“Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe.”
Acts 28:24 (NASB1995)
Paul spent the day testifying about the Kingdom of God and explaining Jesus through the Law of Moses and the Prophets. From morning until evening, Paul confirmed, clarified, and made the gospel clear through the Scriptures these Jewish leaders knew and professed to follow. Paul had their attention all day and must have made the message of Jesus as clear as possible.
Some were persuaded by the Word of God spoken to them. By the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, through Paul’s voice, the Scriptures came alive to them. They received new life, new eyes, and new ears because they believed. The scales had fallen from their eyes. But others would not believe.
That phrase, “would not believe,” reveals that disbelief was a choice. They did not want to change. They wanted things to stay the same, and they resisted what challenged their prior teaching and understanding. The gift of eternal life, abundant life, and salvation by grace through faith was not enough to make them abandon what they already believed. They were content with religion, their customs, rules, and regulations. They were good without Jesus. They did not want a relationship with a holy God through Him.
Those of us who know Jesus can also become closed off to parts of Scripture that are hard to grasp or contradict what we have been taught. It all comes down to who’s in charge and who’s on the throne of our belief system. Will we pick and choose the Scriptures we will follow like these Jews in Acts 28, or will we let Jesus be King of our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth? I pray that I will sit under all of the Scriptures instead of choosing only what I want to believe. Will you join me?