from Gary Hamrick
... Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Chapel

... The more clearly we see our need, the more precious Christ becomes to us

Acts 13:39 NKJV (devotion translation)

Paul’s first recorded sermon in Acts 13 came after years of quiet preparation before the Lord. When he finally stood in the synagogue to speak, his message centered on one great truth: salvation comes through Jesus Christ, not through human effort.

The Jews listening to Paul were devoted to the Law of Moses. They believed righteousness came through obedience and sacrifice. Yet Paul explained that the law could never fully save anyone because the deeper problem was the human heart. The law reveals God’s holy standard, exposes our sinful condition, and shows us our need for a Savior, but only Jesus can forgive sin and make a person righteous before God.

This is the beauty of grace. Grace is God’s undeserved kindness toward sinners. We cannot earn it through moral effort, religious activity, or personal discipline. Salvation is a gift given through faith in Christ alone. The cross reminds us that Jesus accomplished what we never could. He bore our sin, satisfied the justice of God, and rose again so that all who believe in Him might be justified before the Father.

The Christian life does not begin by grace and continue by self-effort. We grow the same way we were saved, by depending daily on the Lord. As we read God’s Word, the Spirit reveals areas that need correction, not to condemn us, but to draw us nearer to Christ. The Lord does not expose our weakness to destroy us. He does so in mercy, so we will rest more fully in His grace.

Lord, thank You for the grace that forgives, restores, and changes us through Jesus Christ. Help me to trust fully in Him and to walk each day in humble dependence upon Your grace. Amen.

• Romans 3:20-24 - The Law reveals sin, but justification comes freely through God's grace in Christ.
• Galatians 2:16 - No one is justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Ephesians 2:8-9 - Salvation is God's gift, received by grace through faith, not earned by works.
• Titus 3:5-7 - God saves according to His mercy and justifies believers through His grace.
• Philippians 3:8-9 - Paul abandons confidence in his own righteousness to receive the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ.
• Hebrews 10:1-14 - The sacrifices under the Law pointed forward to Christ, whose sacrifice fully accomplishes what the Law could not.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 - God's grace is sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

What the Law Could Not Do

The Law reveals our need for salvation, but only Jesus provides forgiveness, righteousness, and justification before God.

• Acts 13:23 - Paul presents Jesus as the promised Savior descended from David.
• Acts 13:38-39 - Through Jesus comes forgiveness of sins and justification that the Law of Moses could never provide.
• Acts 13:40-41 - Paul urges his listeners not to reject God's offer of salvation.