Sent to Open Blinded Eyes

Acts 26:16-18 ESV

“But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

This was Jesus speaking to Paul when Paul (called Saul at that time) was on his way to Damascus to persecute even more Christians, when the Lord spoke to him audibly as a voice from heaven. And Jesus told Paul that he was persecuting him. And then he called Paul to the ministry of the gospel, and from that time on Paul began to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and his gospel of salvation. And the call that Jesus gave to Paul really spells out for us the message of the gospel of our salvation.

“I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

For when we come to Christ in genuine God-given faith in him, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So sin is to no longer have mastery (control) over our lives. We are to no longer let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it will end in death, not life. But if obedience is what we obey, it will lead to eternal life (Romans 6:1-23).

And the truth that is in Christ Jesus teaches us “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Ephesians 4:17-24).

And then Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For, if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we lose our old lives by dying with him to sin and then walking in his holiness and righteousness, then we have eternal life in him. But if we are ashamed of him and his Word, then when he returns he will be ashamed of us (see Luke 9:23-26).

So, our salvation from sin is not a one-time decision in our lives to believe in Jesus and then that is it until we die and go to heaven. Our salvation from sin is a walk of faith, of daily putting sin to death, by the Spirit, and daily walking in obedience to our Lord in walks of holiness and righteousness, and no longer living in sin. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, trains us to say “No” to ungodliness and fleshly passions, and then to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await his return (Titus 2:11-14).

So, when we believe in Jesus Christ, in truth, we turn away from our sinful lifestyles and we now walk in the light as God is in the light. Now, in practice and in conduct, we obey our Lord and his teachings, and we follow him wherever he leads us, and we go his way and not our own way. We forsake our sins and we renounce the power Satan once had over our lives and now we submit our lives to God to do his will so that we may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Acts 26:19-20 ESV

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

Now, this was also in the context of Paul giving his testimony and his defense to King Agrippa after he had been held captive at least two years by that time, I believe it was, and because of false accusations being brought against him. 

And so he told the king that he was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. And it sounds as though while he was still in Damascus that he began declaring that all should repent of their sins and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. And this is the essence of the gospel message. 

For Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). So true faith in Jesus Christ involves us dying to our old lives of sin and now walking (in conduct, in practice) according the Spirit in walks of holiness and righteousness, and no longer in sin. And we must walk by that faith and continue in that faith until the end if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Victory in Jesus  

Words and music by Eugene M. Bartlett

I heard an old, old story,

How a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary

To save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning,

Of His precious blood's atoning,

Then I repented of my sins

And won the victory. 

I heard about His healing,

Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again

And caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,

Come and heal my broken spirit,"

And somehow Jesus came and bro't

To me the victory. 

O victory in Jesus,

My Savior, forever.

He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

Beneath the cleansing flood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcIoFdSC-jA