Acts 9:5b I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Here in Acts chapter nine as well as Acts chapters twenty two and twenty six we have Luke’s writings on Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. In verse nine Luke paints a picture of what all mankind must face at some point in their life. Do we repent or do we remain on the path of ungodliness? This decision rest on what we believe about Jesus. He is the Savior of the world, or just a figure from history. We must all face this kicking against the pricks in our life. Our conscience (pricks) must wrestle against the truth that we are ungodly and not the god-like creation that God formed in the garden.

In Acts 26:15-18 Paul describes his encounter with Christ as his call to make Paul a minister and a witness to the Gentiles the gospel. The purpose of his message was to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from Satan unto God. That they may receive forgiven of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that in Christ. Before this encounter Paul as a religious leader of the Jews was protecting his religion from the false teaching of Jesus as the promise Messiah. If fact in I Corinthians 15:9 Paul writes “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” He justified his actions as protecting the faith. The encounter with Christ open Paul’s eyes and caused him to turn from his wicked ungodly ways, which he had in the past justified as godly.

So, when I read and study Romans 1:18-32 about the wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness I come to the realization that all of mankind fall in this group. Christ was the gift of God to the world to open the eyes of all mankind to their ungodliness and unrighteousness and provided us the way to turn from darkness to light. But then we accept Jesus and the mystery of God’s work in our lives, God will make known unto his wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption unto us. This is revealed to us by his Spirit that we might know the truth that is given to us freely by God. So as Christ stated in Luke 13:5 ” I tell you, Nay: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” God has provided the way; we must choose the path.