Latest / Scripture Central / Why Are There Different Accounts of Paul’s Conversion? #682

Transcript

Why Are There Different Accounts of Paul’s Conversion? #682 · Scripture Central

• 0:01
  I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of
• 0:05
  the sun shining round about me, and then which journeyed with
• 0:08
  me. And when we were all fallen to
• 0:10
  the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in
• 0:14
  the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
• 0:19
  It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
• 0:23
  Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central and today's
• 0:25
  podcast addresses the question, why are there different accounts
• 0:28
  of Paul's conversion? One of the most important events
• 0:33
  in the book of Acts is the dramatic vision Saul received as
• 0:37
  he was on the road to Damascus. This event shaped Paul's life
• 0:41
  and ministry, and he would refer constantly to his vision in his
• 0:44
  public defenses and epistles throughout the New Testament.
• 0:48
  Similar to Paul, Joseph Smith had a dramatic vision in 1820
• 0:53
  that shaped the rest of his life.
• 0:55
  And like Paul, he was persecuted for telling others about his
• 0:59
  vision. The persecution against Paul,
• 1:02
  for example, happened almost as immediately as he began to
• 1:05
  preach the Gospel, to the point that many Jews in Damascus now
• 1:09
  took counsel to kill him, requiring Saul to escape the
• 1:13
  city by being let down by the wall in a blanket.
• 1:17
  Joseph Smith similarly reported that a spirit of the most bitter
• 1:21
  persecution and reviling overtook many of the religious
• 1:24
  leaders of his day who had learned about his vision.
• 1:28
  So similar were the two men's lives that Joseph Smith found
• 1:31
  solace in comparing his vision and experiences with those of
• 1:35
  Paul. I felt much like Paul when he
• 1:38
  made his defense before King Agrippa and related the account
• 1:42
  of the vision he had when he saw a light and heard a voice, but
• 1:46
  still there were but few who believed him.
• 1:50
  Some said he was dishonest, Others said he was mad, and he
• 1:54
  was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the
• 1:58
  reality of his vision. He had seen a vision he knew he
• 2:03
  had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it
• 2:06
  otherwise. And though they should persecute
• 2:09
  him unto death, yet he knew and would know to his latest breath
• 2:13
  that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto
• 2:18
  him, And all the world could not make him think or believe
• 2:22
  otherwise. Interestingly, both Joseph Smith
• 2:25
  and Paul left several accounts of their visions told at
• 2:28
  different times to various audiences throughout their
• 2:31
  lives. Each account of these visions
• 2:33
  shows a remarkable level of consistency while simultaneously
• 2:37
  adding new unique details. By comparing the different
• 2:41
  accounts of Paul's transcendent vision, several details can be
• 2:45
  better appreciated. For example, in each telling of
• 2:48
  his vision, Paul and his convert and companion Luke are
• 2:52
  consistent in describing the Lord's message to Paul, although
• 2:56
  the placement of some of the phrases varies in each account.
• 2:59
  The Lord consistently says, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
• 3:05
  me? It is hard for thee to kick
• 3:08
  against the pricks. And in all three accounts Jesus
• 3:11
  identifies himself as Jesus, whom thou persecutest, with some
• 3:16
  variation in Acts chapter 22. To read Jesus of Nazareth.
• 3:21
  However, some accounts expand on the Lord's instructions to Saul
• 3:24
  in greater detail than others. And Acts 26 Paul recounts how
• 3:29
  the Lord instructed Paul regarding the Lord's will.
• 3:32
  For Paul but rise and stand upon thy feet.
• 3:36
  Or I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make the a
• 3:39
  minister and a witness, both of these things which thou hast
• 3:43
  seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee,
• 3:47
  delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom
• 3:51
  now I send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from
• 3:55
  darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that
• 4:00
  they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them
• 4:04
  which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
• 4:08
  This account makes it clear that a significant part of this
• 4:10
  vision involved Paul seeing the resurrected Lord who appeared to
• 4:14
  him in Acts Chapter 9 and 22. The Lord's actual presence in
• 4:20
  the light that Paul saw is implied but not explicitly
• 4:23
  stated until Paul is speaking with Ananias.
• 4:27
  This detail is also confirmed in Paul's epistles, as Paul
• 4:31
  repeatedly testifies that he has seen Jesus Christ our Lord.
• 4:36
  Another key detail is Paul's subsequent visit to and baptism
• 4:40
  by Ananias, which are mentioned in both Acts Chapter 9 and Acts
• 4:44
  22. While Acts Chapter 9 mentions
• 4:46
  Annanis's preparation to receive Paul, Acts 22 includes a much
• 4:51
  more detailed account of Annanis's words to Paul,
• 4:54
  including his instructions to be baptized.
• 4:57
  While Paul's visit with Annanis is briefly mentioned in Acts
• 4:59
  Chapter 9, verses 17 through 19, it is more fully understood and
• 5:04
  appreciated when viewed in conjunction with this more
• 5:06
  detailed account. Similarly, Paul does not mention
• 5:10
  his immediate visit to Damascus in great detail in Acts Chapter
• 5:13
  26, moving on rather quickly to recount his later missionary
• 5:17
  service, instead requiring us to refer to his previous two
• 5:21
  accounts to understand the significance of what happened
• 5:24
  there. Another key point worth noting
• 5:27
  is found in the two most prevalent details in Paul's
• 5:30
  visions, the great light and the voice Paul heard.
• 5:34
  In all three of the accounts of Paul's vision, these elements
• 5:37
  are present, and even they that were with me saw indeed the
• 5:41
  light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that
• 5:45
  spake to me. One possible discrepancy is
• 5:48
  found, however, in Acts Chapter 9, verse 7, where it is recorded
• 5:51
  that the men which journeyed with him stood speechless,
• 5:54
  hearing a voice but seeing no man.
• 5:57
  This detail is cleared up in the Joseph Smith translation,
• 6:00
  though, which clarifies that the men saw the light but did not
• 6:04
  hear the voice. Robert J Matthews has noted this
• 6:07
  version is surely the correct one, because both the message
• 6:11
  and the vision of the Lord were intended only for Saul.
• 6:15
  His companions saw the light, however, and knew for themselves
• 6:18
  that something unusual was taking place.
• 6:20
  They could testify to this event and thus help support Saul's
• 6:24
  declaration of it. Ultimately, Paul's different
• 6:27
  accounts of what could be termed his First Vision show that while
• 6:31
  some variations exist in each account, all are to be
• 6:34
  understood as reliable accounts of an actual event.
• 6:38
  Like the multiple accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision,
• 6:41
  differences in each account are not ultimately contradictory,
• 6:45
  but mutually enhance one another and help us understand this
• 6:48
  vision when read as complementary to one another.
• 6:52
  Because the Lord speaketh unto men according to their language,
• 6:55
  unto their understanding, Paul and Joseph Smith each offer
• 6:58
  different accounts of their visions to different audiences,
• 7:01
  highlighting what was most important for their needs at
• 7:04
  that time. The Lord works with His children
• 7:07
  on an individual basis, and so his prophets similarly choose to
• 7:11
  work with their different audiences in ways that will be
• 7:14
  best received by each audience. This fact in no way challenges
• 7:18
  the historicity of these important visions by these
• 7:21
  mighty servants of God. Rather, it helps us recognize
• 7:24
  how good the Lord has been to all of us in our lives and
• 7:28
  needs, and how He is consistently at work to help us
• 7:31
  all come unto Him personally and collectively.
• 7:38
  Thank you for listening to this presentation from Scripture
• 7:41
  Central. For more information, please
• 7:44
  visit scripturecentral.org.