The Jerusalem believers doubted Saul was really saved because they remembered the violence he had done to the church, and they had not yet seen his changed life for themselves. In Acts 9:20-31, Saul immediately preaches Jesus in Damascus, survives a murder plot, and arrives in Jerusalem, where the disciples are afraid of him. Barnabas vouches for him by pointing to the evidence: Saul had met the Lord and preached boldly in his name. Genuine faith shows itself in a transformed life.
Setting the Scene in Acts 9:20-31
In the previous lesson, Saul met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, was blinded, and then saw again when Ananias laid hands on him (Acts 9:1-19). He was filled with the Spirit and baptized. Now Luke shows us what happened next, and it raises a question many believers wrestle with: how can anyone know if a conversion is real, including their own?
That question matters because Jesus warned that false conversions are possible. Some people will call him Lord and even do impressive things in his name, yet he will say he never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23). It’s one of the most sobering passages in the Bible. But Scripture also wants believers to have confidence, and Saul’s story helps show the difference.
From Persecutor to Preacher
Saul didn’t wait long to go public.
Acts 9:20-22 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
Saul went to the very synagogues where he had planned to arrest believers, and he preached that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the only time in Acts that this exact title is used in a sermon. No wonder his listeners were astonished. Luke says Saul grew more and more powerful, a word that suggests the Spirit’s empowerment. As a trained Pharisee, he knew the Old Testament deeply. Now that the scales had fallen from his eyes, he used those same Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.
Maybe you’ve known someone like this, a person whose life changed so completely after meeting Jesus that friends barely recognized them. Real conversion doesn’t make people quiet about Jesus.
Over the Wall in a Basket
Luke then compresses a long period of time into a few words.
Acts 9:23-25 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
“After many days” covers a lot of ground. In Galatians, Paul explains that after his conversion he went away into Arabia, likely the Nabataean kingdom east and south of Damascus, then returned to Damascus, and only after three years went up to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:15-18). For more on how these events fit together, see the chronological order of the New Testament.
Paul tells the basket story himself, adding that the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city to arrest him (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Aretas IV was the Nabataean king, so Saul seems to have made enemies among both Jewish and Nabataean authorities. Jesus had said Saul would suffer for his name, and it started right away. The man who came to Damascus to hunt Christians left as a hunted Christian, lowered through a window in the wall in the dark.
Afraid to Believe
When Saul reached Jerusalem, he received a cold welcome.
Acts 9:26-28 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
After three years, the believers still didn’t believe he was a disciple. That’s understandable. Saul had dragged their friends to prison. Perhaps they suspected a trick to infiltrate the church. As one commentator observes, even believers who have experienced God’s power in their own lives can doubt his ability to change others. Would you have trusted him?
Then Barnabas stepped in. We first met him when he sold a field and gave the money to the apostles (Acts 4:36-37). His name means “son of encouragement,” and he lived up to it. Ananias vouched for Saul in Damascus because Jesus told him to in a vision. Barnabas vouched for Saul in Jerusalem because he could point to a changed life. Paul’s own account says he spent fifteen days with Peter and also met James, the Lord’s brother (Galatians 1:18-19).
Saul debated with the Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem, likely the same circles who had argued with Stephen (Acts 6:9). They tried to kill him too, so the believers took him to the port of Caesarea and sent him home to Tarsus. We won’t see him again until Barnabas goes looking for him in Acts 11.
How Can You Know?
Years later, Paul wrote to a church in Corinth that was full of problems and challenged them to test their own faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
The Corinthians faced two tests. Would they accept the truth Paul taught, and would they turn from their own way to follow the way of Jesus? Saul passed both on the Damascus road. Christians from different traditions explain assurance a bit differently, including whether a true believer can fall away, but most agree that genuine faith produces visible fruit over time. John put it this way: those born of God do not make a practice of sinning, and their lives show a practice of righteousness and love (1 John 3:9-10). That doesn’t mean perfection. Growth is a process, as we see in What Is Sanctification?
Saul’s story suggests three simple questions. Have you trusted Jesus for salvation? Nothing else can save, but real trust is more than words. Do you live to honor God? Not perfectly, but with a new direction. Do you care enough to share it with others? This may be the ultimate test. In Acts, believers didn’t just receive the message; they passed it on.
What This Means for Us
If you doubt your salvation, you’re not alone. Assurance doesn’t come from staring at your feelings. It comes from looking to Jesus, who saves, and then noticing the evidence of his work in your life. And if someone in your life has truly come to Christ, be a Barnabas. Believe God can change people, and help others see it too.
Luke ends this section with one of his summary statements, showing what happens when people are genuinely changed.
Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
The persecutor had become a preacher, and the church that had been scattered was now strengthened, encouraged by the Spirit, and growing.
The Takeaway
Why did the church doubt Saul was really saved? They remembered his violent past and hadn’t seen his new life yet. But Saul’s bold preaching, his suffering, and Barnabas’s testimony proved the change was real. You can know you’re saved by trusting Jesus, living to honor God, and sharing your faith with others.
