Commentary on Acts 12:12-17

By Bob Myhan

¹²So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

This seems to be the first mention of Mary the mother of a John. This John is not brother to the recently slain James or Luke would have surely mentioned such. Rather, Luke identifies him by his more familiar name, Mark. “John” is Hebrew while “Mark” is Latin. Of him we will read more, later.

¹³And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.

According to NASB, ESV and NIV, the word for “girl” should be translated “servant girl.”

¹⁴When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.

Rhoda was familiar enough with Peter to recognize his voice and was so overjoyed at hearing it that she neglected to open the door.

¹⁵But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."

Whatever their prayers on Peter’s behalf, they did not expect to see him alive again, probably because James had been executed. This indicates that, even in the first century, miracles never seemed to have been expected.

According to McGarvey and others, it was popularly believed among Jews at that time that every person had a guardian angel which might, from time to time, appear in the form of the person he was watching over. But, as we have just seen, an angel would not need to knock in order to gain entrance into a home.

¹⁶Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place.

Apparently without going inside Peter explained what happened and instructed them to tell it “to James and the brethren.” This James is almost certainly not the other apostle with that name but a half-brother of Jesus.

Consider Paul’s account of his first visit to Jerusalem as a disciple of Christ.

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. (Gal. 1:18-19)

This is the same visit recorded by Luke in Acts 9:26-30. Though Luke does not mention, in that account, the presence of either Peter or James, we know both were there from Paul’s account.

(To be continued)

Water Baptism (Part 3)

By Bob Myhan and Steve Tidwell 

Does God demand water baptism of alien sinners or of kingdom citizens? Is baptism a condition of receiving forgiveness or a symbol of forgiveness already received? Notice the following.

“Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3-5).

We can see from the above passage that to be "born again" is to be "born of water and of the Spirit." Thus, the new birth involves both water and the Spirit. But what part do water and the Spirit play in the new birth? How is one “born of water and of the Spirit”? It is obvious that one who is born again becomes a new creation, but "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). Therefore, whatever it is that puts one into Christ makes one a new creation and is necessary to being born again. But baptism puts one into Christ.

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3-4).

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).

To some who had experienced the new birth, Peter wrote,

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever" (1 Peter 1:22-23).

When one obeys the truth, he purifies his soul and is “born again…by the word of God.” “The truth” includes the command to be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).

Since the Holy Spirit revealed the word of God, and the word of God commands the alien sinner to be baptized, the alien sinner who is baptized according to the word of God is "born of water and of the Spirit" and is no longer an alien sinner but a citizen in the kingdom of God. One who has not been baptized in water for the remission of sins has not been born again and remains outside the kingdom of God and in a lost condition.

This explains why it was that, when the people of Samaria “believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,” “both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:5, 12). One of the “things concerning the kingdom of God” that Philip undoubtedly preached was the means of entrance into that kingdom.

Later, when he “preached Jesus” to the eunuch from Ethiopia, “the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’” (8:35-36). Therefore, preaching “Christ,” “the things concerning the kingdom of God” and “Jesus” must have involved the command to be baptized. If this is not the case, why is it not?

After becoming “the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him" (Heb. 5:9), Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

Peter, speaking by inspiration, told over 3,000 people, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).

Ananias was sent by Jesus to tell Saul of Tarsus what he must do (Acts 9:10-16). What did he tell Saul?

“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

Peter wrote, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21, ESV).

Notice that Peter does not say baptism saves by itself but that it saves "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." If not for this miraculous event, by which Jesus was fully and finally declared—with power—to be the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), neither baptism nor anything else would or could save anyone.

Surely, then, water baptism is necessary for entering the spiritual kingdom of God, wherein one has forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life.

Those, therefore, who refuse to be baptized for the remission of sins, allow the command to become a stumbling block.

“And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him” (Luke 7:29-30).

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:22-24)

It may be the case that they believe in Christ, have repented of their sins and have confessed their faith in Him. But the fact that they have not yet been baptized shows that they have not yet fully given their lives to Him.

“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43)

We believe Jesus would ask those who refuse obedience to any command, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)

When the heart says "no" to baptism the heart is not right because baptism is a divine command, given by the wisdom of God.

Baptism has been described as a winnowing fan, separating the chaff from the wheat, a wall skillfully built to keep out the impenitent and those who are not loyal. Too many have the same attitude of Naaman - "Behold, I thought." But it is not our place to devise the plan of salvation. It was given by God. Neither is it our place to question God and His commandments. Our duty is to follow those commandments to the very best of our ability. Jesus and the apostles teach that we must be baptized. Jesus also said,

“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).

Clearly, it is the Father’s will that alien sinners believe in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, confess their faith and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. The Father will then “deliver [them] from the power of darkness and [convey them] into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13). &