How does Acts 13:39 connect to Romans 3:28 on justification by faith? Scripture Focus Acts 13:39: “Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses.” Romans 3:28: “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” Two Voices, One Message • Acts 13 records Paul preaching in Pisidian Antioch; Romans 3 is Paul teaching by letter. • Both moments carry the same core declaration: right standing with God is secured by faith in Jesus Christ, not by human effort under the Mosaic Law. • The sermon and the epistle complement each other—one spoken to Jews and Gentiles in a synagogue, the other written to a diverse church in Rome—yet both hammer home the identical gospel. Key Terms Aligned • Justified: declared righteous in God’s courtroom, fully acquitted (cf. Romans 8:1). • Everyone who believes / by faith: personal trust in Christ’s finished work (cf. John 3:16; Galatians 2:16). • Apart from works of the law / you could not be justified by the Law of Moses: the entire system of commandments cannot erase guilt (cf. Hebrews 10:1-4). Why the Law Cannot Acquit • The Law exposes sin (Romans 3:20) but offers no power to remove it. • Breaking even one command makes a person guilty of all (James 2:10). • Animal sacrifices under the old covenant only pointed ahead to the perfect sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 9:9-14). Faith: The Essential Link • Faith unites the sinner to the Savior, crediting His righteousness to the believer’s account (2 Corinthians 5:21). • This faith is not meritorious work; it is the empty hand receiving God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). • Both passages underscore that “everyone” and “a man” are justified the same way—no ethnic, social, or moral distinctions. Christ: The Ground of Our Justification • “Through Him” (Acts 13:39) anchors justification in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection (Acts 13:29-30). • Romans 3:24-26 explains that God put Christ forward as “an atoning sacrifice” so He could be “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” • The cross satisfied divine justice; faith lays hold of that satisfaction. The Wider Biblical Chorus • Genesis 15:6—Abraham “believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” • Philippians 3:9—“not having my own righteousness from the law, but…that which is through faith in Christ.” • Titus 3:5-7—“He saved us…not by works of righteousness we had done, but according to His mercy…so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs.” • Hebrews 10:14—“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Living Out This Truth • Rest in Christ’s finished work, rejecting any subtle drift back toward self-reliance. • Rejoice that justification is complete and irreversible (Romans 5:1). • Respond with grateful obedience, empowered by the Holy Spirit, not to earn favor but because favor has been freely given (Galatians 5:1, 13). |
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