Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 13]
13:38 {Through this man} (\dia toutou\). This very man whom the
Jews had crucified and whom God had raised from the dead.
Remission of sins (\aphesis hamarti•n\) is proclaimed
(\kataggelletai\) to you. This is the keynote of Paul's message
as it had been that of Peter at Pentecost (2:38; 5:31; 10:43).
Cf. 26:18. This glorious message Paul now presses home in his
exhortation.
13:39 {And by him every one that believeth is justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses}
(\kai apo pant•n h•n ouk •dun•th•te en nom•i M•use•s dikaioth•nai
en tout•i p•s ho pisteu•n dikaioutai\). This is a characteristic
Greek sentence with the principal clause at the end and Pauline
to the core. A literal rendering as to the order would be: "And
from all the things from (\apo\ not repeated in the Greek, but
understood, the ablative case being repeated) which ye were not
able to be justified in this one every one who believes is
justified." The climax is at the close and gives us the heart of
Paul's teaching about Christ. "We have here the germ of all that
is most characteristic in Paul's later teaching. It is the
argument of the Epistle to Galatians and Romans in a sentence"
(Furneaux). The failure of the Mosaic law to bring the kind of
righteousness that God demands is stated. This is made possible
in and by (\en\) Christ alone. Paul's favourite words occur here,
\pisteu•\, believe, with which \pistis\, faith, is allied,
\dikaio•\, to set right with God on the basis of faith. In Ro
6:7 Paul uses \apo\ also after \dikaio•\. These are key words
(\pisteu•\ and \dikaio•\) in Paul's theology and call for
prolonged and careful study if one is to grasp the Pauline
teaching. \Dikaio•\ primarily means to make righteous, to declare
righteous like \axio•\, to deem worthy (\axios\). But in the end
Paul holds that real righteousness will come (Ro 6-8) to those
whom God treats as righteous (Ro 3-5) though both Gentile and
Jew fall short without Christ (Ro 1-3). This is the doctrine of
grace that will prove a stumbling block to the Jews with their
ceremonial works and foolishness to the Greeks with their
abstract philosophical ethics (1Co 1:23-25). It is a new and
strange doctrine to the people of Antioch.
13:40 {Beware therefore} (\blepete oun\). The warning is
pertinent. Perhaps Paul noticed anger on the faces of some of the
rabbis. {Lest there come upon you} (\m• epelth•i\). Second aorist
active subjunctive with the negative final conjunction \m•\. {In
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