I Saw The Light

Saul's sovereign salvation

By Gummby

You can squeeze this in as part 6b of the Light series. Other parts can be found here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

As I read Buggy's Light of the World post, I felt like I wanted to expand on this wonderful story of Saul's salvation. By God's grace and sovereignty, we studied this very passage recently in church.

I want to focus here on who God saved. If there was ever a person we could look at in Scripture and say,"Yep, that guy is beyond saving" by judging their outward appearance, Saul would be our guy. He's just finished watching (or perhaps even presiding over) the stoning of Stephen, and his zeal for his religion is so great that he goes to the Chief Priests to get letters to follow these accursed followers of "the Way" even into foreign cities, so that they may be brought back and held accountable for their crimes. Their blasphemy against the one, holy God, whom they mock by following this imposter Jesus.

So when did God save Saul? Was it as Saul started moving in the right direction? Nope. Notice Acts 9:1: "But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord..." There was no indication that he would turn around anytime soon.

This is just like God. He saves us while we are still turned completely away from Him. It starts while we were yet sinners.

There may be some reading this who have been witnessing to someone and felt that that person was "too far gone;" although you know God could save him, you might doubt in your heart that He would ever do so.

But if there ever was such a person, at least in Scripture's accounts, surely Saul was that person. Yet God was pleased to save him in His own time. So I hope this will serve as an encouragement and a reminder that no matter what we see on the outside, there is never anyone who is too far from God to be saved. There is never anyone who might not turn from darkness and into His glorious light.