Monday: Pisidian Antioch – Part 1
From Cyprus, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga, in Pamphylia, on the southern coast of modern Turkey. Before they moved on to Pisidian Antioch, Luke reports two significant incidental changes:
Image © Providence Collection Goodsalt.com
Paul becomes the leading figure (up until here, Barnabas is always mentioned first) and Luke stops using Paul’s Jewish name (“Saul”) and starts referring to him only as “Paul” (Acts 13:9). This is probably because from now on Paul finds himself mostly in a Greco-Roman environment.
Acts 13:13 records John Mark’s going back to Jerusalem. We are not informed in the texts themselves of the reason for John Mark’s desertion. Ellen G. White wrote that, faced with fear and discouraged because of the hardship ahead of them, “Mark was intimidated and, losing all courage, refused to go farther and returned to Jerusalem.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 170. God never promised it would be easy. On the contrary, Paul knew from the very beginning that his service for Jesus would involve much suffering (Acts 9:16), but he learned to rely entirely on God’s power, and in that lay the secret of his strength (2 Cor. 4:7-10).
Read Acts 13:38. What was the essence of Paul’s message in the Antioch synagogue?
Acts 13:16-41 contains the first of Paul’s sermons recorded in the New Testament. It was not, of course, the first sermon Paul gave, and there is no question that it represents only a brief summary of what he said.
The sermon is divided into three main parts. It begins with shared beliefs about God’s election of Israel and the kingship of David (Acts 13:17-23); this part is intended to establish a point of contact with his Jewish audience. Next, it presents Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises of a descendant of David who could bring salvation to Israel (Acts 13:24-37). The concluding part is a warning against rejecting the salvation that is offered through Jesus (Acts 13:38-41).
The climax of the sermon is verses 38, 39, which enclose the core of Paul’s message on justification. Forgiveness and justification are available only through Jesus, not through Moses’ law. This passage does not say that the law has been abrogated. It only highlights its inability to perform what the Jews expected it to do, namely, justification (Rom. 10:1-4). Such prerogative rests solely with Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:16).
| What does it mean that salvation is only through Jesus? How do you reconcile the necessity to keep God’s moral law with the fact that the law is unable to justify? |
(41)
The reaction to Paul's sermon is summed up in Acts 13: 44, 45:
How often do we see the rejection of the Gospel message based on selfishness rather than intellectual disagreement? The Jewish leaders were jealous of the popularity of Paul and Barnabas and saw a loss of control over their Synagogue. They wanted to maintain the status quo because they were the ones in control and Paul's message was a threat to their position.
Is there a personal spiritual application for us? How much does selfishness drive our thinking when faced with a new idea in church? If selfishness is at the root of our thinking, we can easily fool ourselves that our arguments are not only plausible but inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is only when we put selfishness aside that we become open to the working of the Holy Spirit.
Right! That's why we have to die to ourselves everyday. To me, the high point of the lesson is the fact "but he learned to rely entirely on God’s power, and in that lay the secret of his strength (2 Cor. 4:7-10)".
That's where we also can search for sure help, to rely entirely on Jesus! Our keeping of the Law has to be a result of our faith in Him! Jesus can use us as we deny self and accept His ways for us! Our duty is to cherish Jesus love/Word in our hearts and minds. The rest He can do!
Have a great day.
If selfishness is at the root of our thinking, what is the cause? Can any who are fallen just rid themselves of selfishness? What is able to blind us to reason so easily? Isn't it the presence of sin in our life that allows selfishness to continue? Only repentance can spare us from it's grip and free us from it's iron grasp. Selfishness rules where sin is harbored, no matter how "small" that sin.
The Holy Spirit is faithful to convict, but we must be faithful to repent when conviction comes. This is how we receive Christ, and believe on His name.
I see selfishness as the "turtle at the bottom of the pile". In the first place, Lucifer wanted what God is. Covetousness is an expression of selfishness. It blinded Lucifer and blinds us as well. Selfishness is the presence of sin in our lives. When Jesus restated the law in the New Testament he essentially said Love God, and love others. Both statements emphasizing looking outwards from ourselves. The life that Jesus lived exemplified the very antithesis of selfishness, self-sacrificing love.
We are asked the following questions "What does it mean that salvation is only through Jesus? How do you reconcile the necessity to keep God’s moral law with the fact that the law is unable to justify?"
I would ask the question - "What is salvation? From what are we saved? For what purpose are we saved?"
In our country sometimes we read about new born babies being rescued from a pit latrine, it would be very strange if later the child decided to go back and live in that hole filled with sewerage!!
Jesus saves us from a life lived in darkness to walk in the light John 3:16-21
Jesus saves us from a selfish life to become selfless like Jesus 1 John 3:2
Jesus saves us from being at war with God to a life live in harmony with God character Rom 8:1-7; Rom 5:1-11
God's moral law outlines what it means "to be like Jesus"
To be saved by Jesus means we are a new creature, it means we are born again 2 Cor 5:17; John 3:17
I believe the question "How do you reconcile the necessity to keep God’s moral law" is misleading. God's moral law is a brief summary of the character of God, the whole point of "being saved" is to be re-created in the image of God so that we also have a character like God. If Jesus is in our hearts we will automatically be living according to God's moral law because we will have God's character.
Gal 5:16 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do.
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Thank you for your comment. I can't help but think about Proverbs 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
I think we are so concerned with being right, that we bring in contention and disunity instead. We flippantly dismiss things before we even check them out in accordance with the Word of God. God has been revealing to me much about myself lately and my motivations, which, I thought were glorifying Him. These lessons are quite powerful and I love Sabbath School classes because we get to share with one another and encourage one another in our journey.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
Paul quickly summarizes the Jewish history and begins the process of how Jesus is better than David
God raised him from the dead
He is the son of God spoken in the Old Testament
He did not see decay and corruption
For a Jew who believes in Torah this was important facts.
Also they did not have the written format of the New Testament.
Paul’s message on forgiveness, sanctification and justification are available only through Jesus, not through Moses’ law was hard for any Jew who had been taught the way of the Lord is in the precepts of the law. They had forgotten an important fact,
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.