Acts 9:  What’s the great significance of it?

This probably won’t be one of the most read articles on this website, but it does deal with one of the most important subjects that affects so many other Bible subjects.  Without a correct understanding of this event in Acts 9 it leads to many errors in one’s thinking concerning certain things stated in the Bible. 

Probably most dispensational believers believe this present age of grace began at the time of Acts 2 and on the Jewish holy Day of Pentecost.  But right there in that name you should be able to see that such thinking is incorrect.  Pentecost was a Jewish holy day, one of Israel’s.  Pentecost and the other Holy Days were all times the people of Israel were to faithfully observe.  They never had anything to do with us as Gentiles.  And none of them are to be observed by us as God’s people today! For more information about the Day of Pentecost, please see my article about it—

Church: Did the Church of today begin on the Day of Pentecost in 30 AD?

There you’ll see that this present age of grace began with the salvation of Saul of Tarsus in the time frame of Acts 9 who became the apostle to the Gentiles.

Romans 11:13

¹³ For I [Paul] speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]

It was the apostle Paul who was the first member of what is today called the Body of Christ church.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

¹⁵ This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I [Paul] am chief.

¹⁶ Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. [Emphasis added]

This is what tells us that it was this man who was the first member of what is called the church which is the Body of Christ.

Romans 12:4-6

⁴ For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

⁵ So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

For more information about these “gifts” that were given, please see my article about them—

Spiritual Gifts:  Do they exist today?

As you’ll see in the article about spiritual gifts, these special miraculous abilities were given in the introduction period of this present age of grace of which we are a part today.  When the canon of Scripture [the Bible] was complete, the function of all these gifts then ceased. 

1 Corinthians 13:8-12

⁸ Charity [AGAPE = love] never faileth [EKPIPTO = falls away, ceases]: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail [reduce to inactivity]; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

Meaning the complete revelation that Paul was to receive had still not come.

¹⁰ But when that which is perfect [TELEIOS = has been completed] is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

The Greek word TELEIOS in verse ten is in the neuter gender and, therefore, refers to an object, not a person.  That object is the complete revelation of God’s will—the scriptures, all these gifts would cease because they would no longer be necessary for fulfilling their purpose.

¹¹ When I was a child [used to illustrate the first part of this present dispensation], I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

In this case he’s speaking of all the spiritual gifts God gave for the infancy stage of this age of which we are a part today.

¹² For now we see through a glass, darkly [having at that time only a portion of that revelation]; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. [Emphasis added]

Again, the cessation of these gifts includes the gift of miraculous healing, speaking in tongues [miraculously speaking in foreign languages], and ALL the others.  It was at the time of Acts 9 [not Acts 2, 13, or 28] that this age of grace began with the salvation of Saul of Tarsus who was renamed the apostle Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles.

Again, Romans 11:13

¹³ For I [Paul] speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]

Here are the names of two other articles you may want to read about the special ministry of this man, Paul—

Paul:  Who exactly is this man to us?

Gospel:  Where did the apostle Paul get the one he preached?

Paul was even given a new gospel message whereby people could be saved.  This is a part of why Paul so often speaks of his message, his gospel as “my gospel.”

Romans 2:16

¹⁶ In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. [Emphasis added]

This is not at all the same gospel Peter and the eleven preached.

Romans 16:25

²⁵ Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, [Emphasis added]

This gospel represents the preaching of Christ from His heavenly ministry, not His earthly one.  These two are not the same as so many believe.

As Paul’s letter to the Galatians tells us, Peter was an apostle who functioned primarily in relation to Israel [those called the circumcision] and Paul to the Gentiles [the uncircumcision].

Galatians 2:7

⁷ But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel OF the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel OF the circumcision was unto Peter; [Emphasis added]

As this verse states in the King James Version, these gospels weren’t just addressed to two different groups of people, they were two DIFFERENT gospels.  I have multiple articles and videos about this on this website.  Here’s just one of each—

Gospels: Did Peter and Paul preach the same gospel?

#27 ~ Two Gospels ~ Peter’s & Paul’s ~ What is the difference?

The salvation of the apostle Paul recorded in Acts 9 is one of the most important events of all history.  It marked the end of the Mosaic Law that was for Israel and the beginning of God’s teaching of those things that are for us today.  It is primarily because most of “the church” today does not have a clear understanding of what all this means that we have denominationalism and all the confusion about the means to one’s salvation in our time.  To see a list of these dispensations and more, please see this article about them—

Dispensations:  What is this about?

Again, Acts 9 marked the end of one period and the beginning of another.  Beginning in Acts 9 and going all the way to Acts 28 you have a transition period.  It was in that period, that time frame that ALL the spiritual gifts functioned.  Today, none of them function because they are no longer necessary to fulfill their purpose which was to establish the authority and truthfulness of what certain people were doing in ministry.

Spiritual gifts like healing were not given simply to alleviate suffering and pain.  It was to help people establish the authenticity of the messenger and to get people to listen to and believe the message a person was giving.  Therefore, Paul and many others had certain spiritual gifts for a time.

Again, 1 Corinthians 13:10

¹⁰ But when that which is perfect[TELEIOS = has been completed] is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. [Emphasis added]

Even on the Acts 2 Day of Pentecost, these believers gathered together were able to miraculously speak in the Gentile foreign languages of those present.  To accomplish something like this today, schooled language interpreters would have to be brought in to interpret and explain what was being said.  Such was not necessary in that time as it certainly is today.  I even have a granddaughter and her husband who were thinking of serving as missionaries in a country on the other side of the world.  The FIRST thing they were going to have to do was to be a part of a language school.  Such was not necessary for these people in the time frame of the book of Acts.  That was bypassed by people having the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues, all these foreign Gentile languages.

Acts 9 marked the beginning of where things once were to where they are now.  Because Israel had rejected their promised Messiah, God interrupted the program that was then in place [the Mosaic Law] by saving Saul of Tarsus and introducing a whole new program.  Knowing all things as He does, God then began the revelation of what is spoken of as having been a mystery, a secret that had been held in the mind of God.

Ephesians 3:1-9

¹ For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

³ How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

⁴ Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

⁵ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

⁶ That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

⁷ Whereof I [Paul] was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

⁸ Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

These “unsearchable riches” are things not known and nowhere found in the “Old Testament” writings.  There’s not even a trace of them anywhere at that time.  That’s why they’re called “a mystery;” they were all secrets that had been known only to God until they were revealed to Paul.

⁹ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery [MUSTERION = secret], which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: [Emphasis added]

For more information about this secret and the revelation of it, please see my articles—

Mystery:  What is the key to understanding the Bible?

Mystery:  What is the fellowship of the mystery?

Mystery:  What is this Secret that Paul wrote about?

Conclusion—

It was at the time of Acts 9 and the salvation of this man Saul of Tarsus who was appointed the apostle to the Gentiles that the process of this revelation of that which had been a mystery began.  To believe this period began at any other time always leads to misunderstanding about MANY things.  It is this that’s the great significance of that chapter in the Bible.