Acts 2
BolesActs 2:1-13
DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1 And when the day of Pentecost was now come,—The apostles had now been waiting about a week “for the promise of the Father.” There were three annual feasts of the Jews—the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Passover commemorated the salvation of the first born in Egypt; the Pentecost celebrated the beginning of their harvest; and the Feast of Tabernacles commemorated their sojourn in the wilderness. There were four names given to this feast: (1) “Feast of Harvest” (Exodus 23:16); (2) “Feast of the First-Fruits” (Leviticus 23:17; Numbers 28:26); (3) “Feast of Weeks” (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10); (4) “Pentecost.” The last name is found only in the New Testament; it came fifty days after the Passover, and came on the first day of the week. In many respects it was considered the greatest feast of the year, and brought more people into Jerusalem than any of the other feasts. Some have contended that it commemorated the giving of the law upon Mount Sinai as it was, as they claimed, fifty days from the time they left Egypt to the giving of the law. There is no reference in the scriptures to this event in connection with this feast.
At this time the Jews were scattered among all the civilized nations of the earth; many had come to the Passover, and had remained over to keep the Feast of Pentecost; also many came to this feast that had not attended the Feast of the Passover. On this day probably more Jews were in Jerusalem than at any other day in the year. This was a memorable day with the Jews, and became the birthday of the church. It was an opportune time for the Holy Spirit to come as a fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus. All things are now ready; Jesus had ascended to the Father about a week before this, after telling the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit; they had spent much of the time in prayer, and were now ready for the advent of the Holy Spirit. “They were all together in one place.” We do not know what place this was; probably it was the same room where they had spent the week.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven—While the group was waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit, suddenly a sound came “as the rushing of a mighty wind.” There is no evidence that there was “a mighty wind,” but the sudden sound was like that of a storm or hurricane. The sound “filled all the house where they were sitting.” This describes the posture that they occupied at the moment that this sound came. This sound “came from heaven” as of a violent wind rushing along; this was the first miracle or manifestation of the great event.
3 And there appeared unto them tongues—This was the second miracle of the visible manifestation of the descent of the Holy Spirit. There appeared “tongues parting asunder,” or tongues parting among them; it seems that there was one great sheet of light, and that this broke up into different parts called “tongues,” and rested on each one of them. This was not “fire”; it was “like as of fire”; it is not said that there was either fire or wind; there was a noise and there were tongues; but there was felt neither blast nor burning. The noise was like a gust of wind borne violently along, and bringing with it tongues of flame which, distributing themselves among the disciples, settled for a moment on the head of each. There were not “cloven tongues,” but there was one tongue that rested upon each person. Some have contended that the tongue on each person was parted or forked, but this is not the meaning of the Greek word.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,—Here we have the third event—they were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” The first was the sound which affected the ear, the second was the tongues which affected the eye, and now the Holy Spirit came upon them. These three events, the sound “from heaven,” the appearance unto them “tongues parting asunder,” and “all filled with the Holy Spirit,” came close together, but whether in quick succession or all together at the same moment cannot be determined with certainty. As a result of the Holy Spirit’s coming upon them they “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” It seems clear that the Holy Spirit here came only upon the apostles; they were Galileans, and verse 7 says that those who were speaking were Galileans. It is not to be understood that the company of one hundred and twenty mentioned in chapter 1 were all filled with the Holy Spirit, because not all of these were Galileans. They were speaking as “the Spirit gave them utterance.” They were not uttering unintelligible sounds nor using mere jargon of syllables with no meaning; their sentences were clear and their words distinct, so that “every man heard them speaking in his own language.” Hence, they used such language and such words as could be understood. There were probably twelve to fifteen different languages or dialects spoken by the multitude on this day; there were fifteen countries and provinces named, but we do not know whether there was a different dialect for each country.
5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews,—Only a small portion of the Jews lived in Jerusalem or Palestine at this time; the greater number were natives of other lands dwelling in large colonies or in small communities. “Dwelling at Jerusalem” literally means “there were being housed in Jerusalem,” either temporarily or permanently in the city, Jews who were devout, religious men; they had a sacred regard for the law of Moses and the worship according to that law. “Devout men” literally means “taking hold well”; that is, “cautious,” “fearing.” The Jews were widely scattered over the Roman Empire at this time, and only the “devout” ones would make the long journey to Jerusalem to keep this feast.
6 And when this sound was heard,—There has been much discussion as to the meaning here; some think that the “sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind” was heard and brought the multitude together; others think that their speaking “with other tongues” was noised abroad and thus brought the multitude together. It could have been both; the miraculous manifestation, both of the physical appearance of the sound like that of a violent tempest and that of the speaking of tongues, when noised abroad, brought the curiosity-seeking multitude together. It is clear that the multitude did not come together until after the Holy Spirit had come upon the apostles. As the multitude assembled they were amazed, or caused to stand out by themselves, with wide open astonishment. The wonder grew and grew and spread and spread until the whole city had been brought together. This furnished the occasion for the proclamation of the gospel.
7-8 And they were all amazed and marvelled,—“Amazed” and “marvelled” are from different Greek words, and describe the state of confusion and astonishment that prevailed over the multitude. In their bewildered and astonished condition they were unable to account for such conditions, and asked: “Are not all these that speak Galilaeans?” This was one of the main forms of their exclamations; these men who were speaking were from only one province, and yet they were speaking the different dialects of all the people represented. Some think that the entire company of a hundred and twenty were speaking, but this is not sustained by the evidence, as all of those speaking were recognized to be Galileans. Greek was almost universally spoken over the whole of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, but most districts had their own dialect ; Aramaic was spoken in Palestine, and the people of Lycaonia h^d a language of their own; hence, Luke meant to say that the utterances of the disciples, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were made in a variety of dialects or languages.
9-11 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers—The countries mentioned here are in geographical order; the Parthians and Medes and Elamites lived far eastward beyond the Tigris River and the Caspian Sea; the Jews had been scattered there for several hundred years. “The dwellers in Mesopotamia” are mentioned next, and they lived between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; “Mesopotamia” means “between the rivers.” -The Jews had been taken as captives there; the Babylonian captivity was “between the rivers,” and some of the Jews never returned from that captivity. Next the Judeans are mentioned, because they designated a dialect of southern Palestine as distinguished from that of Galilee. Next in order are mentioned five provinces in Asia Minor; they are Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia; Cappadocia is in the southeastern portion of Asia Minor; Pontus is in the northeastern part bordering the Black Sea; Asia, meaning not the continent nor Asia Minor, but a smaller territory, the Roman province of that name which included the little countries of Mysia, Lydia, and Caria, bordering on the Aegean Sea and opposite to Greece. Phrygia and Pamphylia were located a little south of the central part of Asia Minor. Egypt is next mentioned, which was in Africa, south of the Mediterranean Sea, and Libya was west of Egypt, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Many Jews dwelt in all these countries in Egypt as well as in Asia Minor; large colonies of Jews dwelt in Egypt, so that a Greek version of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, had been made at Alexandria in the third century before the Christian Era. “Sojourners from Rome” were thought to be Romans who were proselytes or dwelling in Jerusalem for trade. “Jews” means those born of JewisJi parents; “proselytes” means those who were born of Gentile parents, or were of mixed parentage, partly Jewish and partly Gentile, but had become Converts to the Jewish religion.
It cannot be determined whether both classes came from all the countries or from Rome only. It is sure that sojourners at Rome are included. Cretans were from the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea; the Arabians were the Jews who had settled in Arabia; a large number of Jews had settled in Arabia.
12-13 And they were all amazed, and were perplexed,—The effect that these wonderful things had on the multitude is here briefly described by the words “amazed, and were perplexed.” They were confounded, “perplexed,” and “amazed” at what they saw and heard. They turned in their amazement to each other and asked: “What meaneth this?” Literally their question meant: “What will this be,” or “become.” They believed that it was a sign or omen that signified something remarkable, but they did not know what to think of it. This question also describes a further state of their feeling—they were, in addition to being confounded, perplexed, and amazed, awestruck. Some attempted to dismiss the matter with the suggestion that “they are filled with new wine.” “New wine” is from the Greek “gleukous,” which means “sweet wine,” but was considered highly intoxicating; “sweet wine” kept a year was very intoxicating. There is some discussion as to who the “others” were; some had asked, “What meaneth this ?” but “others” mocked and accused them of being “filled with new wine.” Some think that those who made this accusation were other than those who had been mentioned. However, it seems that in the confusion and amazement some asked the question and others made the accusation; they were not agreed as to the cause of the manifestations which they saw and heard.
Acts 2:14-36
THE CHURCH AT
PETER’S ADDRESS
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven,—Each step in the progress of the history is important; Peter had been selected to be the spokesman, for to him had been committed the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19); he had waited in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit had come; he, with the others, was now ready to testify for Jesus. Through the miraculous manifestations the multitude had assembled and were anxious to know the cause of these momentous manifestations. They have given Peter an opportunity, or an invitation to speak, and he stood “up with the eleven” and made his address. Peter and the eleven make the twelve apostles now. Peter becomes the spokesman for the twelve. The large crowd and the confusion of tongues demanded loud speaking; hence, he “lifted up his voice.” By this means he demanded the attention in order that he might say to them what the Holy Spirit prompted him to speak. He first addressed the “men of Judaea,” or literally, men, Judeans, and dwellers at Jerusalem; he addressed them in a respectful way and received a respectful hearing.
15-16 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose—-Peter first clears the situation; he removes the accusation that some had brought against them; this must be done before he can proceed with the more important things which the Spirit was to speak through him. The apostles had spent the time of vigilant waiting in prayer, as all devout Jews were accustomed to doing before the worship at Pentecost; hence, the charge that they were drunken was a serious one at this time, more serious than at other seasons; for, in the eyes of the Jews, it was a greater sin to be drunken at this time than at others. The impetuous Peter is now calm and courageous; he flatly denies the charge that he and his comrades are drunken. The charge had been made without proof; hence, circumstances were strongly against the assumption of his accusers. It was in the morning hour of prayer, only the third hour of the day; no Jew, certainly no devout Jew, would eat or drink before this hour was past. Men that got drunk did so at night, and this was only nine o’clock in the morning.
The accusation was so absurd that Peter passes it by with the emphatic denial and the observation that all could make. He now points them to the real cause of all that they had heard and seen. He directed the attention of these pious Jews to one of their own prophets, Joel.
17-21 And it shall be in the last days, saith God,—This quotation from Joel is one of the scriptures that the Jews relied upon to prove the coming of the Messiah; they were correct in their understanding that it referred to the Messiah’s kingdom, but they were in error with respect to Jesus as being that Messiah. He claimed to be, but they rejected his claim; he proved that he was the Messiah, but they refused to accept the proof; they did not believe the evidence. “The last days” had come, and God had poured “forth of my Spirit,” and a literal fulfillment was at that time taking place in their very midst. The “wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath,” were taking place at that time. “The sun shall be turned into darkness”; this had been done at the crucifixion of Jesus. (Luke 23:45.) “Before the day of the Lord come, that great and notable day,” has received various interpretations. The darkening of the sun with all the physical phenomena that go with it may have a primary fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem; this expression usually designates some time of fearful judgments. Whatever the prophecy of Joel may mean, Peter said that what was occurring at that time were the things which Joel said would come to pass in “the last days,” and hence “the last days” were now upon them. At this time “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In the midst of these alarming events and wonders and terrible phenomena that foretold awful judgments, opportunity would be given to all who would “call on the name of the Lord” to be saved.
That time was now, and they should begin calling upon the name of the Lord. The promise of deliverance, the “door of hope,” had now come to them, and the blessings were conditioned on their calling on the name of the Lord.
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words:—Peter’s sermon may be divided into three divisions: (1) an explanation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the fulfillment of the promise as made by Joel; (2) a description of the Lord upon whom they should call; and (3) a pointed appeal to acknowledge the Messiahship of Jesus who had been crucified, buried, raised from the dead, and ascended back to the Father. The first part of Peter’s address begins with verse 14 and closes with verse 21; the second part begins with verse 22 and closes with verse 28; the third part begins with verse 29 and closes with verse 36.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God—In the audience there are those who knew Jesus as “the Nazarene,” so he uses the title so that they could not misunderstand him. When Jesus asked the Jews and Romans in the Garden of Gethsemane whom they sought, they answered: “Jesus of Nazareth.” (John 18:5 John 18:7.) Jesus was not only “a man approved of God,” but he was proved to be from God. “Approved,” as used here, means to “show to be true,” or “to prove” to be true. All the miracles of Jesus are here included in “mighty works and wonders and signs”; three words to cover all that God did through Jesus. They could not deny the miracles wrought by Jesus.
23 him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel—This shows that Jesus was delivered by the Jews to the Roman authorities according to a definite plan that had been outlined by the prophets. Jesus willingly, when his hour came, gave himself into the hands of his enemy, and let them do what they would with him. God had willed the death of Jesus (John 3:16) and the death of Judas (Acts 1:16), but that fact did not clear Judas of the responsibility and guilt (Luke 22:22). Judas acted as a free moral agent; hence, Peter could say that “ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay.” This places guilt upon those who took part in the crucifixion of Jesus. The Jews cried, “Crucify, crucify him” (Luke 23:21), and Pilate attempted to constrain them, but finally gave sentence against Jesus. Peter here made a bold charge against his hearers. They charged Peter and the other apostles with being drunk, but he charged them with the crucifixion of their Messiah.
24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death:—They had, with the hands of lawless men, crucified the Son of God, but God had raised him from the dead; what they did to Jesus is put in contrast with what God did for him. The works of man are frequently put in contrast with the works of God. This strong antithesis is emphasized frequently in the preaching of the apostles. When the time came, or when his hour arrived, God delivered Jesus into the hands of the wicked Jews; when they crucified him, God raised him from the dead, because it was not possible for the powers of death to keep him in the grave. It was as much the “determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” to raise Jesus from the dead as it was to deliver him into the hands of lawless men to be crucified. There had been rumors of the resurrection in Jerusalem of Jesus, but Peter now stands without equivocation and declares the fact of his resurrection.
25-28 For David saith concerning him,—Peter here quotes Psalms 16:8-11; he attributes his prophecy to David. It is noticed that quotations in the New Testament from the Old Testament are not “word for word” and punctuation exact; often the Holy Spirit gives the meaning and not the exact words. David often spoke concerning himself, but the Holy Spirit who spoke through David also spoke of Christ; hence, a prophecy would have a primary fulfillment and an ultimate fulfillment. The sepulcher of David was in the city of Jerusalem. (1 Kings 2:10; Nehemiah 3:16.) The site of David’s tomb was then known to every Jew. David as a prophet took upon himself the task to speak of the Messiah as he was guided by the Holy Spirit; hence, he was not speaking altogether of himself when he referred to his flesh seeing corruption. “Hades” means the “unseen world.” David died and was buried and his tomb was in their midst; his body had decayed; hence, David could not have spoken of himself, but of the Messiah. Peter now argued that this prophecy of David that his body should not see corruption could not have referred to David himself, but to the Messiah.
29-31 Brethren, I may say unto you freely—Here begins the third part of Peter’s address. He shows them that David died and was buried within the city of Jerusalem, and that his tomb was with them and that his body had decayed; hence, David as a prophet did not apply the language to himself, but being a prophet he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne. Peter here refers to Psalms 132:11. Furthermore, Peter argues that God has fulfilled that oath and promise to David and that Christ was raised from the dead to sit on David’s throne. Peter here declares that David knew that in Psalms 16:10 he was describing the resurrection of the Messiah. David as king occupied the throne of the nation of Israel, the national people of God.
The Messiah, who was to descend from him, was in like manner to be King of God’s people, his spiritual people; hence, the Messiah was to sit on David’s throne ruling the people of God. The royal government among the Lord’s national people was, properly speaking, a theocracy; that is, a government of which God was considered the Supreme Ruler, while the earthly king was God’s agent. Christ or the Messiah was to sit on David’s throne, or to be his successor, by becoming the King of God’s spiritual people.
32 This Jesus did God raise up,—Again, the Jews crucified Jesus, but God raised him up and has made the apostles witnesses of that resurrection. Peter now had proved that the prophecy was not fulfilled in David, and could not refer to him, or to an earthly king or person long after him; but it did refer to the Messiah. Then he affirmed that God did raise up Jesus from the dead, and proceeded to prove that this Jesus is the Christ. The “we” who “are witnesses” of the resurrection includes the twelve apostles, and may include other disciples who had seen Jesus after his resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:6.)
33 Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted,—God had raised Jesus from the dead that he might sit on David’s throne, which is here called “the right hand of God exalted.” Jesus was not only raised from the dead, like Lazarus or the daughter of Jairus to die again, but he was raised from the dead to be exalted to the right hand of God. Again we see the contrast between what the Jews had done for Christ and what God had done. There is a similar phrase in Psalms 98:1 : “His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him.” He had promised that if he returned to the Father he would send the Holy Spirit; since he had returned to the Father he has now sent the Holy Spirit. The physical manifestations which so confused and astonished the multitude were evidences that the Holy Spirit had come and they saw and heard these things.
34-35 For David ascended not into the heavens:—Peter further argues and proves that the prophecy here did not apply to David. He quotes Psalms 110:1. David had not ascended into the heavens, but Jesus had. It is clear that David understood this to refer to some other than himself; David with the Holy Spirit saw the Messiah come to the earth, suffer and die, be buried, raised from the dead, and ascend back to the Father, and seated at his right hand. This prophecy of David as to the Lord had been fulfilled. Some in that audience could recall that a few weeks before this time the Pharisees had been confused by a question about the meaning of this same passage, and they could not answer Jesus; if they had answered him truly they would have conceded his claim. (Matthew 22:42-45.)
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know—“Let all the house of Israel” is equivalent to saying “let every house of Israel”; this appeal could be made only to Israel, for they only had known the prophecies, and they only had received the promises. “Know assuredly” is equivalent to believing the evidence that Peter had given to establish the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and therefore the Son of God. This was another way of telling them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that they were to believe was that God had “made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.” Jesus who had been crucified, God had raised from the dead, exalted him to heaven, and set him on his own right hand; in this way God had shown that Jesus was the Messiah. He has been made “Lord” or ruler; he has all authority in heaven and on earth; he also had been made “Christ,” which means the Anointed One. This concluded Peter’s address; it closed with an appeal to believe the evidence that had been presented.
Acts 2:37-41
THE FIRST
37 Now when they heard this,—The effect of Peter’s address is now briefly narrated; it was a wonderful address and there were wonderful results. The simple declaration of facts, together with prophecies which supported the claim of Jesus as the Savior of the world, had such an effect on the hearts of the people that many were moved. “They were pricked in their heart,” which means that they were stung with remorse at the exceeding wickedness of their crime in the crucifixion; they must have been amazed at the stupid blindness with which they had acted. The leaders and the people had closed their eyes to the teaching of the prophecies which had spoken of their Messiah. “Pricked” is from the verb “katanusso,” which means “to pierce, to sting sharply, to stun, to smite.” Peter’s sermon carried conviction, and they felt keenly the sting of their conviction; hence, they asked Peter “and the rest of the apostles,” “What shall we do?” This shows that they regarded the other apostles with Peter as witnesses for Christ. Since he had brought conviction to them, surely Peter and the rest of the apostles would know what to do. They had been with J esus; they had seen him and talked with him since his resurrection ; they had seen him as he ascended; surely the Messiah would leave some word with them as to what they should do in order to receive remission of their sins. They recognize that there is something that they must do.
38 And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized—This is possibly one of the most mooted scriptures in the New Testament; many theological controversies have been based on this verse. It should be remembered that after being convinced that Jesus was the Messiah and knowing that they had crucified him, they asked what they must do. This verse gives the answer to that question. While much controversy has been had about the meaning of the answer, it is plain and simple enough. These believers are told to “repent ye.” John had taught repentance and Jesus had taught repentance. He had included repentance in the commission. (Luke 24:47.) “Repent” had been the clarion cry of John in the wilderness (Matthew 3:2); it was the gospel call of Jesus (Mark 1:15); it was the demand of the apostles as they went out on their limited commission (Mark 6:12).
They were not only to repent, but they were to “be baptized.” In giving the commission, Jesus said: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” John and Jesus had both preached baptism; Jesus had placed baptism in the commission; hence, the apostle Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave the answer and told them what they should do. “Repent ye” is singular, while “be baptized every one of you” is in the plural. There is here also a change from the second to the third person; this change shows a break in the thought; the first thing to do is make a radical and complete change; this is done in repentance; then let each one be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.” This is the same as the command in Matthew 28:19. There is no distinction between “eis to onoma” and “en toi onomati” with “baptizo,” since “eis” and “en” are really the same word in origin. In Acts 10:48 “en toi onomati Iesou Christou” occurs, but “eis to onoma” is found in Acts 8:16 Acts 19:5. The use of “onoma” means in the name or with the authority of one, as “eis onoma prophetou” (Matthew 10:41) as a prophet, in the name of a prophet.
unto the remission of your sins;—The Greek is “eis aphesin ton hamartion humon”; this is the phrase over which there has been so much controversy. It seems to be clear. After Peter convinced the multitude that they had crucified the Messiah and that God had exalted him and that he was now at the right hand of God, in this state they asked: “What shall we do?” Evidently they were asking what to do to obtain remission of sins. Peter answers them and tells them to do two things—repent and be baptized. This is to be done by every one of them “in the name of Jesus Christ,” “eis aphesin ton hamartion humon” “unto the remission of your sins.” Much depends on the meaning of “eis”; some have claimed that it means “because of”; hence, they claim that baptism is “because of the remission of sins”; or one receives remission of sins before baptism. Others claim that “eis” means “for,” “in order to,” “unto” the remission of sins. Repentance and baptism are both “eis aphesin ton hamartion humon.” Herewith is submitted the best scholarship on the translation of “eis” and its accompanying phrase.
MEANING OF “EIS” IN Acts 2:38
Translation
Name
Denomination
Work
‘for the putting away” ‘for, to or toward” ‘unto, for, in order to” ‘for, unto” ‘for, unto” ‘end toward which” ‘in reference to” ‘unto, to” ‘is always prospective” ‘aim, purpose” ‘purpose” ‘in order to” ‘the object to be obtained” ‘unto, in order to receive” unto’ ‘unto, to this end” ‘denotes object” ‘with a view to” ‘unto” ‘might receive” ‘in order to” ‘unto, to the end” ‘into, to, toward” ‘in order to”
Abbot Alexander Axtell Benson Bickersteth Butcher Adam Clarke Dill Ditzler Godet Goodwin Harkness Harmon Harper Hovey Jacobus Meyer McLintock
Church of England Presbyterian Baptist Methodist Church of England Presbyterian Methodist Baptist Methodist Presbyterian Congregationalist Baptist Methodist Baptist Baptist Presbyterian Lutheran Methodist Presbyterian Methodist Methodist Congregationalist Baptist
‘‘Commentary on Acts” ‘‘Commentary on Acts” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Commentary on Bible” ‘‘Commentary on Acts” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Commentary on Bible” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Wilkes-Ditzler Debate” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Commentary on John” ‘‘Commentary on Acts” ‘‘Commentary on Acts” McLintock & Strong Encyclopedia ‘‘Commentary on Acts” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Shepherd’s Handbook” ‘‘Commentary on Acts” Greek-English Lexicon Baptist Quarterly, 1878
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.—Peter, by the Holy Spirit, promised two things on the condition that they repented arid were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ—“the remission of your sins” and “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Much controversy exists as to whether this meant the Holy Spirit as a gift in that measure that the apostles now enjoyed, or whether “the gift of the Holy Spirit” was the ordinary measure that belonged to all Christians. It seems that some of the early Christians received miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit, and that this is what Peter meant. Joel had been quoted by Peter as being fulfilled at this time; hence, the Spirit dispensation was now beginning and those who obeyed the gospel would receive all the blessings promised by this dispensation.
39 For to you is the promise, and to your children,—“The promise” is the promise mentioned above; it was what Christ had termed “the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), and described as the baptism “in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.” This promise carried with it the blessings of salvation in Christ and all that accompanied a faithful life in his service. “To your children” includes the Jews, and “all that are afar off” includes the Gentiles; hence, all flesh would receive the blessings of the Holy Spirit. The limitations were set by the qualifying clause, “even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.” The Lord calls people by his gospel: “Whereunto he called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:14.) “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13-14.) “And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.” (John 6:45.) This shows how they are to learn of Jesus and how they are to call upon him. The gospel is to be preached which makes known Christ to the world; people hear it and believe it; they obey its commands and receive its blessings; in this way they come to God through Christ.
40 And with many other words he testified,—Luke did not record all that Peter said on this occasion; he gave a brief outline of the address that Peter made. The address may be formally arranged as follows:
PETER’S ADDRESS
Introduction:
-
Defense of the Apostles
-
Explanation of the Events
I. The Theme—Jesus Is the Christ
II. The Proof
-
The Works of Jesus
-
His Resurrection
a. Quotation from David
b.Exposition of Quotation
c.The Witness of the Disciples
- The Gift of the Holy Spirit Promised
Peter exhorted the people to “save” themselves from “this crooked generation.” Peter’s “many other words” exhorted the people to accept Jesus as the Messiah. “Crooked” is from the Greek “skolias,” which is a word opposite of “orthos,” which means “straight”; they were “crooked” mentally, morally, and spiritually, since they were unbelieving Jews who had crucified their Messiah.
41 They then that received his word were baptized:—Some ancient manuscripts omit the word “gladly,” and the Standard Version follows the oldest manuscripts. They received the word by believing and obeying the gospel. People receive Christ today by receiving his teachings. Jesus said: “He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” (John 13:20.) “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me.” (Luke 10:16.) To hear the apostles was to hear Christ, and to hear Christ was to hear God who sent him; hence, when they received the words of the apostles spoken by the Holy Spirit they were hearing the words of Christ, and therefore the word of God. They were baptized; all who received the word were baptized; the Holy Spirit through Peter had commanded them to be baptized. Those who were baptized were “added unto them”; that is, those who were baptized were added together, added to the church; there were “about three thousand souls.” Some think that these three thousand were added to the hundred and twenty, but since the phrase “unto them” is in italics, or supplied, they were simply added together.
Acts 2:42-47
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles* teaching—These new disciples were not fickle; they “continued” in those things which they were taught. Here are mentioned four things in which they continued: (1) “apostles’ teaching,” (2) “fellowship,” (3) “in the breaking of bread,” and (4) “the prayers.” The teaching here mentioned is that which Jesus commissioned when he told his apostles to teach all the baptized ones everything that he had commanded. (Matthew 28:20.) “Fellowship” here means that common interest and mutual participation in those things which concern the welfare of each other. “Breaking of bread” comes from “klasei,” which is used only by Luke, and only in the phrase “breaking of bread”; the kindred verb for “break” occurs often, but, like the noun, only of breaking bread; hence, it is used to designate the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. “The prayers” means that all the services were accompanied with prayer; only stated times were given to prayer under the law, but now the prayers are offered continually, at any time and all time. (See Luke 5:33.)
43 And fear came upon every soul:—Wonder and amazement pervaded the entire group; the attention of the public was attracted to the disciples. “Fear” is used here in the sense of deep reverence and awe. “Many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” The mockers were put to silence and awe came over them, and they were deterred from further opposition, even though they did not repent. The apostles were able to work many miracles, though no particular one is described at this point except the one in the next chapter, and that one is noticed only because it is connected with the arrest of the apostles.
44-45 And all that believed were together,—Some have thought that this means that they lived together in one house, but this is impossible since three thousand were converted on this day. It simply means that they “were together” in mind, in purpose, in faith, and in heart. It refers to the unity of spirit and mind and not so much to unity of organization. They “had all things common.” This clause seems to convey the idea of community of goods, lands, and possessions. It does not mean that everyone sold everything that was possessed, but that all held their possessions as a trust for the good of all. Christianity teaches that we are responsible for the welfare of each other and that we should render service, money, and everything for the welfare of others. “But whoso hath the world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17.) Many of these Jews had come from a distance and had brought but little with them; their sojourn was longer than they expected; hence, they did not have sufficient supplies. In this condition those who did have gladly shared with those who had not.
46-47 And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord—This was not “communism,” but the disciples had their property at the disposal of the common good as it was needed. The disciples were still worshipping in the temple, as no wide separion had as yet come between the Christians and Jews. They broke their bread at home, and rejoiced in all of the temporal blessings that God had given to them. Those who contributed of their means to those who had not rejoiced in the opportunity to help others; while those who received help rejoiced that there were those who loved them and were able to help them. It was an occasion of all rejoicing together. The description of these early disciples closes
with their praising God and finding “favor with all the people.” “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.” The word “church” is left out of the Standard Version asfnd “to them” is expressed; hence, the meaning is that those who heard the word, believed it, repented of their sins, and were baptized, were by this process added together, and thus formed the church. Every step was taken by divine guidance, and all rejoiced in the unity of the faith and in the love and fellowship of each other. As we leave this instructive chapter we are impressed with the power of the gospel as preached by Peter. We also are impressed with the simple procedure of the apostles in thus forming the church. The church is now functioning under the direction of the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit. We see how people become Christians and we see them living the Christian life. Luke, the historian, is ready now to proceed further with the expansion of the church.