11The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. * [9:29] Hellenists: see note on Acts 6:17. 12And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight., 13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, (C)how much [a]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. 12 The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, 13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, 14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives. And what a comfort to know that God always finishes what He starts: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). The saints (9:32, 41; 26:10; cf. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Galatians 2:8-9). 2 What was the decision of Ananias and Sapphira? . We do not know the exact time when Saul was saved. The message which Saul received was not only a call to salvation, but a divine call to ministry. One moment, Saul was opposing Jesus, as though He were the sinner; the next, Saul is on his face before this Jesus, calling Him Lord. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. (3) Sauls salvation was personal. Nevertheless, at some point in time Saul did arrive in Jerusalem. Granted, his experience is unique and dramatic. The apostles had nothing to do with Sauls conversion, and they were reluctant to believe it had happened or to welcome him into their fellowship. A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:32). (8) The salvation of Saul made him a vital part of Christs body, the church. Questions: Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Pauls hatred for Christ and His followers was common knowledge. 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. ,%d/3o3o6jda=|4S-LJ3ajLcNfZyV;CkCl>390q {KQ0lQ)0>~cy:CJkP|4M-\v He was afraid because Saul killed Jesus’ followers🤨 There were three Ananiases in the Bible. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (14) There is an interesting symmetry or parallel between the conversion of Saul and the conversion of Cornelius. This divine illumination is that miracle which God performs within a lost, blinded, dead soul, so as to bring about salvation: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. >zZ0y^C{tg Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard (Isaiah 58:8). Saul, the typical (albeit more zealous) Jew, opposed God in the person of Christ and His body, the church, even while he thought he was serving Him. Let us avoid cookie cutter conversions.. In this occasion, no one seems to have prayed for Peters miraculous escape. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". * She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? WebAnanias was afraid of Saul. Word was out that Saul would soon be arriving. But why would they be called his disciples? Salvation is the miracle whereby God removes the blindness of sin and of Satan, whereby God replaces death with life. Israel was also blind, and Pauls blindness was but a specific example of this blindness: The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. A man once confessed to his pastor that even though he didnt think of himself as hating people, there was one person he really hated for the way the person had wronged him. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life (1 Timothy 1:12-16). Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit because it was the Holy Spirit who dwelt in the apostles, giving them their power and authority. 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. Ananias and Saul in Damascus. A( ) Ananias is obscure. WebThe Good Ananias: A Lesson for Believers. In other words a beginning point for narrating Acts 9:1-19 could be with Ananias knowledge of Saul as a persecutor, which he expresses in verse 13. (N)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Did Peter and Paul meet? He started NOW to trust God. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. 29He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,* but they tried to kill him. How humorous it seems to hear Ananias informing the Lord that Saul was an enemy, one who had caused many Christians great suffering and adversity, as though He was unaware of this! He is trying to inform God of whats going on. One moment, Saul is inflicting pain and suffering on others who trust in Jesus as the Messiah, the next, he is enduring suffering for the sake of Jesus, the Messiah. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. The details of what was said and done when Ananias arrived are fuzzy. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 59:15b60:13). God changed him from being a man who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God and a persecutor of the Christians into a bold missionary who preached the Gospel wherever he went. 12 It teaches us to say No to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hopethe glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. In Peters words, Ananias and Sapphira agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord(v9), which appears to be a terrible sin in the eyes of God, so terrible that it even warranted having the couple killed on the spot, without even being given the chance to confess and repent. 20and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. The splendid deliberateness with which God forged His human tool is the great lesson of these years. But there is a greater discrepancy between the accounts of Sauls conversion in Acts and that which Paul gave in Galatians 1. * [9:43] The fact that Peter lodged with a tanner would have been significant to both the Gentile and Jewish Christians, for Judaism considered the tanning occupation unclean. All of these should be expected and can be rather easily explained. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you (Isaiah 60:1). Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Israel was called of God and set apart to proclaim the way of salvation to the Gentiles. When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple (vs. 26). 129 By this time Saul has gained a reputation as the ringleader of the movement to make Christianity extinct. 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. Conybeare and Howson {The Life and Times of Saint Paul, p. 77 (sic punct.)} And thus, in Gods time, Saul was dramatically converted, seeing the Christ whom he had been persecuting, risen from the dead and in His heavenly glory. Linking is encouraged, but republishing or redistributing, including by framing or similar means, without the publisher's prior written permission is prohibited. Luke is emphatic in his representation of mans salvation as having been ordained and orchestrated by God, as a manifestation of His sovereign grace: And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48). 35And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. (what was bad was that they lied about the amount). These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? It is no wonder that a fair amount of the text is devoted to a description of Sauls attempt to associate with the local church, first at Damascus, and then in Jerusalem. What can you say about Christianity when its most outspoken and zealous opponent suddenly claims to have seen the risen Christ, and to have trusted in Him as the Messiah? Israel too will just as surely return to God; and when it happens, it will be all of God, all to His glory and praise: 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness (John 12:46). 20:32; 26:18) is a common term in Pauls writings and describes Christians as people who have been set apart for Gods service and must show an appropriate character. In our text Ananias was instructed to go to Saul and to lay hands on him so that he might receive his sight (9:12). But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said, You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? NKJV, Ancient-Modern Bible, Comfort Print: One faith. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. Saul, like Israel, had been blinded as to the meaning of the law because of his rejection of Christ (cf. Hear, you deaf! in 1971. The church in Damascus has been talking about Saul and its members rightfully afraid of him he has, after all, been dragging Christians out of house after house, throwing them into prison, and desiring their deaths. 24n but their plot became known to Saul. 2 Corinthians 4:14; cf. I can believe the saints who gathered to pray would have prayed for the protection of the church in Damascus and for the safety of individual saints, especially the leaders and the most visible Christians. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Damascus was an important town, about 150 miles (242 km) from Jerusalem, with a considerable Jewish population. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. 13:1 On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity (Zechariah 12:1013:1). Is paralegal higher than legal assistant? 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. WebAnanias, I am sure. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 60:3). It is impossible to overestimate the worth to the student of Christianity of this event from every angle because we have in Pauls Epistles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life (1 Cor. Those who know themselves sinners, and who call upon Jesus for salvation, are saved: For WHOSOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED (Romans 10:13, citing Joel 2:32). Ananias is not the last believer who has seen fit to keep God up to date (The Storytellers Companion to the Bible: The Acts of the Apostles). Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. The Lord seeks and saves individuals, and thus our methods should be personal. Now that the Lord had identified Himself as Jesus, Saul recognized that he was the sinner. The call of salvation is a call to change. Could Judas have been a Christian? Sauls world of self-trust was now at an end and prayer was helping him see that. It is here in Acts, for the first time, that Saul is called Paul. Saul, like Stephen, spoke with such power and authority that his opponents could not refute him. What are 3 long term physical effects of tobacco use? To the church, Saul turned out to be a friend, a fellow-believer, in fact, a flaming evangelist, who proclaimed Christ more clearly and powerfully than anyone had previously done in Damascus. The men who traveled with Saul were frightened and confused. They, too, were afraid of Saul and did not believe he really was a follower of Jesus Christ. (5) Sauls salvation was an act of divine grace. Christian ministry be reconciled with the wealth and prosperity that Paul recognized that his ministry was that of bringing the light to those who were lost, including the Gentiles, kings, and his fellow-Israelites: For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Acts 13:47). * [9:3143] In the context of the period of peace enjoyed by the community through the cessation of Pauls activities against it, Luke introduces two traditions concerning the miraculous power exercised by Peter as he was making a tour of places where the Christian message had already been preached. Ananias was used as Gods instrument in the conversion of Saul, but even he had to be pushed to go to Saul. In this chapter we have, I. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christtheir Lord and ours 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 9). When Saul looked at the disciples of The Way (Jesus disciples) all he saw was a heretical sect that was a threat to the nation of Israel and Gods Law. Nevertheless, Ananias obeyed. In His coming as the light, those who come to the light become lights to the world themselves: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2). Ananias small act of obedience led to a great harvest for the kingdom. ACTS 9:27 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. What Ananias didnt know is that Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Barnabas stood up for Saul and explained everything to the Jerusalem Christians. WebThere was no indication in Jesus words that Ananias was going to give Saul the Holy Spirit. [9:1] 8:3; 9:13; 22:4; 1Cor 15:9; Gal 1:1314. And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14).
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