What Does Acts 13:39 Mean?

(39) **And by him.**—Literally, *in Him, *as the sphere in which forgiveness was found, rather than as the instrument through whom it came. **All that believe are justified.**—Literally, with a more individualising touch, *every one that believeth is justified.* The latter verb is not found elsewhere in the Acts. It is interesting to note in this, the first recorded example of St. Paul’s teaching, the occurrence of the word which, as time passed on, came to be almost identified with him and with his work. It is clearly used, as interpreted by the “forgiveness of sins” in the context, in its forensic sense, as meaning “acquitted,” “declared not guilty.” (Comp. Note on Matthew 12:37.) **From which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.**—The words are full of meaning, as the germ of all that was most characteristic in St. Paul’s later teaching. The Law, with its high standard of righteousness (Romans 7:12), its demand of entire obedience, its sacrifices which bore witness to the burden of sin, yet had no power to liberate conscience from its thraldom (Hebrews 8:1-3), had taught him that its function in the spiritual life of man was to work out the knowledge of sin (Romans 7:7), not to emancipate men from it. The sense of freedom from guilt, and therefore of a true life, was to be found, as he had learnt by his own experience, through faith in Christ. “The just by faith shall live” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11).