Acts 9:10

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth; and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.

These verses describe what was taking place while Saul was in the state described in Acts 9:9.

Jesus had told Saul that it would be told him what he must do, but he did not say when Saul would receive that information. Saul evidently felt that his sin was so great that he could only fast and pray ... this state continued for three days and nights.[18]

Boles supposed that "There had been two simultaneous visions; Saul had received one and Ananias the other."[19] A number of significant things appear in this passage. (1) Regarding what Saul should do to be saved, it was not a preacher of the gospel, but "a certain disciple" who told him. (2) Ananias was evidently a man upon whom the apostles had laid their hands. (3) The miracle of Saul's receiving his sight is equal in every way to the miracle of his being stricken blind. (4) The time-lapse here of three days and nights between Saul's vision of Christ and his baptism is a unique interval. W.B. West stated that "This is the longest interval in the New Testament between the conviction of the sinner and his baptism."

A full understanding of just when Saul was saved depends upon taking into account the three references to this event in Acts, as well as certain passages from the Pauline epistles.

Saul believed, repented and confessed Christ as "Lord" on the Damascus highway; but this did not save him. The Lord commanded that it would be told him what he must do in Damascus. Not only is it true that faith, repentance and confession did not result in his immediate forgiveness; but it is likewise true that even the laying on of the hands of Ananias, three days later, for the purpose of giving him recovery from blindness did not signal the forgiveness of Saul's sins. On the contrary, Ananias said, "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16). Saul, in a sense, of course, was "converted" by the appearance of Christ; but as DeWelt noted:

Saul believed, repented and confessed Christ as "Lord"; but he was not forgiven of his sins until he had risen and was baptized, "washing away" his sins (Acts 22:16). Conversion takes place in the sinner's heart, but forgiveness takes place in the heart of God.[20]

Therefore, conversion in the complete sense of including forgiveness must include not merely faith, repentance and confession, but baptism also. Paul himself made this abundantly clear in this passage:

Whereas ye were the servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17,18 KJV).

For further discussion of this, see my Commentary on Romans, under Romans 6:17.

[18] Don DeWelt, Acts Made Actual (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1958), p. 124.

[19] H. Leo Boles, Commentary on Acts (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1953), p. 145.

[20] Don DeWelt, op. cit., p. 123.