The beloved physician Luke wrote how Paul spoke to the people in the synagogue in Antioch about Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, and afterward referred to the Psalms that read, “You are my Son, this day have I begotten you. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he said also in another psalm, You shall not suffer your Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins”, and in chapter thirteen and verse thirty-nine of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul said, “by him all that believe are justified”, where we read:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things,
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
The verse begins, “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, ...” Luke began with the words, “and by him” which means “and through and by means of Jesus” “all that believe” or “each, every, the whole and everyone who trusts in, relies upon, clings to and has confidence” “are justified” which means “are rendered righteous, pronounced to be just and declared to be as they ought to be” “from all things” or “apart and separate from each, every, the whole and everything”. Luke shared how “Paul” declared that everyone who “trusts in, relies upon and clings to” Jesus are “rendered righteous and as they ought to be” before God.
The verse continues, “... from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Luke added the words, “from which you” which means “apart and separate from that you, people in the synagogue” “could not be justified” which means “were unable and incapable of being rendered righteous, pronounced to be just and declared to be as they ought to be” “by the law of Moses” or “through the rule producing a state approved of God given through Moses whose name means drawing out and was the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion”. Luke shared how “Paul” said the “law of Moses” was incapable of “justifying or rendering righteous” any person.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we discover not only how “justification” from sins was only obtainable through Jesus, and the “law of Moses” was incapable of doing this. The law of God pointed people to their sinfulness because they were unable to keep it, however, Jesus fulfilled the law by living a perfect life and becoming the substitutionary sacrifice for the penalty of sin, death, on the cross. God loves people, and He knew they could not be “rendered righteous” by Moses' law. They could not keep it, but Jesus did, and through Him every person has an opportunity to receive forgiveness of their sins. Anyone who yields to Jesus will receive God's gift of “justification”, and they will be “rendered righteous and as they ought to be” by Almighty God for doing so.
Next time Luke shares how Paul warns, “beware therefore”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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