in Palestine. Luke again summarizes the progress of the church by stating that the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. Besides Saul’s departure, political changes contributed to the church’s temporary respite. The ouster of the compliant Pilate as governor, coupled with the expansion of Herod Agrippa’s authority, restricted the Jews’ freedom of action. They were thus less able to carry out drastic measures against the church.

Saul’s life was dramatically and totally transformed that day on the road near Damascus. And from that moment, so was the history of the world, as we shall see when he returns to center stage in chapter 13.