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The Book of Acts
- Thread starter Reformed
- Start date
What doctrines can you base on Acts? I am not asking what biblical truths you can clean from Acts. Most of the heavy work on doctrine is found in the Epistles. I am being careful not to exclude the Gospels or Acts and I am not saying they are devoid of doctrine. I am saying that basing doctrine on Acts alone presents problems.
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Dave G
Well-Known Member
Apologies for responding, as I know that you directed this question @Reformed , but I am only trying to be helpful.
In the spirit of that, here are some that I see:
" For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call. " ( Acts of the Apostles 2:39 ) <---- The promise is limited to as many as the Lord shall call.
" praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." ( Acts of the Apostles 2:47 ). <---- The Lord adds to the church, such as should be saved.
" Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." ( Acts of the Apostles 3:25 ). <---- The Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ are the ones who make up the kindreds ( people out of every tongue, tribe and nation, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:9 ) of the earth that are blessed..
In Christ, all of the earth's tribes, tongues and nations are represented.
" Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
10 for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city." ( Acts of the Apostles 18:9-10 ). <----- The Lord God assured Paul that he should continue to speak, because the Lord declared that He had many of His people in that city.
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Particular
Well-Known Member
From a historical perspective, the Book of the Acts of the Apostles is a compilation of first hand, primary source accounts about the beginning of the church.
It is the second book, written for Theophilus to understand how Christianity came to him and the Roman Empire.
Acts 1:1-3 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
It is the second book, written for Theophilus to understand how Christianity came to him and the Roman Empire.
Acts 1:1-3 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Yet another off topic post addressing the poster and not the topic.
I asked for a list of bogus doctrines found only in Acts, and have been greeted with thunderous silence. Go figure.
Who was Peter speaking to in Acts 2?
And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. Acts 2:5
Who is Peter speaking to in Acts 3?
You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
Acts 3:25
Not a hint of predestination of Gentiles in that verse. Totally inserted into the text by you.
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One of the things I appreciate about Acts is the timeline of events that corresponds to what the Apostles and other notables taught. In Acts, we have narrative accounts of Paul's first, second, and third missionary journeys. We learn about the triumphs (of the Gospel), difficulties, and perils along the way. In Paul's letters, we read what he taught the fledgling churches in each area in which he ministered.
I'm assuming you're referring to Acts 5:1-11.
At no point does Luke say that the Peter/the Apostles killed people for lying. They simply died and the people at the time would have assumed some supernatural power did it. This is why people were afraid and started to avoid the Christians.
Imagine there being a block party where everyone who attended got to eat whatever they wanted. All one had to do to attend was say that one sold everything one had, give it to the group, and announce that one was following Jesus. Some liars decide to partake in said event. They later hear that some others who had lied died under supernatural circumstances. Fear spreads.
And, I ask if you are talking about your own bogus doctrine.
Can you support your bogus doctrine with just the book of acts?
For example, Van, does this passage support your bogus doctrine?
Acts 13:
“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
34And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
36For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41“‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
42As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
26“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
34And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
36For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41“‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
42As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
Yep, that 48th verse as supported by the words prior in which all matters are shown to be under God’s direct control, place your presentation as “bogus.”
Folks are “appointed to eternal life” THEN they believe. Not the other way round as you post.
This, of course, is the main passage Neoplatonists use to push their theology. However, to fully support their theology, the passage would have to read "and as many as were appointed to eternal life since before the beginning of time believed."
The passage doesn't do this and so doesn't support Neoplatonist beliefs.
Also notice that "and when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord" occurs before the appointment.
But just like Acts 2:38 is clarified by the rest of the bible that faith - not repentence and Baptism - is the method of salvation, Acts 13:48 is similarly clarified.
All I did was quote the Scripture as given in Acts.
I was not defending some “Neoplatonist's” way of thinking. Frankly, long dead heathen philosophy and philosophers have never been appealing to me.
Something asked for by the poster, inquiring of a bogus view, was answered.
Another amazing fact about Acts is how the Holy Spirit exponentially grew the church in Jerusalem. We consider it an honor when God uses us to be a herald of the gospel to a sinner. We rejoice (and rightly so) if that sinner comes to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. For many of us, these divine appointments are memorable because they do not occur daily. But in Acts, we read of two separate occasions were the Spirit worked mightily among the Jewish people and brought thousands into the family of God.
Acts 2:37-41 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 4:1-4 1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
(emphasis mine)
At the end of Acts 2 we read these words, "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." So, Peter's two sermons saw at least 8,000 people come to faith in Christ, and an undetermined number were being added daily as the Gospel was proclaimed. The head of the Church, Jesus Christ, started it off with a bang. This explosive growth continued as evidenced in Acts 5. After Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit, Luke writes in verse 14, "And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number". How many souls do we suppose were added to the kingdom after Stephen gave his defense and was martyred? Philip had similar results in Samaria (Acts 8). Of course, the middle of Acts takes us on Pauls's missionary journeys were churches were started throughout Asia and Europe.
Acts 2:37-41 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 4:1-4 1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
(emphasis mine)
At the end of Acts 2 we read these words, "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." So, Peter's two sermons saw at least 8,000 people come to faith in Christ, and an undetermined number were being added daily as the Gospel was proclaimed. The head of the Church, Jesus Christ, started it off with a bang. This explosive growth continued as evidenced in Acts 5. After Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit, Luke writes in verse 14, "And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number". How many souls do we suppose were added to the kingdom after Stephen gave his defense and was martyred? Philip had similar results in Samaria (Acts 8). Of course, the middle of Acts takes us on Pauls's missionary journeys were churches were started throughout Asia and Europe.
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Particular
Well-Known Member
Another pattern established in Acts is that God doesn't ordain his church to be comfortable. He makes his children uncomfortable and moves them so they can share the gospel. What seems like a tragedy is the pathway to redemption and reconciliation.
I'm curious, give us a link to the Neoplatonists writing on election.
Yet another off topic post containing no doctrines supposedly taught only in Acts.
The fabricator of deflection strikes again and again, posting falsehood after falsehood.
In Acts 13:48, the folks, after listening to the gospel's message, mutually agreed with the requirements as spoken by Paul, and accordingly believed.
Here the bogus Calvinist doctrine mistranslates a word meaning to agree with a higher authorities requirement. But they never study how the word is used throughout scripture. So once again we have an unstudied assertion.
I meant a real Neoplatonist, like Plotinus or Porphyry. Not a guy who dabbled in Neoplatonism on his way from Manicheanism to Christianity.
If Augustine applied Neoplatonism to his Christianity, then show us from what source he pulled his Neoplatonist ideas on election.