As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:3-6)

Saul Did Not Argue

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus was a remarkable example of grace. In the early days of the church, Saul was the antagonist of all those who followed after the Way. He was unabashedly seeking every man and woman who professed to follow Jesus of Nazareth to destroy their lives and, in some cases, take their lives. In Saul’s mind, Jesus was a blasphemer of the law of God, and all those who called themselves after His teachings needed to rot in jail or die. Saul’s work was designed to devastate the movement. He left no stone unturned. Disciples of Jesus were not safe anywhere, including in foreign cities.

Through his contacts in the city of Damascus, Saul had learned of disciples there. He went to the High Priest in Jerusalem, seeking authority to go to the foreign city to root out the troublemakers. It would be a long journey of nearly two hundred miles, but Saul was not to be kept from his mission of destruction. Leaving Jerusalem, he and his company traveled many miles to within sight of Damascus. Saul’s plan was coming together. He anticipated many disciples to be arrested and carried to Jerusalem.

As Saul came near Damascus, a piercing light shone around Him from heaven. Jesus appeared to Saul to show Him His glory and told Saul to go into Damascus and be told what to do. Saul arose from the ground to discover he was blind. His companions led him into the city to the house of Judas, where he remained for three days. At the end of three days, Ananias came to Saul and told him God had chosen him to be a chosen vessel. Receiving his sight, Ananias baptized Saul, washing away his sins. Immediately, he preached Christ in the synagogues of Damascus, saying that He was the Son of God.

One of the salient points of Saul’s story is the acceptance of obedience without question. There was little or no hesitation for Saul to obey the voice of the Lord. The brilliant light on the road to Damascus would be convincing but would not require Saul to obey. His passion to destroy Christ was fully zealous to persecute the church beyond measure. He did not have to go into the city. His passion could have rejected the word of Jesus and allowed him to continue his crusade against the disciples. He obeyed without question.

The three days without sight and refusing food and water were not why he obeyed Ananias’ voice. It is not hard to imagine all the emotions that were going through the mind of Saul as he sat in darkness in the home of the ones he came to arrest and possibly cast a vote of death against. He had served God with the greatest purpose and consciousness, believing he was doing the work of the Lord as a faithful Jew. His life had been dedicated to the service of Jehovah God. It was only now he realized he was wrong.

How does a man admit failure in a life so full as Saul’s? He heard and saw Jesus and knew he was talking to the Son of God, but what of his life as a Hebrew of Hebrews? Can he give all that up to serve the man from Nazareth? What about his family? How would this impact his position in the Jewish community? What would happen to Saul? Ananias comes into the room and, with great compassion, shows the love of God to a man feared by all the saints. When Saul was told to arise and wash away his sins in baptism, he did not argue about works, outward signs, or whether baptism was necessary. He arose immediately and obeyed the voice of God.

The faith of Saul led him to be the apostle Paul. Saul had faith in God and trusted in his word. Like Apollos, Saul needed to learn the more perfect way, and when he did, there was no arguing with the word. He obeyed. Saul would be amazed at how people today argue about everything. A man seeking what to do to be saved will read in the Bible he needs to repent and be baptized – and walk away denying the importance of baptism. Many people have accepted the lie of salvation by faith alone or grace alone, refusing to do what Jesus said. Saul did not argue when he knew what the word said. What value is there in arguing with what is plainly written in scripture? Read it. Believe it. Obey it. Act in faith. Stop arguing about truth that will not change no matter how long you deny it.