DOCSLIB.ORG

The Bible in 100 Words

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Bible in 100 Words God created Adam disobeyed Noah arked Abraham went Covenant made Moses called Pharaoh plagued Sea divided Commandments guided Promise landed Judges led David trusted David busted Solomon prayed God provided Kings ruled God desires Prophets warned Messiah promised Hope rose Jesus born God enfleshed Son grew John baptized The sermon series at Great Bridge Presbyterian Church for 2015-2016 Satan tempted was entitled “The Bible in 100 Words.” The goal of the series was to Disciples called express the main events of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in 50 Love talked word pairs, which are listed to the right. People healed Jesus revealed Each Sunday we introduced the word pair accompanied by a Disciples prepared supporting Scripture. We often provided a weekly handout that Jesus rode covered additional events that occurred “in the meantime” Judas betrayed Peter denied between each Sunday’s words. The handouts were also used to Anger crucified provide further explanation or give more detail about the event Love rose described by the word pair. Thomas doubted Peter restored This booklet contains each word pair, an accompanying Scripture Mission imparted excerpt, and the material provided in the weekly bulletin inserts, Jesus departed which appears as gray-shaded excurses. Jesus remembered Disciples waited Many thanks to Steve Bowser, Charlotte Gibson, Anita Herbert, Spirit blew John Lynch, Judi Rogers, and Pam Suter for providing the content Peter preached for these handouts. Thanks as well to Christal Marshall for Church grew designing the logo for the series. And finally, thanks also to Charity Leaders equipped Stephens who composed a song inspired by the series, and to Joelle Paul wrote Doriani for the choral arrangement. Word spread Church corrected The Bible in 100 Words—let it come alive! Love unfailing 1 God prevailing 2 God created—Genesis 1:1-2:3 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:1, 27-31 In the beginning God… In the Bible, creation refers both to the act by which God created the universe and to the product of that process. The prime text is the creation story in Genesis 1, but that account is richly embellished with a host of later references to creation. Underlying the individual image patterns is the premise that the telos of creation is to serve and glorify God. The Christ hymn of Colossians 1 asserts regarding Christ that “all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:16), while the song of the elders in Revelation 4 ascribes glory to God because he has “created all things, and for his pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11). God’s act of creation is a great ordering process. The earth begins “without form and voice” (Gen 1:2); God proceeds to organize this primal chaos. This motif takes its place in an ancient context of rival creation myths that centered around the ordering of chaos. Mesopotamian, Egyptian and even Vedic Indian mythologies all talk about a chaos that is hostile to the creator god. In each case, the creator god beats back the chaos to provide order, though chaos always remains a threat. The Bible’s creation story is partly similar, inasmuch as God brings order out of chaos, but the biblical account is totally free of any sense of threat or hostility in the chaos that God molds. The emphasis throughout the Bible is that God controls the forces that seek to lead to dissolution rather than wholeness in the world. As God orders the elements, he utters commands that instantaneously produce objects. Some of his specific acts are acts of ordering, with verbs such as “made,” separated” and “placed” dominant in the process. The story itself follows a fixed pattern for each day of creation, consisting of five formulaic parts: announcement (“and God said”), command (“let there be”), report (“and it was so” or “and God made”), evaluation (“it was very good”) and placement in a temporal framework. Even the division into days lends an orderly quality to the creation. Another dominant image is the image of “the good earth.” The fact that God personally brings the material world into being and labels it “good” and “very good” stands in marked contrast to later Greek and other philosophical and theological perspective, which view the material realm as intrinsically evil and morally suspect. But that simple observation hardly does justice to the enthusiasm with which God views the work he has done. God’s declaration is both a benediction and an expression of joy. Good means “It’s wonderful!” Very good is equivalent to saying, “It’s perfect!” Although the Bible does not make quite as much of the fact that God created the universe out of nothing as Christian theology has (Creation ex Nihilo), it is nonetheless an important motif. Hebrews 11:3 is the most explicit text: “By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear”. This picture of creation has implications for our understanding of God (he is distinguished from what he created) and the creation itself (it totally depends on God but does not emanate from him). Biblical images of creation distinguish with great care between the Creator and the creation (Rom 1:25). Indeed, the second commandment against graven images (Ex 20:4-6) reflects the language of Genesis 1 and makes 3 it clear that God is extremely jealous that he not be identified with anything within the realm of creation. But the same view of creation that empties nature of divinity also makes it a revelation of God and leaves it filled with pointers to God. The fact that all things find their origin in the creative work of God means that everything, in some way, bears witness to the creation and is revelatory of the Creator. According to the Bible every rock and tree and creature can be said to testify of God, declare his glory and show forth his handiwork (Ps 8:1; 19:1; 104; 148). A final motif is the biblical writers’ treatment of redemption as a crowning work of God’s creation. This is not surprising, since much of what is important in creation has been damaged or destroyed by the Fall. As we might expect, therefor, redemption and creation are intertwined in the Bible. Christ’s work of redemption is described as restoring those aspects of the creation that were lost or damaged as a consequence of the Fall. The person who is regenerated in Christ is a “a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). While the Fall subjected the whole creation to futility, it waits eagerly for the time when it will be set free from its present bondage to decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom 8:19-21). Creation is a spectator of human redemption, inasmuch as its own liberation is vested in the liberation of the sons and daughters of God. While the original creation was marred by sin, Christ’s work of redemption and restoration will bring about a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (Rev. 21:1). From article “Creation” in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, gen. eds: Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), pp. 179-182. Adam disobeyed—Genesis 3:1-21 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:6-7 Noah arked—Genesis 6:1-22 5 The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:5-8 In the meantime… (Genesis 6-12) Covenant Made--The entire flood account can be found in Genesis 6-9.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Acts 15:22-35
    Acts 15:22-35 – The Jerusalem Letter (Galatians 1:1-6) James concludes the Jerusalem Council saying we do not want to make the Gentiles follow the Jewish Law, but we do need to address some things concerning the Jewish customs since the Law of Moses has been taught in every city where the Jews have gone and it will continue to be taught every Sabbath. Acts 15:22 – The radical branch of Christian Judaism had lost the hold on the church during a council that was overseen by the Apostles and Pastor James. There does not appear to be any negative fallout and no church split since Acts 15:22 says “the whole church” agreed to send this council’s decision to Antioch. The Apostles (Peter, John, Andrew, etc. still in Jerusalem) and Elders (James the brother of the Lord, etc.) choose Judas Barsabbas and Silas to return to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. Acts 15:23 – A letter was drafted and sent along that summarized the Jerusalem Council’s decision and vision. - This Jerusalem Letter was sent in the name of the “Apostles and Elders” and with apostolic authority - It was sent to Antioch in Syria and the province of Cilicia. (It is not sent to Paul’s churches of Galatia, but in Acts 16:4 Paul used this “Jerusalem Letter” addressed to Syria and Cilicia as the authoritative Word of God in the Galatian churches, also: “As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
    [Show full text]
  • The Jerusalem "Apostolic Decree" in Acts 15:1-35
    The Jerusalem "apostolic decree" in Acts 15:1-35 Author: Patrick Ogbonyomi Alemayo Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108451 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2019 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. THE JERUSALEM “APOSTOLIC DECREE” IN ACTS 15:1-35 By Rev. Patrick Ogbonyomi ALEMAYO, C.S.Sp. A Thesis submitted to Boston College in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) Degree, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Brighton, MA, U.S.A. April 30, 2019 Primary Co-Mentor: Professor Christopher R. Matthews Co-Mentor: Rev. Professor Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Ayodele Ayeni, C.S.Sp. Provincial Superior Congregation of the Holy Spirit Province of Nigeria North-West Abuja, Nigeria with Fraternal Love and Gratitude 2 ABSTRACT The strict historical reading of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:1-35 is a problematic in scholarship. This raises the question of the purpose of the Jerusalem “Apostolic Decree” in Luke’s narrative of the Jerusalem Council. This study argues that Luke’s purpose of the Decree in Acts (15:20, 29; [also found in 21:25]) is not for a pure historical evolution of the Christian mission from Jerusalem to the Gentile world, but refers to a theological and social etiology, founded on divine choice, the Mosaic law, and the prophets, that Luke promulgates as four prohibitions, which have practical values for Luke’s community in creating the conditions necessary for enabling the table-fellowship between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Chapter 1 & 3
    [TS – title page] Copyright © 2010 by Phil Moore. STRAIGHT TO STRAIGHT TO THE HEART OF ACTS The right of Phil Moore to be identiLied as author of this work has been Sixty Bite-Sized Insights THE HEART OF asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents PHIL MOORE Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval Acts system, without permission in writing from the publisher. First published in the UK in 2010 by Monarch Books (a publishing imprint of Lion Hudson plc) Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England Tel: +44 (0)1865 302750 Fax: +44 (0)1865 302757 Email: [email protected] www.lionhudson.co m 60 BITE-SIZED INSIGHTS ISBN 978 1 85424 989 0 Distributed by: UK: Marston Book Services, PO Box 269, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4YN Phil Moore USA: Kregel Publications, PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501 Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan and Hodder & Stoughton Limited. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark OfLice by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790. The text paper used in this book has been made from wood independently certiLied as having come from sustainable forests.
    [Show full text]
  • Acts 15—Ebooksept2019 FINAL 2
    N.T. Wright is a prolific author for both academic and popular readers. He is the author of Simply Jesus, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Jesus and the Victory of God, and Paul and the Faithfulness of God. He is also the author of the For Everyone Series of New Testament Commentaries. He currently serves as Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Previously Wright served as Bishop of Durham, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, and Dean of Lichfield Cathedral. Over the past twenty years he served as Professor of New Testament Studies at Cambridge, McGill, and Oxford Universities. He writes often for newspapers in England, including the Times, the Independent, and the Guardian. He has been interviewed numerous times by radio and television broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic, including ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, FOX, and NPR. N.T. Wright Online provides courses developed by Professor N.T. Wright of St. Andrews University, Scotland, such as Simply Jesus and Paul and His Letter to the Ephesians. You can sign up for a free course at ntwrightonline.org/philemon. From Hypocrisy to Compromise to Faithfulness: The Story of Acts 15 (c) 2019 N.T. Wright "2 Paul and Barnabas in Antioch and Jerusalem Acts 15:1-21, Kingdom New Testament! Some people came from Judaea to Antioch and, on arrival, began to teach the Christians that they could not be saved unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses. 2 This caused considerable uproar and dispute between them and Paul and Barnabas, and the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas, and some others from their fellowship, to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, to try to sort out the problem.
    [Show full text]
  • A Chronology of the Apostle Paul
    Dr. J. Paul Tanner Pauline Chronology Page 1 A CHRONOLOGY OF THE APOSTLE PAUL J.Paul Tanner,ThM,PhD 2nd Edition:February25,2003 INTRODUCTION Any attempt toreconstruct a chronology for the events inthe life of Paul must admit to some degree of approximation, thoughwe can"come close" todating certainaspects of the Apostle's life. Inreviewing the scholarship of others,twokeydecisions have strong bearing onmost everything else.The first is the date that one presumes for the crucifixion of Christ. For the purposes of this study, I will follow the commendable work of HaroldHoehner,anduse the date of AD 33for our Lord's death. 1 The secondis the date of Paul's ministry at Corinth. Acts 18:12 mentions that Paul was brought before Gallio who was proconsul of Achaia (lower Greece). The year of his office was from early summer of AD 51 to early summer of AD 52. Thus,Paul's stay inCorinthhadto overlap with the administrationof Gallio. Although most scholars agree onthis date for Gallio,they differ over the exact years that Paul was inCorinth. Had Paul recently arrived in Corinth when Gallio took office, or was he already near the conclusion of his Corinthianministry (which lastedat least 18months − Acts 18:11)? Hence,some will date Paul's arrival in Corinthas early as Dec AD 49,while others will date it inthe spring of AD 51. Most attempts toreconstruct a chronology for Paul's life will be made as a result of working backward and forward from the date of Paul'stimeinCorinth.Thisaccountsfora slightdifferenceof ayearortwoinmostschemes. Inevitably,one must alsomake certainassumptions oncertain other matters.
    [Show full text]
  • ACTS NOTEBOOK Ozark Christian College—NT 150 Compiled by Mark E
    ACTS NOTEBOOK Ozark Christian College—NT 150 Compiled by Mark E. Moore, Ph.D. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1:1 Introduction to Acts .......................................................................................................4 1:1 People, Places, Events, & Prophecies in Acts .............................................................15 1:1 Archaeology and the Book of Acts ..............................................................................19 1:1 Characteristics of the Book of Acts .............................................................................22 1:2 Apostles in Acts ...........................................................................................................23 1:2 A Brief Synopsis of the Twelve ...................................................................................26 1:3 Resurrection Appearances ...........................................................................................29 1:3 Theology of the Resurrection in Acts ..........................................................................30 1:4 Notes on the Kingdom of God .....................................................................................31 1:9 Ascension .....................................................................................................................33 1:13 Miscellaneous Comments on the List of Apostles .......................................................34 1:15 Church Growth in Acts ................................................................................................35
    [Show full text]
  • EHBC.Coregroups.Acts 15.36 Thru 41
    Core Groups Exist to Facilitate Christ-like Community. Text: Acts 15: 36-41 Sermon Series: The Advance Preached on Sept. 18th To Be facilitated on Sept. 25th or Sooner. Why do we do these things? And The Gospel. We do these thinGs Because we want to Be a GoinG and sendinG people. We want to Get out in the community and serve people so we can say: “We are servinG you Because Jesus served us.” Not all ministry happens in the four walls of a BuildinG the church meets in. We want to model for you, and get you to thinkinG aBout ways you can serve others so you can have an opportunity to tell the good news of Jesus Christ. But I’m not confident in the gospel! I don’t know how to tell it. How did you Get saved? You are saved – riGht? If you can’t rememBer the story of the news that saved you, it might be time for some introspection (2 Cor. 13:5). We do these thinGs to Get you out of your comfort zone so you can serve others to Be a BlessinG and to share the BlessinG of salvation in Jesus Christ. Who are you servinG? Here are two chances to BeGin to do somethinG. CREC Service Opportunity We Value Going and Sending. WE need 8 to 10 Groups of 4 to Go into our community and update houses. This will Be Oct. 22nd. If you want to help or have a neiGhBor who could use our help and see Jesus in our actions and words, contact Brian Harrison [email protected] or contact the office.
    [Show full text]
  • Telling God's Good News to Everyone ADULT BIBLE STUDY in BASIC
    ADULT BIBLE STUDY IN BASIC ENGLISH Acts: Telling God’s Good News to Everyone Written by Carolyn Cree Phyllis Merritt Ann Pitman BAPTISTWAY Dallas, Texas ADULT BIBLE STUDY IN BASIC ENGLISH ACTS: TELLING GOD’S GOOD NEWS TO EVERYONE Copyright (c) 2000 by BAPTISTWAY All rights reserved. Permission is granted for a church to make copies of this publication as needed for use within its ministry. Copies of this publication are not to be sold, distributed, or used in any other manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations. For information, contact BAPTISTWAY, Baptist General Convention of Texas, 333 North Washington Ave., Dallas, TX 75246-1798. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture verses are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIFE Version, identified by “N.L.V.” Published by Christian Literature International, Canby, OR 97013. Used by permission. First edition: June 2000 BAPTISTWAY Management Team Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas Charles Wade Director, State Missions Commission James Semple Director, Sunday School/Discipleship Division Bernard M. Spooner Publishing consultant Ross West, Positive Difference Communications Language Materials Team Bible Comments Writer for Unit 1 Carolyn Cree, University Baptist Church, Fort Worth Bible Comments Writer for Unit 2 Phyllis Merritt, First Baptist Church, San Antonio Bible Comments Writer for Unit 3 Ann Pitman, Columbus Avenue Baptist Church Editor for Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3 Cindy Lewis Dake, First Baptist Church, Arlington Facilitator for the Adult Basic English Team Jim Gayle, Coordinator, International Friendship Corps Church Ministries Department New Work Consultant, Multi-Ethnic, Baptist General Convention of Texas Patty Lane Facilitators Coordinator, Consultant, Sunday School/Discipleship Div., Baptist General Convention of Texas Nelda P.
    [Show full text]
  • Seventy-Two) (Luke 10:1-24) 1
    (7) The Service of the Seventy (Seventy-two) (Luke 10:1-24) 1. In a similar fashion as the Twelve (Lk. 9:1-6 cf. Mk. 6:7), the Seventy are sent forth two by two (Lk. 10:1-12). [GM34: The Twelve Sent Out] a. There is a text-criticism issue regarding the number of disciples. 1) Seventy-two. P75 B D 0181 pc lat sys.c sa boms; Ad. .A C L W Θ Ξ Ψ f 1.13 m f q syp.h bo; Irlat Cl Or א .Seventy (2 b. Their mission begins with a full-harvest identification and fervent prayer (Lk. 10:2). c. Their mission recognized angelic conflict difficulties (Lk. 10:3). d. Their mission relied on grace hospitality support (Lk. 10:4-7). e. Their mission featured grace dietary liberty (Lk. 10:8). f. Their mission featured Kingdom signs and wonders (Lk. 10:9). g. Their mission featured mixed acceptance/rejection (Lk. 10:10-12). 2. The Seventy-two are to deliver the Lord’s Woe messages, which He first taught His disciples during the Galilean ministry (Lk. 10:13-16 cf. Mt. 11:21-23). [GM21: Woes Upon the Privileged] a. Accountability increases when revelation increases. b. Accountability is undiminished by divine foreknowledge of volitional rejection. c. Sovereignty fixes the conditional circumstances each city/generation/person faces. d. Volition generates the consequences each city/generation/person faces. 3. The Seventy-two missed the point for their victories over demons (Lk. 10:17-20). a. The Twelve were explicitly given authority over demons (Lk.
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Jude
    THE BOOK OF JUDE by Daniel J. Lewis © Copyright 2005 by Diakonos, Inc. Troy, Michigan United States of America 2 THE LETTER OF JUDE...........................................................................................3 Introductory Issues ..................................................................................................3 Author and Date...................................................................................................3 Readers .................................................................................................................4 Infiltrators.............................................................................................................5 Relationship with 2 Peter .....................................................................................5 Canon....................................................................................................................6 Commentary ............................................................................................................8 Address (1-2)........................................................................................................8 Occasion (3-4)......................................................................................................9 Warnings and Analogues of Divine Judgment (5-19) ...................................... 11 The Exodus (5) ............................................................................................... 13 Deviant Angels (6) ........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to St. Paul Handout
    Introduction to Saint Paul Rev. Sebastian Carnazzo (steliasmelkite.org) I. The Man Saul or Paul? Saul of Tarsus is called ‘Saul’ in the narrative of Acts up until 13:9, where after he is called ‘Paul.’ The name ‘Saul’ is from the Hebrew sha’ul (lWav'), which means ‘requested one.’ The name ‘Paul’ is from the Greek Paulos (Pau/loj) of the popular Roman family name Paulus (Lat. ‘little’), as seen in the figure Sergius Paulus of Acts 13:7. It was a common practice among Semites of the period to have two names, one Semitic, and the other Greek or Roman (cf. Acts 1:23; 9:36, 39; 10:18; 12:12; 13:1, 9; see also John 1:42). Place of Birth: According to Acts, Paul was born in Tarsus (c. AD 5-15), a town of Cilicia (Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3, 6). Greek coins from the 5th and 4th centuries attest to its early Hellenization. The city was further Hellenized by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC). During Pompey’s reorganization of Asia Minor (66 BC), Tarsus was named capital of the province of Cilicia. Later, Mark Antony granted freedom, immunity, and citizenship to the town, which was confirmed by Augustus, hence Paul’s frequent appeal to Roman citizenship (Acts 16:37; 21:39; 22:25-29; 23:27; 25:10). Tarsus became a well-known center of Hellenic education, philosophy, and culture (Strabo Geogr. 14.673). Jerusalem Residence: Paul moved from Tarsus to Jerusalem sometime before the martyrdom of Steven (cf. Acts 7:54-60).
    [Show full text]
  • Tell Me the Story of Jesus Lesson 39 – Acts 15
    Tell Me the Story of Jesus Lesson 39 – Acts 15 People — Who is involved? Places — Where does it happen? Converted Pharisees from Jerusalem (15:1, 5) Antioch – Where Jewish teachers came to Paul and Barnabas – went to Jerusalem require Christians to be circumcised Peter and James – speakers Jerusalem – Where Paul and Barnabas went John Mark – subject of contention between Paul to talk to the apostles and elders. and Barnabas. Syria and Silicia – Where Paul and Silas went Silas – chosen to travel with Paul to continue spreading the gospel. Pearls — What information will help me to understand better? Vs 1 – Circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Gen. 17:10-11). Vs 1 – The issue was whether Gentiles are bound to obey the Law of Moses, Israel’s national law. Vs 3 – The distance between Antioch and Jerusalem through Phoenicia and Samaria is about 250 miles. Vs 5 – The issue was not accepting Gentiles. It was the criteria for acceptance: circumcision & Moses law. Vs 6 – This is a consultation. It is not a council in the later ecclesiastical sense. The entire church met. This was not a conclave of bishops. There were no votes taken to make decisions. Vs 7 – Peter addresses the church. He appeals to earlier experience teaching Gentiles when no such requirements were made. He is forced to the conclusion that they should not require it either. Vs 11 – This is the last we see of Peter in the book of Acts. Vs 12 – Paul and Barnabas speak next and refer to doing miracles which showed God’s approval.
    [Show full text]