Paul and Barnabas had seated themselves in the large synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. But they were soon recognized. "After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them saying, 'Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.'"
These details are important because as Moses, in giving the Law, had declared God’s moral standards, the prophets had for centuries challenged the people to obey the Law and warned them of the consequences of breaking its commands. So passages from the Law and the prophets were generally read in the synagogues, and the religious leaders would then encourage the people to listen to the prophets and obey the Law.
Paul responded to the invitation to speak to the people gathered there. But rather than merely encouraging his hearers to keep the Law, he proclaimed Christ, who in love had died for all lawbreakers, closing with these words:
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).
How we need this message today! We may forever encourage one another to keep the Law, but who of us hasn't already broken it? Instead, we should thank God that He is a loving Savior as well as a just Judge, and that as God the Son, He paid for our sins Himself at Calvary so that we might be "justified by His grace" (Titus 3:7; Gal 3:13a). We need only believe.
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31a).
These details are important because as Moses, in giving the Law, had declared God’s moral standards, the prophets had for centuries challenged the people to obey the Law and warned them of the consequences of breaking its commands. So passages from the Law and the prophets were generally read in the synagogues, and the religious leaders would then encourage the people to listen to the prophets and obey the Law.
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).
How we need this message today! We may forever encourage one another to keep the Law, but who of us hasn't already broken it? Instead, we should thank God that He is a loving Savior as well as a just Judge, and that as God the Son, He paid for our sins Himself at Calvary so that we might be "justified by His grace" (Titus 3:7; Gal 3:13a). We need only believe.
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31a).
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