Paul was coming to the end of his message. Speaking to the Jews and God-seeking Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch, he had explained how Jesus is the fulfilment of God's promises to Israel. Then Paul made it very personal. The message was not just about interesting history but essential, eternal destiny: their destiny. The heart of the gospel message is that forgiveness of sins is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The truth is that Christ's death can fully liberate sinners from the bondage of guilt and totally justify all who believe in Him. That was never possible even under the Old Testament system of sacrifices. So the death of Jesus is unique in its atoning efficacy. In every religious system the key question to ask is, "How can you totally get rid of the weighty guilt of sin?" Only in Christ is there a sure and validated answer, which is not just a way to help cope with guilt, but actually removes the cause of guilt - because Jesus has paid the penalty-price instead of us.

This free offer of forgiveness is not universally applied to everybody; it demands a positive, personal response (Acts 4:12). Those who do not want forgiveness will not be forgiven. Those who do not trust in the sacrifice of Jesus will not be forgiven. Those who mock the message and fail to honour Jesus in His death will not be forgiven. And what will happen to unforgiven people? They will perish eternally, as Habakkuk 1:5 says.

That is why Paul and generations of believers down to us have all urged people to consider the grace of Christ and respond before it is too late (Acts 2:40). This is the message of the church to a dying world; and it is carried in the hearts and mouths of ordinary people like us. We owe it to our friends and colleagues to tell them and encourage them to respond in faith towards Jesus. We also owe it to the Lord, who died to save them, that we should make His forgiveness available to them as we share the gospel message.