Answer: The Lord said He was sending Paul to the Jews
and Gentiles "so that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me,"
(verse 18).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
Luke 24:46-47: "He [Jesus] told
them, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from
the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins
will be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem."
1 Corinthians 6:11: "And that is
what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the
Spirit of our God."
From
The Acts of the Apostles From Jerusalem to Rome by Wayne
Jackson:
Remission of sins is obtained at the point of one's
initial obedience to the Gospel, i.e., when he identifies with the
Lord's burial and resurrection by being immersed in water
([Acts] 2:38;
22:16). The "inheritance" is the
promise of eternal life. This hope far transcends any material
ambition entertained by those of the nation of Israel. The
inheritance is shared by all who "are sanctified,"
i.e., made holy, set apart for God's service, by virtue of
the faith they exercise toward Christ. Paul wants to drive
home the point that no one can be right with God apart from
faith in Jesus of Nazareth. This is a hard fact that the Jews
are going to have to confront. And remember this: Faith
is not a mere mental exercise; it is active obedience in
submitting to the Lord's Will. The eleventh chapter of
Hebrews is an illuminating commentary on the nature of obedient
faith.
It is also interesting to note, at verse 18,
the association between receiving "remission of sins"
and being "sanctified." That same connection is
made by the apostle in his letter to the Ephesians.
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave Himself up for it; that He might sanctify
it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with
the Word..." ([Ephesians]
5:25-26).
