Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

Those who have trusted Christ as Savior are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24).

Introduction to Soteriology

     Soteriology is the study of salvation. The word soteriology is derived from the Greek words soter, which means savior, and logos, which means a word about, or the study of something. The word salvation is used throughout the Bible of physical deliverance as well as spiritual deliverance. It means one is saved from a real harm or danger, and rescued to a safe place. Salvation in all forms is necessary because of our weakness and inability to help ourselves in a dangerous situation. According to Lewis S. Chafer, “With respect to the meaning of the word salvation, the Old and New Testaments are much alike. The word communicates the thought of deliverance, safety, preservation, soundness, restoration, and healing; but though so wide a range of human experience is expressed by the word salvation, its specific, major use is to denote a work of God in behalf of man.”[1] And McChesney adds:

"In the OT the term refers to various forms of deliverance, both temporal and spiritual. God delivers His people from their enemies and from the snares of the wicked (see Psa 37:40; 59:2; 106:4). He also saves by granting forgiveness of sins, answers to prayer, joy, and peace (Psa 79:9; 69:13; 51:12)…In the NT salvation is regarded almost exclusively as from the power and dominion of sin. And of this Jesus Christ is the author (see Matt 1:21; Acts 4:12; Heb 2:10; 5:9)."[2]

     The most notable act of salvation in the OT was Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel from the Egyptian army that was marching against them. Moses told his people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today” (Ex 14:13). The salvation was entirely of the Lord, as Moses said, “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent” (Ex 14:14). This was a physical deliverance from a military attack. In the NT, we observe Peter being delivered from a physical drowning when he cried out to Jesus, saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matt 14:30). As Peter was sinking into the water, he was not asking for forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. He was asking to be delivered from physical drowning. We’re told “Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him” (Matt 14:31) and brought him safely into the boat. Thus, Peter was physically saved from harm.

     As Christians, when we think of salvation, it most often pertains to our spiritual deliverance from the lake of fire in which we are eternally separated from God, to which all humanity is destined unless we turn to Christ and are rescued. John tells us, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). Spiritual salvation is the most important kind of salvation mentioned in the Bible, for it matters little if one is rescued a thousand times from physical danger, but ultimately fails to receive deliverance from the danger of hell. God loves everyone and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). And He has made a way for lost sinners to be saved from hell and brought to heaven, and this through His Son, Jesus, for “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Charles Ryrie notes:

"The Bible indicates at least three reasons that God wanted to save sinners. (1) This was the greatest and most concrete demonstration of the love of God. His good gifts in nature and through His providential care (great as they are) do not hold a candle to the gift of His Son to be our Savior. John 3:16 reminds us that His love was shown in His gift, and Romans 5:8 says that God proved conclusively that He loved us by the death of Christ. (2) Salvation also gives God a display of His grace throughout all eternity (Eph 2:7). Each saved person will be a special trophy of God’s grace forever. Only redeemed human beings can provide this display. (3) God also wanted a people wh

Introduction

     Luke had previously revealed the persecution of the apostles at the hand of the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:17-18), and how God had supernaturally rescued them from jail so they could continue to preach about Jesus (Acts 5:19-20). Afterwards, the Sanhedrin gathered together and had the apostles arrested a second time in order to question them (Acts 5:21-27). After being reminded that they were commanded to stop preaching in Jesus’ name (Acts 5:28), Peter stated they were under divine orders and said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Peter proceeded to share the gospel, saying, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross” (Acts 5:30), revealing that God had exalted Jesus to His right hand (Acts 5:31), and that the apostles were witnesses of these things (Acts 5:32). Luke recorded the response of the Sanhedrin and the apostles in the following verses.

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     Recording the hostility of the Sanhedrin, Luke wrote, “But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them” (Acts 5:33). Here we see the wicked hearts of the Sanhedrin—at least a portion of them—as they wanted to murder the apostles as they had murdered Jesus. But the Sanhedrin was a divided group. Josephus said of the Pharisees and Sadducees, “The Pharisees are friendly to one another, and are for the exercise of friendliness and concern for the public. But the behavior of the Sadducees one towards another is in some degree wild; and their conversation with those that are of their own party is as barbarous as if they were strangers to them.”[1]

     Being a divided group, Luke informs us about one of their esteemed members, saying, “But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time” (Acts 5:33-34). Gamaliel was a prominent leader in Israel at this time, and he was also the teacher of Saul, who later became Paul (Acts 22:3). Whereas earlier the high priest had “rose up” in defiance of the apostles (Acts 5:17), here Gamaliel “stood up” against some in his own party and argued for moderation (Acts 5:34). In a calm manner, Gamaliel asked that the apostles be put out “for a short time”, which indicated his confidence that it would not take long for him to argue his case. Luke records the words of Gamaliel as follows:

And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered” (Acts 5:35-37)

     Modern historians do not know anything about Theudas mentioned here by Gamaliel. Josephus mentioned a Theudas in his writings, but that was a different man who lived decades later. Gamaliel’s mentioning two men, Theudas and Judas, was to present historical precedents for men who rose up within the Jewish community and had followers, but who failed in their efforts. Both of these men “came to nothing” and “were scattered” among the people. Charles Swindoll states:

"Beginning with a short history of other failed movements, he reminded the men that their noninterference policy had served them well in the past. As each would-be messiah or populist movement had surfaced, the Sanhedrin had refused to lend its support for fear of Rome’s wrath. But they had also avoided taking sides with Rome to avoid angering the people. In each case, the deceptive leader was killed, his movement fell apart, and the crisis passed without the Sanhedrin’s involvement (Acts 5:35–37)."[2]

     Warren Wiersbe notes, “In spite of the fact that Gamaliel tried to use cool logic rather than overheated emotio

Introduction

     Luke, having presented the ideal Christians, who were loving, selfless, and giving (Acts 4:32-37), in contrast with those who were carnal (Acts 5:1-11), now offers a summary statement that describes the growth of the church over the first few months (Acts 5:12-16). In defiance of the Sanhedrin’s command not to preach, the apostles continued to proclaim Jesus and His resurrection to those who would listen. Being entirely Jewish believers, they gathered at the temple in an area known as the portico of Solomon, the place where Peter and John had previously been arrested.

     The ongoing preaching of Jesus and His resurrection, the miracles being performed through the apostles, and the growing number of new believers, concerned the members of the Sanhedrin and, no doubt, threatened their positions and perceived authority. The initial healing of the lame man triggered their concerns (Acts 3:1-10; 4:1-3), and in this pericope Luke will inform us about many others who were healed (Acts 5:12-16).

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     This section opens with the statement, “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico” (Acts 5:12). This action by the apostles was in direct defiance of the Sanhedrin, who had “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). God was working through His apostles to perform signs and wonders (σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα semeia kai terata) (Acts 5:12). The term sign (σημεῖον semeion) appears thirteen times in Acts (Acts 2:19, 22, 43; 4:16, 22, 30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12) and denotes “a miracle of divine origin, performed by God himself, by Christ, or by men of God.”[1] The noun wonders (τέρας teras) appears 9 times in Acts (Acts 2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12), only in connection with a sign (σημεῖον semeion), and refers to “something that astounds.”[2] The purpose of the signs and wonders was to harness the attention of the witness. Whereas a sign demonstrated a supernatural occurrence, the wonder represents the human response. And these signs and wonders were taking place publicly “among the people” and in “Solomon’s portico.” Furthermore, they were not intended to be an end in themselves, but to point people to Jesus for salvation.

     We must remember that Satan empowers his false prophets to perform miracles in order to deceive. When Moses was executing God’s plagues upon Egypt, it is recorded that three times “the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts” (Exo 7:10-11; cf., 7:21-22; 8:6-7). Moses warned the Israelites who were about to enter the land that they should guard themselves against false prophets and dreamers of dreams who arise and give them a “sign or wonder” and then seek to lead them away from God (Deut 13:1-4). Jesus warned of future “false Christs and false prophets who will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matt 24:24). And Paul spoke of the coming Antichrist, “whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Th 2:9-10). Those who know God’s Word and live by it will guard themselves against the deceiving power of false miracle workers.

     Luke continues his report, saying, “But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem” (Acts 5:13). Why were some reluctant to associate with the apostles? It’s possible they were afraid because of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). It could also be they were concerned about being arrested and mistreated by the religious authorities, as Peter and John had been (Acts 4:1-3). The passage does not give us a reason, only that some held their distance. I ten

In this closing section, we observe a brief account of Moses’ death and burial. Unlike other rulers throughout history, who have erected great memorials to themselves that others might remember them, Moses’ death is simple and without a monument. Moses was not concerned that people remember him, but that they remember the Lord, learn His Word, and follow His directives. Moses is remembered as God’s servant who was faithful to carry out his mission (Heb 3:5).

Moses, the man of God, blessed the sons of Israel before his death. He spoke about the Lord’s love for His people and called for them to obey His law (Deut 33:1-5). Moses also made specific blessings for each tribe of Israel (Deut 33:6-25). And in conclusion, praised the greatness of God and how He protected Israel from their enemies and would allow them to dwell in safety (Deut 33:26-28). Moses ended his blessing by declaring the blessedness of the people of Israel, who were saved by the Lord and would tread upon their enemies Deut 33:29).

The early church had a sense of Christian community within itself and those who had wealth voluntarily shared with those who were in need (Acts 4:32-37). Love was the motivation for sharing, as there was no command from heaven and no human pressure from the church leadership to give. What we see is descriptive, not prescriptive.  Passages like Acts 4:32-37 provide an ideal picture of what the church should look like in its everyday functions.

In Deuteronomy 32:44-47, Moses directs his people to take all the words of God’s law to heart, for they are not meaningless words, but are the very source of life and blessing, both for them and their children, if they will follow the Lord and walk in righteousness. In Deuteronomy 32:48-52, the Lord calls Moses to ascend Mount Nebo to look upon the land of promise, informing him that he will not enter the land, because of an event in which he broke faith with God and did not treat Him as holy, informing Moses that he will die on the mountain and be gathered to his people.

Every Christian should have a basic knowledge of the doctrines found in God’s Word. This series of lectures will provide some of the basics of Christian Theology and is intended to help the growing believer advance in his/her knowledge of God and His Word. A complete set of my study notes can be found here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A-Survey-of-Theology-Lecture-Notes-1.pdf

Every Christian should have a basic knowledge of the doctrines found in God’s Word. This series of lectures will provide some of the basics of Christian Theology and is intended to help the growing believer advance in his/her knowledge of God and His Word. A complete set of my study notes can be found here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/A-Survey-of-Theology-Lecture-Notes-1.pdf