(Robert F. Turner)

"Yep," an old-timer tells me, "the light hit him, and he was converted b'twixt the saddle and the ground."

Believe it or not, we are talking about the conversion of Saul (later the Apostle Paul) not a Western movie. No amount of Bible reading can change my friend's conception either. With him it is "b'twixt saddle and ground" or nothing. I try to tell him the Bible says nothing about a saddle, but he replies, "Any fool knows he'd have a saddle on his horse." I surely hate to admit that this fool can't even find the horse.

The text is in triplicate: Acts 9:1-18; 22:1-16; 26:12-20; and one must assemble the facts from each account to get the full story.

It pleased God to make Paul an Apostle (Galatians 2:15) and this required witnessing the resurrected Lord. Paul did not see Him at the "due" time, i.e., before the ascension (1 Corinthians 15:4-10); but the Lord appeared unto him to make him "a minister and a witness," not to save him (Acts 26:16).

The Lord spoke to Paul, not to assure him of salvation, but to send him to one who would tell him what to do (Acts 9:6; 22:10). This does not refer to his preaching mission, for Jesus had already told him of this (Acts 26:17f).

Some say the light, the appearance of the Lord, the voice, etc., all are assurances that Saul's (Paul's) sins were forgiven. If so, he is the most dejected and sorrowing "saved" man of history. "He was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink" (Acts 9:9). During this time he was praying (Acts 9:11).

And Ananias said, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Even the old-timer should admit this is hardly the thing to say to one who is saved -- with sins forgiven. (The old-timer is quiet at this point.)

Saul's conversion, like others in the early days of the church, was surrounded by circumstances related to the times. Because of his appointment as an Apostle, there are elements in the account not directly a part of the conversion itself. Remove these, and his conversion was not unlike any other "turning to the Lord" recorded in New Testament history.

He had to learn of the Lord (note Acts 7:58), believe in Him, repent of past sins, and obey Him in baptism. He placed his trust in Christ and the salvation made possible by His death; and this faith was such as to lead him to "obey from the heart that form of doctrine" (the death, burial, and resurrection) "being then made free from sins." (Romans 6:16-18, 3-5).

Remember, it was this same Paul who wrote Romans 6:3 "So as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death."

But my friend, the old-timer, is not yet convinced. "Don't talk to me about baptism," he shouts. "How in this wide world are you going to baptize a horse??"

Hmm! I'm going to study on that.

-- Via Plain Talk, May 1964

Let me tell you the story of the Logan County hill-billy that thought he was called to preach. When he spoke to the brethren at Church, they told him that he would have to submit to an examination, to which he readily agreed. "Brother Fraley, can you read," he was asked. "Yes, I can read readin', but I can't read writin'," was his answer.

"Well, do you know your Bible?"

"Yes, I shore 'nouf do; in fact, I am pretty good in the Bible. I know my Bible from lid to lid, from kivver to kivver, and from Generations to Revolutions."

"What part of the Bible do ya like best?"

"Well sir, I like the New Textamint."

"What book then do ya like best?"

"I like the book of Parables."

"Which of the parables do you like best?"

"I like the parable of the Good Cemeterian the best."

"Well, tell us about the Good Samaritan."

"Once upon a time a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thorns and they grew up and choked him. So he went on and didn't have any money and met the Queen of Sheba who gave him a thousand talents of gold earrings and 100 chances on a horse."

"He got into his chariot and drove furiously and while he was driving under a tree, his hair caught among the limbs and he hung there three days and three nights. The ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. One night while he was hanging there, his wife came along and cut his hair, and he fell on the stony ground where it rained forty days and forty nights."

"He hid himself in a cave where he met a man who said 'come have supper with me' to whom he said 'I have married a wife and cannot come now.' So the man went into the highways and byways and compelled him to come and have supper with him. After supper, he went into Jericho and sitting in a high window was Jezebel."

"When she saw him, she laughed, and they flang her down from the window. And they flang her down, and they flang her down some more. They flang her down some more, until 70 times 70 and seven times more, and the fragments they picked up were 12 baskets shook down for good measure full. Now whose wife is she going to be in the judgment because she brake in pieces and multiplied? Amen and Hallelujah!"

The examiners sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally one of them said, "These am some thoughtful delineations our brother has pronounced to us. I recommend that he be accepted unanimously as our new preacher, because he shore do know Bible from lid to lid, from kivver to kivver, and all about Generations clean through to Revolutions.

One of the most famous episodes in the Bible is that of David's sin with Bathsheba and Nathan's subsequent confrontation with the king. It has often been pointed out that David's confession stands as a model of what confession ought to be. We are awed by his simple, humble acknowledgment, "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Samuel 12:13). The level of his remorse, so beautifully expressed in Psalms 51, is amazing.

In this current "me" centered, "it's not my fault" age, there are some important lessons to learn. While many folks today would have tried hard to prove themselves the "victim" in this sad situation, observe David. He did NOT say . . .

1) "It's HER fault!" After all, Bathsheba was bathing in an open place (2 Samuel 11:2). Surely she knew that someone might see her. Why didn't she take more precautions? Or, maybe she wanted to be seen! Perhaps she hoped to entice the king. Whatever the case, she definitely carries a degree of responsibility in this matter. But, David made no effort to shift the blame. "I have sinned . . . "

2) "These are hard times. I have a very difficult job. You can't imagine the stress I'm under." All of these things would have been true. Yet none of them served as a reasonable justification for what he did, and he knew it. "I have sinned . . ."

3) "Other people let me down. Why didn't they do more to help me? If they had been there for me, this wouldn't have happened." Yes, others could have stepped in to prevent the king's wicked deed. The messengers who were sent to fetch Bathsheba could have refused the king's command (probably at the risk of losing their own heads!). Joab, David's army captain, definitely could have objected to the murder of Bathsheba's husband. But David knew 'the bottom line.' "I have sinned . . ."

Christian, are you always trying to make excuses for your sins? Do you blame others or point to "extenuating circumstances?" These things never work. Learn from David. Try true confession!

"For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight -- that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge." (Psalm 51:3,4)