The theological
significance of Acts 9.
This event cannot be overstated.
Included are:
· The exaltation of the earthly Jesus. The truth is dynamic and
transparent: The earthly Jesus is the
exalted Christ. The crucified Jesus was the resurrected Christ. The
resurrection is the cornerstone of the gospel. It cannot be denied. Paul experienced the Resurrected One; the vision revealed the uniqueness and deity
of the One whom he is doing everything to
erase from human history. Now he is converted to established that person and
name throughout the world.
· The reality of divine
grace apart from the Law. His conversion came not by the Law, which he was
serving, but despite it. It was an act of
divine grace upon one who deserved divine judgment. His testimony becomes that
God called him through His grace alone, apart from the Law (cf. Gal. 1:15).
Becker remarks: “The zealot for
the law becomes an apostle who, more consistently than any other, champions the
cause of law-free Gentile Christianity.”[1] It is because this
experience had taught him in a living and vital way that the deeds of the Law
could not bring salvation, only grace could be the channel of salvation (Eph.
2:8-9; Titus 2:11; 3:4-7).
· The commission to the
Gentiles. The call and commission of Paul as the Apostle of the Gentiles cannot
be denied in this event. The picture of
the conversion points to that fact. On this road, Saul the Jew was struck down
and blinded, to rise and be given a new
vision of God’s message of grace to the Gentiles. His commission is given
personally by the person of Christ (Acts 26:16-18) and confirmed by Ananias
(9:15-16; 22:15). Paul now becomes the transitional figure from the gospel of
the circumcision (the message and apostleship of the Twelve), to the gospel and
apostleship of the uncircumcision for the Gentiles (Gal. 2:7). Paul would establish this call by his distinctive “mystery”
of inclusion of Jew and Gentile into one body of which Christ is the head (Eph.
2:11-3:12). His mission is as an instrument of Christ, with a message that had
been hiding in God until revealed through
him (Eph. 3:8-9). Ralston correctly observes: “The
Damascus Road experience constituted the Apostle Paul’s theological center pin.”[2]
· The
conversion of Saul marks the beginning of a radical change or transition in the
administration of God. The nation of Israel will now be set aside temporarily,
and a new administration of the mystery program will be revealed (Rom. 11:25
cf. Eph. 3:8-10). However, this change of doctrine, tradition, and practice
would take time. This time is known as the transition period. It began with Saul’s conversion and lasted until
the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD when it is impossible to carry out the
old traditions. It is not simply a conflict between Jews and Gentiles, but a conflict
between two practices. Aldrich observes that this transition was necessary
because of “the ever-present natural inertia and resistance to change. It was not an
easy transition from the traditions and doctrines of Judaism to the new light
and glory of grace.”[3] DeWitt correctly observes that a dispensation covers “a distinctive era of salvation history created and
sustained by a newly revealed phrase of the plan of God.”[4] The conversion of Paul
and the revelation given to him marks a new phrase in the plan of God. It is a
new dispensation based on the new
revelation of what Paul calls the mystery. In point of fact, Paul calls this
new development a dispensation (Eph. 3:2-3). The program now changes from a “Jews only” message (Acts 11:19) to a
message of “no difference” between
Jew and Gentile message (Acts 15:9; Rom. 10:12). However, the gospel continued
to be preached to the Jew “first”
during this period. The call of repentance will continue to be to the Jews throughout
this time, as it was when they preached to the Jews only (cf. Acts 3:19; 10:43;
11:18; 17:30; 26:18, 20). Even in Paul’s ministry this is evident by the fact
that in every place visited the message was begun in the synagogues, to the Jew
first, only when forced did he withdraw from the synagogue.
· The message of grace is the caused a conflict that arose is evidenced in the first epistle of Paul—Galatians. In this epistle, we see it is a conflict between the
circumcision and the believing uncircumcision—their message, traditions, and practices (Gal. 2:1-21). It is a conflict
between a law/ritual system based on the Old Testament and a free grace system
based on the new revelation given to Paul
for us today. Freedom from the Mosaic Law system was at the heart of Paul’s
mission from the inception of his work and ministry. This transition from one
system to the other would continue in conflict with
the rest of the book of Acts. The existence of a transition period is vital for
a correct understanding of the book of Acts. The transitional period is marked
by three turning points in the rest of Acts:
· The Conversion of Paul
(Acts 9) and calling as “the apostle of the Gentiles”
·It marks the beginning the outbreak against Paul (Acts
22:22) showing the Jews rejecting Paul’s message.
·The final outgoing to
the Gentiles (Acts 28:28) indicating the coming final judgment upon the nation
(not individual Jews).
[1] Becker, PAUL: APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES, 69.
[2] Ralston, ‘The Theological Significance of
Paul’s Conversion ,“ 214.
[3] Aldrich, Roy L. ”The Transition Problem in
Acts,” BIB-SAC, July 1957, 236.
[4] DeWitt, DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY IN AMERICAN
DURING THE 20TH CENTURY, 179.
