Justified from All Things

The Forgiveness of Sins

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Paul’s sermon in Antioch ended with the best news anyone can hear. “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38).

Therefore. The word therefore points back to what Paul had just said: “He whom God raised up saw no corruption” (13:37). Because Jesus is alive, forgiveness can be offered in His name.

Why the resurrection matters. Paul later wrote, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:17). A Savior who stayed dead could not forgive anyone. Jesus is alive, so His forgiveness is real.

Through this Man. Forgiveness does not come through a place, a rule or a good feeling. It comes through a Person, Jesus.

Preached to you. To preach means to announce good news out loud. Paul did not keep it secret. He told everyone in the synagogue, and God wants everyone to hear it.

Sent to you. Earlier Paul said, “to you the word of this salvation has been sent” (13:26). God was sending the message to them on purpose.

What forgiveness means. To forgive means to stop holding a wrong against someone. When God forgives, He does not hold our sins against us anymore.

Why we need it. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Every person has gone their own way. Sin is not only a mistake; it is going against God.

The price. Forgiveness is free for us, but it was not free for Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and God raised Him from the dead.

All of them. God does not forgive only the small sins. Through Jesus He forgives every sin of everyone who trusts Him.

Let it be known. Paul began, “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren” (Acts 13:38). God does not want His children to wonder. You can know for sure that Jesus forgives you.

What we learn. Forgiveness is a gift, and it comes only through Jesus, who died and rose again.

What to do. If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you, you can ask Him today. If you belong to Him, thank Him for forgiving you, and tell a friend this good news.

Paul’s sermon at Antioch in Pisidia reached its goal in 13:38: “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.”

Therefore (13:37-38). The forgiveness rests on the resurrection. Paul had just said, “He whom God raised up saw no corruption.” A living Savior is offering pardon.

1 Corinthians 15:17. “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” Without the empty tomb there would be no forgiveness to preach.

Katangello. Is preached translates the Greek katangello (say: kat-ang-GEL-loh), to announce publicly, like a herald reading a king’s decree in the town square. Forgiveness is not a rumor or a private hope; it is God’s public announcement.

Forgiveness. The word pictures a debt released and guilt sent away. God does not pretend sin did not happen. He deals with it, and then He releases the sinner.

Through this Man. Paul did not say through this law, this temple or this ceremony. Forgiveness is found in a Person, so the message is about Jesus Himself.

Every sin, every person. Paul offered forgiveness to the whole synagogue, the faithful and the careless alike. The offer does not shrink for great sins or grow for small ones; it is as large as the work of Christ.

The word of this salvation (13:26). “To you the word of this salvation has been sent.” The offer was addressed to “sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God.” Jews and Gentiles heard the same message.

The cost. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Redemption means being bought back. The cross is where the price was paid.

The need. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one in that synagogue, and no one today, stands outside the need for forgiveness.

Let it be known (13:38). Paul opened with “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren.” Forgiveness is meant to be known, not guessed at. A believer can rest on the risen Christ, not on changing feelings.

Application. Do not treat forgiveness as something you earn by feeling bad enough. It is announced, offered and received in Jesus. Trust Him, confess your sins to Him, and announce the same news to others.

What the Law Could Not Do

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Paul did not stop at forgiveness. He went on: “and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39).

Justified. To be justified means to be declared right with God. It is like a judge declaring that someone is not guilty.

Everyone who believes. Paul did not say everyone who is good enough or everyone born in the right family. He said “everyone who believes.” The door is open to anyone who trusts Jesus.

From all things. God does not clear us from only some things. He clears us from all things. There is no sin that Jesus cannot cover.

The law of Moses. God gave Israel His law at Mount Sinai. It is good, and it shows us what is right.

What the law could not do. The law could show people their sin, but it could not make them clean. Its sacrifices pointed ahead to Jesus, but they could not take sin away for good.

Showing, not cleaning. The law could point to sin, but it could not take it away. Only Jesus can make a sinner clean.

Such were some of you. Paul wrote to believers in Corinth. Before they knew Jesus, some of them had stolen, cheated, gotten drunk or worshiped idols. Paul told them, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Washed and made right. Their old sins did not get the last word. Jesus washed them, set them apart for God and made them right with Him.

Why it is fair. God does not ignore sin. Jesus took the punishment for it when He died on the cross. Because the price was paid, God can justly declare believers right.

Raised for us. “But God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:30). The risen Jesus shows that God accepted His sacrifice.

By the Spirit. Paul said this happened “in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). The Son and the Spirit work together to make us clean.

What we learn. No amount of rule-keeping can make us right with God. Believing in Jesus does, from all things.

What to do. When you feel you have to earn God’s love, remember Acts 13:39. Trust what Jesus has done, and then obey God out of thankfulness, not to earn His love.

Acts 13:39 finishes Paul’s offer: “and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

A courtroom word. To justify is to declare righteous. It is the verdict of a judge, not a change of feelings. God, the Judge of all, declares the believer right in His sight.

By Him. The verdict rests on Jesus, not on the one who believes. Faith is the empty hand that receives it.

Everyone who believes. The offer is as wide as the human race and as narrow as faith in Christ. Jew or Gentile, religious or not, the way in is the same.

From all things. The law had sacrifices for many sins, yet none of them could fully clear a guilty person before God. In Christ, believers are cleared from every charge.

1 Corinthians 6:11. To believers who had once lived in all kinds of sin, Paul wrote, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

Apolouo. Washed translates apolouo (say: ah-poh-LOO-oh), to wash completely clean. Past sin, however dark, is no longer the believer’s name.

Washed, sanctified, justified. Washed deals with the stain of sin, sanctified with belonging to God, and justified with standing before Him. All three happened “in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God,” the work of the Son and the Spirit together.

Just and right. God does not lower His standard. Christ bore the penalty at the cross, and “God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:30). So God stays just when He declares believing sinners righteous.

No sin left out. Some of the Corinthians had stolen, cheated and worshiped idols, yet every one of those sins was covered. Whatever the sin, the blood of Christ is enough for everyone who believes.

Such were some of you. Paul used the past tense. The Corinthians’ old sins were real, but God had washed them clean.

Application. If you trust Christ, stop trying to add your own record to His. Obey God gladly, but rest your standing before Him on Jesus alone. Thank Him that His verdict will never be reversed.

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Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.