Acts 13:38-39 38Let it be known to you therefore, men brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and from all these things you are not able by the law of Moses to be justified, 39in this man, everyone who believes is justified.
The next significant topic in Paul’s sermon was his application and appeal to his listeners. Therefore applies the doctrine of Jesus’ resurrection to the human spiritual condition of sin. These verses echo themes found in Paul’s letters about God’s grace, mercy, justification, and freedom from the law. Let it be known to you is a form of proclamation by which Paul gave a significant truth to consider. The heart of the matter is the forgiveness of sins.
The result of forgiveness is emphasized with the repeated use of the word justified (dikaios). Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians especially deal with this topic because many Jewish Christians misunderstood the place of obedience to the law. Certain Jewish missionaries (the so-called “Judaizers”) were preaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow the Jewish Law. Some Jewish believers became bound to the heavy yoke of the law because they thought they needed to obey the law to be considered right before God.
Paul was showing the group of Jews and God-fearers in the Antiochan synagogue that there was a more sure source of justification. Obedience to the law could not save them. They needed the mercy of God, and the place to find that is in Jesus. Human effort cannot save anyone because we cannot overcome the power and penalty of sin. Forgiveness has never been deserved but always received as a gift of God’s grace. Justification and forgiveness come only in Jesus Christ, which is a favorite topic in Paul’s letters. This was good news for the people who first heard it from Paul, and it is good news for us today.