"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11

(12) During this time, I was journeying to Damascus with authorization and a commission from the chief priests, (13) When I saw on the road at midday, O king, a light from heaven, surpassing the brightness of the sun, shine around me and those who were traveling with me. (14) Then all of us fell to the ground; and I heard a voice speak to me, saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the pricks.' (15) And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. (16) Now arise, and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you as a minister and a witness both of what you have seen and what I shall reveal to you. (17) I am personally selecting you from among the people and the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, (18) To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God, so that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified through faith in Me.' (19) Upon hearing this, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision;

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This passage provides us with an example of how misled a sincerely wrong person can be. Paul, despite his zeal, did not know the true God even though he was sincerely religious. He was sincerely deceived. Jesus basically asked him, "Paul, why do you continue to beat your head against the wall by following the path you are on?"

Can we hear in that question His expectation even of the unconverted? There is in the unconverted some minimal level of understanding and repentance that enables them to see that their values are wrong and to change to those coming from a different, far better Source—Him. If He expects that of them, what does He expect of us whose minds have been opened?

Paul's conversion led to many being given the opportunity to change their values more fully. However, the fact remains to this day what king David wrote and that Paul later quoted in Romans 3:11, "There is none who seeks after God." Carnal people are so imbued with their own systems that they will not change unless essentially forced to.

Satan has the world so deceived (Revelation 12:9) that God is veiled from the eyes of their understanding, so Satan is the ruler of this world and the source of its ways of living. He is worshipped and responded to by all of mankind. Unless God moves to change our values (John 6:44), we rarely change for the better. When God does move, He demands repentance of us and then loyalty to Him in our lives from then on.

— John W. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
The First Commandment



 

Topics:

Clash of Values

Deception

First Commandment

Paul's Conversion

Religious Deception

Repentance

Repentance as Change

Satan as god of this World

Source of Values

The First Commandment

The Unconverted

Uncalled and Unconverted Answerable to God

Values, Source of

Zeal without Knowledge




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