Saturday, February 4, 2012

Observation

Consider, please, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. This dramatic encounter with God is recorded as a narrative in Acts 9, and then subsequently in Acts 22 & 26 as part of Paul's own testimony.

Here's what I find interesting: Paul didn't want to be a Christian. I suppose you could say that Paul was seeking God - he certainly was zealous for the law. But what blows me away about this account is that at the moment of Paul's encounter with saving grace, he wasn't being given a Gospel presentation; he wasn't sitting in church; he wasn't listening to John Piper on his iPod.

But God broke in and saved him, suddenly and without warning. God revealed Himself and Paul's only possible response to that majesty was repentance.

What are your thoughts and reactions to this, after you've really thought about it? I'm just guessing, but I'll wager that most of us don't consider Paul's experience normative. It was, however, a valid experience of salvation. What does this say about our great God and His purpose in salvation?


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