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THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF THIS SO-GREAT SALVATION — Part 4 "As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So he, trembling and astonished, said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do'" (Acts 9:3-6a)? Continuing our consideration of the foundation elements of this so great salvation, we discover today another foundational element of authentic conversion. This element goes hand-in-hand with the root of Spirit-wrought conviction. In authentic conversion, there is this "HOLY TREMBLING and ASTONISHMENT in the inner man" because of the personal consciousness of his condemned condition before the Lord. Notice that Saul was awakened, finding himself in a perilous condition. Suddenly, he sees himself as a destitute, defiled, and desperate sinner in need of salvation. Saul comes to the stark realization that the wrath of God is presently abiding over his life. Alarmingly, he became aware that the very One he has been persecuting is God the Son, the Messiah, the ascended Lord, and the sole Savior of sinners! The One Saul had been pitting himself against is the omnipotent Lord and God who has powerfully stopped him in his tracks! Consequently, this man who had been so bold is now trembling over these life-altering realities! Saul of Tarsus is personally ASTONISHED over the reality of "who Jesus Of Nazareth truly is." Even more, he was astonished over who he was compared to Jesus, the chief of sinners before Him! He is astounded by the truth that his entire life of self-righteous religiosity has been nothing but filthy rags to God. Inwardly, he staggers with a holy anguish and alarm concerning the condition of his soul. This determined enemy of the Lord is suddenly TREMBLING and ASTONISHED. Friend, no man hungers and thirsts after this 'so great salvation' until they come to know at least some measure of trembling astonishment that they are destitute, desperate, and defied rebel against God. The convicted sinner's soul shudders that he has been living the life of a total fool. Dear reader, please consider these following questions, for eternity stands in the balance. Have you found your soul in this dangerous condition? Has there ever been a time when you considered the transitory nature of your existence on this planet? Have you ever trembled that the sovereign Creator and Lord could stop your next heartbeat and immediately be accountable for your life without another opportunity to call out to Him in repentance and faith? Have you ever stopped the rat race long enough to deeply ponder the reality that you have an appointment with death? Have you ever seriously considered this urgent question, "If you died tonight, what would be the eternal destination of your soul?" Friend, you are in temporary stewardship of a never-dying soul (ultimately owned by God—Ezekiel 18:4). Your eternal soul will live beyond this mortal shell. Your eternal soul is going to exist in one of two eternal destinations. Have you ever stopped to evaluate the perilous condition of your never-dying soul, the eternal destination of your soul, and the desperate need of your soul? Have you ever trembled over these spiritual realities in your inner being? A person the living God is acting upon is a sinner who has faced this. He is a person who has trembled with anguish and alarm over the profundity of this reality. If a person has never yet trembled in their inner being with some sense of conviction and contrition, it is because they have never truly seen the Lord Jesus with spiritual eyes. When one has not seen who the Lord is, neither have they learned the truth about their desperate condition. When a person sees the Lord Jesus Christ as He is and sees himself as he is, he knows this holy consternation in his soul. This is precisely what happened to Saul of Tarsus. He was suddenly confronted with a personal awareness that the Lord Jesus Christ was dealing with him. He was then gripped with alarming fear concerning what the Lord thinks of him. He was convinced, convicted, and condemned over the heavy burden of his life of countless sins, which he now sees were committed against the Lord Jesus. As a supernatural result, there was a TREMBLING and an ASTONISHMENT of holy fear, concerning the just wrath he recognizes he so richly deserved.