Commentary on Acts 13:48-52

By Bob Myhan

⁴⁸Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

The word “believed” here is metonymy for obedience to the gospel, just as “were baptized” implied repentance in Acts 2:41.

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

Luke does not say that those on Pentecost repented but the implication is certainly there for, had they not repented, neither would they have been baptized. Since he did not here mention the command to be baptized there was no need to mention obedience to the command.

⁴⁹And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.

The use of the word “spread” indicates that at least some of those who were converted had begun to preach as had happened when the church at Jerusalem was scattered. (Acts 8:1-4)

⁵⁰But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.

The Jews must have had very little influence in the city but those few that they could influence were “devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city.” These they “stirred up” or agitated to in order to cause much difficulty for Paul and Barnabas. This is what rabble rousers and community organizers do. The women were probably regularly attending worship at the synagogue. That they were devout did not mean they were open-minded. Even Gamaliel, Paul’s instructor in the Jews’ religion (Acts 22:3) admitted that the teaching of the apostles might “be of God” and discouraged persecuting them. (Acts 5:34-39) Even today there are many sincere and devout people in the various religious denominations who consider themselves (and are considered by others) to be faithful Christians, but will not always listen to the gospel with open minds and Bibles.

⁵¹But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium.

When Jesus sent the twelve out on the limited commission he gave them the following instructions.

Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. (Matt. 10:11-14)

Under the direction of the Holy Spirit they are still—under the great commission—following these instructions.

⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The disciples were not “filled with joy” that Paul and Barnabas had left but that they had been given the opportunity to hear and obey the gospel. They were “filled … with the Holy Spirit” in having been given miraculous, spiritual gifts by the laying on of Paul’s hands. This writer does not know of a case where individuals received, or were filled with, the Holy Spirit at or shortly after their baptism in water but what an apostle was present (see accompanying article on the Holy Spirit).

(To be continued)

Deific Pronouns and the Capital “C”

By Bob Myhan

While this writer recognizes the need to be reverent in prayer, there are those who seem to think that reverence in prayer demands the use of certain personal pronouns—specifically, “Thee,” “Thou,” “Thy,” “Thine,” when addressing the Father. It is of equal importance that these—along with He, His, Him, Me and My—be capitalized in print media, when reference is made to a member of the Godhead. Paradoxically, “church” is not to be capitalized under any circumstances whatsoever for this, we are told, would imply that the church has a proper name like the denominations.

There is actually no Biblical basis for either demand. First, there is no indication in any of the extant manuscripts that distinctions were made in the first century between pronouns that did and those that did not refer to God. Nor did Christians in the first century use Middle English second person pronouns. And modern writing rules suggest that any noun should be capitalized when used in a title or in the address on an envelope. So, please stop judging one another in these matters! &

A Study of the Holy Spirit (Part 15)

By Bob Myhan 

What is “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38? Is it the gift the Holy Spirit gives? Or is it the Holy Spirit as a gift. Both the original Greek and the English translation can be given either sense.

So, the decision as to what sense to give the phrase must be made in another way. First, the apostles “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” on Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4) This is later identified as a baptism with the Holy Spirit and the falling of the Holy Spirit upon them. (Acts 11:15-16) Jesus identified it both as the promise of the Father and the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them. (Acts 1:4-8) Second, Cornelius and those in his home experienced this same phenomenon, which is identified by Luke as both the Holy Spirit falling upon them and the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on them. (Acts 10:44-45) Third, the Holy Spirit is NEVER said to have been “received” AFTER meeting the conditions of forgiveness BEFORE and WITHOUT the laying on of apostolic hands. We are specifically told by Luke that the Holy Spirit was NOT received by, and had NOT fallen on the Samaritans, automatically, when they obeyed the gospel. This required the laying on of apostolic hands. 

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)

Luke also tells us the twelve disciples Paul found at Ephesus did NOT receive the Holy Spirit immediately when they obeyed the gospel.

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:1-6)

(To be continued)