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Saul Approved Of His Execution - Acts 8:1
Saul Approved Of His Execution - Acts 8:1
Choices we make have consequences. We have the ability to choose our actions but not the consequences of such actions. Paul approved of Stephen's execution even though this was wrong on many different levels. Paul then continued down this road by 'ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged of men and women and committed them to prison" (8:3). He himself spoke of this saying "I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities" (Acts 26:11).
Of course his choice here had consequences upon those he persecuted, their families, and the church in general. It also had the consequence of being firmly stuck into his memory. We can not just forget these type of great choices in our lives.
Paul made this choice in all good conscience. He later said: "I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus" (Acts 26:9). Acting upon such conviction let him later state: "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day" (Acts 23:1). This attitude keeping a good conscience stayed with Paul the rest of his life as he stated: "So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man" (Acts 24:16). At the end of his life he wrote Timothy saying: "I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day" (2Tim. 1:3).
Even a good conscience is NOT a guarantee that we are right. This can be seen here. Stephen of course was right and innocent of anything worthy of death. Jesus WAS the Son of God. Paul may have been thoroughly convinced, but he was wrong. Later in his life he wrote concerning another issue: "For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me" (1Cor. 4:4).
This choice was with him the rest of his life… He repeated this in his trials (Acts 22:3-4; 26:9-11). He wrote about it in his letters (1Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6; and 1 Tim. 1:13). He preached, converted untold numbers of people, and was himself persecuted, yet this was always in his memory.
He was forgiven of this. He wrote to Timothy: "though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1Tim. 1:13-16).
We can learn from this:
1) All of OUR choices and actions have consequences.
2) WE ought to live our life in all good conscience before God.
3) We may yet be wrong in such.
4) We will live with the memory of such choices. The more horrendous the choice the more indelible it well be imprinted our on minds.
5) We don't have to be defined by such choices and consequence for we can find mercy and forgiveness with Jesus even as Paul did.
6) We need to make the changes that Jesus demands in our lives, even as Paul did in his.
Hugh DeLong
