‘Continue in the grace of God’

[Acts 13:42-52]

During the reign of Louis XIV, there is a fable that La Fontaine satirized. It's called 'The Wolf and the Lamb.' The story goes like this: One thirsty lamb was trying to drink from a stream in a valley when a wolf appeared and scolded loudly, ‘How dare you muddle the water that I am going to drink!’ The lamb, knowing there was nothing he could do, offered to drink farther downstream, about twenty steps away. Still, the wolf persisted, and suddenly he said, ‘You, there! Last year, you insulted me, didn't you?’ The lamb replied, ‘Last year, I hadn't even been born yet.’ The wolf insisted, ‘Well, then, it was your brother or father, but it must have been someone from your family for sure.’ With that, the wolf dragged the lamb into the woods and devoured him. This work conveys the thought that in the dominion of the mighty, justice always prevails.

Throughout history, the powerful have dominated. The strong, the influential, the knowledgeable, the wealthy have ruled over those who were not. Regardless of East or West, people have lived in subjugation, either through social hierarchies or by wealth and power. The church is not a community ruled by the principle of power. Churches that resemble the world unconsciously fall prey to the principles of power, becoming ensnared in self-satisfaction, arrogance, and pride. The church should never become a place ruled by the principle of power. It should be a place ruled by the principle of grace. It should be a place where people saved by the grace of God and living by His grace serve. Jesus, who came in the form of a human, completed salvation by dying on the cross. This is the method of redemption by the principle of grace, not by the principle of power. The church is not a place to boast in power, but a place to serve in grace. We should serve in grace (Internet).

The Bible Acts 13:43 says, "... continue in the grace of God." This expression illustrates the way of life for those who believe in the risen Jesus. A similar expression appears in Acts 11:23, "Remain true to the Lord." A life of faith is a life that continues to abide in the grace of God. A life of faith is never one that starts with God's grace and then proceeds with human effort or strength in the middle (Yoo). We must live a life of genuine faith. From the beginning, through God's grace, in the middle, and in the end, we must finish with God's grace. We must never be like the Galatians, who began in faith but sought to finish by human works. We must guard against such foolish and misguided pitfalls of faith.

Today, I want to receive guidance on how to always remain in the grace of God, focusing on Acts 13:43. In doing so, I also pray that we may always abide in the grace of God.

First, in order to always remain in the grace of God, we need to gather to hear God's word.

Look at Acts 13:44 - "On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord." When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Antioch, they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and preached "the message of salvation" (v. 26) to the Jews and God-fearing people. They requested that the new people they met at the synagogue go out and tell others about this message on the following Sabbath (v. 42). So, on the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God (v. 44). It seems that they received much grace from the message of salvation they heard through Paul and Barnabas the previous Sabbath. Therefore, they eagerly gathered again to hear God's word, even more so than the previous week. The author Luke states that almost the whole city gathered.

In the age we live in, there is a drought of not hearing God's word. Look at Amos 8:11 - "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign Lord, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." It's an era that denies the existence of absolute truth, an era where emotional manipulation through psychological tactics gains attention over the true word of God, an era where there is more talking than doing the word. It's an era where ears are present, but they do not hear the word of God (the voice). In Acts 13:45, we see a crowd opposing and not welcoming the word of God. They were Jews who, seeing many people gathering to hear the word of God through Paul and Barnabas, became jealous. They contradicted and reviled what Paul said (v. 45). Why did these Jews contradict and revile what Paul said? Of course, when hearts are filled with jealousy, it is unlikely that they will be receptive to the word of God. They must have been offended by what Paul said because it pricked their ears. Why would what Paul said have offended these Jews? Perhaps it was because Paul's message proclaimed that one could be justified by faith in the resurrected Jesus (vv. 38-39), while these Jews believed in being justified by observing the law of Moses, not by faith in Jesus (Yoo). That's likely the reason they opposed what Paul said.

In order to always remain in the grace of God, we must make an effort to gather to hear God's word. However, in the age we live in, there is a habit of forsaking gathering. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews advises us in this way: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:25). We need to break free from this habit and make an effort to gather and hear God's word. However, there are factors that hinder us from hearing God's word. Look at Luke 8:14 - "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." The passage identifies three things that hinder us from hearing God's word: life's worries, riches, and pleasures. When we worry, become preoccupied with wealth to the point of idolizing it, and seek to satisfy ourselves with worldly pleasures, even if we hear God's word, we cannot achieve maturity in faith. This kind of faith life can be described as a "thorn-infested" faith life. So, I would like to ask myself which of the three is hindering my spiritual maturity. To always remain in the grace of God, we must have a longing for God's word. In Nehemiah 8:1-5, we see the Israelite people who longed for God's word. They requested Ezra the scholar to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses to read it to them. They listened as Ezra read the Law from daybreak till noon, for about six hours (Lee). And not just for one day, but for seven days, standing for six hours each day, they listened to God's word (8:18).

Second, in order to always remain in the grace of God, we must praise God's word.

Look at Acts 13:48 - "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." Praising God's word means exalting it. How did they exalt God's word? John Calvin interprets it in two ways:

By confessing the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah (quoted from Isaiah 49:6) in Acts 13:47 as true, which Paul mentioned, they glorified the word of God.

Look at Acts 13:47 - "For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" Paul explains that it is reasonable for the Gentiles to be the first to hear the gospel because the Jews rejected it (v. 46) and also because it is consistent with the prophetic words of Isaiah in the Scriptures (v. 47) (Park).

The Gentiles who heard the word of God through Paul accepted the doctrine (teaching) of the word in faith, thus exalting the word of God.

We should respect the word of God. To respect the word of God means to receive it with "Amen" and to obey it in faith (Calvin). When we accept the word of God in faith and live a life that embodies the word, we can say that we exalt the word of God. A good example is the saints of the Thessalonian church. The Thessalonian saints received the proclaimed word through Paul not as human words, but as the word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). They received the word even in the midst of tribulations with "the joy of the Holy Spirit" (1:6-7) and eventually, the word worked in the believers (2:13), making them imitators of the Lord (1:6). Furthermore, they became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia (v. 7).

We should not stop at merely hearing the word of God. We must exalt the word of God. To do this, we need to confess the truth of God's word and, by accepting it in faith, exalt it before God. Especially in the midst of persecution and tribulation (Acts 13:50), we must receive the word of God with the joy of the Holy Spirit, allowing it to work in us, so that we may become more like Jesus and give glory to God.

Third and last, to always remain in the grace of God, we must believe in Jesus.

Look at Acts 13:48 - "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." The salvation story of God speaks of the fact that God's salvation is entirely by His grace. Those appointed by God to receive eternal life believed in the Lord. The reason is that God gave them faith. This is a concept familiar to us as "predestination." Those chosen by God through His sovereign grace receive faith as a gift and accept Jesus as their Savior. Furthermore, as a result of hearing the words of Paul and Barnabas and receiving the Lord, a remarkable thing happened: the word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region of Pisidia Antioch (v. 49).

We must believe in Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus said, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent" (Jn. 6:29). The most important work we should be diligent in is believing in Jesus. And believing in Jesus pleases God. Look at Hebrews 11:6 - "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

When we always abide in the grace of God, we are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (v. 52). The believers in Pisidia Antioch, who were appointed for eternal life and believed in Jesus after hearing the message of salvation through Paul and Barnabas (v. 14), were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit even in the midst of persecution. What was the reason for this? The reason is that they were satisfied only with faith in Jesus Christ (Park).

Desiring to always abide in the grace of God,

James Kim

(Faith, Word, and Praise)