It is believed by this student of the Bible that some of the conversion accounts in the book of Acts contain the entire Plan of Salvation in both inferred and direct statements. Last month we looked at the Conversion of the Pentecostians in Acts 2. In this study we will examine the Conversion of Saul (Paul) in Acts 9. As the chapter begins Saul is persecuting the disciples of the Lord indicating that he had heard at least some of the teaching of “that way” (9:2). As the light shined around him and in response to Jesus’ question, Saul asks “Who art thou, Lord?’ Saul is addressing the one in front of him with respect. The response comes to Saul “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest…” Upon hearing that, the Biblical record says that Saul was “trembling and astonished.” This is surely belief on the part of Saul. Saul must have thought “These disciples of the one called Christ had been right. He had risen from the grave. He was alive. How could Saul have missed it?” In spite of all the eye and ear witness testimony Saul had been given he had persecuted these people and even worse Jesus said when Saul had persecuted them, he had persecuted Jesus. He had thought he “ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9). He had been sincere, but had been sincerely wrong.

The next words recorded from Saul were “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Saul this time undoubtedly uses the word “Lord” in an entirely different sense than he had previously. Before Saul had addressed an unknown stranger and had spoken respectfully. Now in the presence of the risen Messiah he uses the term in the sense of one with authority, my Lord and Master. This would indicate confession at this point, hard to miss with the resurrected Son of God standing before one. Saul additionally says “what wilt thou have me to do?” This indicates Saul’s readiness to repent, to change his will to the will of the Savior.
Before proceeding further I wish to make the following point. It is not my intention to imply that it would take a personal appearance of Jesus Christ today in order to bring about belief, confession, and repentance. The purpose of Jesus’ personal appearance to Saul was to qualify him as the last apostle of Christ, see Acts 1:22. In the other conversion accounts in Acts there is no personal appearance of Jesus to bring about conviction or conversion and in fact today we have even more compelling evidence of the Gospel message in the inspired words of the New Testament. Saul was convicted on the road to Damascus by the evidence before him confirming the testimony he had heard. Today we have the evidence of the multiple miracles and testimony of multiple eye and ear witnesses. See John 20:30-31.
Saul in hearing, believing, repenting, and confessing on the road to Damascus had surely been convicted, but he was not yet converted. Jesus said for Saul to “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” There was something more, a must, a requirement. Saul spends three days fasting and praying (again, penitence) and the Lord sends a man named Ananias to Saul and he “arose, and was baptized.” (9:18)
In this account we have the entire plan of salvation presented that all accountable people are required to obey to have their sins forgiven.
Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, and Be Baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

– Jerry Sturgill

Ephesians 1:5 says that God has, “…predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” In Roman law, when one was adopted, a new relationship began with the adoptee and the head of the family. The father who adopted would cancel all the debts of the one whom he adopted, but also from that time would own all the property of the one whom he adopted. The Father had the right to discipline the adoptee, but was also liable for any actions of the adoptee.

Isn’t this a great parallel to the gracious character of our Heavenly Father? He chose to adopt us as children according to the pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:5). He cancels our debts, but also owns all we have. He disciplines us, but what we do as a child of His is a reflection of Him to the world. While Ephesians 1 is not teaching that we had no choice in the matter, it is focusing on the fact that God decided “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), to work out a means to bring us into the family privileges that we now have as children of Him. We ought to be so thankful that God chose to do this, because we could not afford these blessings on our own.

As children of God, all spiritual blessings are available to us in Christ (Eph. 1:3). We are accepted (Eph. 1:6), because we have redemption and forgiveness through the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7). As children of God, we share in the wisdom He passes to us through the teachings of the Spirit through the first-century apostles and prophets, recorded in the pages of the Bible (Eph. 1:17-18; 3:2-6).

Since God has been so gracious to cancel our debts and bring us into a new relationship with Him, we should reciprocate that love by walking according to His commandments. We are children of God; thus, we should act like our Father. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” This means that we should abstain from participating in the sins of the world. Ephesians 5:11 says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” If you have been adopted into the family of God through the new birth (John 3:5; Eph. 5:26), then remember to focus on the spiritual blessings you have now and the great inheritance you have because you are a child of God (Eph. 1:18). Don’t forfeit these blessings for anything the world may offer.

-Mark Day

01.11.15 am – Mark Day – Learning to Walk

01.11.15 pm – Mark Day – Proving Your Own Armor
Scripture Reading – Steve Wallace – I Samuel 17:32-40

When God confronted the devil with the faithful example of Job, Satan relegated the man’s faithfulness to be solely due to God placing a hedge around him (Job 1:9-10). While it is true that God blessed Job, the hedge of God’s providence was not, as the devil suggested, impassable. God showed this by allowing the devil to remove Job’s blessings (Job 1:12). When Satan took all of his children and possessions away from him in one day, Job could have charged God foolishly, but he didn’t (Job 1:21-22). When on a later occasion Satan robbed Job of his health, Job could have followed the advice of his wife to curse God and die, but he didn’t (Job 2:9-10).

 
Job, as all men, had a choice in his reaction to suffering. Trials and temptations do not take away our volition. If we had no say in how we react to Satan’s onslaughts, then where would be the virtue in resisting temptation? The truth is God places a protective hedge around all of His children (1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Tim. 1:12; Jude 24). We, however, can choose to go over the hedge to follow the allurements of sin, or stay within the confines of God’s grace (Acts 13:43). God expects us to choose the way of escape He provides (1 Cor. 10:13). It is the balance of both of these truths that causes us to realize how Jude 21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life,” is in complete harmony with verse 24, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” We keep ourselves in the love of God, who keeps us from falling.

 
This realization of God’s protective care should cause all of us to be thankful. What grim fates and heartaches has the Lord spared you from? Only He knows. Be thankful and trust in Him (Prov. 3:5-6). When all of what Job held dear was removed, he still maintained his trust in the Lord. In Job 13:15 he declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Would you and I maintain our devotion while bereft of what we hold dearest? We hope and pray that we would be like Job.
Concentrate on the good things God has given. His goodness leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). When we neglect to acknowledge God and be thankful for what He does for us, then we go over the hedge (Rom. 1:21). Those described in Romans 1 who turned their backs on God, went over the hedge. Is it any wonder that we find “God gave them up” (Rom. 1:24, 26), and did not continue His providential attempts to keep them faithful? God will work with us as long as we work with Him, but when we are bent on sin, then the only recourse is for us to hit rock bottom until we again realize our need for Him.

-by Mark Day

During the personal ministry of Jesus, He presented the steps of the Plan of Salvation while teaching the people of Palestine. While those in the denominational world ridicule those of the Lord’s church that teach the Plan of Salvation, the un-get-over-able truth taught in God’s Word is that these “steps” are requirements for having one’s sin forgiven.

 
The obedience to these commands is recorded in the book of Acts also called the Book of Conversions. Looking at all the conversion accounts in Acts one sees that the steps they took in obtaining forgiveness of sin parallel perfectly the requirements spoken by the Lord in the Gospels. One must Hear the message of the Gospel (Luke 11:28), Believe the message of the Gospel (Mark 16:16), Repent of a life of sin (Luke 13:3), Confess Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 10:32), and Be Baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16). Many of the conversion accounts in Acts do not list each point of the plan of salvation often because of where the person is in the process. For example, the Philippian jailor being a pagan and knowing nothing of Jesus was told to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Acts 16:31) compared to Saul of Tarsus who though became a believing Jew, was told to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins…” (Acts 22:16. That which is not directly stated can be implied because as we have stated, all five steps are required for salvation. However, I believe in some cases of conversion the steps are inferred within the conversion account and that which is lacking is stated overtly. To consider this we shall examine the conversion account of the Pentecostians.

 
In Acts chapter 2 we read the first recorded Gospel sermon given by the apostle Peter. At the conclusion of Peter’s sermon, the Bible in verse 37 says “Now when they heard this”. When they heard what? The message of the Gospel, of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 2:22-24. Notice reading on in verse 37, “they were pricked in their heart”. The hearing was more than merely beating the tympanic membrane, it was understanding. The power of the word of God pricked their conscience and this led to belief. The Bible says “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Romans 10:17. To this point we see hearing stated and belief implied, now we consider the rest of the verse. Notice that they said “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” This shows the power of the word of God (Romans 1:16). What shall they do about this great sin they have committed in putting to death the Christ? This without a doubt is the implied confession of those convicted.

 
The answer to the question in verse 37 is answered in verse 38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” So we have an account of conversion in which the requirements of hearing, belief, confession, repentance, and being baptized just as commanded by the Lord himself. And the result, just as promised by Jesus in the Gospel account, is the forgiveness of sins.

– Jerry Sturgill