But hidden in its shadows is another inspiring story, and one to which most people in the pew may more easily relate. And laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. 35And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. Could Judas have been a Christian? WebSaul/Paul was a pretty mean guy who persecuted Christians. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. This method of argument Paul continued to use with the Jews (Acts 17:3). That is all we know about Ananias - the small but essential part he played at the start of Paul's pilgrimage of faith. Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. Saul was not aware, until after our Lords words, that the One who had interrupted his journey was Jesus, and that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, the LORD, but he was certain, at this point, that whoever this One was, He was the LORD. The call to salvation is also the call to a life of holiness and obedience. Amen. Despite the threats Saul had made and his notorious track record of persecuting, arresting and even affirming the execution of Christians, Ananias, whose Sapphira). Instead, he became the first believer to minister to Saul. Nothing is said in our text about any miracles being performed by Saul, as yet. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 60:3). B. Eerdmans Publishing Company {photo-lithoprinted}, 1966), p. 90. WebThe Conversion of Saul. Here is a graphic illustration of what true repentance isit is a turning about, beginning with ones belief and bearing fruit in ones conduct. Introduction: suppose you heard someone was coming to arrest you, or even worse. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Galatians 2:8-9). We are given a little insight from the account in Acts 12 when Peter was imprisoned and it appeared he would soon be executed, as James had already been, and as we would infer Herod purposed to do with Peter (Acts 12:1-4). Israel was also blind, and Pauls blindness was but a specific example of this blindness: The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. part of the price for themselves while donating it to the church Who does the voice of Vanessa on Phineas and Ferb? And, who knows, God may even answer those prayers and the persons life be blessed and changed in ways we cannot even imagine.. I was inclined to think that most of us, experientially, are called to faith in Christ only to gradually learn Gods will for our life, progressively revealed to us as we walk in Him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! Saul was not seeking God. Saul was saved in spite of himself. Some were amazed, taking note of the dramatic turn-about in Sauls faith and practice (9:21). . I. Howard Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint, 1987), p. 171. 8 Although I am less than the least of all Gods people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. also Romans 1:1-7, 13-17; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:3-11; cf. Introduction. 15But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,m It was only with the exit of Saul from the Holy Land, back to his native land (Tarsus), that peace once again returned. The details of what was said and done when Ananias arrived are fuzzy. We shall then seek to identify the characteristics of Sauls conversion which are typical of every conversion. 21All who heard him were astounded and said, Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests? The Creator of the universe specifying the name of a street and the house in one of His planets. The passage which we are studying can be divided into these major segments: We will begin this lesson by making some general observations concerning this account of Sauls conversion,134 after which we will examine the sequence of events leading up to Sauls conversion, the events surrounding his conversion, and the consequences of his conversion as depicted by Luke. . While at first he thought he might have to correct God, in the end he submitted himself and his very life to Gods call. What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? And when this time comes, God will use their obedience to serve Him: For if their rejection be the salvation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15). Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children (1 Thessalonians 2:7). The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it (Revelation 21:23-24). If Luke had any ax to grind on this issue, here would have been a great place to stress this matter, but he did not do so. This is why Jesus was so receptive of sinners and so hard on the self-righteous. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Sauls eyes. This would mean that the Gospel isnt as good as we thought it was and that God violates the law of double jeopardy where He punishes the same sin twice. Get up and make your bed. He got up at once. Lest anyone think they are too sinful to save, let me remind you that when Paul wrote that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, he quickly added, among whom I am foremost of all.. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. It was a city in the days of Abraham, and at the time of the Israelite monarchy it was the capital of the most important Aramaean kingdom. WebThe Conversion of Saul. At length, in Gods good time, the door opened, and the events of half a lifetime assumed final and complete significance. E. M. Blaiklock, The Acts of the Apostles, (Grand Rapids: Wm. Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Ananias would have lost a human beings greatest privilege, of being an agent of the Lord (like an angel of the Lord). They could not prove him wrong from the Scriptures. He spoke of salvation as dying to the old manner of living and as rising from the dead in order to live an entirely new life (Romans 6). What happened when Ananias anointed Saul? He amazed everyone because they knew he was speaking the same words as the people he had been persecuting. My names sake" (Acts 9:16) even before his ministry began. The obedience and faith that Ananias demonstrated in going to Saul and helping to restore his sight were incredible, to say the least. He was afraid because Saul killed Jesus followers What did Ananias's do to heal Paul's eyes? 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to (1 Corinthians 7:15, 17-22, 24).154. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, The argument of the Book of Acts is essentially this: The expansion of the gospel through the church as it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Barnabas, one of the Christians, assured them Sauls faith was genuine. 2, called him Ananias ben Nebedeus. Then he With the help of Ananias, he was transformed into a follower of Jesus and became one of the most well-known evangelists ever. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The words and actions of Ananias are an evidence of his faith and obedience to the divine commission he was given, as outlined by Luke in the verses above. He went on to write nearly half of the New Testament. WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. What can you say about Christianity when its most outspoken and zealous opponent suddenly claims to have seen the risen Christ, and to have trusted in Him as the Messiah? Three times in the Book of Acts it is reported, the first time in the third person (he) by Luke (Acts 9:1-31), the second time in the first person (I) by the apostle, as he spoke to his Jewish unbelieving brethren in defense of his ministry (Acts 22:1-21), and the third time, again in the first person, as his personal testimony to King Agrippa, Festus, and Bernice (Acts 26:1-23). 1:11--2:10; Ephesians 3:1-13; cf. 135 There are those who describe Saul as a tormented man after the stoning of Stephen. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. . This text portrays one of the historical landmarks of the church. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was the first recorded sin in the newly organized church. Pauls language in Acts 26:11 seems to mean that Damascus is merely one of other `foreign cities to which he carried the persecution. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. Did he still not realize who the Lord was? Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. It was due to the intervention of Barnabas, a man who would prove to be a lifetime friend of Paul, that the apostles risked a meeting with him and then granted him the freedom to associate with the saints in Jerusalem. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. Saul Preaches in Damascus. Why was Ananias afraid? 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;* so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.h He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. How true are two of the proverbs, which read: The mind of a man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). of him. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Ananias is not the last believer who has seen fit to keep God up to date (The Storytellers Companion to the Bible: The Acts of the Apostles). Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them (John 12:35-36). We know that Paul was not instantly a biblical scholar or a seasoned apostle. He had heard of all the terrible things Saul had done to Christians in Jerusalem and how it was his intent to do the same in Damascus, Ananias town. There is no story in Acts more important than Saul/Pauls call, his encounter with the risen Christ. Now they were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Thus, his opposition to Christ and His church took on a missionary spirit. Not only does the narrator tell the story of Sauls transformation from persecutor to apostle in Acts 9, Saul himself re-tells the story twice when defending himself before persecutors (before the tribune in Jerusalem, Acts 22:1-21; and before Agrippa, Acts 26:1-23). Now this would have been a very bitter pill to swallow for many Jewish Christians. And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he Here Saul took the various items in the life of Jesus of Nazareth and found in them the proof that he was in reality the Messiah (ho Christos). 23:16-17, 19, 24; 23:26). How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move Up till now, Jesus was the sinner, and Saul was the saint. Handed down. At first Ananias was afraid because he knew how Saul persecuted the Christians, but the Lord said that Saul had a special ministry he must fulfill. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please review our Privacy Policy. No change in life is greater than the change from unbelief to belief in Christ, from being lost and condemned to being saved and eternally secure, from being separated from God and others to being united with Him and with all believers. In this chapter we have, I. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. Some would like the excuse to make some changes to make their life more comfortable. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lords wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. Israel too will look on Him whom they have pierced and mourn. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Grace is also the source and the standard for our service: Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:6). Why this swift act of judgment? This is a miracle, a miracle which is all of God, and all of grace. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. It is also bad news for the self-righteous. Used by permission. And look, you blind, that you may see. How old was Jesus when he was crucified? 180-181. They are so defiled with blood that no one dares to touch their garments (Lamentations 4:14). Ananias and Saul in Damascus. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christtheir Lord and ours 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 9). It is not just in the Book of Acts that the importance of Sauls conversion is evident. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 18 According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. Proving (sunbibazon). The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. In His coming as the light, those who come to the light become lights to the world themselves: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2). For it was the Fathers good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (Colossians 1:13-19). You also know this person is a recognized hater of your faith, and wants little if anything to do with you. When Saul looked at the disciples of The Way (Jesus disciples) all he saw was a heretical sect that was a threat to the nation of Israel and Gods Law. . Julius Caesar confirmed those rights and privileges anew to the Jewish nation (although Judaea was no longer a sovereign state), and more particularly to the high-priesthood. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), pp. Hypocrisy is the most dangerous spiritual virus to infect the church. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along. 17(K)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and (L)laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord [c]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and (M)be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. How was Saul converted to Christianity? They were based, as I understand it, on what the Lord had revealed to Ananias and not on any confession or actions of Saul, for these seem to follow these initial actions and words of Ananias. Jesus was alive and not still in the grave! OR WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? There is a great deal of information we are not given, and thus we cannot be dogmatic about our conclusions. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 6 What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? The apostles had nothing to do with Sauls conversion, and they were reluctant to believe it had happened or to welcome him into their fellowship. Hd7/`l@TM0h#`C2 +u-AsQ3j++&?Fu7_[1_?a^J> 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?d 27 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. 16For (I)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My (J)names sake.. And so, Saul asked the LORD who He was. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. NKJV, Ancient-Modern Bible, Comfort Print: One faith. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. It is impossible to overestimate the worth to the student of Christianity of this event from every angle because we have in Pauls Epistles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life (1 Cor. What is remarkable about the Lord's directions to Ananias? Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.. Ananias was used as Gods instrument in the conversion of Saul, but even he had to be pushed to go to Saul. (6) Little emphasis is placed on Sauls reception of the Holy Spirit, and nothing is said about what happened as Saul received the Spirit. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). When the man asked why he should do this, the pastor said, I dont believe anyone can continue hating someone when they have consistently prayed for that person to be blessed by God. Third, these discrepancies may well have been evident to the writers, who did not see fit to remove or explain every problem. The call of salvation is a call to change. Web3. Instead, he became the first believer to minister to Saul. Saul sought them out to persecute, even kill them, as an unbeliever; but he sought them out to worship and fellowship with them as a Christian. Let us be careful to discern what changes the gospel requires and what changes it does not. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. It is one of the few accounts of a conversion which is described with some detail (although this detail is much less than we would prefer). Israels watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep (Isaiah 43:8-10). Jesus repeated his command, explaining that Saul was his chosen instrument to deliver the gospel to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. 152 I do not mean to criticize the four laws of Campus Crusade, which have been used of God to bring many to faith in Christ. The voice from heaven did not call out, Have you ever heard of the four spiritual laws?152 Ananias was sent to Saul only. WebExplain why Ananias was told that Saul was a 'Chosen Vessel' Give an account of the vision which Saul had while traveling on the road to the Damascus. Christianity was described as putting off the old and putting on the new (Colossians 3). Saul got help, though, from a man named Barnabas. 29He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,* but they tried to kill him. Matt. * [9:36] Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for gazelle, exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8). He hears the voice of the Lord crying out to him. Acts 26:18). Ananias had not only heard of how Saul had been systematically destroying the church in Jerusalem, hunting down men and women and turning them over to the * [9:13] Your holy ones: literally, your saints.. Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. One moment, Saul is inflicting pain and suffering on others who trust in Jesus as the Messiah, the next, he is enduring suffering for the sake of Jesus, the Messiah. It was just such a miracle which gave Saul his spiritual sight, as he received back his physical sight. In the place of Ananias we would fear that it might not work out, and the consequences could be very serious. This divine illumination is that miracle which God performs within a lost, blinded, dead soul, so as to bring about salvation: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (1) There is considerable emphasis given to Sauls conversion in the Book of Acts. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. ACTS 9:10-14 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for hypocrisy While their penalties seem extreme to us today, God judged them guilty of sins so serious that they threatened the very existence of the early church. He is there praying,j 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. * That He had already appeared to Saul "on the road" Ananias found Pauls experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1Cor 15:8. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight (Acts 9:10-12). I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. l. [9:14] 9:12; 26:10; 1Cor 1:2; 2Tm 2:22. (4) More space is devoted to the process of getting Ananias to Saul than is devoted to getting Saul to Damascus and to the home of Judas. 2. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? How humorous it seems to hear Ananias informing the Lord that Saul was an enemy, one who had caused many Christians great suffering and adversity, as though He was unaware of this!

Who Gets The Commission On My Lottery Dream Home, Is Robin Spielberg Related To Steven Spielberg, Zartan Kills Serpentor, Volunteering In Hawaii For Room And Board, Articles W