The Difficulty of Conversion

All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” Acts 9:21

The so-called conversation of Saul is a powerful story about transformation. Saul goes from being the most ardent opponent of the nascent Christian church, to becoming its most successful evangelist. This transformation was the work of God, which brought Saul to his knees (9:4), blinded him (9:8), and filled him with the Spirit (9:18).  Saul was chosen by God to become an “instrument” to bring the Gospel to the world.  Saul’s zeal for persecuting the church gets channeled into an unquenchable desire to share Jesus Christ with the world. 

This is a story of how God can change lives; how no one is beyond redemption; no one is unreachable; that there is hope for all people. It is also a story which reminds us how difficult it is for a transformed person to be accepted.  When Ananias is told by the Lord to heal Saul, he hesitates saying: “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.” (9:13)  (See also Ananias and the Conversion of Saul) And later when Saul is brought to the disciples (9:19-21) they cannot believe that he is changed.  Saul has become a different person, or perhaps more correctly he has become the person he was created to be, but he is not easily accepted.  The disciples who had seen the miracles of God, who had witnessed the work of the Spirit, could not wrap their brains around the fact that Saul had become an instrument of God—a faithful believer in Christ. 

For those who have had a life-changing transformation, it is often very difficult being accepted by those who knew you prior. You are different and changed but others cannot easily accept it. Perhaps it is more prudent to be skeptical of those who purport to be “a changed man” lest we be taken advantage of and conned.  But what if the Lord really can and does change people?  Do we believe it is possible?  And if it is but our hearts are hardened, can we truly say we believe in redemption?  The fact is, most of us want Saul (and those like him in our life) to pay a penalty for his misdeeds, or at least have a probationary time where he proves himself.  But God’s grace comes to Saul—as he is—and gives him new life.  And so it is with us, God’s grace comes to us without pre-conditions or probation.  Saul didn’t deserve it and neither do we, and thank God for it!  May we be thankful for God’s grace, be gracious to one another, and on the look-out for God’s transforming work in the world.