What is the meaning of Acts 26:15? Who are You, Lord? • Struck to the ground by the heavenly light (Acts 26:13–14, Acts 9:3–4), Saul instinctively addresses the glorious Figure as “Lord,” acknowledging divine authority even before knowing the Name. • The question shows genuine surrender; Saul is not bargaining but confessing ignorance and seeking truth, echoing the heart that “seeks and finds” (Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7). • God often answers the honest cry for revelation—Moses at the burning bush asked, “What is His name?” and the Lord replied, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:13–14), setting a pattern of self-disclosure. I asked. • Luke highlights that Saul personally asked, underscoring individual accountability. Salvation is never inherited; it is entered by personal encounter (John 1:12; Romans 10:13). • The moment is relational, not merely informational. Saul’s question becomes the pivot from dead religion to living faith (Philippians 3:4–8). • His willingness to speak amid fear illustrates the courage that grace sparks even before conversion (John 6:44). I am Jesus • The risen Christ answers in the first person, proving His resurrection and deity (Revelation 1:17–18; John 8:58). • For Saul, who regarded Jesus as a cursed impostor (Galatians 3:13), this declaration overturns every misconception and validates the gospel preached by the believers he had hunted (Acts 5:30–32). • The Name “Jesus” carries saving power; the one Saul opposed is the only Savior (Acts 4:12). whom you are persecuting • Jesus so identifies with His people that harm done to them is harm done to Him (Matthew 25:40; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30). • Saul’s violence against the church is exposed as direct hostility toward the Lord of glory—a sobering truth that convicts every sinner (John 15:18–20). • The phrase also comforts believers: their sufferings matter to Christ, who shares in their afflictions (Hebrews 4:15). the Lord replied • The Lord initiates and completes the conversation; salvation is God’s gracious pursuit (John 10:27; Hebrews 1:1–2). • His reply is not mere information but a call to mission that unfolds in the verses that follow (Acts 26:16–18; Acts 9:6). • The living Christ still speaks through His Word and Spirit today, guiding surrendered hearts (John 16:13). summary Acts 26:15 records the moment the persecutor met the Person he was unwittingly fighting against. Saul’s humble inquiry, Christ’s personal revelation, and the startling identification of Jesus with His church together show that salvation begins with divine encounter, is centered on the risen Lord, and binds believers inseparably to Him. |
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