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Fundamental to the ministry of Paul, whether during the Acts and while free, or after
Acts 28:, as "the Prisoner of Jesus Christ" for us Gentiles is this glorious doctrine.
This he enunciated for the first time in this great anticipatory chapter, Acts 13:
"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13: 38, 39).
Phil. 3: 9 sums up Paul's teaching on Justification, even as Eph. 2: 8-10 sums up
his teaching on Salvation, or Col. 2: 11-17 sums up his teaching concerning
ceremonies, rites and observances. In the Prison epistles where the great theme is the
"Mystery", Paul had no need to repeat the terms which constituted the foundation upon
which all callings, whether Kingdom or Church, whether Earthly, Heavenly or Far above
all, must ultimately rest.
5: The anticipatory turning from Israel to the Gentile.
The Jews at Antioch maintained their antagonistic attitude against the preaching of the
gospel to the Gentiles, and this led to a local turning from the Jew, a foreshadowing of its
universal aspect which awaited Acts 28:
"Lo we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13: 46).
Three reasons are provided by the Scripture which should prevent anyone from
misinterpreting this action of the Apostle.
(a) It was according to the prophetic utterance of Isa. 49: 6 and had been
quoted by Simeon as recorded in Luke 2: 32.
If Acts 13: 47 proves that the
dispensation of the Mystery had then begun, it proves too much, for it also proves that
it began when old Simeon blessed the infant Christ in the temple! Does anyone teach
that?
(b) We are assured that the dispensation of the Mystery was not a subject of O.T.
prophecy, but had been hid in God, only to be revealed when Paul became the
Prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles (Eph. 3: 1-13; Col. 1: 24-27), and this being
so, the reference in Acts 13: 46-47 to the prophecy of Isaiah can have no reference
to the Mystery. Neither faith nor reason can believe a contradiction of terms.
(c) That this turning to the Gentile was local, the opening verse of Acts 14:
makes sufficiently clear, as also the references to his ministry in the synagogues in
Acts 17: 1, 10-17; 18: 4, 19, 26 and 19: 8. An illustration at this juncture may
prove of service.
In days of old, two armoured knights approached each other along a road that led by a
castle, from which hung a large shield. The first knight exclaimed "what a splendid
GOLEDN shield!" The second knight countered with "what a splendid SILVER shield!"
and these were gentlemen of brawn rather than of brain, they immediately battered one
another with sword and mace, until they both sank exhausted on the opposite bank, to
draw breath. From this position they saw what they might have seen earlier, that the
shield was golden on one side and silver on the other. Acts 13: is the silver shield of
doctrinal preparation, Acts 28: the golden shield of dispensational realization. Both