Acts 13:1-4 tells us how the mission to the Gentiles was launched from the church in Antioch. We here learn that a group of prophets and teachers were gathering together to minister to the Lord, with fasting, during which time the Holy Spirit spoke through one or more of the prophets, indicating that they must set apart Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work He had called them to do. They will take the gospel to new regions, following the pattern laid out in Romans 1:16: to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. The apostles go first to the synagogue, preaching the Gospel to the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles who frequented the synagogue services throughout the Roman world. The gospel recognizes the salvation-historical priority of the Jews, but is ultimately a gospel for all men, without distinction between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, a gospel of grace which proclaims that all, Jew and Gentile alike, are justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, Whom God publicly displayed as a propitiation in His Blood, a sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath and atones for sin, that removes sin from God’s sight and from the sinner’s record, forever, all of this to be received by repentant men and women on one basis alone – through faith. The Cross thus becomes the means by which a holy, righteous and just God forgives sins and shows mercy to sinners, to all who will repent and believe this good news of what He has accomplished for their salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.
The gospel thus went out to the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles throughout the Roman world. It was a harvest that He had prepared for many centuries, using Empires (Greece and Rome) He had raised up so that the Scriptures might be translated into a common language (Greek) and the roads prepared for His Word to go forth in a way never possible before that point in salvation-history, which Paul refers to as “the fullness of the times” (Gal 4:4).
The Church- a People in all Nations Defined by the Faith of Abraham[ 1:08:15 ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (31)
Texts for the Study: Acts 11:19-26; 13:1-4; Romans 3:21-4:25
Those scattered because of the persecution associated with Stephen’s testimony and martyrdom brought the Gospel to the city of Antioch Syria at a fairly early stage, probably within 2-3 years after the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. God thus used persecution for the furthering of His purpose (Rom 8:28) to have the Gospel preached in all nations, in accordance with the promise given to Abraham, that “in you and your seed all nations will be blessed” (Gen 12:1-3).
God’s intention, from the beginning of salvation-history, was to have a people in all nations, a family marked by Abraham’s faith in the God Who raises the dead and calls into being what does not exist. In this case it is faith in the God Who raised Jesus, the One Who was delivered up for our transgressions and raised for our justification (Rom 4:13-25). Justification means that we are exonerated of all charges against us in the Divine Court, that we are acquitted of all guilt and put into right standing with God, Who alone can pronounce this favorable verdict, that we are “justified” in His sight, free of any charges that might be brought against us because of our transgressions of His Law. Scripture uses dynamic metaphors to convey the thought that are sins truly are forgiven and forgotten, erased from the record (see Ps 103:12; Micah 7:18-20; Heb 8:10-12).
God’s plan to have a people who are justified by faith is seen in Luke’s version of the Great Commission, in which Jesus commands that repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be preached in His Name in all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. Luke makes clear Christ’s redemptive accomplishment in death and resurrection, and the preaching of this good news in all nations, are both a fulfillment of what was foretold in Holy Scripture (Luke 24:44-49).
Dr. Hartmann delves into the the political environment and personalities of the period surrounding the early church to paint a clear backdrop to the events recorded in Acts 12. The message unfolds with exhortations to persevere in times of persecution or trial.
Dr. Hartmann continues his exploration of Acts 11 focusing on the theological ramifications of the expansion of the Gospel into the domain of the Gentiles.
Dr. Hartmann explores Acts 11, asking “What was the central point of contention in Jerusalem upon reports of the conversion of Gentiles to Christ?” He delves into the theological, historical, and cultural milieu that drove the thinking, expectations, and theological understanding of various Jewish sects and traditions.
Dr. Hartmann explores the book of Acts documentation of the transition from Jerusalem to Antioch recorded in Acts 11:18-19. He outlines characteristics of Paul and the missionary sending base established in Antioch to reach the Gentile world.
