Thursday
Thursday
The Conversion of Saul—Its Cause
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Acts 9:4
Is the conversion of Saul intended to be a model of Christian conversion today? The answer is yes, but only if we distinguish between the dramatic outward accompaniments and the essential inward experience. It is not necessary for us to be blinded by a flash of divine lightning, but it is necessary for us to have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and to surrender to him.
What stands out of the narrative is the sovereign grace of God. Saul did not “decide for Christ” (to use our modern jargon); it was Christ who decided for him and laid hold of him. The evidence for this is indisputable. Luke’s narrative begins with a reference to Saul “still breathing out murderous threats” (v. 1), probably depicting him as a wild and ferocious beast. He was in no mood to consider the claims of Christ. His mind was poisoned with prejudice. But within a few days he would be a converted and baptized Christian! Yet we need to make two qualifications.
Firstly, God’s grace in the conversion of Saul was not sudden. To be sure, “suddenly a light … flashed around him” (v. 3), but this was by no means the first time that Christ had spoken to him; it was rather the culmination of a process. Jesus said that it was hard for him to “kick against the goads” (26:14), thus likening Saul to a stubborn bullock and himself to a farmer using a goad to break him in. What were these goads? They would include his conscience, the persistent rumors that Jesus had risen from the dead, the witness of Stephen, and above all, his doubts. As Carl Jung said, “Fanaticism is found only in individuals who are compensating secret doubts.”
Secondly, God’s grace in the conversion of Saul was not compulsive. The Christ who appeared to him did not turn him into a robot or compel him to act as if in a hypnotic trance. On the contrary, Jesus asked Saul the probing question, “Why do you persecute me?” (22:6). And Saul answered with two counter-questions, “Who are you, Lord?” and, “What do you want me to do?” (vv. 8, 10). His response was rational, conscientious, and free. Thus the cause of Saul’s conversion was sovereign grace, but sovereign grace is gradual and gentle. Divine grace does not trample on human personality.
For further reading: Acts 9:1–9