97 - The Gospel: Forgiveness of Sins, Justification [B]

Paul is giving the gospel to Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the local synagogue. Paul addresses them within the framework of their familiar as he anchors his message deeply within scripture, stressing their understanding of forgiveness of sin and justification. If it were only that easy to approach an unbeliever today, one who had such a deep knowledge of scripture. This is highly unlikely. Our approach must confront the realities of their position. The optimal starting point is for us to be profoundly familiar with the Word and to have a developed relationship with our audience. Paul will show us how to deal with a variety of circumstances so that we will have a pattern from which to launch our own approach and the assurance that rugged roadblocks aren’t necessarily terminal.