“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:”
My Notes
What Does Acts 13:38 Mean?
Paul stands in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia and delivers the core of the gospel message: be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. 'This man' is Jesus — just described in Paul's sermon through his death, burial, and resurrection (v.28-37).
Through this man — the forgiveness is channeled through a specific person. Not through a system, a ritual, or a philosophy. Through this man — Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified and raised. The specificity is deliberate. Forgiveness has a name and a history.
Is preached unto you — the forgiveness is being announced, proclaimed, offered publicly. It is not secret knowledge for the initiated. It is preached — declared openly to whoever will hear.
The forgiveness of sins (aphesis hamartion) — release from sins. The word aphesis means release, liberty, sending away. The sins are not merely overlooked. They are released — sent away, removed, dismissed. The forgiveness is complete because the one through whom it comes paid completely.
Verse 39 continues: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. The forgiveness through Jesus accomplishes what the law could not — complete justification. Paul is announcing the obsolescence of the sacrificial system as the means of dealing with sin.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean that forgiveness comes 'through this man' rather than through a system or a practice?
- 2.How does the word 'release' (aphesis) change your understanding of what forgiveness actually does to sin?
- 3.Why does Paul emphasize that this forgiveness accomplishes what the law of Moses could not?
- 4.What sin are you still carrying that has already been released through Christ?
Devotional
Be it known unto you. Paul wants this heard. He is not whispering a suggestion. He is making an announcement — be it known. This is public information. This is for everyone in the room. Listen.
Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Through this man. Not through your effort. Not through your religious performance. Not through keeping enough rules or feeling enough guilt. Through this man — Jesus, who died and was raised — forgiveness is being offered to you. Right now. In this moment.
The forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness — aphesis — means release. Your sins are not being overlooked. They are being released. Sent away. Removed. The guilt you carry, the shame that follows you, the failures that replay in your mind — through this man, they are released. Not gradually. Not partially. Released.
Paul is not offering a self-help program. He is not suggesting a better moral framework. He is announcing that through a specific person — a man who lived, died, and rose — the sins that the entire sacrificial system of Moses could not fully address have been dealt with. Completely. The forgiveness is not theoretical. It is preached — announced, offered, available. The question is not whether forgiveness exists. It is whether you will receive what is being offered through this man.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Behold, ye despisers,.... In Hab 1:5 from whence these words are taken: we render it with others, "behold ye among the…
Be it known ... - Paul, having proved his resurrection, and shown that he was the Messiah, now states the benefits that…
Be it known unto you, therefore - This is the legitimate conclusion: seeing the word of God is true, and he has promised…
Perga in Pamphylia was a noted place, especially for a temple there erected to the goddess Diana, yet nothing at all is…
the forgiveness of sins Just as Jesus in His lifetime on earth declared that His miracles were only signs that "the Son…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture