Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Devotionary is a new podcast that is designed to make the Bible accessible and applicable to everyday life. It combines the inspiration of a daily devotional and the insights of a commentary, but in language that is easy-to-understand. We will be working our way through the entire Bible offering a chapter-by-chapter overview of each book. The goal is to give you a solid understanding of the Bible’s overarching and unified message of redemption. We hope you enjoy.

Dec 28, 2017

In Acts 2:22-28, Luke records part of Peter’s address to the crowd of Jews who had gathered as a result of the Holy Spirit’s coming and the apostles’ miraculous display of the Spirit’s power as they spoke in foreign languages. Peter took the opportunity to speak to the very people who had been complicit in the death of Jesus. It had been the Jewish citizens of Jerusalem who had rejected Pilate’s offer to release Jesus, screaming instead, “Crucify Him!” They had demanded that Pilate release to them a known and notorious criminal, Barabbas, rather than seeing Jesus set free. But Peter wants them to know that all of this had been the will of God. He states that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” In other words, it had been God’s decision that His Son die, not theirs. That doesn’t mean they were guiltless or unworthy of God’s judgment for the role they played. It simply means that Jesus wasn’t put to death, but as He Himself stated, He “willingly gave His life as a ransom for many.” The death of Jesus was not a setback or an unexpected glitch in God’s eternal plan, but the main point and the essential outcome that God had preordained. This was the way it had always been meant to be. Jesus had to be put to death for eternal life to become possible and forgiveness of sins to become available.