Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-23
BY DIR. MARION NIGH. HULL
Golden Text: "Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God" Matt.
1916.


Golden Text: "Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God" Matt.
1915.
The vision which Saul had on the
road to Damascus and the Voice
which he heard. the three days of
prayer which followed, and the visit
of Ananias accomplished two things
for Saul he began to realize his abb
solute dependence upon God, and he
to receive from God what He in His
grace was waiting to bestow. There
fore he was filled with the Holy
Spirit. You will be filled with the
Holy Spirit too when you surrender
absolutely to God and are ready to
take what He is longing to give.
And when Saul was filed with the
Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ became all
in all to him. Henceforth Jesus of
Nazareth whom he had been persecut-
ing became to him Jesus the Christ
the Son of God.
In Arabia
The Chronology of the life of Paul
is most difficult. He, himself, gives
only only in &c references to time
many things because his purpose was
not to try to write a biography of
Paul, but a story of what Jesus con-
tinued to do and to teach through
His disciples. 1t is not strange,
therefore, that in Acts 9 Luke omits
all references to saul's retirement
into Arabia after his conversing,
aboutW hich we would know nothing
unless Paul had incidentally referred
to 1t in writing to the Galatians (Gal.
ID. Here, to prove to them that the
gospel of the grace of God which he
had preached to them was not of men,
but revealed to him by God Himself
he tell of his retirement into Arabia
and of the revelations there made to
him. A careful study of these pas
sages (Acts 9 and Gal. u and of the
special characteristics of the min
istry of Paul as revealed in his eps-
ties leads us to the following con-
clusion:
Immediately following the visit of
Ananias to the house of Judas, and
the filling of the Holy Spirit which
Saul received at that time, Saul be-
gan to testify to the change that had
taken place in his life and to his be-
lief in Jesus as the Son of God. This
made him persona non grata to Ju-
das and the Jews of Damascus, and
so he left his house and stayed GER
tain days with some of the disciples
of the Nazarene, possibly with Ana
Mas. But the physical stock that he had
experienced and the violent inflam-
ma of his eyes that had set in as the
result of the binding light, made it
impossible for him to engage in any
active service until he had had time
to recuperate. Indeed it is probable
that he never entirely recovered from
thisI for while he endured untold
hardships that would have taxed the
strength of the most vigorous, he
seems always to have been conscious
of some bodily defect, and makes ref
erence to his eye trouble.
Then a man of Sauls intensity
would need time for reflection, aft
er SO sudden a change of mind. He
had regarded Jesus as an lmpoStor,
now he knows He is the Son of God.
He had~1ooked with horror, as did
every Jew, upon crucified Messiah;
he learns to glory onl y in the cross
of Christ. He had been the most
scrupulous observer of all the mi
rute details of the traditions of the
fathers; he comes to know they are
utterly valueless as means of at
tanning unto righteousness. He has
been so bigoted a Jew that he re-
garded no other Jew even as neigh
Dor unless he happened to be
Pharisee, too; he comes to see what
is no respecter of person. But all
of this took time. Saul was convert
ed in an instant; but he needed time
TO adjust himself to the new belief
So while he surely testified as to
his faith in Jesus as the Son of God
he did not begin to confound the
Jews at Damascus, proving that this
is very Christ ". 22), until he had
come back from Arabia. (Gal. 1:17)
Where was Arabia? Probably the
district around Mt. Sinai gal. 1920,
for what more appropriate place for
him to go to compare the sayings OF
Moses which had Numbered from Mt.
Sinai with the new things that were
coursing through his mind since that
vision and Voice? And where bet
ter could God have revealed to him
the secret that mad been hidden
through the ages, but was now to
be made open, that the law was only
a school master to bring us to Christ
and that by the deeds of the law
should no man be justified. Here
also was learned directly from God,
without the intervention of any man,
the mystery of the churCh as the
Here also to him was made known
the mystery of the inliving Christ.
He stayed there three years-prob-
ably the whole of one and parts of
two others, according to the Jewish
count; but they were not wasted.
Without them Saul would never have
been used of God as he was. Is it
not a very great temptation to
young convert to want to preach at
once, before he has had time to adj
public ministry? Now do not misun-
derstand me- l believe heartily in
the testimony of young converts,
and of their beginning at once; but
think time should be taken for
preparation before they begin to
preach or teach or eXhort. Have
you had an Arabian retirement yet?
In and Out of Damascus
The retirement is at it's close
Saul is recuperated in body, refresh
ed in spirit, and readjusted men
tally. Where else than to Damascus
would he go? Right back to the syn
agogues where he would have been
most heartily received when he first
came. And he surprises those there
by his position and by his strength,
which enhances every lay. They
are no more able to withstand his
arguments than he had been able
% dispute with Stephen. He con-
founded the Jews which dwelt at
Damascus, proving by comparison
of the well-known facts of Jesus life
with their Scriptures that this Jesus
is the Christ. At first this merely
excited surprise. Is not this ne.
they asked, who destroyed them of
this Name in Jerusalem and who
came here with letters from the high
priest for like intent? But as Saul
increased more and more il strength,
and as one after another of their
leaders were abashed by his argu-
mentS, surprise gave way to antago-
nism. They warned him first, but