There are four events that have changed the history of the world.
First, the entrance of sin into the world. Second, the birth of Jesus
Christ. Third, the Pentecost day marking the establishment of the Lord's
church in Acts 2. Fourth, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.
People in many different situations can profit from a study of Saul's
conversion to Christ. Some people believe on Christ, but are confused as
to what is involved in conversion. Some think that the Lord has appeared
to them as he did to Saul in his conversion. Others think that the Lord
has spoken to them as he did to Saul on the Damascus road.
Everything in Saul's life was calculated against his becoming a
Christian. He was reared a Pharisee (Acts 26:5). He had no social ties
among Christians to influence him (Acts 9:26). He was steeped in the
Jewish religion (Acts 22:3; Philippians 3:5-6). He was an avowed enemy
of Jesus Christ (Acts 26:9; Philippians 3:6). His heart was not
"pricked" after hearing a gospel sermon (Acts 2:37), nor was he seeking
salvation at the time of his conversion. Instead, he was actively
engaged in the work of eliminating the Way (Acts 22:4).
There are three accounts of Saul's conversion in the book of Acts:
Luke's account (Acts 9:1-19); Paul's account in a speech to Jews at
Jerusalem (Acts 22:1-16); Paul's account in a speech before Agrippa
(Acts 26:1-20). In 1 Timothy 1:12-16, Paul gives another account of his
conversion. He points out that the Lord made him a "pattern to them
which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." One would go
to Acts 9, 22 and 26 to read that pattern. The fifth account of the
conversion of Saul of Tarsus is found in Philippians 3:3-6.

Saul's Early Life

Saul was "a Jew, born in Tarsus" (Acts 22:3). According to race and
religion he was a Jew and a Pharisee, a sect of the Jewish religion
(Acts 26:4-5). William M. Ramsey explores what must have been the effect
of Saul's conversion upon his own family:
...[w]e must infer that the spirit of his family was strongly Pharisaic.
The whole history of the Jews shows what was likely to be the feeling
among his parents and brothers and sisters, when he not merely became
a Christian, but went to the Gentiles. Their

pride was outraged; and we should naturally expect that such a family
would regard Paul as an apostate, a foe to God and the chosen race, and
a disgrace to the family; his own relatives might be expected to be his
most bitter enemies.1
Saul was very religious. As he later said of himself, he was a Jew and
"very zealous toward God" (Acts 22:3). He was a Hebrew by decent and
education-"an Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5). That is, he was as
bigoted and ambitious as any religionist of his or any other day. One
must infer from this that a person might be religious and not be a
Christian, but that one cannot be a Christian without being religious.
In fact, one might be "religious" in some ways and still feel that
something is missing that God would have him to do. Thankfully, the
apostle was able to come to the end of his life without any regrets (2
Timothy 4:6-8).
Saul was a persecutor of the churches of Christ (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1;
Philippians 3:6). He stood by and held the garments of those who stoned
Stephen to death (Acts 7:58; 22:20). He searched for Christians meeting
in the Jewish synagogues in order to beat and imprison them (Acts
22:19). Why would Saul seek out the synagogues on his campaign of
persecution? The first place these early gospel preachers went was into
the Jewish synagogues (Mark 13:9). There they found Jews who believed
the Old Testament and looked for the coming Messiah. Paul would later
follow the example of these early evangelists by likewise seeking out
the synagogues as fertile fields for the gospel (Acts 9:20; 13:14).
Saul persecuted Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-3). Not content to
punish these people merely in Jerusalem, he went to Damascus with
authority from the chief priest to persecute them in that city as well
(Acts 9:1-2). He was willing to go wherever his career of persecution
would take him. He joined wholeheartedly in restraining Christianity any
way that he could. You would not think him a likely candidate for
conversion to Christ, but our ways are not God's ways (Isaiah 55:7-8).
Saul was a man endowed with great talents and he would, for good or
evil, exert a vast influence upon mankind.
Saul's Contact With Jesus Christ

What could be done to convert a man like Saul into a disciple of Jesus
Christ? In an effort to answer this question it is appropriate to ask
another: How were other conversions made? The citizens of Samaria heard
Philip "preach Christ" to them (Acts 8:5). The Ethiopian treasurer heard
the same evangelist preach Jesus (Acts 8:35). Cornelius sent for Peter
to hear words from him whereby by he might be saved (Acts 10:5-6;
11:13-14). Lydia of Thiatira heard Paul as he and Silas addressed the
women gathered outside the city of Philippi on the Sabbath (Acts
16;13-14). The jail keeper at Philippi heard the gospel from Paul and
Silas (Acts 16:30-32). These and others were brought to Christ by
hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).
What about Saul? Would you send a preacher to him? These were the very
ones Saul wanted to eliminate (Acts 22:4). It would require something
drastic to get Saul's attention. The preacher, Ananias, would come later
(Acts 9:10). Even Ananias protested against the Lord's commissioning him
to go speak to Saul, saying, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man,
how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13).
Jesus Christ himself appeared to Saul (Acts 9:3-6). A light was seen:
"And as he journeyed, he came near to Damascus: and suddenly there
shined round about him a light from heaven" (Vs. 3, Acts 22:6). A voice
was heard: "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Vss. 4-5). A change was made:
"And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do?" (Vs. 6).
Will Jesus appear to people today the way he did to Saul? Despite
modern day claims of personal sightings, the answer is no. It was
essential as a qualification of an apostle that he had seen and
conversed with the Lord (Acts 1:21-22; 26:16-18). This was the final
post-resurrection appearance of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:5-9). James D.
Bales noted, "Christ promised to appear to Saul in some additional
matters (Acts 26:16), but there is no scriptural evidence that anybody
else had such a face to face encounter after Saul."2 Albert Barnes has
correctly said, "Even on the most momentous questions of our existence,
on the truth most important to be known...we are to lay aside all
expectations of a voice from heaven; of a vision; of a dream; of the
sending of an angel to instruct us, to warn us, to point out the path of
duty, to teach us what to do."3
In his personal encounter with Saul Jesus did not speak peace to the
future apostle's soul. Many denominational theologians assume otherwise.
One seminary professor of church history wrote, "...Jesus came to him
and taught him a message of forgiveness and salvation through faith."4
On the contrary, Ananias taught Saul the "message of forgiveness and
salvation" through obedient faith. Jesus put him into contact with the
preacher who would teach him the gospel. I have never heard anyone, who
felt that the Lord had spoken peace to them, say that Jesus put them
into contact with a Christian who would teach them what to do to be
saved as did Saul. Why not? Teaching so as to convert others is God's
work through Christians (James 5:19-20).

Saul's Obedience to the Heavenly Vision
(Acts 26:19)

It is clear that Jesus did not appear to Saul in order to save him at
that very moment. A proper understanding and application of Saul's
conversion to Christ will not force it into setting a precedent for
divine appearances that are neither promised by Jesus nor proved by the
claimant. There is no doubt that God could address us individually and
indicate to us his will in what he would have us to do to be saved. The
question is not how could God effect this end result, but how does he do
so. Saul was clearly sent into Damascus to learn from the voice of a
gospel preacher what to do to be saved (Acts 9:6). Why did deity bring
the preacher and sinner together? Because the gospel has been committed
into the hands of men for teaching (2 Corinthians 4:7).
We are not privy to all that Ananias said to Saul, although we do know
that he instructed him to be immersed and wash away his sins (Acts
22:16). Leading up to the final instruction to be immersed for the
remission of his sins (Acts 2:38), it is probable that Ananias tutored
Saul somewhat along the following lines. First, as God calls upon all
sinful men to repent and to "forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts" (Isaiah 55:7), it is reasonable that Saul was told that he
must abandon his purposes of persecution (Acts 17:30). Second, since
Saul was trying to make his way to heaven without a Savior, having
denied all the proofs of Jesus Christ and his resurrection, it is likely
that Ananias taught him of that Redeemer whom he would later make known
to the world (Acts 16:31). Third, all that remained was for the
redeeming blood of the Lamb of God to wash his sins away, which he did
in baptism (1 Peter 3:21).
Saul became a Christian under the provisions of the great commission,
the same way all people are saved (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke
24:46-47). Saul's conversion to Christ is an example of the greatness of
God's mercy toward sinful men (Titus 3:3-5). Paul viewed himself as the
"chief of sinners" (1 Timothy 1:12-15). With Saul's example before us no
one can reasonably question the will and power of God to save him,
whatever his sins may be (Romans 1:16; Hebrews 7:25).-10822 Mabelvale
West Road, Mabelvale, AR 72103.

_______________________
ENDNOTES

1 Ramsey, William M., St. Paul The Traveller and the Roman Citizen
(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1895), 35-36.
2 James D. Bales, Saul: From Persecutor to Persecuted (Shreveport,
Louisiana: Lambert Book House, 1975), 80.
3 Albert Barnes, Scenes and Incidents in the life of the Apostle Paul
(Philadelphia: Zeigler, McCurdy & Co., 1869), 69.
4 James D Smith, III, "Boundary Breaker" Christian History, Issue 47
(Vol. XIV, No. 3), 10.