… through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Acts 13:37-39
First Missionary Journey
Paul and Barnabas are prepared and sent out by Holy Spirit to be missionaries for the Gentiles:
I have placed you as a light for the gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth. 47
They set off together on their first missionary journey. Preaching in Antioch, a Roman province. On the Sabbath, they enter a synagogue and Paul preaches. Like Peter and Stephen, he tells the salvation history of God.
God chose Israel, and led them out of Egypt. For 40 years, He guided them in the wilderness. Then, he raised up David as their king.
From the offspring of this man, according to the promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. 23
And the next Sabbath, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God.
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I see that what is written in OT and NT is not mere description of historical events. It’s one consistent story that the apostles can tell in one standing from beginning to end.
It’s a salvation history which God starts, orchestrates, and finishes.
Salvation. What does it mean to be saved? From moral corruption? Physical decay and death?
Salvation
It is God’s action to deliver us from sin and its consequences. In Christ, God has taken steps to deal with mankind’s greatest enemy: his sinful self.
Salvation has past, present, and future aspects. We have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved.
Saved – Through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Life from God was received as a free gift and the individual has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)
Being saved – God is presently at work in our lives, delivering us from the grip of sin that enslaves and destroys lives.
We will be saved – One day the very presence of sin in our lives will be gone. The universe will be cleansed from every taint of evil (Rome 8:18-25), and we ourselves will be like Jesus (Rome 8:28-30). Then we will know the fullness of the salvation that God has won for us in his Son. — Richards’ Complete Bible Handbook, Lawrence O. Richards
