As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:3–6
When Saul of Tarsus set out for Damascus, he did so with the intention of arresting and extraditing all of the Christians he could find in the synagogues there, but when he arrived, he entered the synagogues and preached that Jesus is the Christ. When Saul was converted, he left no room for doubt in anyone’s mind that he was changed forever. What had happened to work such a change in this man whose life had once been dedicated to erasing the name of Jesus from human memory?
Consider all the things that changed in Saul when he was converted. First, there was a dramatic change in his thinking. When he stood before Agrippa and recounted the events surrounding his conversion, he said, “I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9). Hereafter his thoughts would center on things that are noble, just, pure, lovely, and virtuous (Philippians 4:8). There was a change in his purpose. Whereas before his mission had been to persecute Christians (Acts 9:1–2), his new mission was to preach Christ (9:20–25). Instead of pursuing men and women to strange cities (Acts 26:11), his new pursuit was love (1 Corinthians 14:1). Furthermore, although we know nothing of Saul’s prayer life, we can probably safely say that the prayers of the Pharisee (Luke 18:11; Matthew 6:5) were very different from the prayers that he offered while fasting in Damascus (Acts 9:11). There was also a change in his priorities. Things that once mattered so much to him meant nothing after he met Jesus: “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).
Why does Saul’s conversion matter to us today? For one thing, it serves as convincing evidence of Christ’s resurrection. Why would a man with so much to lose give it all up unless he was truly convinced that he stood to gain far greater things (Galatians 1:10–24)? The only logical explanation is that he did indeed meet the risen Savior (1 Corinthians 15:8). Saul’s conversion also proves that even “the chief of sinners” can be saved by the blood of Jesus (1 Timothy 1:15–16).
Hundreds of years before Saul left Israel and found salvation when he was baptized in the waters of Syria, there was a man from Syria (Naaman, 2 Kings 5) who found cleansing in the waters of Israel. The saving power was in the same place on both occasions. Both of these men were cleansed by the power of God. That saving power is still as active and effective today as it was then, and all that we must do to receive this salvation is to believe on the Lord and obey His holy will.