Commentary on the Book of Acts - Religion of Jesus Christ

394 Pages·2013·2.11 MB·English

Commentary on
the Book of Acts
Bible Study Notes
and Comments
by David E. Pratte
Available in print at
www.lighttomypath.net/sales
Commentary on the Book of Acts:
Bible Study Notes and Comments
© Copyright David E. Pratte, 2011, 2013
Minor revisions 2016
All rights reserved
ISBN-13: 978-1492840312
ISBN-10: 1492840319
Note carefully: No teaching in any of our materials is intended or
should ever be construed to justify or to in any way incite or en-
courage personal vengeance or physical violence against any per-
son.
Front page photo
The Mount of Olives from which Jesus ascended back to heaven
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight … Then they re-
turned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near
Jerusalem…” – Acts 1:9,12 (NKJV).
Photo Credit: Nemo distributed under Creative Commons license, via
Wikimedia Commons
Other Acknowledgements
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are generally from the
New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1982, 1988 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from Holy Bible, New American
Standard La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Stan-
dard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (MLV) are from Modern Literal Version of
The New Testament, Copyright 1999 by G. Allen Walker.
Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are from the Revised Standard Version
of the Bible, copyright 1952 by the Division of Christian Education, National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the New International Ver-
sion of the Holy Bible, copyright 1978 by Zondervan Bible publishers, Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
Commentary on Acts Page #2
Other Books by the Author
Topical Bible Studies
Growing a Godly Marriage & Raising Godly Children
Why Believe in God, Jesus, and the Bible? (evidences)
The God of the Bible (study of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
Grace, Faith, and Obedience: The Gospel or Calvinism?
Kingdom of Christ: Future Millennium or Present Spiritual Reign?
Do Not Sin Against the Child: Abortion, Unborn Life, & the Bible
True Words of God: Bible Inspiration and Preservation
Commentaries on Bible Books
Genesis Gospel of Mark
Joshua and Ruth Gospel of John
Judges Acts
1 Samuel Ephesians
Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther Philippians and Colossians
Job Hebrews
Proverbs
Bible Question Class Books
Genesis Gospel of John
Joshua and Ruth Acts
Judges Romans
1 Samuel 1 Corinthians
Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther 2 Corinthians and Galatians
Job Ephesians and Philippians
Proverbs Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians
Isaiah 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Gospel of Matthew Hebrews
Gospel of Mark General Epistles (James - Jude)
Gospel of Luke Revelation
Workbooks with Study Notes
Jesus Is Lord: Workbook on the Fundamentals of the Gospel of Christ
Following Jesus: Workbook on Discipleship
God’s Eternal Purpose in Christ: Workbook on the Theme of the Bible
Visit our website at www.lighttomypath.net/sales to see a current
list of books in print.
Page #3 Commentary on Acts
Other Resources from the Author
Printed books, booklets, and tracts available at
www.lighttomypath.net/sales
Free Bible study articles online at
www.gospelway.com
Free Bible courses online at
www.biblestudylessons.com
Free class books at
www.biblestudylessons.com/classbooks
Free commentaries on Bible books at
www.gospelway.com/commentary
Contact the author at
www.gospelway.com/comments
Commentary on Acts Page #4
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Book of Acts.....................9
Acts 1...............................................................18
Acts 2...............................................................31
Acts 3..............................................................62
Acts 4..............................................................74
Acts 5..............................................................92
Acts 6.............................................................105
Acts 7.............................................................118
Acts 8............................................................140
Acts 9.............................................................156
Acts 10...........................................................175
Acts 11............................................................192
Acts 12...........................................................205
Acts 13...........................................................213
Acts 14..........................................................230
Acts 15...........................................................241
Acts 16...........................................................262
Acts 17...........................................................276
Acts 18...........................................................291
Acts 19..........................................................300
Acts 20...........................................................311
Acts 21...........................................................333
Acts 22..........................................................343
Acts 23..........................................................352
Acts 24..........................................................359
Acts 25..........................................................369
Acts 26..........................................................375
Acts 27..........................................................383
Acts 28..........................................................391
(Due to printer reformatting, the above numbers may be off a few pages.)
Page #5 Commentary on Acts
Notes to the Reader
To save space and for other reasons, I have chosen not to include the
Bible text in these notes (please use your Bible to follow along). When I do
quote a Scripture, I generally quote the New King James Version, unless
otherwise indicated. Often – especially when I do not use quotations marks
– I am not quoting any translation but simply paraphrasing the passage in
my own words. Also, when I ask the reader to refer to a map, please consult
the maps at the back of your Bible or in a Bible dictionary.
You can find study questions to accompany these notes at www.-
lighttomypath.net/sales
To join our mailing list to be informed of new books or special
sales, contact the author at
www.gospelway.com/comments
Commentary on Acts Page #6
Introductory Thoughts about
Commentaries
Only the Scriptures provide an infallible, authoritatively inspired reve-
lation of God’s will for man (2 Timothy 3:16,17). It follows that this com-
mentary, like all commentaries, was written by an uninspired, fallible hu-
man. It is the author’s effort to share his insights about God’s word for the
purpose of instructing and edifying others in the knowledge and wisdom
found in Scripture. It is simply another form of teaching, like public preach-
ing, Bible class teaching, etc., except in written form (like tracts, Bible class
literature, etc.). Nehemiah 8:8; Ephesians 4:15,16; Romans 15:14; 1 Thessa-
lonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:12-14; 5:12-14; 10:23-25; Romans 10:17; Mark
16:15,16; Acts 8:4; 2 Timothy 2:2,24-26; 4:2-4; 1 Peter 3:15.
It follows that the student must read any commentary with discern-
ment, realizing that any fallible teacher may err, whether he is teaching
orally or in writing. So, the student must compare all spiritual teaching to
the truth of God’s word (Acts 17:11). It may be wise to read several commen-
taries to consider alternative views on difficult points. But it is especially
important to consider the reasons or evidence each author gives for his
views, then compare them to the Bible.
For these reasons, the author urges the reader to always
consider my comments in light of Scripture. Accept what I say
only if you find that it harmonizes with God’s word. And please
do not cite my writings as authority, as though people should
accept anything I say as authoritative. Always let the Bible be
your authority.
“He who glories, let him glory in the Lord”
– 1 Corinthians 1:31
Page #7 Commentary on Acts
Abbreviations Used in These Notes
ASV – American Standard Version
b/c/v – book, chapter, and verse
ESV – English Standard Version
f – the following verse
ff – the following verses
KJV – King James Version
NASB – New American Standard Bible
NEB – New English Bible
NIV – New International Version
NKJV – New King James Version
RSV – Revised Standard Version
Commentary on Acts Page #8
Introduction to the Book of
Acts
Helpful tools for study
The following tools will be helpful in this study. Most can be obtained
from a good religious bookstore.
1. A good study Bible
We recommend the following features:
* NKJV, KJV, ASV, or NASB. (We do not recommend loose translations
or one-man translations.)
* Good cross-references.
* A good binding, preferably genuine leather.
2. A good analytical or exhaustive concordance
We recommend one of the following:
* Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, or
* Young’s Analytical Concordance
A shorter abridged concordance may work, but will not contain all the
words or all the references you may need.
Some computer software or websites provide good Bible concordance
and search routines.
3. Other useful books
The following books may be helpful, but are not as essential as the pre-
vious materials.
* Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E.
Vine
* Bible Dictionary, such as New International Dictionary of the Bible
by Zondervan’s or New Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Page #9 Commentary on Acts
Basic Facts about Acts
Author
The book nowhere directly states what man recorded the inspired
words. However, it is generally agreed to be the work of Luke for the follow-
ing reasons:
(1) The author of Acts had written a “former account” of the life of Je-
sus (1:1,2). This would indicate it was Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
(2) Both Acts and Luke are addressed to “Theophilus” (“lover of God” –
compare Luke 1:1-4 to Acts 1:1). The introductions are similar in other ways
as well.
(3) Acts, in the original language, contains several terms which were
characteristically used by physicians, and Luke was a physician (Colossians
4:14).
(4) The text passes from third person (“they”) to first person (“we”) and
back again repeatedly when describing some of Paul’s travels. These
changes would indicate that the author was one of Paul’s traveling compan-
ions, which Luke was (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philem. 24). Fur-
ther, the author does not name himself but uses “we.” So it appears that the
author is a traveling companion who is nowhere named in Acts. The com-
panions other than Luke are nearly all named in Acts, so this also seems to
confirm that Luke was the author. Also, the changes in person logically
agree with the times when Luke seems to join or leave the group. (Ex.: Acts
16:6-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:2-28:16).
Horne states:
That Saint Luke was the author of the Acts of the Apostles, as
well as of the Gospel which bears his name, is evident both from the
introduction, and from the unanimous testimonies of the early Chris-
tians. … To the genuineness and authenticity of this book, the early
Christian fathers bear unanimous testimony.
Theme
Acts is a history of the early church and of the spread of the gospel
(note 1:8). It is not a record of all of the acts of all of the apostles, but of just
some of the acts of some of the apostles.
Date
The book ends with Paul in prison in Rome for the first time. His sub-
sequent history is not recorded, which would indicate the book was written
before that history was known. This would date it about 62-64 AD.
Summary by Sections (see Acts 1:8)
The spread of the gospel in Jerusalem (chapters 1-7)
The spread of the gospel in Judea & Samaria (chapters 8-12)
The spread of the gospel throughout the earth (chapters 13-28)
Commentary on Acts Page #10