Today's reading gives us an opportunity to understand the meaning of what the New Testament calls salvation. We have before us Paul's sermon in one of the synagogues of Antioch, which evidently met with great success, especially among the Gentiles. At first glance, such interest seems inexplicable: after all, Paul is essentially only...
Today's reading gives us an opportunity to understand the meaning of what the New Testament calls salvation. We have before us Paul's sermon in one of the synagogues of Antioch (vv. 16–41), which evidently met with great success, especially among the Gentiles (v. 42). At first glance, such interest seems inexplicable: after all, Paul is essentially only recounting to his listeners things about the Saviour's earthly ministry that were already more or less known at the time, at least in Jewish circles; and some rumours about the events in Jerusalem must undoubtedly have reached even Gentiles close to the Synagogue (vv. 23–37). He does, of course, preface his account with a brief survey of sacred history (vv. 17–22), but that, too, could hardly have been news to anyone even slightly acquainted with the life and tradition of the Synagogue. Yet the sermon itself also contains the key to understanding the interest shown by the Gentiles: Paul says plainly that sins for which there is no justification under the law given to Moses can be forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ (vv. 38–39).
To understand these words, it is important to remember that, according to the Torah (the Law of Moses), not every sin could be forgiven, but only one committed involuntarily, out of weakness or ignorance. It was possible to be cleansed of the consequences of such a sin, so that, having repented and asked God's forgiveness for what he had done, the involuntary sinner could hope that from then on he was free both of the sin itself and of everything it might have brought in its wake. But it was not possible to be cleansed of a sin committed knowingly and voluntarily. One could repent of what one had done and ask God for forgiveness, and even receive it, but in such a case it was impossible to be cleansed of the sin, to be rid of its consequences.
And now it turned out that any sin could be forgiven, even one that had not been forgiven before. It is no wonder that this point especially interested the Gentiles: they knew their own lives well, fully understanding that, from the Torah's standpoint, it was practically impossible for them to be cleansed of sin. Nor is this a matter of some indiscriminate forgiveness or indulgence towards sin. On the contrary, it is precisely in the light of the Kingdom that the sin of anyone approaching it becomes more clearly visible than ever. The point is that those entering the Kingdom are given a chance to begin everything anew. With a blank page. And to write on that page their new life—a life that will become part of the Kingdom. And a path of salvation.
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13:48 As many as were ordained to eternal life - St. Luke does not say fore - ordained. He is not speaking of what was done from eternity, but of what was then done, through the preaching of the Gospel. He is describing that ordination, and that only, which was at the very time of hearing it. During this sermon those believed, says the apostle, to whom God then gave power to believe. It is as if he had said, "They believed, whose hearts the Lord opened;" as he expresses it in a clearly parallel place, speaking of the same kind of ordination, Act 16:14, etc It is observable, the original word is notonce used in Scripture to express eternal predestination of any kind. The sum is, all those and those only, who were now ordained, now believed. Not that God rejected the rest: it was his will that they also should have been saved: but they thrust salvation from them. Nor were they who then believed constrained to believe. But grace was then first copiously offered them. And they did not thrust it away, so that a great multitude even of Gentiles were converted. In a word, the expression properly implies, a present operation of Divine grace working faith in the hearers.