Divine Photography: The Miracle of Conversion
Introduction: In your estimation who is the most unlikely candidate for salvation? Is it some detestable political leader like Castro or Pinochet or Idi Amin? Or is it a militant atheist like Madelyn Murray O’Hair or Carl Sagan or Gore Vidal? Or could it be someone on the raunchier side of the entertainment business, like Billy Crystal, Joan Rivers, or Boy George? Or perhaps even some notorious criminal like Charles Manson or Mike Trupiano. Or maybe a false religious leader, like Ezra Taft Benson, the President of the Mormon Church, or the Ayatollah Khomeini.
You would be shocked if any one of those individuals were to profess faith in Jesus Christ, openly repent of his sins and false beliefs, and begin to preach that Jesus Christ is the only Way of salvation, wouldn’t you? So would I, frankly, but I’m not sure such a reaction would be entirely justified. Down through history God has intervened on more than one occasion to save individuals of the same caliber or reputation. Think of people like the woman at the well, Augustine, John Newton, Jim Vaus, Chuck Colson. Would any of those names be on your list of the ten most likely candidates for Christianity? Hardly. Yet each was rescued from a miry pit and turned into a useful instrument for the Lord.
In our finite human perspective, such conversions are viewed as first‑class miracles, as opposed to a second‑ or third‑class miracle when someone like you or me is saved, but that is only because in our weaknesses we tend to see everything in terms of degree of difficulty. But for God, who is omnipotent, degree of difficulty is a meaningless term, as He can do anything consistent with His character without any effort whatsoever. Every conversion is an equal miracle of divine grace.
Nevertheless, it is not surprising that we should be particularly awed by one conversion recorded for us in the Scripture—that of Saul of Tarsus. Never has there been a more abrupt spiritual about‑face than the one demonstrated by this one who had been the arch‑enemy of the Christian faith but upon conversion became its most ardent and astute protagonist, missionary, and theologian ever.
I believe there would be some benefit for us in viewing the conversion of Saul from the lens of photography. The fundamental principle of photography is taking a light‑sensitive solution spread on film and keeping it in total darkness until the precise moment when that which you want recorded is exposed to it by light. Saul was a person whose soul was in complete darkness until the precise moment that the blinding light of the image of Jesus Christ was printed indelibly on it. Further, after exposure to light, film is always kept in total darkness until the time for development arrives. It is then immersed in dark, acidy water. For three days literally, and in another sense for nearly fifteen years, Saul underwent development in the dark and bitter solution of suffering.
I would like for us to begin by examining Saul’s pre-conversion state. I think we will see that his was a case of bad film, for sure.
Saul’s pre-conversion state: bad film. (7:58; 8:1,3; 9:1-2; 26:9‑11)
There are three factors rendering Saul an unlikely candidate for conversion (from the human viewpoint, at least).
His education. Saul was educated at the feet of Gamaliel, the leader of the Pharisees, according to his own testimony in chapter 22. Since Gamaliel was one of the most respected intellectuals of his day, it is not stretching the truth to suggest that Saul had the best education available to a Jewish young man. By suggesting that his education was a major roadblock to conversion, I do not mean to intimate that education per se is antithetical to the Christian faith or that a Christian should not seek higher education. The genuine Christian never has to fear that new truth is going to contradict his faith, for all truth is God’s truth. In fact, the Christian should have more motivation for education and learning that anyone else.
However, when one is steeped in education that is essentially anti‑Christian, especially if it is at the same time religious education, it is extremely difficult for the light of the Gospel to break through that barrier. Pride in intellectual achievement seems to be the basic reason. And pride stands in the way of surrender to Christ.
His position. He was a young man on the way up, a member of an aristocratic Jewish family, a Pharisee, possibly even a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews. He was a person whose leadership ability was unquestioned and whose future in Judaism seemed assured. Once again we find that pride is a very frequent concomitant of such a lofty position. There are few people who can handle such elevation at a young age without beginning to believe their own press clippings.
His zeal. Rarely has the world seen a person of such uncompromising devotion to his faith as Saul of Tarsus. He believed in the God of Israel and exercised total allegiance to the Law of Israel. He also had a desperate desire to attain righteousness, though he was ignorant of the true righteousness that comes through Christ. He left no stone unturned in his effort to keep the traditions of the Fathers. Listen to his own testimony as found in Gal. 1:14: “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.”
But his zeal was not only for Judaism; it was also against Christianity. We have already seen in chapters 7 and 8 that Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, giving his hearty agreement to the execution of that godly man. Then in 8:3 we are informed that Saul instigated a systematic ravaging of the church, dragging off men and women and putting them in prison. However, he wasn’t satisfied to persecute just those in Jerusalem and Judea; he felt it his duty to pursue them even in foreign countries.
Listen to his own account in Acts 26:9‑11:
“So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.”
It was, of course, when he was nearing Damascus with papers demanding extradition of the Christians there, that he was confronted by the risen Christ. No one is harder to win to faith in Christ than a religious zealot, the reason being that such a person is so convinced already in his own mind that he is serving God faithfully.
So we see in each of these areas—his education, his position, and his zeal—that Saul was not one we would expect to become a Christian. There was no point of contact to use in approaching him with the Gospel, nothing to grab on to. There probably wasn’t a Christian anywhere even praying for his salvation, much less willing to witness to him. Except Stephen. Just before he died, Stephen prayed for him, and for all his executioners, when he said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”
Saul here reminds me of a roll of film I have. I bought this new‑fangled camera about a year ago and enjoyed it very much until it was stolen last week. It only cost about $79 but it was completely automatic. When I first loaded it, I pushed one of the buttons which I thought was a film‑advance button. The motor started running, there was a click, and then it stopped. I discovered that I had pushed the rewind button instead of the film‑advance button, and the film had completely retreated into the case without ever being exposed. Here it was, a new roll of film, but useless. There’s nothing on which to grab hold, no point of contact. Saul was like that. He had a soul, but there was no hope (humanly speaking) of reaching him with the light of the Gospel. But, thankfully, “no hope humanly speaking” and “no hope divinely speaking” are two different things.
The second scene in our text that we want to examine today is
Saul’s conversion: exposure to the light (9:3‑9)
The only way for film to become useable is to expose it to the light. And the only way to reach Saul was to flood his soul with the light of the Gospel. That is exactly what happens in an amazing confrontation as he nears his murderous destination.
Confrontation. Verse 3 says that “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.” In chapter 22 he identifies the light as “a very bright light,” and in chapter 26 as “a light brighter than the sun.” It was indeed a divine strobe light, as the glory of God fell upon him in a way that had probably not happened to any human being since Moses saw the glory of God on Mt. Sinai. The confrontation knocked him to the ground.
Challenge. A voice said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Though this looks like a question, it is actually a challenge. The Lord is not looking for information; he is demanding that Saul justify his actions. In a desperate defensive move Saul asks, “Who art thou, Lord?” I think he knew he was in the presence of a supernatural manifestation, but he could not yet cope with it, and his question reflects his bewilderment. The voice responds, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Saul was forced to deal with two undeniable realities: Jesus was alive, and he had been persecuting Him. He thought he was persecuting Christians, but in fact he was persecuting Jesus Himself. The emotion that Saul experienced must have been overwhelming. According to chapter 22 Saul responds, “What wilt thou have me to do?”, and the answer came back in the form of a commission.
Commission. The initial aspect of Saul’s commission is simply that he is to rise and enter the city of Damascus and await further instructions. How difficult it must have been for one who was used to giving orders to have to be led into the city where he was planning to stage his own triumphal entry. The real commission comes later when he is told that he is a chosen instrument to bear the Gospel to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the sons of Israel.
The film having been exposed to the light, it is time for the development process. So we turn our attention to act three.
Saul’s growth as a new believer: development in the dark room (9:10‑31)
Film that has been merely exposed to light is still useless. Its potential has been enhanced, but it still cannot serve a useful purpose until it has been developed. Development has to take place in total darkness, as the film is submerged in dark and bitter solutions. I believe Saul was, in effect, developed as a useful disciple of Jesus Christ through submersion in some dark and bitter waters. The most obvious example is the three days he spent in total blindness following the Damascus Road incident, but in another sense the entire fifteen years following his conversion were spent in the development tank.
In Damascus an appreciation for the Body Life of the Church is developed in Saul. (10‑25) One of the key themes of the Apostle Paul’s theology is the community of believers, life in the Body. In my opinion that became a favorite subject of his because of his own experience immediately after the Damascus Road incident. He was led into the city of Damascus and placed in the home of a man named Judas. Meanwhile the Lord spoke to another disciple named Ananias in a vision and told him to go to Judas’ house and lay his hands on Saul, so that he could regain his sight. If you were an arch‑enemy of a group of people and all of a sudden were placed in their midst, blind and helpless, I imagine that you would be overjoyed when they showed you hospitality and love, instead of vengeance and retribution. Saul certainly was.
Ananias is someone about whom we know little more than what we learn in the story of Saul’s conversion. He was a disciple of Jesus, a resident of Damascus, devout, and possessing a good reputation among the Jews. The assignment he received from the Lord in the vision, however, did not sit right with him, for he had heard of Saul’s reputation and was understandably afraid.
However, the Lord responded that Saul was a chosen instrument with a special ministry to three categories of people—Gentiles, kings, and the people of Israel. Isn’t it a beautiful thought that God selects chosen instruments for special tasks? What has He chosen you for? While reveling in that thought, however, we can’t ignore verse 16, which indicates that there is a price to be paid for being a chosen instrument—suffering.
Ananias now proceeds to do exactly what the Lord asked of him. He enters Judas’ house, lays hands on Saul and says to him, “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.” I feel sure the words, “brother Saul,” were the most beautiful Saul had ever heard. What a blessed introduction to Christian fellowship! I believe this is the first example in the Bible of a believer calling another believer his brother. Saul was used to being feared and respected; he was not used to being loved. Now here he finds himself in the home of one believer, being accepted as a brother by another, and then being healed of the awful blindness he had experienced.
When the text says that scales fell off his eyes, I believe that to be both literal and figurative. Not only could he now see, but also those long, pent‑up prejudices of a Pharisee against Gentiles, and all the bigotry, pride, and prejudice that twisted and distorted his view of the Gentile world—all this disappeared in a moment. He saw the whole world as men and women bearing the image of God and needing to be redeemed. As he himself said later, he learned to judge no one according to the flesh, but to see in each one a potential subject for the kingdom of God. Not only that, he is baptized into the Church and is accepted as one of the disciples. What an incredible experience when the Body of Christ operates as it was designed to!
By the way, I find some joyful poetic irony in the fact that these three men—Saul, Judas, and Ananias—all had namesakes who were evil men, judged severely by God. Now, in one moment of time, it is as though God clears these three names of their negative associations and shows us that He also has his Sauls, Judases, and Ananiases who are true disciples.
But not only does Saul learn in Damascus what the Body Life of the Church is like; he also gets his feet wet in ministry. Verse 20 says that “immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.'” I think this shows that even during the development stage God is willing to use us; we don’t have to be completed portraits before serving the Lord.
The second stage of development occurs in Arabia.
In the desert he develops a close walk with God and a deep knowledge of biblical truth. (Gal. 1:17). This is one aspect of Saul’s development that Luke says nothing about in the Acts of the Apostles, but Paul himself tells us about his trip to Arabia and his return to Damascus in Gal. 1:17. The indication is that this period of time lasted for several years. It probably fits between Acts 9:22 and 9:23 where we read that “when many days had elapsed, the Jews in Damascus plotted together to do away with him.”
We do not know exactly what Saul was doing in Arabia, but a member of the intelligentsia, such as Paul was, needs a period of reorientation for the gospel to become his own. I believe it makes good sense to see this as a time for meditation, study, and maturing in his faith. For some of us the desert experience is called Seminary. Some even get the D.D. degree, Doctor of the Desert. But wherever the desert is, it is an important time in our lives when the truths of Scripture become ingrained personally, rather than just some concepts we were taught.
In Jerusalem Saul continues to develop his ministry skills. (26‑29) As you recall, Saul had a contract out on his head in Damascus and he shortly became a real basket case. (Come on, now, I worked hard to come up with that one! Give me some credit!) Escaping from Damascus he arrived in Jerusalem. There he looked up some of the disciples but was met by a stony wall of fear. Though nearly three years had passed since his conversion, the Christians in Jerusalem were apparently not convinced of the reality of his conversion. I suspect that the rumor was flying around that Saul was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pretending to be a Christian so that he might infiltrate the Church and do a more thorough job of exterminating it.
At any rate, Saul, hungering for Christian fellowship in Jerusalem, must have been on the brink of despair. He needed someone to come alongside him and encourage him. And sure enough, here comes Barnabas, whose name means, “son of encouragement,” and who is performing a work of encouragement every time we meet him in the Scriptures. He takes hold of Saul, brings him to the apostles, tells the story of his conversion, and vouches for his ministry in Damascus. That was risky, you know, just like it was risky for Harold Hughes to embrace Chuck Colson when Colson professed faith in Christ. Hughes took some flak for that, but his faith in Colson has been more than vindicated over the years. Not that the risk will always turn out so well. Hughes also embraced Eldridge Cleaver, the former leader of the Black Panther Party, whose alleged conversion has not stood the test of time. But isn’t it our duty as believers to give people the benefit of the doubt and to trust God to perform miracles in their lives rather than to just assume that they are going to continue to be failures?
I believe Barnabas’ action helped develop very important ministry skills in Saul, particularly the ministry of encouragement. Years he himself would reach out to a young John Mark, who had tubed it in ministry, and would rescue him for an effective life of ministry.
But Barnabas’ acceptance also enabled Saul to move about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and argued with the Hellenistic Jews, and the more arguments he won, the greater became their urge to put him to death. After just fifteen days in Jerusalem, according to Galatians, the disciples felt it best for Saul to leave, and they took him to Caesarea and put him on a boat to Tarsus. That brings us to the fourth part of the development process.
In Tarsus he develops patience as he awaits God’s assignment for ministry. (30‑31) Saul didn’t want to leave Jerusalem; in fact, we read how he argued with the Lord in Acts 22:19-20, trying to convince Him that he, Saul, was the best one available to evangelize Jerusalem. But God knew that Saul needed more time in the development tank, so he ordered him to leave. Of all the places to be sent, Tarsus may have been the most difficult, for Tarsus was his home. It’s always easier to witness away from home, where people don’t know your weaknesses. But God wanted a person who was real, genuine, and fully equipped for the most difficult of tasks, so he sent him home. Indications are that Saul spent the next ten years in Tarsus, for a decade passes before we read in 11:25 that Barnabas sets off to find him in Tarsus.
How difficult it must have been for an activist like Saul to wait ten years to begin his first missionary journey. I can’t believe he was inactive in ministry during that time, but more than likely he was chomping at the bit for opportunities to fulfill his commission. But God had his timing, and Saul needed to learn patience.
The development process that God put Saul through was not finished even when his stay in Tarsus was over. The bitter waters of the development solution continued throughout his life, as they will with us. Each of us has an invisible sign over our lives: “Be patient; God isn’t through with me yet.” Some of us, however, are too patient with ourselves. We know we haven’t developed into what God wants of us, but we don’t want to experience the effort and difficulty that’s always a part of the process. That’s a dangerous state, friends, and one from which we should pray that God would deliver us.
Points to Ponder:
1. No one is either so wicked as to be beyond the pale of God’s grace or so good that he doesn’t need it. One of two mistakes are made by many unbelievers. Some assume that they are too bad to be saved, while others assume that they are good enough that they can make it to Heaven without Christ. Both are fatal mistakes. Saul’s example should convince us that no one is too wicked, too hostile to Christianity, too intellectual, too high and mighty to be beyond God’s reach.
But let no one here conclude that because they haven’t committed some of the heinous deeds Saul committed that therefore they are exempt from the universal requirement for salvation, namely that we come humbly in repentance before God and cast all our hope on the death of Christ for us.
2. No Christian is either “too young” to share his faith or “too gifted” to pass up training. Saul began to share his faith immediately after his conversion, and he continued to do so at every opportunity. I’m sure years later he looked back on some of his early witnessing, as many of us do, and shook his head, saying, “Boy, was I ever a rookie! I’d never approach a person that way again.” But God uses even our mistakes, and often the simple faith of the new believer is more attractive to the world that the polished arguments of the professional evangelist.
At the same time, intelligent though he was, and zealous though he was, in order for Saul to become the useful vessel that God desired, he had to be trained. For somewhere between 13 and 15 years he was in the school of the desert, the school of his hometown, and the school of personal Bible study before he ever became the missionary par excellence that we all know him to be. Are you dissatisfied with your productivity for Christ? Have you taken the opportunities for training that are available to you?
On the Damascus Road God printed a picture of Jesus Christ upon the soul of Saul of Tarsus. From that moment on, the image of Christ was imbedded indelibly on his heart and life. Perhaps there is someone here today whose soul has retracted into a hard shell. God is desirous of breaking through the hardness and flooding your life with the glorious light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Won’t you respond today by acknowledging your own hopelessness, believing that Jesus Christ died for you, and by receiving Him as your Lord and Savior?
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The Conversion of Saul