The phrase a worshiper of God shows that Lydia, like Cornelius (Acts 10:2), was a believer in the God of Israel. She had not yet, however, become a full proselyte to Judaism.
Lydia’s seeking was the first step of her spiritual liberation. Yet she, like all sinners, did not seek God on her own until He sought her. In Romans 3:11, Paul wrote, “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” “No one can come to Me,” declared the Lord Jesus Christ, “unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).
Her conversion, and those of Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch, illustrate an important principle. An often-asked question about evangelism concerns the fate of those who never hear the gospel. Lydia’s conversion shows that God will reveal the fullness of the gospel to those whom He causes to honestly seek Him. In John 6:37, Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” God will never turn away the seeking heart.
Not only was Lydia seeking, but she also was listening to the gospel proclaimed by Paul. Many hear the sound of the life-giving message preached without really listening to it. They are like Paul’s companions on the Damascus Road, who, although they heard its sound, “did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking” (Acts 22:9)
John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 93.
