Paul ends his sermon with clear teaching on justification through faith (v38-39). To be justified means being declared righteous in God’s sight. This does not come, Paul says, through keeping the law. We are made right with God through Jesus and we receive this righteousness through faith in Jesus.

These Jews would have been brought up with a message of being accepted by God through keeping the law. This message about Christ and being justified through Him would have been something new and strange. Paul teaches that just because something is new they need to be careful not to scoff at it (v41, quoting Habakkuk 1 v5).

Each of us has a personal belief system which has built up over the years from what we have heard. The danger is that when we hear anything, even from scripture that goes against that belief system, we’re not comfortable with it and reject it. Paul is warning the Jews not to let their traditional beliefs hinder them from embracing something new that God is teaching.

Many who heard Paul and Barnabas wanted to investigate things further (v42-43). When we hear something new from God’s word and do not totally understand or accept it, we need to study more and wrestle with this truth until it becomes part of us. We must embrace all truth to be fully balanced.