Tuesday 16 May 2023
- Bible Book:
- Acts
All of you, my fellow Israelites, are to know for sure that it is through Jesus that the message about forgiveness of sins is preached to you. (v. 38)
Background
My family enjoy building Lego. To build with Lego you need a plan so that you know where all of the different pieces fit and how they fit together. Paul and Barnabas in the synagogue in Antioch were explaining how the life and ministry of Jesus fitted in with God’s plan of salvation. The life and ministry of Jesus was an essential part of God’s plan for the world.
This is what Paul was doing, he put the life of Jesus into a long and far-reaching context, showing where God is at work. But Paul brings a new focus as he shares about the life of Jesus, where he talks about forgiveness of sin. God takes a group of people and makes them a nation and makes them his people. Paul, in talking about forgiveness of sin, changes the scope of who can be God’s people. Before Jesus it was only the people of Israel who were God’s people. After Jesus it is those who sins are forgiven who become God’s people.
Paul affirms that faith in Jesus sets us free from all our sins, something that the law of Moses was unable to do. His challenge though is not to focus on the sins, but to focus on Jesus and the need to have faith in him and the forgiveness he brings if we are to be truly the people of God.
To Ponder:
- Sin can be a difficult concept to explain. What understandings from modern life can we use to help us explain what we mean by sin?
- Wesley talked about the guilt and power of sin. What do we need to do to address these issues?
- Can forgiveness ever be real if there is no relationship and no sense of contrition to give a context for forgiveness?