SEV Biblia, Chapter 20:21
testificando a los judíos y a los gentiles el arrepentimiento hacía Dios, y la fe en nuestro Seor Jess, el Cristo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 20:21
Verse 21. Testify both to-Jews and-Greeks] He always began with the Jews; and, in this case, he had preached to them alone for three months, chap. xix. 8-10, and only left their synagogues when he found, through their obstinacy, he could do them no good. Repentance toward God, &c.] As all had sinned against God, so all should humble themselves before him against whom they have sinned; but humiliation is no atonement for sin; therefore repentance is insufficient, unless faith in our Lord Jesus Christ accompany it. Repentance disposes and prepares the soul for pardoning mercy; but can never be considered as making compensation for past acts of transgression. This repentance and faith were necessary to the salvation both of Jews and Gentiles; for all had sinned, and come short of God's glory. The Jews must repent, who had sinned so much, and so long, against light and knowledge. The Gentiles must repent, whose scandalous lives were a reproach to man. Faith in Jesus Christ was also indispensably necessary; for a Jew might repent, be sorry for his sin, and suppose that, by a proper discharge of his religious duty, and bringing proper sacrifices, he could conciliate the favour of God: No, this will not do; nothing but faith in Jesus Christ, as the end of the law, and the great and only vicarious sacrifice, will do; hence he testified to them the necessity of faith in this Messiah. The Gentiles might repent of their profligate lives, turn to the true God, and renounce all idolatry: this is well, but it is not sufficient: they also have sinned, and their present amendment and faith can make no atonement for what is past; therefore, they also must believe on the Lord Jesus, who died for their sins, and rose again for their justification.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks , etc.] To the Jews first in their synagogue, and then to both Jews and Greeks, or Gentiles, in the school of Tyrannus; opening and explaining to both the nature and use, urging and insisting upon, and proving by undeniable testimonies the necessity, of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ : the former of these is not a legal repentance, but an evangelical one; which flows from a sense of the love of God, and an application of pardoning grace and mercy, and is always attended with hope, at least of interest in it, and as here with faith in Christ Jesus: it lies in a true sight and sense of sin, as exceeding sinful, being contrary to the nature and law of God, and a deformation of the image of God in man, as well as followed with dreadful and pernicious consequences; and in a godly sorrow for it, as it is committed against a God of infinite purity and holiness, and of love, grace, and mercy; and it shows itself in shame for sin, and blushing at it, and in an ingenious confession of it, and forsaking it: and the latter of these is not an historical faith, or an assent of the mind to whatsoever is true concerning the person, office, and grace of Christ; but is a spiritual act of the soul upon him; it is a looking and going out to him, a laying hold and leaning on him, and trusting in him, for grace, righteousness, peace, pardon, life, and salvation. Now these two were the sum of the apostles ministry; this is a breviary or compendium of it; a form of sound words held fast and published by him: and as these two go together as doctrines in the ministry of the word, they go together as graces in the experience of the saints; where the one is, there the other is; they are wrought in the soul at one and the same time, by one and the same hand; the one is not before the other in order of time, however it may be in order of working, or as to visible observation; repentance is mentioned before faith, not that it precedes it, though it may be discerned in its outward acts before it; yet faith as to its inward exercise on Christ is full as early, if not earlier; souls first look to Christ by faith, and then they mourn in tears of evangelical repentance, ( Zechariah 12:10) though the order of the Gospel ministry is very fitly here expressed, which is first to lay before sinners the evil of sin, and their danger by it, in order to convince of it, and bring to repentance for it; and then to direct and encourage them to faith in Christ Jesus, as in the case of the jailer, ( Acts 16:29,30) and this is, generally speaking, the order and method in which the Holy Spirit proceeds; he is first a spirit of conviction and illumination, he shows to souls the exceeding sinfulness of sin, causes them to loath it and themselves for it, and humbles them under a sense of it; and then he is a spirit of faith, he reveals Christ unto them as Gods way or salvation, and works faith in them to believe in him. Moreover, these two, repentance and faith, were the two parts of Christs ministry, ( Mark 1:15) and are what, he would have published and insisted on, in the preaching of the word, ( Luke 24:47, Mark 16:16) so that the ministry of the apostle was very conformable to the mind and will of Christ.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 17-27 - The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those wh would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one tha spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if they rejected it. He was a profitabl preacher; one that aimed to inform their judgments, and reform their hearts and lives. He was a painful preacher, very industrious in his work. He was a faithful preacher; he did not keep back reproofs when necessary, nor keep back the preaching of the cross. He was a trul Christian, evangelical preacher; he did not preach notions or doubtfu matters; nor affairs of state or the civil government; but he preache faith and repentance. A better summary of these things, without whic there is no salvation, cannot be given: even repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, with their fruits and effects Without these no sinner can escape, and with these none will come shor of eternal life. Let them not think that Paul left Asia for fear of persecution; he was in full expectation of trouble, yet resolved to go on, well assured that it was by Divine direction. Thanks be to God tha we know not the things which shall befall us during the year, the week the day which has begun. It is enough for the child of God to know tha his strength shall be equal to his day. He knows not, he would no know, what the day before him shall bring forth. The powerfu influences of the Holy Spirit bind the true Christian to his duty. Eve when he expects persecution and affliction, the love of Chris constrains him to proceed. None of these things moved Paul from his work; they did not deprive him of his comfort. It is the business of our life to provide for a joyful death. Believing that this was the last time they should see him, he appeals concerning his integrity. He had preached to them the whole counsel of God. As he had preached to them the gospel purely, so he had preached it to them entire; he faithfully did his work, whether men would bear or forbear.
Greek Textus Receptus
διαμαρτυρομενος 1263 5740 V-PNP-NSM ιουδαιοις 2453 A-DPM τε 5037 PRT και 2532 CONJ ελλησιν 1672 N-DPM την 3588 T-ASF εις 1519 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM θεον 2316 N-ASM μετανοιαν 3341 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ πιστιν 4102 N-ASF την 3588 T-ASF εις 1519 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM κυριον 2962 N-ASM ημων 2257 P-1GP ιησουν 2424 N-ASM χριστον 5547 N-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
21. Repentance toward God. Repentance has the article: the repentance which is due to God. So, also, faith: the faith which is due toward Christ, as the advocate and mediator. 29. Bound in the spirit. In his own spirit. Constrained by an invincible sense of duty. Not by the Holy Spirit, which is mentioned in the next verse and distinguished by the epithet the Holy.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
20:21 {Testifying} (diamarturomenos). As Peter did (#Ac 2:40) where Luke uses this same word thoroughly Lucan and Pauline. So again in verses #23,24. Paul here as in #Ro 1:16 includes both Jews and Greeks, to the Jew first. {Repentance toward God} (ten eis qeon metanoian) {and faith toward our Lord Jesus} (kai pistin eis ton kurion hemwn iesoun). These two elements run through the epistle to the Romans which Paul had recently written and sent from Corinth. These two elements appear in all Paul's preaching whether "to Jews or Gentiles, to philosophers at Athens or to peasants at Lystra, he preached repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus" (Knowling).
