“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
’Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
Acts 13:38-41
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FEBRUARY 13, 2025
The gospel is good news. In Jesus there is life, and the forgiveness of sins.
The average American might respond, “What do I have to be forgiven of? I am a good neighbor; I pay my taxes. I have been faithful in marriage, and I love my kids. I have not stolen or defrauded another person. I am as good as anyone else I meet! Why do I need a savior?”
Yet the gospel establishes just how needy we are.
People who do all the “right things” or experience life going smoothly may have no sense of human sinfulness—yet we don’t need to look far to remember that our human existence is rife with the damages of sin, covering everything and filling every corner.
We may listen to statements like those of the average American above and conclude that the speaker is full of pride and complacency. It is only the Spirit of God that can convict the heart of sin and bring us to humble admission of our need.
One way to convey this essential understanding is to include it in our stories. I certainly cannot tell someone else that they are a sinner in need of forgiveness, but I can confess that I am one who has received mercy.
The gospel is the story of our forgiveness from God, wholly based upon the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. His gift on my behalf is received by faith. As Paul proclaimed, “Through him (Jesus) everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” The law of Moses addressed the performance of all those under its decrees. What the law of Moses could not address was the attitude of the heart. My deepest problem is the attitude of my heart, and that is exactly where the forgiveness of Christ needs to begin.
The law stipulated a sacrificial cost for forgiveness that had to be paid. To be justified merely on the basis of faith in God through Jesus would have been nonsensical to many of the devout Jews sitting in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch on that Sabbath. The words of Habakkuk quoted by Paul, “I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you” must have been true for some of those present: The cost for all our sins was paid by God Himself.
Who could believe something so incredible? This is the gospel.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- In thinking through your story, how do you articulate coming to the understanding of your need for God’s forgiveness and healing?
- How would you explain the suffering and death of Jesus as the basis of this gift from God?
- How much do you value the forgiveness of God, which is greater than we can conceive?
Church Reading Plan: Genesis 46; Mark 16