46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth (Acts 13:46-47).
We see in this passage that even the rejection of the Gospel by some people, leads to the acceptance by others. God’s call for us to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth is the primary command for disciples of Christ. But the spread and preaching of the Gospel is according to God’s will and design. We are instruments of grace not the Grace itself. We are to be light that helps people see Christ and see their need for redemption. The redemption though is an act of God. The pattern of redemption is clear. When we respond to the God through repentance and believe the good news of the Gospel, calling upon the name of the Lord, through God’s work of grace by the atonement of Christ, we will be saved. This salvation is a rebirth to a new life. Once saved, the obligation then is to try and reach as many people as possible with the light of Christ. This is the message to the entire world.
We see in this passage that even the rejection of the Gospel by some people, leads to the acceptance by others. God’s call for us to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth is the primary command for disciples of Christ. But the spread and preaching of the Gospel is according to God’s will and design. We are instruments of grace not the Grace itself. We are to be light that helps people see Christ and see their need for redemption. The redemption though is an act of God. The pattern of redemption is clear. When we respond to the God through repentance and believe the good news of the Gospel, calling upon the name of the Lord, through God’s work of grace by the atonement of Christ, we will be saved. This salvation is a rebirth to a new life. Once saved, the obligation then is to try and reach as many people as possible with the light of Christ. This is the message to the entire world.
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