“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” Acts 2:22–24
Ever watch cable news? Sometimes it seems as if the news is primarily a series of announcements that describe what happened during the past 24 hours. Now imagine turning on the TV and hearing the news anchor report amazing stories of love, grace, and truth. In a sense, these would be gospel messages—news that is good.
We’re referring to a similar concept when we talk about “the gospel”—which Peter preaches straight-up in this passage. The word comes from the Old English gōdspel and simply means “good news.” When Christians talk about the gospel, they’re referring to the best news in all of the world: Jesus lived a perfect life by never breaking God’s law, died on a cross in our place to take the punishment we should have received for all the ways we have broken God’s law, and rose from the dead to prove that everything he said and did was true.
God put his ultimate stamp of approval upon Jesus through the miracle of the resurrection. Because Jesus rose from the dead, people are forgiven and saved. God’s wrath for sin no longer remains on those who trust Jesus. This is the greatest news in the world! How truly satisfying it is to know that we can be rescued and live a life that glorifies God.
If you see your need for a Savior, repent of your sins and believe Jesus is trustworthy to save you through his life, death, and resurrection. You will be saved!
In today’s text, we see Peter having continued his speech to those who didn’t quite know what was going on. He explained what Jesus did so that they could believe in him too and receive the Spirit of God.
Read
- Do you see how this passage reflects a short version of the gospel message?
- What do we learn about how God worked through Jesus on our behalf?
- How can we be made righteous?
Prayer
Our Father, thank you for the gospel of your Son. Thank you for the news that two thousand years ago, Jesus lived, died, and rose from the grave, so that we could be saved. May we be bold to believe it and bold to proclaim it.
This devotion is adapted from the Acts Study Guide.
