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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; Rom. 12:6-8). From this, after men are filled with the Holy Spirit, they may not speak with other tongues. Men always desire the gift of kinds of tongues and hold that it is the inevitable proof and the only pheromone for one’s being filled with the Holy Spirit. It rather goes too far and therefore the Holy Spirit tells us through the apostle that “do all speak with tongues?” (1Cor. 12:30)

   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 Babel is that “lest we be scattered” and its consequence is that they “were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Gen. 11:4, 9). However, if we live under the principle of the Spirit, we are of one body though there are differences------there are not the differences of race, language, status, education and gender (1Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11).

 

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 Jerusalem for the feast from various countries in the word and it causes that there are hordes of people in Jerusalem.

 

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 (Israel) with one language. However, He preaches His gospel to every country with various languages.

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 Palestine.

   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 Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

   YLT: “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, in Judea also, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia,”

   Literal Meaning: “Parthians”: the residents from the Tigris River (Hiddekel River) to the Indian districts.

  “Medes” Media was on the east of Mesopotamia, on the northeast of Persia and on the south-southeast of Caspian Sea.

  “Elamites” Elam was on the north of the Persian Gulf and the Tigris River was its west border.

  “Mesopotamia” It was between the Euphrates River ((Buranunu River)) and the Tigris River.

  Judea” It was the hometown of the Jews. It may refer to the so-called “land from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18) according to the Old Testament, including the districts of Galilee.

  Cappadocia” It was one of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the north of Cilicia and on the east of Galatia.

  Pontus” It was one of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the north of Galatia and on the east of Bithynia.

  “Asia” It was one of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the west of Galatia and on the south of Bithynia.

 

Acts. 2:10 “Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

   YLT: “Phrygia also, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya, that [are] along Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, both Jews and proselytes,”

   Literal Meaning: “Phrygia” It was one of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the south of Galatia and Asia.

  “Pamphylia” It was one of the Roman provinces in Asia Minor and it was on the west of Cilicia, on the south of Galatia and on the east of Phrygia.

  Egypt” It was the vast land on the west of Sinai Peninsula and the famous Alexandria was in its northern part. There were numerous Jews there.

  The parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene” “Libya” was on the west of Egypt; “Cyrene” was the capital town in the northern part of Libya.

  “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 Greece and it was a big island in the Mediterranean.

  “Arabs” refer to the residents on Arabian Peninsula which was on the southwest of Cana.

  “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 Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and harken to my sayings,”

   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. 2:17And 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; Rom. 10:12-13). If believers call on the Lord earnestly because of the feeling and need from their hearts, it is proper and natural. However, if calling on the name of the LORD is treated as a form or way, it becomes extremalization and loses its spiritual meaning and may cause the misunderstanding and criticism of outsiders.

   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. 2:22Men 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” “Nazareth” refers to His birth. “Jesus” refers to His name as a man on the earth.

  “By miracles, wonders, and signs in your midst” “In your midst” refers to in the midst of the people of Israel. “Miracles” refers to the power like the dynamite in the original.

  “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. 2:29Men 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 Jerusalem and his remains was still there. And therefore the previous words of resurrection (Ps. 16) are not applied to him. These words are spoken concerning the coming Messiah (i.e. Jesus Christ).

 

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. 2:34For 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 kingdom of God (1Cor. 15:25; Rev. 11:15).

 

Acts. 2:36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’”

   YLT: “assuredly, therefore, let all the house of Israel know, that both Lord and Christ did God make him this Jesus whom ye did crucify.’”

   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 Paradise” (Luke. 23:43).

  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 Jerusalem for the feast (See v.9-11) and they became believers and stayed in the city of Jerusalem to live the life of church. And therefore they needed to be received.

   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 church of Jerusalem for a period of time and it had not been used in the church of other places.

    The reasons why the church of Jerusalem used the system of “all things in common” are as follows: 1) according to the records of the previous background, many believers needed to be received at that time. 2) In the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they felt that if they want to “be saved from this perverse generation” (v.40), they had to live a new corporate life. 3) They were all immersed in the love of the Lord and therefore they “loved one another” (John. 15:9-17). 4) They misunderstood that the Lord Jesus would come quickly and therefore they were indifferent to possessions.

  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 church of Jerusalem became very poor because of the chaos caused by war and disasters. They had to rely on the financial help of the Gentile churches (Acts. 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-27).

 

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

I. “Sound” (v.2)------which could be heard and draws others’ attention.

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)

I. “Peter, with the eleven”------be of one mind with all Saints.

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

I. “Faith”------“all who believed were together” (v.44a)------birds of a feather flock together. These men all have faith.

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 HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Sharon Ren