Sauls Baptism. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. There would likely be another group of people meeting on the evening before Saul arrived in Damascusthose who did not believe in Jesus as their Messiah, and who eagerly sought the eradication of the church in their city. Ananias who was I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith (Philippians 3:1-9; cf. . It strikes many readers as harsh, a return to Old Testament retribution. 137 The Way is a designation for the new movement used several times in Acts 9:19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; cf. Saul Visits Jerusalem. Second, the gospel should be proclaimed in a way that is personal. 28He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. The first thing we shall do is to make some observations on the passage as a whole to attempt to see the forest before we scrutinize the trees. WebWhy was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? Thus, it is grace which sustains the saint, in addition to saving him: Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited (Hebrews 13:9). Fourth, if we had all the facts, there would be no problem. [ a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads. 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? (3) The racial expansion from the Jews to the Gentiles. 138 Three times (8:3; 9:2; 22:4) this fact of persecuting women is mentioned as a special blot in Pauls cruelty (the third time by Paul himself) and one of the items in his being chief of sinners (1 Tim. He knew that going to see Saul would put his life in danger. WebAnswer: > 10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. Here I am, Lord, he replied. It does not store any personal data. Ananias was afraid because he knew Saul's reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church . We know that the salvation of men rests ultimately with God and not with usand not even with the one whom we wish to see saved. It was irresistible argument and spread consternation among the Jews. Up till now, Jesus was the sinner, and Saul was the saint. And yet while God had foretold the rebellion of Israel and their rejection, so He had also foretold of Israels restoration (cf. Linking is encouraged, but republishing or redistributing, including by framing or similar means, without the publisher's prior written permission is prohibited. The remaining verses of this account describe the results of Sauls conversion, all of which serve as dramatic proof of his radical transformation as a result of his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. The longer I study Sauls conversion, the more convinced I am that his conversion is typical. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7; cf. Saul took this most seriously, not eating or drinking until after his confession of faith by means of his baptism. God then used this man to further His purposes in launching the career of the most influential of the apostles. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God (John 3:19-21). He is trying to inform God of whats going on. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). Sauls salvation was focused on one thing and on one thing aloneChrist. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. CE!L;oza!sQjaTsg Paul experienced many hardships in his travels, and he was frequently thrown into jail for preaching about Jesus. 38Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, Please come to us without delay. If Ananias and Sapphira were born again believers and God judged them for their sin, it means that even though Jesus was judged for sin, God still judged them for their sin. A vision, in this context, was a supernatural sight from God. 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). 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). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It was bright enough to bring about a period of blindness. It is no wonder then that this one who was Sauls all in all would be the focus, the substance, of the gospel which he preached: But we preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). When Paul spoke of his conversion here in Galatians 1, he did not speak of the light which shone without, but rather of the light which shone within. Paul was no ordinary followerhe became the most visible and active pillar of the new Christian church. 10. Blindness, not willing to see, not willing to understand is all too common but Ananias cured Saul blindness by a touch. 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 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). Questions: Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? 4. (4) Sauls salvation was miraculous. . Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. He also warned those who would corrupt grace, to make it a pretext for sin (cf. Ananias fulfills his task: He laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, Your merchants were the worlds great men. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. Then you hear the Lord telling you to minister to that person. Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! 17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever, says the Lord. Perhaps so, but I am not as confident of this as I once was. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. Web17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me Our text presents Saul as a man who was not only running from God, but one who was actively opposing Him. He was, indeed, Stephens replacement. 10 i There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He answered, Here I am, Lord. 11 The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of of him. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. (what was bad was that they lied about the amount). Lesson Text Acts 9:1-19 Scripture Memory Verse 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. They do not understand the gospel well enough. 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. How can this message of suffering for Jesus' name in The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. When her lie had been exposed, she also fell down and died at Peters feet. For just as you once were disobedient to God but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. All of these should be expected and can be rather easily explained. 11 The Lord told him, Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsusp named Saul, for he is praying. And yet, even in opposing God, he furthered Gods purposes; he was instrumental in the evangelization of the Gentiles (Acts 8:1, 4; 11:19-21). The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it . He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 17So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit. 2:1 He said to me, Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. At first, I thought this was unique with Saul. The first words spoken to Saul were, Saul, Saul, Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4). Paul was no ordinary followerhe became the most visible and active pillar of the new Christian church. Copyright 2023 Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. All rights reserved. To Him be the glory forever. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. 139 A. T. Robertson writes, It is open to question if kurie should not here be translated Sir as in 16:30 and in Matt. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! He has sovereignly chosen to use people to lead people to salvation, Spirit baptism, deliverance, and healing. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. Would the church not have undertaken the task of discipling these folks? Why were Ananias and Sapphira killed on the spot? The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (John 1:4-5, 7-9). A man who, along When the plot became known to Saul, he made a successful, albeit undignified, escape from the city of Damascus. In this occasion, no one seems to have prayed for Peters miraculous escape. To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? 3On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.c He spoke of it as the movement from darkness to light (Colossians 1:12-13; Ephesians 4:8-14) in which the new believer should now walk. Why did Ananias and Sapphira sell their property? 2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all (D)who call on Your name., 15But the Lord said to him, Go, for (E)he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before (F)Gentiles, (G)kings, and the (H)children[b] of Israel. Used by permission. Ananias not only Luke 3:22), it expressed his unique relationship and fellowship with the Father. Ibid. * [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). The obedience and faith that Ananias demonstrated in going to Saul and helping to restore his sight were incredible, to say the least. (8) The salvation of Saul made him a vital part of Christs body, the church. To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:7). Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? 136. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 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. 146 It is possible, however, to understand the expression, Brother, as referring to Saul only as a fellow Jew. 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). 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. For all the saints. Shortly afterwards, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, asking him to go to Saul, place his hands on him, and restore his sight. 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. WebSaul had come to Damascus with letters from the authorities in Jerusalem to find followers of Jesus and arrest them. Yes, Lord, he answered. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.. In Damascus, the Lord had spoken to a man named Ananias, and the Lord told Ananias to find Saul and to lay his hands on Saul and pray so that Sauls sight would be restored. And having escaped from Damascus in a basket, most likely alone, he probably returned to Jerusalem alone, without a witness who could corroborate his claims. Upon hearing Peters words, Ananias fell to the ground and died. Nevertheless, there must have been those who intended to use Sauls coming to oppose the church. From 64 B.C. 1:15). A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. Did Saul's many sufferings during his ministry for Jesus' name come as a surprise to him?
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