Saul Becomes Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Saul Becomes Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles

Today's Text: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. Acts 9:4, 5

The Message:      Saul had been educated by the most learned teachers of the age. He had been taught by Gamaliel. Saul was a rabbi and a statesman. He was a member of the Sanhedrin and was very zealous for the suppression of Christianity. He acted a part in the stoning of Stephen, and we read further of him, "As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison." But he was stopped in his career of persecution.      As he was on his way to Damascus to arrest any Christians he could find, "suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."      Saul converted was called Paul. He united with the disciples and was among the chief of the apostles.-Manuscript 95, 1899.      Although the apostles were often cast down in the conflict with evil people and the powers of darkness, yet they were enabled to press again to the conflict, having before them triumph or death in the effort. In their bodies, in bruises and wounds and stripes received for the sake of Jesus, they carried the evidence of the crucifixion of Christ, that they were partakers with Him of His sufferings.      Their very deliverance and preservation under manifold difficulties and trials testified that Jesus lived, and because of His power they lived also.-Manuscript 58, 1900.      A true and faithful Stephen was stoned to death by the enemies of Christ. Surely it did not appear that God was strengthening His cause in the earth by thus permitting wicked men to triumph. But from this very circumstance, Paul was converted to the faith, and through his words thousands were brought to the light of the gospel.-Letter 10, 1879.      Those selected for the work of God should be men and women who are faithful and true, workers whom God can instruct, who will impart what they receive, proclaiming without reserve the will of God, pointing out the better way to all with whom they come in contact. New men and women in Christ are born to conflict, toil, and labor, born to engage in the good fight of faith. There is ever within their reach a power by which they may obtain the victory at every onset, power that will enable them to be more than conquerors over the difficulties they meet.-Letter 150, 1900.

Commentary: My friend, Saul was zealous in his pursuit and persecution of those to whom he thought were teaching heresies within the church.  He was a devout man and a promising member of the Sanhedrin.  He had been taught in the very best religious schools of the Jews and was destined to be one of the great leaders of the church.  But his zeal for God was misplaced, and though he persecuted the early Christians, God read his heart and shed the true light upon him. Today there are those in the remnant church that are zealous in their denunciation of the One true God movement.  Some are searching out those who believe and teach this doctrine, and are bringing them before the church body and disfellowed.  But like Saul their zeal is misplaced.  Their belief in the traditions of the church over the plain truths of Scripture leads them to persecute the true followers of Christ. The doctrine of the trinity, or the Godhead as some would say, has corrupted their understanding of who God is, and they interpret Scripture through this false image of God.  They put implicit trust in the church as the final authority in the interpretation of the Scriptures, while the word of God says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16), but the Church says that the Son is not truly a son but only a metaphor.  The word of God says "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (John 5:26), but the church says that the Son is co-eternal and has always existed.  The word of God says "I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (John 14:26), while the church says that the Father and the Son are co-equal. There are many, many more texts just like the ones above that are not in harmony with the doctrines of the church.  How did the remnant church of God transform from the Church of Philadelphia which had no rebuke, to become the Church of Laodicea which had no commendation?  The answer is found in Jude 1:4 saying "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." My friend, now is the time for us to study to shew ourselves approved of God, rightly dividing the Word of God.  Today we must put a thus sayeth the Lord ahead of a thus sayeth the church, else like many of the leaders and people that rejected Jesus as the Son of God, we will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. God bless,

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