“There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.”  ~Romans 3:11 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  ~Romans 1:18,19

If we are to believe Scripture, we must agree with Paul that God has made Himself known. Not only has God made Himself known to all of mankind, but He accomplished it in a way that His invisible attributes are seen and understood.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  ~Romans 1:20

The bottom line here is that all of us understand there is a creator God, so much so that everyone is without an excuse for ignorance. With that in mind, why would anyone reject God? Why would even one man or woman reject what the Bible says about life, death, damnation, or salvation? There can only be one answer, without God’s intervention we are unwilling!

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  ~John 5:39,40

The scribes and Pharisees had God’s truth and were well aware of what it said. The Son of God, their awaited Messiah, expounded on that truth and made it clear what their circumstances were apart from repentance and faith. Yet, with all of that they chose to reject the Savior. They were unwilling to come to Jesus, why? What could possibly be their reason for knowingly rejecting God’s own call to discard their self righteous religion and trust in Christ?

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  ~Ephesians 2:1-3

Why would anyone willingly choose to reject Jesus Christ? People knowingly reject God because we, in an unsaved state are incapable of doing otherwise! Some people have called this condition total depravity. That does not mean we are incapable of doing any good, but that we are unable to do any spiritual good towards God. We are unable to seek, choose, or trust God without His own intervention. In other words, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Blessed is the one whom the Lord God calls from that dead and helpless state to life everlasting!

Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.  ~Psalm 65:4

But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.  ~2 Chronicles 36:16

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.  ~Psalm 10:4

People who reject God and the truths found in His Word, all share that common trait; they do not know Him. In fact, knowing God or understanding His truth is nowhere on their list of things-to-do. People may know of God and even acknowledge His existence, but their actions and rejection of the Gospel betray their self willed ignorance of Who He really is.

He has said in his heart, "God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see."  ~Psalm 10:11

The most frustrating witnessing encounters I have had are with those people who will acknowledge God and agree with everything the Scripture says, yet reject Christ. The reason they give always reveals the "god" they know is not God Almighty revealed in the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ. Even if you give them biblical proof their concept of God is in error, they stubbornly cling to their own "god". It is evident their change of mind and heart can only come from divine intervention.

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  ~Matthew 11:27

Only by God's sovereign power can anyone come to know Him in a saving way. Scripture reveals that mankind rejects the knowledge of God and seeks to usurp His rule over creation. All of us have bought the lie that we can be God and we need not subject ourselves to anyone else. How merciful that Jesus Christ reveals God to even one sinner. The promise that was given to those who know God and seek Him will not be forsaken.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.  ~Psalm 9:10

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The Sovereignty of God on the Damascus Road: Introduction

What was Saul like before his conversion?

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.  ~Acts 9:1,2

When reading the narrative account from Acts chapter 9, we would do well to remember where Luke got this information. The Apostle Paul himself would have recounted these events for Luke to record, so in a sense Paul describes his own assessment of whom and what he was before that day he met Christ. Let's begin this study by looking at the first part of verse 1:

“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”

Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.  ~Acts 7:57,58

The very next chapter Luke relates Saul was not only present at the murder of Stephen, but he was in agreement with it and inspired by it for more...

Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.  ~Acts 8:1-3

The very idea of “breathing threats and murder” is how Paul would describe his own attitude towards Christians before conversion. Threats and murder are what he drew his breath from and it sustained him. Finding and putting to death Christians is what got Saul out of bed in the morning! So then let it be noted that on the day Saul met Christ on the Damascus Road, repented of his sin and trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, his heart was filled with a hateful and murderous desire for Christians. Even up to the very moment of his conversion Saul was totally depraved, totally unable to know God on his own. Again, Saul's own words...

For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.  ~Galatians 1:13

Saul had the heart typical of any unbeliever. Later, many years after his conversion, he wrote a letter to a body of believers in Rome and in it he describes every man, woman, and child before salvation...

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written:

There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.
Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit;

“The poison of asps is under their lips;
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.

A few years ago when I began studying the Doctrines of Grace and whether mankind was totally depraved, I came across this clear statement made by the Apostle Paul...

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  ~1 Corinthians 2:14

The point here is the “natural man” (unsaved) is incapable of receiving the things of God. It is not a matter of choice, but inability. In his book “What’s So Great About The Doctrines of Grace?” Richard Phillips said this...

Sin has corrupted man’s thinking in such a way that people lack the ability to understand the truth about themselves, God, and the world.

Saul was a typical man with an unsaved and unregenerate heart. He was ignorant of God and His Christ and in going about establishing his own fallen brand of righteousness; Saul lived for threats and murder of God’s people. What was Saul like before his conversion? He was totally depraved, totally unable to understand God and seek Him. Just like you... just like me.

God is sovereign over all of His creation including all aspects of salvation. A little over a year ago I would have argued against that statement. I would not have agreed God chooses whom He will save and chooses whom He will not save. After spending months of study in the book of Romans and particularly in chapter 9, I came to the inevitable conclusion that God saves those whom He has elected for that purpose.

I want to begin a study from the ninth chapter of Acts, working verse by verse through the Apostle Paul's meeting with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road and subsequent conversion. I am drawn to this passage because there are some parallels between what happened to him on his way to Damascus and my own conversion (I am not insinuating in any way that I am like the Apostle Paul).

The argument I want to put forth is God is sovereign over every detail and aspect of our salvation. And to a lesser degree attempt to answer why God saves us in the manner He chooses. In other words, why doesn't God save everybody like He did Paul on the Damascus Road? The passage I want to work through is Acts 9:1-31, and breaking it into four parts:

     I.    Saul is Converted - Acts 9:1-9
     II.   Saul is Baptized - Acts 9:10-19
     III.  Saul is Persecuted - Acts 9:20-25
     IV.  Saul is Befriended - Acts 9:26-31  

If you would like to take part in this study and accompanying discussion take some time to read the passage and spend some time focusing on verses 1 and 2 as that is where the study will begin. The first two verses will lead us into a look first at who Saul was before he became known to us as the Apostle Paul. Each of the four parts of the passage will be covered by multiple posts as we work verse by verse (sometimes clause by clause) through the passage.

To get your wheels turning let me ask this question. Does God specifically choose whom He will save?