“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.’ So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.” (Acts 13:38–43)
During Paul’s missionary journeys, it was very common for Paul to visit synagogues where he would preach Christ. In Pisidia, the rulers of the synagogue invited Paul to preach, and he was happy to oblige (Acts 13:13–16). As Paul proceeds, he shows the progression of Messianic promise in Israel’s history. He shows Jesus’ connection with David (v. 23), Jesus’ need to suffer, die, and rise again as the Messiah (vv. 26–37), and an exhortation to believe on Him as Israel’s Messiah (vv. 38–41).
In terms of the practical nature of Paul’s preaching, we should notice the practical implication at v. 38. Paul is not just looking to inform his audience so they can cognitively appreciate the Messiah. This is not to say there is no place to transmit biblical data through discussions, lectures, and studies, but it is to say that biblical preaching needs to culminate in a therefore where preachers present data, the Holy Spirit moves God’s people to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18), and the Holy Spirit moves sinners to consider their guilty place before a holy God and the gospel’s blessed remedy. Paul is looking to preach Christ in a way where Jews and God-fearers embrace the Saviour by faith. The language of “let it be known” in Acts 13:38a is parallel to Acts 2:14 and 4:10 or the “amen, amen” that is translated “most assuredly” in John 8:51. This is a call to pay attention because the gospel is of eternal importance: don’t turn off your ears, resist, reject, or check out by thinking about tomorrow’s work day. Think about the truth as it is in Jesus Christ the Lord. The apostles did not go out and tell everyone that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” The word “love” is not used in the book of Acts. That doesn’t mean there’s no love when God’s people love each other and God loves His people. Rather, the apostolic preaching of the cross focused on Christ’s life, death, and resurrection followed by a call to believe on Him, repent from sin, and to come to Him for salvation through the gracious provision of the gospel.
With the redemptive nature of Paul’s preaching, this is not the nonsense of “be a better you” or self-help drivel. Paul preaches the forgiveness of sins and justification by faith alone as the most important message people will hear. With the forgiveness of sins, this speaks to how the precious blood of the Lamb washes sinners and blots their sins out. This is the basis for knowing the joy of being found in Him forgiven and having a righteousness that avails with God. When it comes to the issue of sin, we need to appreciate that it’s not just a matter of barely missing the mark, but it’s a malady where we are dead in our trespasses and sins and we engage in sin as if it were sport to do so. We are totally depraved sinners who sin constantly. Scripture confronts us with our guiltiness and sinfulness because men who don’t appreciate the problem of sin will never seek out a remedy for it. The self-righteous Pharisees rejected Christ precisely because they failed to appreciate their own sinfulness. This is why preachers point sinners to God’s law to show them their transgressions against the law. If we don’t know the law, we won’t know our sin and see our need for the Saviour. Sinners don’t need Jesus to complete their lives, to be happy, or to live better lives. They need a Saviour that provides forgiveness of sins and a righteousness that avails with God.
In Acts 13:39, the text speaks of justification and righteousness. God demands perfection and not just our “best.” Our confession refers to God’s demand for “perpetual, exact, entire, and personal obedience.” Fallen man cannot do this and obey God’s law perfectly. If you’re tracking, you should see that this sounds like bad news. God demands perfection, we personify imperfection, we are totally depraved and totally unable to merit God’s favor based on our works, righteousness, or best efforts, which, according to the prophet Isaiah, are “filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6). In that context, Isaiah was referring to religious observance and performance that did partially fulfill God’s law as such. This is to say nothing of our adultery, murder, theft, or idolatry. Yes, this is bad news, but again, the Bible declares God’s provision in and through the gospel. We do well to preach “Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2) but let’s not forget His life of perfect obedience. For 33 years, Christ did not live in an exemplary manner; He lived to accomplish a righteousness that God then gives or imputes to us as we receive it by faith alone. God’s demand for perfect righteousness is not obliterated or suspended; rather, it is fulfilled by Christ. The forgiveness of sins is great, but on its own, it would simply transport us back to the Garden of Eden with a need to stay on probation by not eating the forbidden fruit. We would then need to effectively pursue a righteousness that would merit a final salvation. This is not the scope of justification when it entails the forgiveness of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believing sinner. This is why we rejoice in the gospel and why the gospel is good news. This is why even though we sin, we confess it to God knowing that our sins are forgiven and that we have that righteousness that ultimately avails with God. The blood of Christ cleanses us from sin and His righteousness clothes us, so we are fit and prepared to enter heaven. It is a most blessed exchange: our sin is heaped upon the Saviour and the Saviour’s righteousness is heaped upon us (2 Cor. 5:21).
The scriptures are very clear on this point of justification by faith alone. This doesn’t eliminate the need to preach the doctrines of regeneration and the transforming work of the power of the Holy Spirit in us in a life of sanctification. But when Paul presents the gospel and preaches justification in Acts 13, he is preaching Jesus’ work for us and not the Spirit’s work in us to transform us. He is using the law of Moses lawfully while also preaching that believers on Jesus are justified. It’s a fool’s errand to use God’s law to justify yourself. It’s not possible to try to go out on your own, to try to get to heaven on your own, and to fulfill the righteousness that God demands to merit God’s acceptance. As Edward Fisher said, “if you desire to be justified before God, you must either bring to him a perfect righteousness of your own, and wholly renounce Christ; or else you must bring the perfect righteousness of Christ, and wholly renounce your own.” Sinner, take Fisher’s advice; saint, be encouraged: listen to what he says and “wholly renounce your own.” Fisher continues: “Christ Jesus will either be a whole Saviour, or no Saviour; he will either save you alone, or not save you at all.” This is Paul’s emphasis to sinners that stood in need of God’s saving grace: the accent does not fall on the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and sanctification, thought this is inextricably connected to justification by faith alone. Don’t leave here tonight saying Butler denies regeneration or doesn’t think it’s important; or that Butler denies sanctification and doesn’t think it’s important. Butler’s preaching Acts 13: and when the apostle comes to bring his sermon to bear upon these sinners, he preaches justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners.
Paul proceeds to offer a prophetic warning in vv. 40–41 by quoting Habakkuk 1:5. Habakkuk is the same prophet that Paul quotes as saying that the “just shall live by faith” in Romans 1:16–17. When Habakkuk muses on Israel’s condition, God emphasizes His judgment via Babylon upon Judah for her rebellion against Him. It is intriguing that Paul treats Old Covenant prophets as still being normative, applicable, and useful for apostolic preaching within New Covenant churches. Since this text would have been familiar to Paul’s Jewish audience, Paul is appropriating a prophetic warning to those who would despise the gospel by rejecting it. If you’ve heard this gospel and you don’t come to the Saviour, this warning is appropriate for you.
Brethren, I know we live in a town that acknowledges the absolute and complete sovereignty of God Most High. Our church acknowledges this too through our confession of faith, but the biblical truth of God’s sovereignty does not negate man’s responsibility: man must come to the Saviour. “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12b). To despise, reject, and resist this is a fool’s errand. Remember Jesus’ words in John 8:51: “if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” You are not going to be upbraided for keeping God’s Word, coming to the Lord Jesus, and believing in Him. That’s a brand of hyper-Calvinism that distorts the very nature and being of God; it turns the whole idea of gospel preaching on its head. Yes, God is sovereign, but man is responsible; and if you come to Him, He will in no wise cast you out (John 6:37). In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says that “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus doesn’t say to stay away from Him, don’t ever come near Him, stay far from Him; He invites sinners to come and receive His rest. It’s not a bad thing to obey, listen to, keep, or receive God’s Word; if you’ve been told these are bad things, that’s bad preaching. The bottom line is that the apostle tells these people to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice the result in v. 42. The Gentiles begged for more gospel preaching on the next Sabbath. Why do you think they did this? Because Paul preached forgiveness, righteousness, and a means to heaven through means that they didn’t have in themselves. Oh, that God’s gospel would be received as such in our own generation. We’re a gospel-hardened people where we have to harangue saints to even come to church anymore. And yet, these Gentiles begged to hear God’s Word. In v. 43, we see that some Jews disagreed with Paul and Barnabas, but there were others who followed his logic, the trajectory of redemptive history, and believed on Christ by grace. In v. 44, we see that almost the whole city came together to hear God’s Word. That is what we pray for – we cry out to God and give Him no rest in asking Him to revive His church and to make the church beg to hear the gospel. May the church show up on the Lord’s Day. May the church partake of her responsibility and privilege to gather in God’s house. But may there be that trickle effect that the heathen and pagan hear about what’s going on in a church, that they hear about the preaching of righteousness, justification, and salvation by faith in Christ.
The content of the Gospel is not your feelings, happiness, or emotional well-being. It’s about the Seed of David, the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived a life of perfect obedience and died as a sacrifice and substitute. And He was raised again the third day. Men are called to respond to the gospel by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ so that they shall be saved. After, they are to go out and obey Jesus, the law, and do everything they are supposed to do. Obedience to God’s law is a consequence of His justifying grace in our lives and not the cause of our salvation; it is the effect of our salvation.
What makes you happy in your life? Your life, righteousness, obedience, faithfulness, and law-keeping? If you’re like me, these are the things that most discourage and concern you. These are the things that make you say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). May God bless, preserve, and protect this Gospel message. May God cause us always to rejoice in how “through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38b).
Excerpted and adapted from a sermon preached on February 5, 2023.
Image of Psidian Antioch used by permission from BiblePlaces.com.
