Saul's Conversion
The conversion of Saul/Paul is a wondeful story given to us as a hope for ourselves and for those we pray for to be converted.
In 1 Timothy 1:15b–16, Paul says, "I am the foremost of sinners; (16) but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life."
Saul was a strong opponent against Christianity. After his conversion he called himself the foremost of sinners. But Paul received mercy. Why? So that in him Christ might display to us his perfect patience. Paul's conversion was to glorfiy God by putting on display his perfect patience and kindness for us (those who were to believe for eternal life)to see.
Today a person like Paul would be considered the last person that would ever become a Christian. He hated Christianity. He "breathed murderous threats" against followers of Christ. But God saw fit to save him and his conversion is a huge event in which God shouts a very loud, "HEY, the chief of sinners was converted. Trust in me, I can do the impossible!"
In Paul's conversion we see among other things that God is two things:
Patient
and
Powerful.
We can trust our God who loves us and is powerful enough to do all that he pleases.
1 comment:
Jana and I were talking about this the other day in our family devotion and she noticed that, at that time, Paul (Saul) was probably the only Christian who had previously persecuted Christians. He was, literally, the "chief sinner" that had been saved.
Saul's conversion is also always a reminder to me that God initiated my salvation... not me. I didn't see any blinding light, but my heart was just as miraculously transformed. I remember getting so violently angry whenever my Dad would talk about what Christ was doing in his life... until God miraculously struck me.
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