What is the theme of this chapter?
Paul begins his missionary journeys.
What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verses 38-39, 43
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?
The disciples Paul was forced to leave behind because of the Jews' persecution (Acts 13:50-52; 2 Tim 3:11) were not depressed but "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." This is a good reminder to me that bad circumstances or sufferings I encounter now are only "momentary" (2 Cor 4:16-18) and "not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18).
Additional observations/questions:
It's true that Paul confirmed the message of the twelve apostles; so do we, because what they preached was true; and so did Peter confirm Paul's message (2 Pet 3:15-16). It's also true that Paul was saved under the old dispensation and emerged from it gradually, but from his conversion on he was specially called to proclaim, more and more fully, one great message: "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). It was interesting what Stam said regarding the word grace (charis):
A comparison will be helpful here to show how the dispensation of grace was gradually beginning to emerge. The word grace, in the original (charis) appears less than 20 times in the four Gospel records, and then seldom with respect to the doctrine of grace, while in the Epistles of Paul — much smaller in volume — it appears well over 100 times and nearly always in connection with the doctrine of grace. Similarly, in the book of Acts the word appears (in the original) only 5 times before the raising up of Paul, and not once with regard to the doctrine of grace, while after the raising up of Paul it appears 15 times, mostly with regard to the doctrine of grace"
Compare all this with Eph 3:1-3: "For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly."
Paul begins his missionary journeys.
What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verses 38-39, 43
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?
The disciples Paul was forced to leave behind because of the Jews' persecution (Acts 13:50-52; 2 Tim 3:11) were not depressed but "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." This is a good reminder to me that bad circumstances or sufferings I encounter now are only "momentary" (2 Cor 4:16-18) and "not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18).
Additional observations/questions:
It's true that Paul confirmed the message of the twelve apostles; so do we, because what they preached was true; and so did Peter confirm Paul's message (2 Pet 3:15-16). It's also true that Paul was saved under the old dispensation and emerged from it gradually, but from his conversion on he was specially called to proclaim, more and more fully, one great message: "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). It was interesting what Stam said regarding the word grace (charis):
A comparison will be helpful here to show how the dispensation of grace was gradually beginning to emerge. The word grace, in the original (charis) appears less than 20 times in the four Gospel records, and then seldom with respect to the doctrine of grace, while in the Epistles of Paul — much smaller in volume — it appears well over 100 times and nearly always in connection with the doctrine of grace. Similarly, in the book of Acts the word appears (in the original) only 5 times before the raising up of Paul, and not once with regard to the doctrine of grace, while after the raising up of Paul it appears 15 times, mostly with regard to the doctrine of grace"
Compare all this with Eph 3:1-3: "For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly."
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