Acts 22:16

"For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard."

Key Reflection

In Acts 22:16, when Jesus appears to Paul in a vision after his conversion, He instructs Paul that he will become a witness "to all men" of the events he has seen and heard—specifically, his encounter with the risen Christ. This role as a witness underscores the significance of Paul's testimony, which would be central to spreading the Christian message throughout the Gentile world. The cultural context highlights the importance of verbal testimony in first-century Judaism, where speaking boldly about one’s faith could have significant personal and communal implications.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 16. And now, why tarriest thou? Why dost thou delay, or wait any longer? These words are not recorded by Luke in Ac 9, where he has given an account of the conversion of Paul; but there is nothing here contradictory to his statement. And wash away thy sins. Receive baptism, as an act expressive of the washing away of sins. It cannot be intended that the external rite of baptism was sufficient to make the soul pure, but that it was an ordinance divinely appointed as expressive of the washing away of sins, or of purifying the heart. Comp. Heb 10:22. Sinners are represented in the Scriptures as defiled or polluted by sin.

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