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Acts Chapter
Two
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Formation and Witness of the Church
I. The disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit and
spoke with other tongues (v.1-4).
II. They spoke the wonderful works of God in tongues of various places (v.5-13).
III. The first message of Peter the Apostle:
A. He explained the matter of the out-pouring of
the Holy Spirit according to the Old Testament (v.14-21).
B. He testified that the crucified Jesus had become
the risen and ascended Christ (v.22-36).
IV. The conditions of the church in the beginning:
A.
Those who received Peter’s word were baptized; and about three thousand souls
were added to them (v.37-41).
B. The
conditions of their daily gathering and life (v.42-47).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 2:1 “When the Day of Pentecost
had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
YLT: “And in the day of
the Pentecost being fulfilled, they were all with one accord at the same
place,”
Literal Meaning: “when the Day of
Pentecost had fully come” “the Day of Pentecost” means “the feast of fifty
days” which begins from the next day of the Sabbath in the week of Passover and
lasts seven Sabbaths and therefore it is also called “the feast of weeks”
(Exod. 34:22; Deut. 16:10). The following day of the seventh Sabbath is the
fiftieth day (Lev. 23:15-16). It is also the first day of the week------the
Lord’s Day. It is also called “the feast of harvest” (Exod. 23:16) in the Old
Testament.
“They were all in one place” According
to the fifteen dialects that were recorded in the following verses (v.8-11),
“they” should not refer to the twelve apostles (Acts. 1:26) but the one hundred
and twenty disciples at least who were mentioned in the first chapter (Acts.
1:13-15), including “Peter…with the eleven” (v.14).
“All with one accord”
Obviously “one place” does not refer to the upper room where they gathered
together (Acts. 1:13). It may refer to a certain place in the temple because
the disciples were always in the temple when the temple was open (Luke. 24:53;
Acts. 2:46).
Spiritual Meaning: “the Day of
Pentecost” begins from “the feast of the first-fruits” when they sacrifice a
sheaf of the first-fruits (Lev. 23:10-11, 15) to the fiftieth day “the feast of
harvest” when they sacrifice a new oblation (Lev. 23:16; Num. 28:26). “The
feast of the first-fruits” typifies that believers experience the power of
Christ’s resurrection and live in the newness of life. “The feast of harvest”
or “the Day of Pentecost” typify that believers experienced the out-pouring of
the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Spirit they were baptized into one body, i.e.
the church (1Cor. 12:13).
A sheaf of the first-fruits that is sacrificed on
the feast of the first-fruits typifies the risen Christ. The two wave loaves
that are sacrificed on the feast of harvest (Lev. 23:17) typify the Jewish and
Gentile churches (though we have been born from above, we still have the
constitution of “leaven” in the flesh------the natural old life).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is the key for the church to receive God’s
blessing that brothers and sisters “are all with one accord in one place”.
2) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity (Ps. 133:1)!
3) The Holy Spirit descended on the Day of
Pentecost (See v.4) and He did not descend in the place where an individual
disciple was but the place where disciples gathered together. Only those who
attended the meeting partook in the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. It shows
the importance of meeting.
Acts. 2:2 “And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting.”
YLT: “and there came
suddenly out of the heaven a sound as of a bearing violent breath, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting,”
Meaning of Words: “sound”: a loud
noise; “wind”: breath; “fill”: make full, fulfill, accomplish.
Literal Meaning: “And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven” “suddenly” shows that the occurrence is unexpected.
“From heaven” shows that the fountainhead is of God. “Sound” shakes men’s
hearts and attracts men’s attention.
“As of a rushing mighty wind” shows that the power is as strong as a
rushing mighty wind.
“And it filled the whole house where
they were sitting.” “Fill” in the
original refers to the inward infilling. “House” here in the original is the
same with “house” in Acts. 7:47 and therefore it may refer to a certain house
in the temple.
Spiritual Meaning: “wind” and “breath”
are the symbol of the Holy Spirit (John. 3:8; Ezek. 37:9, 14). At the night of
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, He had already breathed on them so that
they “received the Holy Spirit” (John. 20:22). Today, the Holy Spirit filled
the whole house where they were sitting as a rushing “wind”. The former
“breath” symbolizes the spirit of life and the latter “wind” symbolizes the
spirit of power.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Suddenly” shows that their experience happened
at unexpected moment. If we steadfastly wait for and look upon the blessing of
God with faith, the good moment shall come to us “suddenly” according to the
“certainty” of God’s plan.
2) The Holy Spirit comes with “sound”. If men are
filled with the Holy Spirit, they cannot help speaking forth the voice of testimony.
3) The Holy Spirit is breathed on believers as the
“breath” with the nature of life so that we could live in the newness of the
life of resurrection. The Holy Spirit poured upon believers as the “wind” with
the divine power so that we could fulfill the mission that the Lord has
entrusted us.
4) If one rows a boat with the wind, it is easy for
him to arrive at the destination. If one rows against the wind, he will toil in
rowing (Mark. 6:48). The Holy Spirit is just like the wind, if we walk in the Spirit
(Gal. 5:16), we shall yield twice the result with half the effort.
5) The Holy Spirit has the power to sweep all
obstacles in the way as the “a rushing mighty wind” blows. Not by might, nor by
power, but by the spirit of God (Zech. 4:6).
6) The Holy Spirit filled “the
whole house where the disciples were sitting”. The church that believers are built
together by the Lord is a habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph. 2:22).
Acts. 2:3 “Then there appeared to
them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.”
YLT: “and there appeared
to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of
them,”
Literal Meaning: “Then there appeared to them
divided tongues, as of fire” The plural number
“tongues” and the singular number “fire” show that there are many tongues and
the fire is a corporate thing.
Spiritual Meaning: “Then there appeared to them
divided tongues, as of fire” “tongues”
symbolizes the gifts to speak which make men speak with other tongues (See
v.4); “fire” symbolizes the presence of God (Exod. 3:2) that one on hand makes
those who speak fervent and bold and on the other makes those who hear be
lightened and purified.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Holy Spirit will burn dirties, lowliness and inferiority in us as
“fire”. Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit remove all things that are
unacceptable to God?
2) He whoever truly sees the glory of God shall
confess that “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people
of unclean lips” and he really needs the Holy Spirit to cleanse him with the
glowing coal (Is. 6:1-7).
3) The more we are purified by the Holy Spirit, the
more “tongues” we will receive to speak for God. Those who have not been dealt
with by the Holy Spirit are unworthy to speak for God. Even if they have
spoken, they lack the spiritual power.
4) The Holy Spirit is like “fire”. Once one is
filled by the Holy Spirit, he will be burnt and stirred up (2Tim. 1:6-7) and he
should be unlikely to “be neither cold nor hot” (Rev. 3:15-16).
5) Though there are many “tongues”, one sat upon
each of men from the same fire. If we truly have the same Spirit, we shall be
of one accord and of one mind (Pill. 2:2) and we shall speak the same thing
(1Cor. 1:10).
Acts. 2:4 “And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance.”
YLT: “and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according
as the Spirit was giving them to declare.”
Meaning of Words: “be filled with”:
the outward bathing (pletho).
Literal Meaning: “and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit” “They” refer to all the disciples present,
including the twelve apostles (please see the note in v.1). “Being filled with”
means filling men outwardly.
Please note that three words are used in the Acts
of Apostles in the original to describe “being filled with the Holy Spirit”.
The first one is pletho (Acts. 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9), a passive verb, which
means the bathing in the Holy Spirit (outwardly). The second one is pleres
(Acts. 6:3, 5; 7:55; 11:24), an adjective, which means the state of fullness.
The third one is pleroo (Acts. 13:52), a passive verb, which means the
infilling of the Holy Spirit and “fulfillment and accomplishment”. In a word,
there are two conditions of the filling of the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit
comes upon men and makes men full of the power of the Holy Spirit; the Holy
Spirit fills within men and makes men full of the nature of the spirit of life
so that they could live a spiritual life. The “being filled with” in this verse
refers to the outward bathing of men.
The Spirit “filled” the whole house where they were sitting (See v.2) and they were “bathed” in the
Holy Spirit. This condition is just like water in the bathtub and the one in
which “is soaked with” water.
“As the Spirit gave them utterance”
“Utterance” refers to the power of language performance. The power that
believers speak for the Lord is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
“Began to speak with other tongues”
“Speak” is particular in the original and it does not mean the unclear mumble
but the distinct and loud conversation. “Other tongues” means languages in
men’s world instead of the empty and meaningless sound. To the disciples, they had
not learned the tongues (See v.8-11) that they spoke at that time.
Controversial Clarification:
Since the rising of
the Charismatic Movement, a group of people who
extremely insist on tongues, according to this verse, hold that: 1) Speaking
with other tongues is the inevitable phenomenon for one’s being filled with the
Holy Spirit. And it shows that those who are unable to speak with other tongues
have not been filled with the Holy Spirit. 2) Speaking with other tongues may
not mean speaking with another language but more often mean speaking the
retroflex that is incomprehensive to others. We hold that they misinterpret the
Bible and the reasons are as follows:
1) In the original,
the word “all” is used to describe “being filled with the Holy Spirit” instead
of “beginning to speak with other tongues”. It means that all the disciples
present “were filled with the Holy Spirit” but not all of them began to speak
with other tongues.
2) In the original, there is an “and” between “they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit” and “began to speak with other tongues”. “And” shows that
“being filled with the Holy Spirit” and “beginning to speak with other tongues”
are of equal rank and the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit may not begin
to speak with other tongue.
3) Paul the Apostle said that “gifts” are divided to every man as the
Holy Spirit wills. There are diversities of gifts that are divided by the Holy
Spirit. There are various gifts besides kinds of tongues (1Cor. 12:4-11;
4) In the Bible, speaking with other
tongues is only mentioned in few places. It is mentioned in one place where the
disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and other two places where the Holy
Spirit came upon (or “poured out upon”) the disciples (Acts. 2:4; 10:45-46;
19:6). They did not speak with other tongues in many places where they were
filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke. 1:15, 41,67; 4:1; Acts. 4:8, 31; 6:3;
7:55-56; 9:17-18; 11:24; 13:52). And therefore men may not speak with other
tongues when they are filled with the Holy Spirit. In other word, speaking with
other tongues could not be counted as the condition to prove whether someone is
filled with the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, it has not been predicted in the New
Testament that those who have been filled with the Holy Spirit have to speak
with other tongues. And when the Lord Jesus commanded the disciples to wait for
the Holy Spirit (Luke. 24:49, Acts. 1:8) and Paul told believers to be filled
with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), they did not mention that they shall speak with
other tongues when they receive the Holy Spirit or were filled with the Holy
Spirit.
5) “Tongues” is glossa in Greek. It has two meanings: “tongue” and
“langue”. However, in the original glossa is used in three examples of speaking
of tongues that are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts. 2:4, 10:46,
19:6) and the spectators were able to clearly hear what they were talking
about: “the wonderful works of God”, “magnifying God” and etc. It shows that in
this book glossa does not denote “tongue” but “language”.
6) The “speak” in “speak with other tongues” is laleo in the original.
Another Greek word lego is commonly used in the Bible to express “speak”. The
Charismatic Christians hold that the former means speaking illogically and the
latter means speaking logically. And therefore they hold that speaking with
other tongues means sending out the illogical and unclean “retroflex”. This
kind of view is invalid because the word laleo was used when Paul spoke the
glad tidings (Pill1:14; Col. 4:3), spoke wisdom (1Cor. 2:6) and spoke unto men
to edification, and exhortation, and comfort (1Cor. 14:3). It shows that laleo
does not refer to “speaking” illogically.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When men are filled with the Holy Spirit, they
will receive the spiritual utterance and say what they were unable to say. And
therefore if we want to speak for the Lord, what matters is not that we lack
the eloquence but that whether we are filled with the Holy Spirit (See Exod.
4:10-12).
2) The profound meaning of “speaking with other
tongues” is the fellowship of the Spirit. Under the condemnation of God, men’s
languages were differed and their pronunciation was mingled. They could not
understand each other though they talked with each other (Gen. 11:1-9). In the
Spirit of grace, men could still communicate with each other even though they
have the natural distinctions (See v.5-11).
3) If we live under the natural principle, we are
scattered though we want to unite------the original intention to make the
Acts. 2:5 “And there were dwelling
in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.”
YLT: “And there were
dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation of those under the
heaven,”
Meaning of Words: “devout”: fear God.
The
Background: at that time, many
Jews scattered abroad and dispersed all over the world. The day of Pentecost is
one of the three great feasts that the Jews have to keep every year (Exod.
23:16-17; 34:22-23). And it is at the beginning of June in the solar calendar
and the weather is suitable to travel. And therefore whenever the feast comes,
many devout Jews come to
Acts. 2:6 “And when this sound
occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone
heard them speak in his own language.”
YLT: “and the rumour of
this having come, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because they
were each one hearing them speaking in his proper dialect,”
Meaning
of Words: “this sound”: the
sound of voice; “occur”: be finished, become; “his own language”: own language,
vernacular; “were confused”: be confounded, throw into disorder, perplex,
bemused.
Literal Meaning: “And when this sound
occurred” In the original, it seems that “this sound” does not refer to “the
sound” in v.2 but the sound of the voice of the disciples who spoke in the
languages of the multitudes. Nevertheless, it may refer to both of them because
only the noise of the voice of more than one hundred people may not draw at
several thousands people (at least) to gather together (See v.41).
“Everyone heard them speak in his own
language” “His own language”
refers to the language that is used in his birthplace. From this, “other tongues”
in v.4 does not refer to the meaningless retroflex and actually they are the
languages in men’ world. Many Bible exegetes believe that the aim that God gave
men the gift of kinds of tongues is to declare the glad tidings to men from
every country at the same time.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God issued His Law to one country (
2) Those who do not know God will also be
“confused” and dazed concerning the things that happened to believers.
Acts. 2:7 “Then they were all amazed
and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, are not all these who
speak Galileans?”
YLT: “and they were all
amazed, and did wonder, saying one unto another, `Lo, are not all these who are
speaking Galileans?”
Meaning of Words: “amaze”: be beside
self; “marvel”: to look closely at.
The
Background: the accent of
Galileans was distinctive and their tone was strong. And therefore the moment
they began to speak, others may know that they were Galileans (See Matt.
26:73).
Literal Meaning: “are not all these
who speak Galileans?” In the original construction, this sentence seems to
stress that the feature of those people is that “these who speak”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men are always unable to understand the work of
the Holy Spirit and they are astonished and marveled.
2) The natural man does not receive the things of
the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them (1Cor.
2:14).
3) Therefore, from now on, we regard no one
according to the flesh (2Cor. 5:16), lest we should miss the opportunity to
receive the spiritual grace.
Acts. 2:8 “And how is it that we
hear, each in our own language in which we were born?”
YLT: “and how do we hear,
each in our proper dialect, in which we were born?”
The
Background: at that time, apart
from the language of their birthplace, the Jews who were scattered abroad in
various places of the world commonly used the Greek that was commonly used in
the Roman Empire or the Aramaic that was commonly used in
Literal Meaning: their question
showed their contempt for the Galileans------it seemed to them that the
Galileans were unlearned (See Acts. 4:13) and they might be unable to speak
with the languages of various countries.
Acts. 2:9 “Parthians and Medes and
Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and
YLT: “Parthians, and
Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and
Literal Meaning: “Parthians”: the
residents from the
“Medes” Media was on the east of
Mesopotamia, on the northeast of
“Elamites”
“Mesopotamia” It was between the
“
“Cappadocia” It was one of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor
and it was on the north of Cilicia and on the east of
“
“Asia” It was one of the Roman provinces
in Asia Minor and it was on the west of
Acts. 2:10 “Phrygia and
YLT: “Phrygia also, and
Literal Meaning: “Phrygia” It was one
of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the south of
“Pamphylia” It was one of the Roman
provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the west of Cilicia, on the south of
“
“The parts of
“Proselytes” refer to the Gentiles who
agreed on the Jewish belief and entered in Judaism.
Acts. 2:11 “Cretans and Arabs--we
hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.’”
YLT: “Cretes and
Arabians, we did hear them speaking in our tongues the great things of God.’”
Meaning of Words: “the wonderful
works”: the great deeds, marvelous works.
Literal Meaning: “Cretans” was on the
southeast of
“Arabs” refer to the residents on
Arabian Peninsula which was on the southwest of
“Speaking the wonderful works of God”
The Holy Spirit gave them the utterance to speak with other tongues for the
single-minded aim: speaking the wonderful works of God. From this, speaking
with other tongues does not mean sending out unconscious sound but speaking
meaningful words.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When men are filled with the Holy Spirit, they
shall sing and make melody in their heart to the Lord unceasingly (Eph.
5:18-19). The aim that the Holy Spirit fills men is glorifying God instead of
satisfying men’s “spiritual” vanity.
2) In the church I would rather speak five words
with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in
a tongue (1Cor. 14:19).
3) The wonderful works of God must smash through
the barriers of languages and then shall be preached all over the world. And
the Holy Spirit gives men the gifts of languages (1Cor. 12:8-11) in order to
satisfy the need. If we want to preach the glad tidings for God, we have to
look upon and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts. 1:8).
Acts. 2:12 “So they were all amazed
and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’”
YLT: “And they were all
amazed, and were in doubt, saying one unto another, `What would this wish to
be?’”
Literal
Meaning: “they were all
amazed and perplexed” “amazed” shows that they did not understand it.
“Perplexed” shows that they wanted to know what they were unable to understand.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If men want to discuss the spiritual things by
the religious “devoutness” (See v.5), consequently, they shall be “amazed and
perplexed” and still cannot comprehend them at all.
2) Only “the Spirit of truth” could guide men into
the spiritual reality (John. 16:13). And therefore as long as men receive the
Holy Spirit, they could receive the spiritual reality.
Acts. 2:13 “Others mocking said, ‘They are full of new wine.’”
YLT: “and others mocking
said, ‘They are full of sweet wine;’”
Literal Meaning: “They are full of
new wine” means being drunk (See v.15). Apparently, being filled with the Holy
Spirit is similar to being drunk and both of them make men behave unusually.
However, if we go into the root and nature of them seriously, they are
absolutely contrary to each other (Eph. 5:18). Being drunk means that men’s
souls are intoxicated with the earthly joy so that men’s bodies are excited and
are even “excessive”. However, being filled with the Holy Spirit is “from
heaven” (See v.2) so that men are full of the spiritual power and as a result
of that, sinners shall be saved and the church shall be built (See v.41-47).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) People have different reactions to the spiritual
things. Concerning the same message of gospel, some people receive it gladly
and some people mock and reject it.
2) Men always judge things according to the flesh
and they are trapped in the devices of Satan because it always makes men merely
pay attention to the appearance of things and neglect the reality of things.
3) Unavoidably, some people mock the work of the
Holy Spirit. It is impossible that we expect to be filled with the Holy Spirit
and in the meanwhile hope that all men will approve and praise us.
Acts. 2:14 “But Peter, standing up
with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men
of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my
words.”
YLT: “and Peter having
stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and declared to them, `Men, Jews!
and all those dwelling in
Literal Meaning: “But Peter, standing
up with the eleven, raised his voice and said” The “standing” here is plural in
the original and “raised his voice” is single. It shows that though there was
one speaking and there were many standing at the same time as the backing. And
“raised his voice” shows that when this preacher stood as an apostle, he raised
his voice to make all the listeners hear him.
“Said” in the Greek refers to clear declaration. It
is the accurate pronunciation and it makes everyone of the multitudes be able
to understand. This special “speaking” also occurs in other two places: “began
to speak…as the Spirit gave them utterance” (See v.4); “speak the words of
truth and reason” (Acts. 26:25). The “speaking” in two places all refer to
declaring to all the people with clear words.
“Let this be known to you, and heed my
words” “Let…be known” and
“heed” are the injunctive intonation in the original.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Our preaching or serving the Lord is of no
spiritual effort unless brothers and sisters cooperate with one accord. And
therefore every time the church preaches the glad tidings, the saints in
audience should support the preacher with prayers.
2) In the church, without the support of members of
one mind, one would rather not teach others. Many great ministers from ages and
from generations were supported by many prayers.
3) Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God (Rom. 10:17). If we want to understand the spiritual things of God, we
should heed in the church and listen to God’s words through the saints.
Acts. 2:15 “For these are not drunk,
as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.”
YLT: “for these are not
drunken, as ye take it up, for it is the third hour of the day.”
Meaning of Words: “the third hour of
the day”: nine o’clock in the morning.
The
Background: according to the
Jewish custom, men usually do not eat before the ending of the morning prayer
(i.e. before ten o’clock in the morning) during the time of the feast.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Do you live or serve according to the principle
of “being drunk in the night” or the principle of being filled with the Holy
Spirit “at the third hour of the day” (Rom. 13:12-13)?
2) For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God;
or if we are of sound mind, it is for you (2Cor. 5:13).
Acts. 2:16 “But this is what was
spoken by the prophet Joel:”
YLT: “`But this is that
which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel:”
Literal Meaning: the following verses
from v.17 to v.21 are quoted from Joel. 2:28-32.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though God had already predicted the coming of
the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost (See v.1-4) through Joel the prophet several
hundreds of years ago, it was fulfilled until one hundred and twenty disciples
prayed with one accord and waited (Acts. 1:14). It shows that concerning the
things that God had established, men’s cooperation of prayers is still needed.
Though God Himself could do many things, He likes to do after men have prayed.
2) One of the keys of preaching is to appropriately
quote the words in the Bible because the word of God is like a two-edged sword
which pierces and divides the heart of men (Heb. 4:12).
Acts. 2:17 “‘And
it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My
Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young
men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.”
YLT: “And it shall be in
the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;”
Meaning of Words: “pour out”: pour forth, throw into; “all
flesh”: the body, carnal; “vision”: sight.
Literal
Meaning: “in the last days”
In the scriptures that are quoted from Joel, it is “after” in the Hebrew and it
is “after these things” in the Septuagint. Peter thought that this passage of
scriptures refers to the dispensation of the New Testament (See Jer. 31:33-34;
Ezek. 35:26-27; 39:29) and it is different from the former dispensation of the
Old Testament.
“I
will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh” “Pouring out” is just like the pouring of the
anointing oil on the head of men (Lev. 8:12). God pours out the Holy Spirit
upon men abundantly from heaven and makes them have power to fulfill the
special missions. “All flesh” refer to all the fallen human beings and there
are no differences of gender, age, status or the Jews and the Gentiles.
“Your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy”
“Prophesy” has two meanings in the Bible: 1) foretelling, foretell what would
happen in the future (Acts. 1:16; 3:18, 24; 13:27). It is just like what Agabus
the prophet did (Acts. 11:28; 21:10-11). 2) forth-telling, declare or explain
God’s hidden will, i.e. preaching the message of God (1Cor. 11:4-5; 13:9;
14:1-5, 24, 31, 39). From the whole New Testament, “prophesying” stresses on the
interpretation of the truth.
“Your
young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” “Visions” and “dreams” refer to the same
thing, i.e. seeing the spiritual sights. Men may see visions in prayer (Acts.
9:11-12), or in a trance (Acts. 10:10-11), or in a dream (Gen. 28:12) and the
aim is to make men understand the will of God. Moreover, it is not necessary
that only young men could see visions, and only old men could dream dreams.
They are interchangeable.
Prophesying, seeing visions and dreaming dreams are
all related to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. These three phenomena are
the outward works of the Holy Spirit upon believers and they are not related to
the inward maturity of the spiritual life of believers. Seeing visions and
dreaming dreams make one understand the will of God and prophesying makes
others understand the will of God. The former two are the way to receive the
spiritual knowledge and the latter is the way to pass on the spiritual
knowledge.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When we are praying, reading the Bible or
meditating, the spiritual understanding is opened suddenly and we understand
the new spiritual knowledge and see the will of God. It equates to seeing
visions and dreaming dreams.
2) God bestows the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon
all believers, without the differences of gender (“sons and daughters”), age
(“young men and old men”), and rank (“menservants and maidservants”, See v.18).
3) Today, it is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit
and He is able to pour out and use all men and women, the young and the old.
What matters is that whether we are willing to be the vessels of the Holy
Spirit.
Acts. 2:18 “And on My menservants and
on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall
prophesy.”
YLT: “and also upon My
men-servants, and upon My maid-servants, in those days, I will pour out of My
Spirit, and they shall prophesy;”
Literal Meaning: “My menservants and
My maidservants” are both slaves who sell themselves as slaves in the original.
“And they shall prophesy” In v.17 and
v.18, “prophesying” is mentioned two times and “seeing visions and dreaming
dreams” is mentioned once. It stresses on the importance of “prophesying”.
“Prophesying” is the final way to lead men to believe and accomplish the will
of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The one who knows that he is bought with a price
by the Lord (1Cor. 6:20) and is willing to be the servant of the Lord gladly is
qualified and has the power to “prophesy” for the Lord.
2) “Maidservants” shall “prophesy”. Sisters shall
and should speak for God in the church.
Acts. 2:19 “I will show wonders in
heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.”
YLT: “and I will give
wonders in the heaven above, and signs upon the earth beneath blood, and fire,
and vapour of smoke,”
Literal Meaning: “I will show wonders
in heaven above” refers to the wonders of the changes of astronomical phenomena
that “the sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood” in v.20.
“And signs in the earth beneath” “In the
earth beneath” in the original means “upon the earth” instead of “under the
earth”. Signs refer to the following sentence “blood and fire and vapor of
smoke”.
“Blood and fire and vapor of smoke” are all related to the great tribulation
before the second coming of the Lord (See Rev. 8:7; 9:2; 14:20; 16:3, 8).
Acts. 2:20 “The sun shall be turned
into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and
awesome day of the LORD.”
YLT: “the sun shall be
turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the day of the
Lord the great and illustrious;”
Literal Meaning: “The sun shall be turned
into darkness, And the moon into blood”
Such changes of the astronomical phenomena are also narrated in the scenes of
the great tribulations before the second coming of the Lord (Rev. 6:12; 8:12;
Matt. 24:29).
“Before the coming of the great and
awesome day of the LORD” “The great and
awesome day of the LORD” refers to the day when the Lord comes to execute the
judgment. At that time, He will come to the earth by Himself and annul the
enemy and reign in the power and great glory.
Please note that the things of the
Pentecost that are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles are not the literal
fulfillment of the prophet of Joel. They are only similar to the things in
Joel. The things on the Pentecost did not include prophesying, visions or
dreams. There were only a sound from heaven, a rushing mighty wind, fire and
etc (See v.1-3). The thing that was manifested upon believers was their
speaking with tongues. However, speaking with tongues was not mentioned in the
prophet of Joel. All these prove that the things of the Pentecost are the
things of the same principle instead of the fulfillment of the words of Joel.
Acts. 2:21 “And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.'”
YLT: “and it shall be,
every one whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.”
Literal Meaning: “whoever calls on
the name of the LORD” “Calling on” refers to opening one’s mouth and calling.
“Name” refers to what one is and what he has. “Call on the name of the LORD” is
calling on the LORD Himself. The Lord Jesus is the object of our faith and
reliance.
“Shall be saved.” Calling on the name of
the LORD shows that one trusts and relies on the Lord Jesus and it is the only
way for one to receive the salvation.
Controversial Clarification: The so-called “Lee’s Sect” extremely
stressed on and carried out “calling on the name of the LORD” so that the
common Christians misunderstand “calling on the name of the LORD” and they even
are afraid to open their mouth to call on the name of the LORD, lest they may
be listed in “Lee’s Sect”. Actually, there are many examples and teachings
concerning calling on the name of the LORD (Gen. 4:26; Ps. 116.17; Zeph. 3:9;
Zech. 13:9; Acts. 2:21;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) He is the Savior of all men, especially of those
who believe (1Tim. 4:10). He delivered us from so great a death, and does
deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us (2Cor. 1:10). And
therefore we should not only call on the name of the Lord before we have been
saved but also always call on the name of the Lord after we have been saved.
2) “The Lord is rich to all who call upon Him”
(Rom. 10:12). When we are in need, we should open our mouth and call upon the
name of the Lord boldly.
Acts. 2:22 “‘Men
of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you
yourselves also know--”
YLT: “`Men, Israelites!
hear these words, Jesus the Nazarene, a man approved of God among you by mighty
works, and wonders, and signs, that God did through him in the midst of you,
according as also ye yourselves have known;”
Meaning of Words: “attest”: approve,
exhibit, display.
Literal Meaning: “Jesus of Nazareth” “
“By miracles, wonders, and signs in your
midst” “In your midst”
refers to in the midst of the people of
“A Man attested” indicates that the
miracles, wonders and signs that Jesus had done on the earth proved that He is
Christ whom God has made.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christianity is built upon the life of Christ on
the earth.
2) The central meaning and supreme value of all
“miracles, wonders and signs” are to “attest” Him------the risen Christ, and
through which men may know the Lord more. All intentions of satisfying the
curiosity and dealing with men’s difficulties only could be reckoned to ruin
the wonders and signs.
3) Christ is the theme and center of all our
messages. And therefore all the messages of the church should focus on showing,
attesting and exalting Christ.
Acts. 2:23 “Him, being delivered by
the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless
hands, have crucified, and put to death;”
YLT: “this one, by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, being given out, having taken by
lawless hands, having crucified ye did slay;”
Meaning of Words: “the determined
purpose”: the determined border; “foreknowledge”: forethought.
Literal Meaning: “Him, being delivered by the
determined purpose and foreknowledge of God” The Lord Jesus’ being crucified did not happen by
accident and it is a part of the plan of redemption that God has predestinated.
Those who do not understand the will of God have two wrong ideas concerning the
death of the Lord Jesus: 1) the cross is a provisional idea of God and it is
the urgent way of remedy that God has taken. 2) God’s attitude towards men
changed because of the intercession of the Lord Jesus at the point of death
(Luke. 23:34).
“You have taken by lawless hands, have
crucified, and put to death” The “lawless”
refers to the Gentiles most of whom were the Romans. In the sight of the Jews,
all the Gentiles do not have the Law (Rom. 2:14). According to the sight of
men, the Lord Jesus was put to death by the Roman Government. But actually, the
Jews took the charge in the background. Here it makes the responsibility of the
Jews for the death of Jesus prominent.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men’s mistake could not hold back the work of
God. “God’s hand” actually works by “lawless hands”. Whatever men do by their
hands, they only accomplish the will that God has determined. However, we would
rather use our hands to serve God positively than reject Him negatively.
2) Each of us is “lawless” before God. It is our
sins that put the Lord Jesus on the cross because He loves us and bears our
sins.
3) In human history, the greatest “miracle, wonder
and sign” is that this one, the Christ of God, indeed was willing to put up no
fight and allow Himself to be caught and crucified on the cross.
Acts. 2:24 “whom God raised up,
having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be
held by it.”
YLT: “whom God did raise
up, having loosed the pains of the death, because it was not possible for him
to be held by it,”
Meaning of Words: “loose”: loosen,
release; “held”: keep, lay hand on.
Literal Meaning: “having loosed the
pains of death” In the original “pains” and “travail in birth” (Gal. 4:19) are
of the same gulp. And therefore it means that the Lord was raised as if one is
reborn after death. Other Bible exegetes held that “pains” in the Septuagint
was translated from a Hebrew word which means “the travail in birth” and
“rope”. And therefore the whole sentence means that “God has removed the
bondage of the ropes of death”.
“Because it was not possible that He
should be held by it.” The Lord Jesus is the resurrection (John. 11:25) and He
has the power of indissoluble life (Heb. 7:16). And therefore though He was
handed over to death, death could not hold Him. Here it shows the differences
of the resurrection of Christ and Lazarus (John. 11:41-44). Lazarus was brought
back to life and he was not raised from the dead because he could not depart
from the graveclothes that bound him and he would die finally. The restraint of
death still exists on him. However, when the Lord was raised, He broke the
border of death. He went through death and was not held by it. The gate of the
Hades could not block Him or swallow Him. He is raised and He no longer dies.
Death has no power on Him and could do nothing to Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The death of Christ------He is delivered “by the determined purpose and
foreknowledge of God” (v.23). The
resurrection of Christ------“God
raised Him up, having loosed the
pains of death”. He humbled Himself and became
obedient to the point of death (Pill. 2:8). And His resurrection is of God’s
initiative. It shows that He is fully obedient to God and gives priority to the
will of God in everything and let God do all things.
2) The Lord Jesus had tasted death for everyone,
that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is,
the devil and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage (Heb. 2:9, 14-15).
3) The Lord’s resurrection shows that His life is
the life that “it is impossible that He should be held by death”. This risen
life not only looses the pains of death but also “unlooses” the bondage of
death.
Acts. 2:25 “For David says concerning
Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always
before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.”
YLT: “for David saith in
regard to him: I foresaw the Lord always before me because He is on my right
hand that I may not be moved;”
Literal Meaning: “David says
concerning Him” All the following words from v.25 to v.28 are quoted from Ps.
16:8-11.
“For” means that the following words are used to
explain the reason why “it was not possible that He should be held by it”
(v.24).
“I foresaw the LORD always before my
face.” “The LORD” refers to God. “I” originally refers to David himself.
However, Peter thought that this psalm was the psalm of the Messiah and “I”
refers to Jesus Christ. And therefore this sentence could be regarded as the
declaration which Christ made in the resurrection.
“For He is at my right hand” “Right hand” refers to the honorable
position. Christ sits at the right hand of God after resurrection (v.34).
However, here “He” refers to God and “I” refers to Christ. And therefore this
sentence could be explained that “God is at the right hand of Christ”, showing
that the resurrection of Christ is of God’s initiative (v.24). It is God that
holds Him at Christ’s right hand (Is. 41:13).
“That I may not be shaken” No matter how serious the attack of the Hades
is, He won’t fall down because of the support of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The key to the life of believers is that: a)
always put the Lord “before my face”------always mind the Lord; b) always put
the Lord “at the right hand”------always magnify the Lord; c) “not be shaken”
in the Lord------stand firm in the Lord.
2) Originally the sixteenth psalm was to describe
David’s own experience when he was inspired by the Spirit. It indeed turns to
be the poem that predicts the condition of Christ’s resurrection. The highest
experience of Christians is that “as always, so now also Christ will be
magnified in my body. For to me, to live is Christ.” (Pill. 1:20-21)
Acts. 2:26 “Therefore my heart
rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.”
YLT: “because of this was
my heart cheered, and my tongue was glad, and yet my flesh also shall rest on
hope,”
Meaning of Words: “rest”: live, camp
down.
Literal Meaning: “Therefore my heart
rejoiced” “Therefore” shows that God’s care and preservation (v.25) is the
reason for the joy of Christ.
“My tongue was glad” “Tongue” could be
interpreted as “glory” in the Hebrew and it could also be interpreted as “soul”
(Gen. 49:6; Ps. 7:6). The whole sentence shows that when Christ was in Hades
after death (See v.27), His heart rejoiced and His soul was glad because He
trusts in God.
“Moreover my flesh also will rest in
hope” The future tense “will rest” shows a restful and whole-hearted conviction.
“Hope” refers to the hope of resurrection. The whole sentence shows that though
Christ was in the tomb according to the flesh, He still rests in the hope of
resurrection because of His trust in God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The true presence of the Lord (v.24) is the
reason why believers could be “glad” in various kinds of circumstances. Nothing
between believers and the Lord is the reason why the hearts and souls of
believers could be “glad”.
2) Christ has been raised from the dead, in like
manner, in Christ all shall be made alive (1Cor. 15:22). And therefore we are
also full of hope. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul
(Matt. 10:28).
Acts. 2:27 “For You will not leave my
soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”
YLT: “because Thou wilt
not leave my soul to hades, nor wilt Thou give Thy Kind One to see corruption;”
Literal Meaning: “For You will not
leave my soul in Hades” “Hades” is the place where souls stay temporarily after
death and wait for the judgment of God in the last day. It has two parts and
one part keeps the souls of the righteous which is also called the paradise
(Luke. 23:43) and the other part keeps the souls of sinners (Job. 24:19). There
was a great chasm between the two parts and souls in each part could see each
other but could not pass over the chasm (Luke. 16:26).
“Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see
corruption.” “Holy One” refers to Christ who is the Holy one whom God has
separated to Himself. “Nor…allow to see corruption” shows that the body of
Christ will not corrupt in the tomb.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should never think that death is the end of
men. Men’s souls do not perish after death and shall receive the judgment of
God.
2) After the dead believers have been raised, this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality
(1Cor. 15:53).
Acts. 2:28 “You have made known to me
the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.'”
YLT: “Thou didst make
known to me ways of life, Thou shalt fill me with joy with Thy countenance.”
Literal Meaning: “You have made known
to me the ways of life” “The way of life” refers to the way that one is passed
out of death into life.
“You will make me full of joy in Your
presence.” It indicates that Christ shall come before the face of God in the
resurrection and receive the joy that is bestowed by God.
Enlightenment in the Word: as long as we live in the life of resurrection, we
will enjoy the presence of God. Every time we touch and feel the life, we know
that God is there.
Acts. 2:29 “‘Men
and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is
both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.”
YLT: “`Men, brethren! it
is permitted to speak with freedom unto you concerning the patriarch David,
that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is among us unto this day;”
Literal Meaning: “And his tomb is
with us to this day” At that time, the tomb of David could be seen in
Acts. 2:30 “Therefore, being a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit
of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise
up the Christ to sit on his throne,”
YLT: “a prophet,
therefore, being, and knowing that with an oath God did swear to him, out of
the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, to raise up the Christ, to sit
upon his throne,”
Literal Meaning: “being a prophet”
David was not merely the king. It is proved that he was also the “prophet” who
spoke for God and predicted Christ because he wrote many psalms of the Messiah.
“Of the fruit of his body” “The fruit of
his body” is “the fruit of his loins” in the original.
“He would raise
up the Christ to sit on his throne”
The word that God has promised to David is quoted from 1Chron. 17:10-14.
Acts. 2:31 “he, foreseeing this,
spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in
Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.”
YLT: “having foreseen, he
did speak concerning the rising again of the Christ, that his soul was not left
to hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.”
Literal Meaning: Peter here pointed
out that the words from v.25 to v.28 are spoken concerning the resurrection of
Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word: David the king was very successful when he was
alive, however, he was “both dead and buried” finally (v.29). Only the
crucified Christ “did not see corruption” forever. It shows that no matter how
great one is, he does not have the eternal value. Only Christ is the aim of our
pursuit.
Acts. 2:32 “This Jesus God has raised
up, of which we are all witnesses.”
YLT: “`This Jesus did God
raise up, of which we are all witnesses;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “This Jesus” is our testimony. We do not testify
that how spiritual we are or that how great others are. We do testify “this
Jesus”.
2) The best witness that believers could bear of
the resurrection of Christ is to manifest Christ’s life of resurrection by
their life.
Acts. 2:33 “Therefore being exalted
to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”
YLT: “at the right hand
then of God having been exalted also the promise of the Holy Spirit having
received from the Father he was shedding forth this, which now ye see and
hear;”
Literal Meaning: this verse clearly
indicates that the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit proves that Jesus of Nazareth
had been exalted and had overcome. If the Lord had not been exalted, it is
impossible for the Holy Spirit to pour out. Now since God had anointed Jesus of
Nazareth and made Him both Lord and Christ (See v.36), it is impossible for one
not to receive the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. We receive the out-pouring
of the Holy Spirit does not show men’s faith or triumph but that Jesus was both
Lord and Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) According to the Bible, the out-pouring of the
Holy Spirit is based on the ascension of the Lord Jesus. Our sins are forgiven
because the Lord Jesus died for us on the cross. We receive the power of the
Holy Spirit because He had been exalted on the throne.
2) The Holy Spirit is given because the Lord Jesus
has been glorified (John. 7:39). And therefore this gift is not based on our
being or doing.
3) The Holy Spirit comes because the Lord Jesus has
been taken into heaven and has been on the throne. And therefore if we see the
vision of the ascension of Christ, we will naturally partake in the out-pouring
of the Holy Spirit.
Acts. 2:34 “‘For
David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit
at My right hand,”
YLT: “for David did not
go up to the heavens, and he saith himself: The Lord saith to my lord, Sit thou
at my right hand,”
Literal Meaning: “For David did not ascend
into the heavens, but he says himself”
Since David was buried (See v.29) and therefore he did not ascend into the
heavens. His following words are quoted from Ps. 110:1.
“The LORD said to my Lord” The first
“LORD” refers to God and the second “Lord” refers to the seed of David------the
Messiah. According to meaning of Peter, David used the unusual and honorable
title to call his seed because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and knew that
how great and holy the seed is (Matt. 22:41-45).
“Sit at My right hand” shows that Christ
has received the position of glory, honor and power (Heb. 1:3).
Acts. 2:35 “Till I make Your enemies
Your footstool.’”
YLT: “till I make thy
foes thy footstool;”
Literal Meaning: this verse shows
that God will defeat Satan the enemy completely and make Christ reign on the
throne in the
Acts. 2:36 “‘Therefore
let all the house of
YLT: “assuredly,
therefore, let all the house of
Literal Meaning: “Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly” Concerning “therefore”, there are two
explanations: 1) It is the conclusion of the previous two verses------since the
words of David refer to the resurrection of Christ, we know that God has made
Him both Lord and Christ. 2) It is spoken following v.33------since you have
seen and heard the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, it proves that God has made
Jesus both Lord and Christ. The out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the earth
proves the matter happened in heaven------Jesus of Nazareth was exalted to the
right hand of God. And therefore the aim of the Day of Pentecost is to prove
that Jesus Christ is the Lord.
“God has made this Jesus both Lord and
Christ.” “Lord” stresses on
His position. “Christ” stresses on the title of His work.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is nothing that we do not know many things in
the world, however, one thing we have to know is that “Jesus is both Lord and
Christ”.
2) “God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ.” Christ is both our “Savior” and “Lord”.
Savior shows that He redeems us from sins and Lord shows that He is responsible
for us from now on.
Acts. 2:37 “Now when they heard this,
they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’”
YLT: “And having heard,
they were pricked to the heart; they say also to Peter, and to the rest of the
apostles, ‘What shall we do, men, brethren?’”
Meaning of Words: “cut to the heart”:
pierce through.
Literal Meaning: “Now when they heard
this, they were cut to the heart” “This” shows that they partook in rejecting
and crucifying Jesus whom God has made both Lord and Christ (See v.36). “They
were cut to the heart” shows that they were unrestful in their consciousness.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Reasons could only make men subdue in their
opinions and could not make men be “cut to the heart”. As long as one exalts
Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit will be manifested so that men will judge
themselves (John. 16:8).
2) As long as one shows to men what they should
“know” (v.36), they will be touched and be urgent to know “what shall we do”.
It is of little effect that only teach men to do what they should do and do not
let them know what they should know.
Acts. 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.”
YLT: “and Peter said unto
them, `Reform, and be baptized each of you on the name of Jesus Christ, to
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,”
Meaning of Words: “for”: as,
accordingly, on the basis of.
Literal Meaning: “Repent” means the
change of minds. It does not stress on repenting of sins but their relation
with God. And therefore it is written in the Bible that “repentance toward God”
(Acts. 20:21) instead of “repentance toward sins”.
“And let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ” Please note that Peter did not mention “believing”
here and only mentioned “baptism” because: 1) “In the name of Jesus Christ”
means believing in Him. 2) Most of those who heard the preaching of Peter were
in the religious world of the Jews, cried out that “away with Him, away with
Him, crucify Him” (John. 19:15) fifty days ago and partook in killing the Lord
Jesus. Only when these men departed from the position of the Jews openly and
identified themselves with the Lord Jesus could they get rid of the sin of the
rejection of the Lord before the multitudes. “Be baptized” is to immerse the
whole body into water, symbolizing that the one who repents receives the burial
of water so as to show that he is dead to the world. And therefore Peter asked
them to be baptized in order to let them openly declare through the action that
they departed from the religious world of the Jews from then on for their
remission of sins.
“For the remission of sins” The
remission of sins is due to one’s believing in the Lord Jesus instead of
baptism. It is recorded that the baptism is for the remission of sins in two
places merely in the Bible and the objects are all the Jews. Both of them have
special purpose. Besides this verse, the other is Ananias’ words to Paul the Apostle, “Arise and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts.
22:16) because Paul persecuted Christians and belonged to the religious world
of the Jews (Acts. 7:60; 8:3; 9:1) before he believed in the Lord. Now he had
believed in the Lord Jesus, he should arise and be baptized. His baptism shows
that his connection with the world was ended and his sins were washed away.
“And you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit” “Receive the Holy
Spirit” refers to men’s experience that they receive the indwelling Holy Spirit
when they are saved.
Controversial Clarification: the Roman Catholic Church, according to this
verse, holds that one can not be saved if he merely believes in Jesus Christ
and he has to be baptized also. And they even invent “the baptism by
sprinkling” so as to make the dying patients be saved. It is the wrong
interpretation of the Bible because:
1) It is recorded in more than one
hundred places in the New Testament that one’s receiving grace before God lies
in nothing else save believing. It means that if one wants to be saved, he
should do nothing else save believing. The salvation is planed and done by God
and the salvation does not need men’s work. Men’s being saved does not lie in
men’s work but God’s work fully. And therefore concerning one’s being saved,
one should believe and do nothing else.
2) The condition for one’s being saved
does not lie in baptism. The thief who hung on the cross had not been baptized
and Jesus said to him that, “today you will be with Me in
3) It is not recorded in the Bible that
Jesus baptized for anyone (John. 4:2). If it is true that only when one is
baptized will he be saved, it is difficult to understand that the Lord Jesus
had not baptized anyone.
4) Paul thanked God because he only
baptized for a few Corinthians (1Cor. 1:14-16)------if baptism makes men be
saved and his thanks would be astonishing.
Enlightenment in the Word: the greatest truth of the Day of the Pentecost is
that one comes out of a group (the world) and enters into another group (the
church). Baptism refers to one’s coming out of the group (the world) and the
out-pouring of the Holy Spirit refers to one’s entering into the body (the
church).
Acts. 2:39 “For the promise is to you
and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God
will call.’”
YLT: “for to you is the
promise, and to your children, and to all those afar off, as many as the Lord
our God shall call.’”
Literal Meaning: “For the promise is
to you” “The promise” refers to receiving the promised Holy Spirit (See v.33,
38) and the promise of being saved (See v.21). “You” specially refers to the
Jews.
“And to your children” “Children” refers
to the offspring and descendants.
“And to all who are afar off” specially
refers to the Gentiles (Eph. 2:13, 17).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The remission of sins and the promise to receive
the Holy Spirit are bestowed to “you and to your children” instead of “you”.
And therefore the parents should seize this promise before God and lead your
children to believe in the Lord.
2) Thank God! We, the outsiders “who are afar”,
could unexpectedly partake in the salvation of Christ because of God’s calling.
How merciful He is!
Acts. 2:40 “And with many other words
he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be
saved from this perverse generation.’”
YLT: “Also with many more
other words he was testifying and exhorting, saying, ‘Be saved from this
perverse generation;’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Though we could not save ourselves and
are irresponsible for our being saved, we could “let” us be saved by the Lord
and therefore we should take the responsibility for “letting” the Lord save us.
2) Since we have been saved from this perverse
generation in the salvation of the Lord, we should “let” the Lord save us from
the people of the perverse generation in daily life. We should not walk with
men in the perverse generation and live the same life with them.
Acts. 2:41 “Then those who gladly
received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were
added to them.”
YLT: “then those, indeed,
who did gladly receive his word were baptized, and there were added on that
day, as it were, three thousand souls,”
Literal Meaning: “Then those who gladly
received his word were baptized” It shows that: 1)
as long as men are willing to receive the gospel, they are able to be baptized
and there is not any other condition. 2) One does not need to wait for a period
of time from believing to baptism. One does not need to learn gradually and be
baptized until he understands the Bible.
“And that day about three thousand souls
were added to them” It shows that the
power of the Holy Spirit that comes upon believers surpasses the effect of what
the Lord Jesus had done according to the flesh (John. 14:12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men should be baptized the moment they believe
in the Lord Jesus and they should not wait.
2) Strike the iron while it is hot. Many brothers
and sisters are not fervent because they have not been baptized when they
believed the Lord in the beginning and were fervent.
Acts. 2:42 “And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers.”
YLT: “and they were
continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles, and the fellowship, and
the breaking of the bread, and the prayers.”
Meaning of Words: “fellowship”:
communication, partnership.
Literal Meaning: “they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine” “continued
steadfastly” means continually and unceasingly. “The apostles’ doctrine” refers
to all the commandments of the Lord Jesus that the apostles preached orally and
the witness of His death and resurrection. The special doctrine is the model of
the early church because it is of God and with the apostles’ authority that is
given by God (2Cor. 13:10; 1Thess. 4:2). Today we receive the doctrines from
the New Testament.
“Fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers” “Fellowship”
refers to communion, showing that believers contacted and shared with each
other in the beginning with both spiritual and material things. “The breaking
of bread” At that time the word on one hand indicates that they eat the Lord’s
Supper in order to remember the death of the Lord (1Cor. 11:20, 23-26) and on
the other, it may refer to the daily and common dinner (See v.46). “Prayers” include
the private and public prayers and here it specially refers to the corporate
prayers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “They” is precious because as long as every
believer partakes in it, the reality of Christ’s body is manifested.
2) The difference between the pure faith of
Christianity and heresy lies in whether it is in line with the apostles’
doctrine.
3) In the original, “continued steadfastly” not
only describes “the apostles’ doctrine” but also the “fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers”. And therefore we
should continue steadfastly in fellowship of Saints, in the breaking of bread
to remember the Lord and in prayers toward God.
4) The moment we receive the life of the Lord, we
enter into the fellowship of the Lord’s life. From then on, we should continue
living in the fellowship of life and we should take the responsibility of
keeping ourselves in the fellowship of life.
5) The “fellowship” in this verse could also be
called “the apostles’ fellowship” in the original because the Lord’s life is
given to men through the apostles so that they become the church------the body
of the Lord. And the apostles are the representative of the church that is
perfected by the life of the Lord. And therefore the apostles’ fellowship is
the fellowship of the church.
6) The church that always remembers the Lord (the
breaking of bread) will always be remembered by the Lord.
7) Prayer is the key to experience God’s blessing
and power------the more one prays, the more he will experience.
Acts. 2:43 “Then fear came upon every
soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”
YLT: “And fear came on
every soul, many wonders also and signs were being done through the apostles,”
Literal Meaning: “fear came upon
every soul” “Every soul” refers to the audiences of Peter when he preached,
especially those who received his words, i.e. believes who just received the
grace. “Fear” means to dread and honor.
“And many wonders and signs were done
through the apostles” “Wonders and
signs” are the clear proof of God’s presence with men. The aim that the
apostles did wonders and signs is to increase the trustworthiness of the
message and establish the authority of the apostles’ doctrine.
Acts. 2:44 “Now all who believed were
together, and had all things in common,”
YLT: “and all those
believing were at the same place, and had all things common,”
The
Background: At that time,
thousands of believers were added to the church and many of them were rejected
by relatives and friends so that they lived in trouble. Many of them came from
other places to
Literal Meaning: “all who believed
were together” It indicates that believers usually gathered together (Heb.
10:25-26), showing the oneness of the early church.
“And had all things in common” It
indicates that believers voluntarily shared the goods and possessions with
those who were in need. This life style of the church had its own special
historical background and psychological factor. The life style was only used in
the
The reasons why the
Controversial Clarification: what the early church executed is not communism and
the reasons are as follows: 1) the motives are different------they were not
forced to do so and their behaviors of love was of willingness------they
devoted their possessions to the church in order to take care of the poor
believers so that none of them was in want (Acts. 4:34-35). 2) The executions
are different------each one had the decision-making power over their
possessions------one could decide whether he sells the lands or not. Even if
one had sold the land, he had the power to use the money (Acts. 5:4).
From ages and generations, few
Christians who loved the Lord held that the life style of “all things in
common” in the early church is the model for the church life of Christians and
therefore they did their utmost to follow the model (e.g. the European Moravian
Movement in the eighteenth century, the Chinese family of Jesus in the
twentieth century and etc). However, the editor held that this life style of
the church could only be regarded as a display of the dispensation of the
kingdom of a thousand years (or a new heaven and a new earth) and it is hard to
be executed perfectly in the present dispensation of grace and the reasons are
as follows: 1) though believers have been born from above, the corruption of
the flesh still exists. The selfishness, covetousness, laziness and other
viciousness would make “giving” and “enjoyment” unbalanced. 2) Within believers,
“love” and “reason” and “the spirit” and “the flesh” always fight with each
other, with ups and downs on both sides. And therefore the condition is
inscrutable. 3) The history of the church proves that this life style could
only last a few days and later the
Acts. 2:45 “and sold their
possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
YLT: “and the possessions
and the goods they were selling, and were parting them to all, according as any
one had need.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) One has to “sell one’s possessions and goods”
and then he could “divide them as anyone had need”. The more one has been dealt
with and deprived of, the more he is able to give to others.
2) We have to give up possessions and domain and do
not hold that any person or thing should be controlled by ourselves and then we
could be helpful to others.
3) The heart of anyone who has been touched by the
Lord’s hand must be enlarged. Others’ need is his need and therefore he is
willing to share what he has.
4) The life that each takes what he needs shows
that: the meaning of life is not the fullness of the belly but serving the Lord
with one accord. The aim of life is not to seek one’s own benefits but to bear
witness of Christ.
Acts. 2:46 “So continuing daily with
one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate
their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,”
YLT: “Daily also
continuing with one accord in the temple, breaking also at every house bread,
they were partaking of food in gladness and simplicity of heart,”
Literal Meaning: “and breaking bread
from house and house” Some Bible exegetes held that the “breaking bread” here
refers to the common dinner instead of the Lord’s Supper (See v.42). However,
according to the execution of the early church, they probably broke the bread
to remember the death of the Lord during their daily dinner. They separated the
Lord’s Supper and common dinner until many years later when some harmful bad
habit occurred (See 1Cor. 11). And therefore it could also refer to breaking
the bread to remember the Lord daily.
“They ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart.” The attitude that
believers ate their food is: 1) gladness------givers are glad to offer to God
and receivers are glad to receive the preparation of God. 2)
simplicity------givers do not think that they suffer losses and receivers do
not think that they take advantage of others and they face one another with
simplicity.
Enlightenment in the Word: they break the bread when they eat their food,
showing that they exalt the Lord in their life. Those who exalt the Lord
manifest the Lord in the details of their life.
Acts. 2:47 “praising God and having
favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who
were being saved.”
YLT: “praising God, and
having favour with all the people, and the Lord was adding those being saved
every day to the assembly.”
Literal Meaning: “And the Lord added to the
church daily those who were being saved.” The church is built up by those who have been
saved. It is the Lord instead of men that add people to the church. Apparently,
it is we who bear witness of the Lord and preach the glad tidings that save
men. But actually, the work of saving men is done by the Lord through the Holy
Spirit and none of men could do it.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we could only ask God and could not “praise
God”, we will not experience the power of God more.
2) The key for believers to have favor with all the
people is to praise God in everything.
3) The witness of life that believers love one
another is the best reason for saving men when preaching the glad tidings.
4) If the church is the circle, Christ is the
center of the circle. As long as the church lives a life towards the center,
the Lord will take the responsibility to draw men’s hearts to the center. And
therefore if the preaching of the gospel is not effective, we should examine
the reality of the church to Christ and should not continually blame the
brother who preaches.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Symbols of the Holy Spirit
II. “Wind”
(v.2)------which could be felt and is full of great power.
III. “Fire” (v.3)------which is visible and
could burn and purify.
The
Attitude of Peter When He Preached (v.14)
II. “Stand up”------be modest.
III. “Raise his voice and said”------be
urgent for the word.
The
Outline of Peter’s First Preaching
I. Clear up the misunderstanding:
A. The negative aspect------deny that they were drunk (v.15).
B. The
positive aspect------prove that they were filled with the Holy Spirit
(v.16-21).
II. Preach that Jesus is Christ whom God has
made
A. His life and works show that He is Christ (v.22).
B. His death was according to the determined purpose and foreknowledge
of God (v.23).
C. He has been raised from the dead:
1. God raised Him up
(v.24).
2. The psalm of
David shows that He has been raised (v.25-28).
3. The tomb of David
shows that the psalm is not written concerning himself (v.29).
4. David once
predicted the resurrection of Christ (v.30-31).
5. We are all the
witnesses of His resurrection (v.32).
D. After He was raised and taken up into heaven, He pours out the Holy
Spirit (v.33-35).
E. Let all know assuredly that God has made this Jesus both Lord and
Christ (v.36).
The
Example of Being Saved
I. One’s heart is moved by the words of
gospel (v.37).
II. Receive the words of gospel sincerely
(v.41a).
III. Repent and be baptized (v.38, 41b).
IV. Continue steadfastly in truth (v.42).
V. Love one another among brothers
(v.44-45).
VI. Have sweet fellowship with both God and
men (v.42, 46-47).
The
Three Features of Christians
II. “Love”------“divide them among all, as
anyone had need” (v.45b)------these men all have love.
III. “Hope”------“in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house” (v.46b)------they break the bread, not only
remembering the death of the Lord but also waiting for the second coming of the
Lord (1Cor. 11:26). These men all have hope.
The
Nature of the Church In the Beginning
I. She is a church of study------they heard
attentively and received the apostles’ doctrine (v.41-42).
II. She is a church of fellowship------They
continued steadfastly in fellowship, all who believed were together and they
continued daily with one accord in the temple (v.42, 44, 46).
III. She is a church of prayers------they
prayed and praised God (v.42, 47).
IV. She is a church of piety------fear came
upon every soul and they lived piously (v.43).
V. She is a church full of God’s
works------many wonders and signs were done through the apostles (v.43).
VI. She is a church of share------they had
all things in common. They divided the goods among all, as anyone had need
(v.44-45).
VII. She is a church of worship------in the
temple…breaking bread (v.46).
VIII. She is a church of joy------they ate
their food with gladness and simplicity of heart (v.46).
IX. She is a church of every man’s
favor------they had favor with all the people (v.47).
X. She is a church of increase------the Lord
added to the church daily those who were being saved (v.47).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren