Musick-al note # 135
We first see Paul as an enemy of Christ, present and consenting to the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58, 8:1). He became the leader in persecuting Christians (Acts 8:3,), obtaining letters to seek Christians in Damascus (Acts 9:1-2) to arrest them to bring them to Jerusalem. Paul in reviewing this period of his life said he was zealous toward God in persecuting the church, (thinking he was serving God (Phillipians 3:6). Was he saved? No, not as an enemy of Christ!
Near Damascus, he met the Lord in the way (Acts 9:3-6) and asked what he had to do. Jesus told him to go into the city where he would be told. Paul spent three days and nights without sight neither eating nor drinking anything but in prayer to God (Acts 9:9). Was he saved by seeing the Lord on the road or by his prayers? No, because he had not been told what to do. The Lord called Ananias to go to this Saul and tell him what he had to do. Reluctantly, Ananias obeyed and putting his hands on Saul, restored his sight. Saul was told to get up, be baptized and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:10-18, 22:16). Saul, later called Paul was not saved by seeing the Lord, fasting, or praying but found remission of sins when he obeyed the Gospel.
You can be saved like Paul was saved! You will not ‘see’ him on a road but you can ‘see’ him by faith with ‘spiritual eyes’ (John 20:30-31, Romans 10:17). You can ‘fast’ and offer many ‘prayers’ but salvation will only come to you when you do as Paul did by being baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:3-5) This is obeying the Gospel by obeying a form of the teaching about Christ who died for our sins, was buried and raised again to life with God. .
Many are teaching that one only has to believe, or offer a certain prayer or live a godly life, and many other such things but following only the sure Word of Christ is the only sure way to salvation.
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 