Acts 13:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

NIV: "Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.

NASB: Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.

CSB: "Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.

NLT: Brothers — you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles — this message of salvation has been sent to us!

KJV: Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

NKJV: “Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.

This begins the second of five parts of Paul's message to the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:26–31). In each section, Paul reveals God's on-going work of salvation. As in Acts 13:16, this section starts by Paul breaking into the narrative to directly address his audience to get their attention.

Paul's audience of Jews and God-fearing Gentiles may well have been confused. Paul speaks of how God delivered the Israelites in the time of Moses and gave them a homeland (Acts 13:17–19). Then he speaks of how they grew from an alliance occasionally governed by judges to a proper kingdom (Acts 13:20–21). He reminds them how God chose David, not only to be king but to father the line of Israel's kings, culminating in the promised Messiah (Acts 13:22–23). Finally, he reminds them of the message of John the Baptist who promised that the Messiah was imminent (Acts 13:24–25).

The problem, as even John the Baptist saw it (Matthew 11:3), is that there is no immediate, earthly rescue. John is long dead, Israel is still under Roman rule, and although the synagogue members far in the middle of modern-day Asia Minor know of John (Acts 18:25; 19:3–4), they know nothing of the man he promised would follow him.

Paul must explain what this "salvation" really is. Even the Jewish leaders and residents of Jerusalem "did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets" (Acts 13:27). The Messiah will free Israel and sit on the throne, but not yet. First, Paul explains, He offers "forgiveness of sins" and true freedom that is impossible under the Mosaic law (Acts 13:38–39).

But before Paul gives Jesus' promise, he must prove who Jesus is and what happened to Him (Acts 13:27–37).

Acts 13:16–41 gives the transcript of Paul's message in Pisidian Antioch. It is the only recording of Paul's many synagogue sermons. Paul's message can be broken into five parts, each identified with a call to heed Paul's words: 1. God's saving work in Israel's history and promise of a future Savior (Acts 13:16–25); 2. The Savior's story (Acts 13:26–31); 3. The prophecies of the Savior (Acts 13:32–37); 4. The nature of ''salvation'' (Acts 13:38–39); 5. A warning to accept the Savior (Acts 13:40–41). Some Jews and many Gentiles do accept the message, but the synagogue leaders drive Paul and Barnabas out of town (Acts 13:42–51).

Acts 13 transitions Luke's account (Acts 1:1) fully into a record of Paul's ministry to spread the news about Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary journey. They teach about Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins on the island of Cyprus and in the district of Pisidia in modern-day south-central Asia Minor. Along the way, they face opposition, desertion, and persecution: themes that will follow Paul throughout his life. But they also experience the joy of watching the people they'd least expect come to a saving faith in Jesus.

The first chapters of Acts, save for a quick account of Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1–31), cover the ministry of the apostles, particularly Peter. Those passages also detail the spread of the news about Jesus from His followers. That message goes to the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 2—7) and Judea (Acts 8:26–40; 9:32–43), the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–25), and God-fearing Gentiles (Acts 10—11). Now, Paul's contribution to the ''end of the earth'' portion of Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8 begins, as he and Barnabas start their first missionary journey. Luke will record two more of Paul's journeys (Acts 15:36—18:22 and 18:23—20:38) before settling in on his return to Jerusalem, arrest, and sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.