The Berean Table

Field	Detail
Pericope	Acts 4:1–37
Theme	The risen Christ, exalted as the rejected cornerstone and the only name for salvation, gives His persecuted church Spirit-filled boldness, and the sovereign God who ordained the cross answers the prayers of a united people who hold all things in common

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Opening Prayer

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Closing Prayer

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Timeline Context

Acts 4 follows immediately upon the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1–10) and Peter’s Solomon’s-Portico sermon (Acts 3:11–26). The chapter opens with the words “as they were speaking to the people” (Acts 4:1), tying it directly to that sermon. This is the first recorded persecution of the apostolic church and the first appearance of the disciples before the Sanhedrin — the very council that had condemned Jesus only weeks earlier.

Chronologically, these events fall shortly after Pentecost, around A.D. 30–33, in Jerusalem. The ruling authorities named are historically identifiable: Annas, high priest A.D. 6–15, remained the power behind the office and is called “the high priest” (Acts 4:6) by influence; Caiaphas, his son-in-law, held the actual office A.D. 18–36 and had presided at Jesus’ trial (John 18:13–14, 24). The Sadducees — the priestly, aristocratic party that denied bodily resurrection (Acts 23:8) — are “greatly annoyed” precisely “because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). The captain of the temple was the chief of the temple police, second only to the high priest. Herod (Antipas) and Pontius Pilate (prefect of Judea A.D. 26–36) are named retrospectively in the prayer (Acts 4:27) as those who conspired against Jesus.

The major surrounding events frame the theological significance: the resurrection has been publicly proclaimed and confirmed by a “notable sign” the rulers “cannot deny” (Acts 4:16); the church has grown to “about five thousand” men (Acts 4:4). The conflict is fundamentally about the risen Christ.

Redemptive-historically, Acts 4 shows the ascended Lord pouring out His Spirit and building His church against the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). The pattern of Psalm 2 — the nations raging against the Lord’s Anointed — is now recognized as fulfilled first at the cross and continuing in the persecution of Christ’s body. The chapter marks the transition from the earthly ministry of Jesus to the Spirit-empowered witness of the church that will carry the gospel “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

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Historical-Grammatical Study

Genre. Acts is New Testament historical narrative — Luke’s inspired, orderly account (Luke 1:1–4; Acts 1:1) of the ascended Christ’s continuing work through His Spirit and church. Acts 4 combines narrative report, forensic speech (Peter’s defense), corporate prayer citing Scripture, and a summary passage on the church’s common life.

Key Greek terms and syntax.

• parrēsia (παρρησία), “boldness”: a keyword of the chapter (Acts 4:13, 29, 31). It denotes free, frank, fearless speech, the openness of one who has nothing to hide and everything to declare. The council marvels at the parrēsia of “uneducated, common men,” and the church prays for more of it.
• sōtēria (σωτηρία), “salvation,” and the verb sōthēnai (σωθῆναι), “to be saved”: “there is salvation (sōtēria) in no one else… by which we must be saved (dei… sōthēnai)” (Acts 4:12). The impersonal dei (“it is necessary/must”) stresses divine necessity: salvation must come this way, in this name, or not at all.
• onoma (ὄνομα), “name”: occurring repeatedly (Acts 4:7, 10, 12, 17, 18, 30). In Hebraic thought a “name” is the person’s identity, authority, and presence. To act “in the name” of Jesus is to act by His authority and power.
• lithos / akrogōniaios (λίθος, ἀκρογωνιαῖος), “stone / cornerstone”: Acts 4:11 quotes Psalm 118:22. The rejected stone becomes the kephalē gōnias, the head of the corner, the load-bearing foundation stone.
• Despota (Δέσποτα), “Sovereign Lord”: the church addresses God in prayer (Acts 4:24) with the word from which we derive “despot” — the absolute Master, owner of all. The title deliberately frames the prayer in God’s total sovereignty.
• proōrisen (προώρισεν), “predestined”: “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:28). The same root gives us “predestine” (Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 1:5, 11). God’s cheir (“hand”) and boulē (“plan, counsel”) foreordained the cross.

First-century Jewish background. The Sanhedrin was the seventy-member supreme council of the Jews, composed of chief priests (largely Sadducean), elders, and scribes (many Pharisaic), presided over by the high priest. Its judicial and religious authority made a summons before it weighty. The Sadducees’ denial of resurrection (Acts 23:8) explains their particular annoyance. Psalm 118 was sung at the great feasts and Psalm 118:22–26 was messianically charged (Matthew 21:9, 42). Psalm 2 was a royal enthronement psalm read messianically in Second Temple Judaism.

Covenantal themes. The chapter unfolds the new covenant community: filled with the Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:27), united in “one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5), and marked by generosity that fulfills the ideal “there will be no poor among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4; “there was not a needy person among them,” Acts 4:34). The exalted Christ, the cornerstone, is building the true temple of God (Ephesians 2:20–22).

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Expanded Outline

Section 1 — Arrest and Growth: The Word Cannot Be Chained (Acts 4:1–4)

Key Insight

While Peter and John “were speaking to the people,” the opposition arrives: “the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them” (Acts 4:1). The verb “came upon” (epestēsan) suggests a sudden, hostile confrontation. Luke names the reason precisely: they were “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). The Sadducees, who “say that there is no resurrection” (Acts 23:8), found the apostolic message doubly offensive — it proclaimed a resurrection in general and the resurrection of the Jesus they had helped condemn. The very court that thought it had silenced Jesus in the tomb now hears His resurrection preached in the temple. They “arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening” (Acts 4:3). Yet Luke sets a striking contrast: “But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). The arrest of the preachers could not arrest the word. As Calvin observes, the wicked “gain nothing by their fury but to spread the doctrine farther.” The chained apostles stand for the unchained gospel (2 Timothy 2:9, “the word of God is not bound”). This growth — from three thousand at Pentecost (Acts 2:41) to five thousand men — displays the sovereign, unstoppable advance of Christ’s kingdom. The One who said “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) is proving His word. Redemptive-historically, the pattern of Acts is set: opposition and expansion travel together; persecution becomes the seedbed of the church (cf. Acts 8:1–4). Christologically, the offense is the resurrection: the risen Lord is the stone the builders reject, and the whole conflict swirls around whether Jesus is alive and reigning. The section teaches that the effectual call operates through the preached word — “those who had heard the word believed” — for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Application

This passage steadies believers who face opposition for the gospel. When we speak of Christ and His resurrection, we may expect resistance from those “greatly annoyed” by the exclusive claims of the risen Lord. Yet the arrest of Peter and John teaches that human hostility cannot stop God’s word; if anything, it spreads it. We should therefore neither be surprised by opposition nor discouraged by it, remembering that “the word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9). Notice too where the growth came from: people “heard the word” and “believed.” Our task is faithful proclamation; the increase belongs to God (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). Beware two misapplications. First, do not assume that opposition always proves faithfulness — sometimes we suffer for our own folly, not for Christ (1 Peter 4:15–16). Second, do not measure success only by numbers; five thousand believed here, but John 6 records crowds falling away. The lasting encouragement is that the risen Christ is building His church, and no council, prison, or threat can overturn His purpose. Speak the word, trust the Lord of the harvest, and leave the results in His sovereign hands.

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Section 2 — Before the Council: By What Name? (Acts 4:5–12)

Key Insight

The next day the full apparatus of Jewish power assembles: “their rulers and elders and scribes,” “Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family” (Acts 4:5–6). This is the Sanhedrin, the same court that condemned Jesus. Setting the apostles “in the midst,” they demand, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7). The question about “name” is providential, opening the way for the answer the chapter is driving toward. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8) — fulfilling Jesus’ promise that the Spirit would give His witnesses words before rulers (Luke 12:11–12; 21:14–15) — turns the trial into a testimony. He declares that the crippled man was healed “by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:10). The two clauses set human guilt against divine vindication: “whom you crucified” / “whom God raised.” Then Peter presses the point with Scripture: “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11), quoting Psalm 118:22. The irony is exquisite: the temple “builders” — the religious establishment — have rejected the very stone God has made the foundation of His true house. Jesus Himself had wielded this text against them (Matthew 21:42; cf. 1 Peter 2:4–8). Peter’s climax is one of Scripture’s boldest exclusivity statements: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The impersonal “we must” (dei) marks divine necessity — salvation must come through this name or not at all. As R.C. Sproul notes, this verse “eliminates every other option” for reconciliation with God. Calvin comments that Peter “shuts up all men under one Christ.” The exclusivity is not narrowness but mercy: God has provided a Savior, and His name is freely proclaimed. Christologically, the section unites Christ’s rejection, resurrection, exaltation (cornerstone), and saving sufficiency. The lame man “standing before you well” (Acts 4:10) is a living parable: as the cripple was made whole in Jesus’ name, so sinners are saved in no other.

Application

This section demands that we rest our salvation, and stake our witness, on the exclusivity of Christ. In a culture that prizes tolerance and many paths to God, “there is no other name under heaven… by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) is a hard word — but it is the truest kindness, for it points to the one open door. We must not soften it. Practically, this means we proclaim Christ as the only Savior with both conviction and compassion, knowing that people cannot be saved by sincerity, religion, or good works, but only by His name. It also means our own assurance rests on Christ alone, not on our performance: the same name that heals the cripple justifies the sinner. Notice Peter’s boldness flowed from being “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8); we depend on the Spirit for courage before hostile audiences, trusting Jesus’ promise to give us words (Luke 12:12). Beware misapplication: the exclusivity of Christ is never a license for arrogance or contempt; we hold it humbly, as beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. Let this truth shape your prayers for the lost, your evangelism, and your worship, for the rejected stone has become the cornerstone of everything.

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Section 3 — We Cannot but Speak: Obeying God Rather Than Men (Acts 4:13–22)

Key Insight

The council’s reaction is telling: “when they saw the boldness (parrēsia) of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). “Uneducated, common men” (agrammatoi… idiōtai) means untrained in the rabbinic schools — ordinary fishermen. Their courage and clarity could not be explained by credentials; the only explanation was Jesus. As Matthew Henry writes, “the more they had of the company of Christ, the more bold they were.” The presence of “the man who was healed standing beside them” left the council with “nothing to say in opposition” (Acts 4:14); the evidence stood on two good legs. Dismissing the apostles, the rulers confer: “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it” (Acts 4:16). Astonishingly, they admit the miracle yet refuse to repent — a portrait of hardened unbelief that suppresses the truth (Romans 1:18). Their only strategy is suppression: “let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name” (Acts 4:17), and they “charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). Peter and John answer with a principle that has echoed through church history: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20). This is the foundation of holy civil disobedience: when human authority commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The apostles do not defy authority for its own sake; they submit to God’s higher claim. “We cannot but speak” expresses an inward compulsion — like Jeremiah’s “fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9) and Paul’s “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). The council “further threatened them” but “let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God” (Acts 4:21). Even the rulers’ restraint serves God’s sovereign protection of His witnesses. Christologically, the disciples’ boldness flows from union with the risen Christ; having “been with Jesus,” they cannot be silenced about Him.

Application

This section calls believers to Spirit-given boldness and to right-ordered obedience. First, note that the apostles’ courage was traced to having “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The great secret of bold witness is communion with Christ; those who spend time with Him become like Him. Cultivate that fellowship through the Word, prayer, and worship, and boldness will follow. Second, the passage teaches the limits of human authority. We are commanded to honor and submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13–17), but that submission is not absolute. When rulers command us to sin or forbid us to obey God — as when they forbid the preaching of Christ — we must respectfully refuse: “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). This is the ground on which martyrs and reformers have stood. Beware two misapplications. First, this is not a warrant for rebellious defiance of every law we dislike; the apostles disobeyed only a direct command to be silent about Christ, and they bore the consequences peacefully. Second, boldness is not rudeness; Peter and John spoke respectfully (“you must judge”). Let “we cannot but speak” describe your own heart — an inward compulsion born of what Christ has done, so that no threat can finally silence your testimony.

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Section 4 — The Believers Pray for Boldness (Acts 4:23–31)

Key Insight

Released, Peter and John “went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said” (Acts 4:23). The church’s response is not strategy but prayer: “they lifted their voices together to God” (Acts 4:24). Their address sets the tone — “Sovereign Lord (Despota), who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them” (Acts 4:24). Before a word about their crisis, they confess God’s absolute sovereignty as Creator. Then they pray Scripture, quoting Psalm 2:1–2: “Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves… against the Lord and against his Anointed” (Acts 4:25–26). They interpret this psalm as fulfilled in the passion: “for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel” (Acts 4:27). Here is a stunning theological claim: the four parties — Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, Israel — freely and wickedly conspired against Jesus, yet they acted only “to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:28). The Greek proōrisen (“predestined”) joined to God’s “hand” (cheir) and “plan” (boulē) affirms that the greatest crime in history was, at the same time, the deliberate fulfillment of God’s eternal decree (cf. Acts 2:23, “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God”). This is compatibilism: human agents are fully responsible for their sin, and God is fully sovereign over it, without being its author. As Sproul insists, “there are no maverick molecules” outside God’s rule. The prayer’s request flows from this sovereignty: not for the threats to cease, not for safety, but “grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness (parrēsia), while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29–30). They ask for more courage, not less danger. God answers visibly and immediately: “the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31) — a fresh Pentecost confirming and empowering their mission. Christologically, the prayer centers on the crucified, risen, anointed “holy servant Jesus,” whose name is the instrument of both salvation and signs.

Application

This prayer is a model for the persecuted, pressured, and fearful church. First, the believers took their trouble to God together — corporate prayer, “with one accord” (cf. Acts 1:14). When threatened, our instinct should be to gather and pray, not to panic or scheme. Second, they anchored their prayer in God’s sovereignty: they began with the Creator of all and rested on His predestining plan, even over the cross (Acts 4:28). A high view of God’s sovereignty is not a hindrance to prayer but its very fuel — because God rules all, prayer is worth offering. Third, they prayed Scripture back to God, letting Psalm 2 shape their petition. We should saturate our prayers with the Word. Fourth, and most searchingly, they asked for boldness, not escape (Acts 4:29). Our prayers under pressure are often for comfort and relief; theirs was for courage to keep obeying. Beware misapplication: God’s sovereignty over evil never excuses the evildoer (Herod and Pilate remain guilty) nor makes God the author of sin (James 1:13). Nor should we expect the building to shake each time we pray; the sign confirmed a unique redemptive moment. But we may expect the same Spirit to embolden us. Let this prayer reform your own — grounded in God’s sovereignty, filled with Scripture, and aimed at faithfulness rather than mere safety.

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Section 5 — One Heart and Soul: The Fellowship of Grace (Acts 4:32–35)

Key Insight

Luke turns from the council to the community, giving a second summary of the church’s common life (cf. Acts 2:42–47). “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32). “One heart and soul” (kardia kai psychē mia) describes a supernatural unity, the answer to Jesus’ prayer “that they may all be one” (John 17:21) and an echo of the great commandment to love God with all the heart and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5). This unity expressed itself in radical generosity. Note the two clauses at the center: “with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). Luke frames the sharing between resurrection witness and “great grace” — the generosity flows from the risen Christ and from grace at work, not from coercion or ideology. “There was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34) directly fulfills the covenant promise of Deuteronomy 15:4, “there will be no poor among you.” Those who owned lands or houses “sold them and brought the proceeds… and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:34–35). Two features guard against misreading this as forced communism. First, it was voluntary — Peter later tells Ananias his property “remained your own” and the proceeds “at your disposal” (Acts 5:4); the sin of Ananias was lying, not withholding. Second, it was need-based generosity administered through the apostles, not the abolition of private property. As Calvin notes, the believers gave “not as if they were compelled” but from a heart transformed by grace. The phrase “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own” describes an attitude of open-handed stewardship: they still owned, but they held loosely, viewing all as belonging to God and available to the body. Christologically, this fellowship embodies the self-giving love of Christ, “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). The risen Lord who is proclaimed with “great power” produces a people whose love overflows to meet real needs.

Application

This passage confronts the individualism and materialism of our hearts with a vision of grace-driven generosity. First, the unity of “one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32) is a gift to be cherished and cultivated; we pursue it by esteeming Christ above our preferences and one another above ourselves (Philippians 2:3–4). Second, the believers held possessions with open hands: “no one said that any of the things… was his own” (Acts 4:32). This is not a call to sell everything or to abolish property — Scripture affirms ownership and warns against enabling idleness (2 Thessalonians 3:10) — but it is a summons to radical stewardship, viewing all we have as God’s and available to those in need. Concretely, this means generous giving, hospitality, and readiness to sacrifice comfort so that “there was not a needy person among” us. Third, notice the source: “great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). True generosity is the fruit of grace received, not a burden of law. Beware misapplication: this text does not mandate a particular economic system, nor does it commend giving from guilt or manipulation (“God loves a cheerful giver,” 2 Corinthians 9:7). Let the risen Christ, proclaimed with power in our midst, so grip our hearts that our unity is real and our generosity overflows to meet the needs around us.

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Section 6 — Barnabas the Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36–37)

Key Insight

Luke concludes the chapter with a concrete example that puts flesh on the general summary: “Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:36–37). The word “Thus” (or “and”) connects Barnabas to the pattern just described (Acts 4:34–35): he is a living illustration of grace-driven generosity. Luke gives us his details deliberately. He is a Levite — a member of the priestly tribe that traditionally held no land inheritance (Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:9), which makes his ownership and sale of “a field” notable and his gift the more striking. He is “a native of Cyprus,” a diaspora Jew, signaling the widening reach of the gospel. Most importantly, the apostles had renamed him Barnabas, “son of encouragement” (huios paraklēseōs) — a name that would prove prophetic of his whole ministry. This is the same Barnabas who will vouch for the newly converted Saul when the church feared him (Acts 9:26–27), who will be sent to nurture the Antioch church and “encouraged them all to remain faithful” (Acts 11:22–24), where he is described as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith,” and who will become Paul’s partner and later restore John Mark (Acts 15:37–39). His generosity here is the first note of a life given to building others up. Reformed commentators note that Luke introduces Barnabas precisely so that the reader will feel the contrast with the account that immediately follows: Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11), who also “sold” property and “laid” money at the apostles’ feet, but out of hypocrisy and love of reputation, keeping back part while pretending to give all. Barnabas gives sincerely; Ananias lies. The two set before the church the difference between grace and hypocrisy, between genuine faith that shows itself in love and a counterfeit that seeks the appearance of godliness. Christologically, Barnabas foreshadows the ministry of the great Encourager, for the Spirit Himself is the Paraklētos (John 14:16), and Barnabas, filled with that Spirit, becomes a channel of Christ’s own comfort to the church.

Application

Barnabas models the kind of Christian every believer is called to be: generous, sincere, and encouraging. First, his gift shows that grace makes us free with our resources for the good of God’s people; a Levite with a field lays the proceeds at the apostles’ feet without fanfare. We are invited to the same open-handed sacrifice. Second, his name and life summon us to a ministry of encouragement. In a church where many are discouraged, fearful, or written off (as Saul was), those who come alongside to build up faith are precious. “Encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11); “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24–25). Ask: whom can I encourage this week? Whom has the church given up on that I might, like Barnabas, stand beside? Third, the contrast with the coming Ananias warns us to give and serve sincerely, not for reputation. Beware the misapplication of using generosity or ministry as a stage for self-display; God sees the heart (Matthew 6:1–4). Let Barnabas provoke you to a life that both gives freely and builds others up, so that you become, by the Spirit, a son or daughter of encouragement in your church.

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Cross References

Comparative Gospel Study

Not Applicable as Direct Comparison — Acts is New Testament historical narrative, not Gospel narrative. However, Acts 4 develops key Gospel themes anticipated in the earthly ministry of Jesus:

The resurrection as the vindicating sign. The whole conflict turns on “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). This fulfills Jesus’ own predictions of His death and rising (Mark 8:31; John 2:19) and makes the resurrection the center of apostolic witness, as it was the climax of every Gospel (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20). The empty tomb Jesus promised is now the message the church cannot help but preach.

The rejected stone become the cornerstone. Peter’s citation of Psalm 118:22 (Acts 4:11) directly echoes Jesus’ use of the same text against the same authorities in the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10–11; Luke 20:17). What Jesus prophesied — the builders’ rejection turned to God’s triumph — is now recognized as accomplished in His death and exaltation.

The exclusivity of salvation in Christ. “There is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12) unfolds Jesus’ claim, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), and “I am the door” (John 10:9). The apostolic preaching simply proclaims what the incarnate Christ declared.

Spirit-empowered witness before rulers. Peter “filled with the Holy Spirit” before the council (Acts 4:8) fulfills Jesus’ promise: “when they bring you before… the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious… for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11–12; cf. 21:12–15). The Gospel promise becomes narrative reality.

Suffering for the name. The apostles’ arrest and threats fulfill Jesus’ warning that His disciples would be “delivered up to the councils” and “hated by all for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:17–22; John 15:20), and His beatitude on the persecuted (Matthew 5:10–12). Persecution authenticates rather than refutes their discipleship.

Old Testament Connections

Pentateuch: The command to love the Lord “with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 6:5) is realized in the church “of one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). The covenant ideal “there will be no poor among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4) is fulfilled: “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34). Barnabas the Levite’s gift is striking against the rule that Levites had no land inheritance, “the LORD is their inheritance” (Deuteronomy 18:1–2; Numbers 18:20).

Historical Books: Solomon’s temple dedication acknowledged God as Maker of all (1 Kings 8), the same confession the church makes in addressing the “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth” (Acts 4:24). The theme of building God’s house frames Peter’s cornerstone citation.

Wisdom Literature: Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” is quoted in Acts 4:11 as fulfilled in the rejected and exalted Christ. Psalm 2:1–2, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves… against the LORD and against his Anointed,” is quoted in Acts 4:25–26 and applied to the coalition against Jesus. Psalm 146:6 celebrates the LORD “who made heaven and earth,” echoed in Acts 4:24.

Major Prophets: Isaiah 28:16, the “precious cornerstone, a sure foundation,” stands behind the cornerstone theme (cf. 1 Peter 2:6; Romans 9:33). The promise of the Spirit poured out (Isaiah 32:15; 44:3) is realized in the fresh filling of Acts 4:31. Jeremiah’s “fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9) parallels “we cannot but speak” (Acts 4:20).

Minor Prophets: Joel 2:28–32, cited at Pentecost (Acts 2:17–21), continues to unfold as the Spirit fills the praying church (Acts 4:31). The prophetic hope of the Spirit-empowered, restored people undergirds the whole scene.

New Testament Fulfillment

Gospels/Acts: The chapter fulfills Jesus’ promises of the Spirit’s help before rulers (Luke 12:11–12) and His warnings of persecution (John 15:18–21). The principle “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 4:19–20) is restated in Acts 5:29 and modeled throughout Acts (5:40–42; 16; 21–26). The cornerstone and Psalm 2 themes are developed in Acts 13:33 (Psalm 2 and the resurrection).

Paul’s Epistles: Paul develops Christ as the cornerstone of the church’s temple (Ephesians 2:20–22), the exclusivity of the one mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), predestination and God’s sovereign plan (Romans 8:28–30; Ephesians 1:5, 11), the resurrection as “of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), grace-driven generosity (2 Corinthians 8–9), and the unity of the body (Ephesians 4:1–6; Philippians 2:1–4).

General Epistles/Revelation: Peter’s own letter richly develops the cornerstone/living stone theme (1 Peter 2:4–8) and the call to give a defense with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). Hebrews presents Christ as the new and living way of access to God (Hebrews 10:19–22). Revelation shows the raging nations of Psalm 2 finally subdued under the reign of the Lamb (Revelation 11:15, 18; 19:15–16).

Redemptive-Historical Context

Acts 4 stands at the hinge of redemptive history, between the accomplishment of redemption at the cross and resurrection and its application through the Spirit-empowered church. Reading through the arc of Creation → Fall → Redemption → Consummation, the chapter both looks back to the finished work of Christ and forward to its consummation.

At Creation, God “made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them” (Acts 4:24) — the very confession that opens the church’s prayer. This grounds everything that follows: the God who made all things rules all things, including the councils that rage against Him. The Fall appears in the hardened unbelief of the rulers, who acknowledge the miracle yet suppress the truth (Acts 4:16–18; Romans 1:18), and supremely in the coalition that “gathered together against your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:27). Human rebellion reaches its climax in the crucifixion, the great sin foretold by Psalm 2’s raging nations.

Yet Redemption is precisely what God accomplished through that rebellion. The staggering claim of Acts 4:28 is that Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel did only “whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” The cross was no accident or defeat but the deliberate execution of God’s eternal decree (Acts 2:23). God turned the world’s worst evil into the salvation of sinners, making the “stone that was rejected” the “cornerstone” (Acts 4:11) and the crucified Jesus the only name “by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The healed lame man “standing before you well” (Acts 4:10) is a sign of this new-creation life breaking in through the risen Christ.

The already/not-yet tension pervades the chapter. Already the Spirit is poured out and fills the church afresh (Acts 4:31); already there is a foretaste of the new creation where “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34), a proleptic glimpse of the world to come. Yet not yet is the opposition ended — the church still faces threats, still prays for boldness in the midst of danger. The raging of Psalm 2 continues until the Anointed One is fully installed and every knee bows (Philippians 2:10–11; Revelation 19).

The New Covenant dimensions are explicit. The community of “one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32) embodies the promised internal transformation (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26–27); the Spirit indwells and empowers; access to God is through the name of Jesus alone, not through the old temple system, for Christ is the true cornerstone of God’s new temple, the church (Ephesians 2:20–22). Thus Acts 4 shows the ascended Christ reigning, building His church against all opposition, and drawing His people toward the consummation when the kingdoms of this world become “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15).

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Systematic Theology Connection

Salvation in Christ Alone (Solus Christus)

Acts 4:12 is one of Scripture’s clearest assertions of the exclusivity of Christ: “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The doctrine of solus Christus holds that Jesus is the sole and sufficient Savior, the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), through whose atoning death and resurrection alone sinners are reconciled to God. The passage grounds this exclusivity in divine necessity (the impersonal dei, “we must”): God has appointed this way and no other. The Westminster Confession affirms that “the Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself… hath fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased… reconciliation” (WCF 8.5), and that there is no salvation apart from Him even for those who have not heard, however diligent to frame their lives by the light of nature (WCF 10.4). This truth has profound practical implications. It fuels the church’s mission, for the lost cannot be saved by sincerity, religion, or moral effort but only by Christ’s name — hence the urgency of proclamation (Romans 10:13–15). It grounds assurance, for the believer’s hope rests not on his own works but on the finished work of Christ alone, the cornerstone that cannot fail (1 Peter 2:6). And it demands both boldness and humility: boldness to declare the one Savior in a pluralistic age, humility because we are only beggars pointing to the Bread. The exclusivity of Christ is not narrow bigotry but the narrow gate that alone leads to life (Matthew 7:13–14; John 10:9). Related passages: John 14:6; Acts 10:43; 1 John 5:11–12.

The Sovereignty of God and the Eternal Decree

Acts 4:27–28 is a locus classicus for the doctrine of God’s sovereign decree: the enemies of Christ did “whatever your hand and your plan had predestined (proōrisen) to take place.” God’s eternal counsel (boulē) ordained even the crucifixion, the greatest evil ever committed, without thereby becoming the author of sin. The Westminster Confession expresses this precisely: “God, from all eternity, did… freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established” (WCF 3.1). This is compatibilism — the full compatibility of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel acted freely and wickedly, yet fulfilled God’s predestined plan (cf. Acts 2:23; Genesis 50:20; Isaiah 10:5–15). The practical implications are immense. First, it gives the persecuted church confidence: if God ruled even the cross, no threat lies outside His control (Acts 4:29). Second, it fuels prayer rather than paralyzing it, for the church prays to the “Sovereign Lord” precisely because He reigns (Acts 4:24). Third, it comforts believers that no suffering is meaningless; the God who wrought redemption through the cross works “all things together for good” (Romans 8:28). Fourth, it magnifies grace, for our salvation flows from God’s eternal purpose, not human contingency (Ephesians 1:11). The decree never excuses sin nor makes God its author (James 1:13; 1 John 1:5); it establishes that God rules all, so we may trust Him utterly. Related passages: Ephesians 1:11; Daniel 4:35; Proverbs 16:33.

Providence

Closely related to the decree, providence is God’s continual upholding and governing of all creatures and actions (WCF 5.1). Acts 4 displays providence at every turn. The word spreads despite the apostles’ arrest (Acts 4:4); the council can find “no way to punish them, because of the people” (Acts 4:21), so God restrains the enemies’ hand through public opinion. The very naming of “name” by the council (Acts 4:7) providentially opens the door for Peter’s confession. Above all, God governs the free acts of Herod, Pilate, and the crowds to accomplish redemption (Acts 4:28). The Westminster Confession teaches that God’s providence extends even to “the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men… which He most wisely and powerfully boundeth, and otherwise ordereth and governeth, in a manifold dispensation, to His own most holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God” (WCF 5.4). Practically, this doctrine steadies the believer amid opposition and uncertainty. Because God governs all — kings, councils, crowds, and circumstances — the Christian can be bold and unafraid, entrusting outcomes to the One who “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). Providence transforms fatalism into faith and fear into confident obedience, for the hairs of our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30) and not a sparrow falls apart from the Father (Matthew 10:29). Related passages: Genesis 45:5–8; Psalm 103:19; Romans 8:28.

Effectual Calling

Acts 4:4 records that “many of those who had heard the word believed,” even as the authorities moved to suppress the message. This illustrates effectual calling — the sovereign, gracious act by which God, through His Word and Spirit, draws sinners to Christ and enables them to believe (WCF 10.1). The Westminster Confession describes it: God “effectually calleth, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds… renewing their wills… effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace” (WCF 10.1–2). The growth of the church here is not the fruit of favorable conditions — indeed the conditions were hostile — but of God’s effectual work through the preached word. Luke will later state the principle explicitly: “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Effectual calling means that the increase of the church rests finally on God, not on human eloquence or method (1 Corinthians 3:6–7); “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). This is profoundly encouraging for mission: we sow the seed of the word confident that God will call His elect through it, even under persecution. It humbles the preacher, for the power is God’s; it emboldens the witness, for the results are secured by God; and it exalts grace, for salvation is God’s initiative from first to last (John 6:44; 2 Timothy 1:9). Related passages: John 6:37, 44; Romans 8:30; 1 Peter 2:9.

The Filling of the Spirit and Holy Boldness

The theme of parrēsia (boldness) linked to the filling of the Spirit runs through Acts 4 (vv. 8, 13, 29, 31). Peter speaks “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8), and the whole church, having prayed, is “filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). This illustrates the Spirit’s ongoing work in empowering believers for witness and service, distinct from though flowing out of His indwelling. The Westminster Larger Catechism teaches that sanctification and the graces of the Christian life are the Spirit’s work (WLC 75), and Scripture presents such fillings as repeated empowerments for particular tasks (Acts 2:4; 4:31; 13:9; Ephesians 5:18). Note the pattern: the filling is sought in prayer (Acts 4:29), granted by God, and directed toward faithful proclamation, not private ecstasy. Boldness here is not natural temperament — Peter had cowered before a servant girl (Luke 22:57) — but Spirit-wrought courage that fulfills Jesus’ promise to give His witnesses words before rulers (Luke 12:11–12). The practical implications are clear: Christians should pray earnestly for the Spirit’s filling to embolden their witness, depending on God rather than on self-confidence for courage under pressure. Such boldness is neither brashness nor self-promotion but freedom to speak the truth of Christ plainly and lovingly. Where the Spirit fills, timid disciples become fearless witnesses, and the word of God advances. Related passages: Acts 2:4; Ephesians 3:12; 6:19–20; 2 Timothy 1:7.

The Communion of Saints

Acts 4:32–35 gives a vivid picture of the communion of saints: believers “of one heart and soul,” sharing possessions, so that “there was not a needy person among them.” The Westminster Confession defines this communion: saints “are united to one another in love, [and] have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man”; this communion extends “unto their mutual good… in outward things, according to their several abilities and necessities” (WCF 26.1–2). The unity described is spiritual and supernatural — the fruit of union with Christ and the indwelling Spirit — and it overflows into practical, sacrificial love. Importantly, the Confession also guards against misreading: this communion “doth not take away the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions” (WCF 26.3), consistent with Peter’s words to Ananias that his property remained his own (Acts 5:4). The practical implications are far-reaching. Church members are bound to one another not as strangers but as one body, obligated to care for each other’s spiritual and material needs (Galatians 6:2, 10; 1 John 3:17). Genuine fellowship is more than attendance; it is shared life, mutual burden-bearing, and open-handed generosity. Such communion is a powerful witness, for by love for one another all people know we are Christ’s disciples (John 13:35). Related passages: Romans 12:4–5, 13; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Hebrews 10:24–25.

Prayer as a Means of Grace

The church’s response to persecution — corporate, Scripture-saturated prayer answered by the shaking of the place and fresh filling of the Spirit (Acts 4:24–31) — displays prayer as a divinely appointed means of grace. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines prayer as “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies” (WSC 98), and lists prayer among the outward means whereby Christ communicates the benefits of redemption (WSC 88). Acts 4 models exemplary prayer: it begins with adoration of God’s sovereignty (Acts 4:24), rehearses Scripture (Psalm 2, Acts 4:25–26), interprets present events by God’s Word and decree (Acts 4:27–28), and petitions for boldness according to God’s will (Acts 4:29–30). God’s immediate answer (Acts 4:31) demonstrates that prayer is genuinely efficacious — not because it changes God’s eternal purpose, but because God has ordained prayer as the means through which He accomplishes His purposes. The practical implications are vital: the church’s strength lies in prayer, especially united prayer in times of trial; we should ground our petitions in God’s character and Word; and we should pray boldly for what most honors God, such as courage to obey Him. Prayer is not a substitute for God’s sovereignty but its ordained instrument, the channel through which the Spirit’s power flows to the church. Related passages: Matthew 6:9–13; Philippians 4:6–7; James 5:16.

Christ the Cornerstone and the Church

Acts 4:11 identifies Jesus as “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22), teaching the doctrine of Christ as the foundation of the church. The cornerstone determines the alignment and stability of the whole building; Christ is that stone, rejected by the builders (the religious authorities) but exalted by God as the sure foundation. Paul develops this: the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:20–21). Peter expands it further: Christ is “a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,” and believers are “living stones… being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4–5), while to the disobedient He is “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense” (1 Peter 2:8; Isaiah 8:14). This doctrine has rich implications. It teaches that the church has no other foundation than Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11); every doctrine, practice, and hope must be aligned to Him. It warns that rejecting Christ is not neutral — the rejected stone becomes a stone of judgment (Luke 20:18). And it comforts, for a church built on the risen cornerstone cannot ultimately fall (Matthew 16:18). The Westminster standards present Christ as the sole Head of the church (WCF 25.6), the foundation on which His people are built. Related passages: Isaiah 28:16; Romans 9:33; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:19–22.

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Reformed Theology

Acts 4 is a treasure of Reformed conviction, above all in its uncompromising testimony to the sovereignty of God and the exclusivity of Christ. The chapter’s theological center is the prayer of Acts 4:24–30, which frames the entire episode in the sovereignty of the “Sovereign Lord” (Despota) who “made the heaven and the earth” and who “predestined” (proōrisen) even the crucifixion (Acts 4:28). Here the Reformed doctrines of the eternal decree, providence, and compatibilism find one of their clearest biblical foundations. Calvin, commenting on this passage, marvels that “whatsoever things are done in the world are governed by the hand of God,” including the wicked deeds of Christ’s enemies, “yet so that God is not the author of the evil.” The Westminster Confession’s careful formulation — God ordains “whatsoever comes to pass, yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is… the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away” (WCF 3.1) — is essentially an exposition of Acts 4:27–28. The cross, the supreme instance of human evil, was the supreme execution of divine purpose.

The chapter also anchors solus Christus, the Reformation’s insistence that salvation is in Christ alone. “There is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12) is a Reformation banner, standing against every attempt to add human merit, sacrament, or alternative mediator to the finished work of Christ. R.C. Sproul frequently pressed this text as the death of religious pluralism and the heart of the gospel’s offense and glory. Sinclair Ferguson notes that the boldness of the apostles flowed not from self-confidence but from the Spirit and from having “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13) — a thoroughly Reformed emphasis on union with Christ and dependence on the Spirit for all Christian courage and fruit.

Confessionally, the chapter echoes the Westminster standards at many points: God alone as Lord of the conscience and the ground of holy resistance to tyranny (WCF 20.2; 23.4) in “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 4:19–20); the communion of saints in the sharing of goods (WCF 26.1–3); prayer as a means of grace (WSC 88, 98); effectual calling in the believing of the word (WCF 10). The typology of Christ as the true temple’s cornerstone (Acts 4:11) reflects the Reformed reading of redemptive history, developed by Vos, Beale, and Kline, in which the temple theme moves from tabernacle to Christ to the church as God’s dwelling by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:20–22).

On the question of Israel and the church, Reformed theology sees profound continuity. The church of Acts 4 is not a parenthesis but the true Israel gathered around her Messiah, fulfilling the covenant ideal “there will be no poor among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4) and the command to love God with all the heart and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5). The Psalm 2 coalition — including “the peoples of Israel” (Acts 4:27) — shows that ethnic descent does not secure covenant standing; the true people of God are those united to the Anointed. Beale and Vos would stress that the outpoured Spirit (Acts 4:31) marks the inauguration of the new-covenant age promised by the prophets (Ezekiel 36:26–27; Joel 2:28). Spurgeon, preaching on the cornerstone, urged sinners to build on Christ alone, for “the stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner.” Carson and Piper alike highlight the chapter’s model of prayer that begins with God’s sovereignty and asks for boldness rather than escape — a distinctly God-centered spirituality. In sum, Acts 4 presents the Reformed vision entire: a sovereign God accomplishing redemption through the crucified and risen Christ, saving His elect by grace, and building His church, the new temple, against all the raging of the nations.

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Dispensational Theology

A Dispensational reading of Acts 4 employs a consistently literal-grammatical hermeneutic and maintains a clear distinction between Israel and the church, yielding several characteristic emphases. Dispensationalists locate Acts in the transitional period following Pentecost, in which the church age has begun (traditionally dated from Acts 2) even as the offer of the kingdom to national Israel continues to reverberate. Peter’s audience is Israelite, and his message in Acts 3–4 includes a genuine call to national repentance (Acts 3:19–21) so that God might “send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things.” Dispensational interpreters such as Walvoord and Pentecost stress that this “restoration of all things” points to a still-future, literal messianic kingdom promised to Israel (cf. the Davidic covenant, 2 Samuel 7), not yet inaugurated in its earthly, national form.

On Acts 4:11–12, Dispensationalists fully affirm the exclusivity of Christ: salvation is in no other name. Ryrie and other classic Dispensationalists insist, against any hint of universalism or salvation apart from conscious faith in Christ, that Jesus is the only Savior in every age, even while distinguishing the administration (dispensation) of God’s dealings across redemptive history. The cornerstone citation of Psalm 118:22 is read as literally fulfilled in Israel’s leaders rejecting their Messiah, with the “builders” being the specific historical Sanhedrin.

Regarding Acts 4:25–28 and Psalm 2, Dispensational interpreters take the psalm literally and eschatologically. While they acknowledge an initial fulfillment in the coalition against Jesus at the cross (Acts 4:27), they emphasize that Psalm 2 awaits a fuller, future literal fulfillment when the nations rage against Messiah in the end-time tribulation and Christ returns to establish His literal reign from Jerusalem (Psalm 2:6–9; Revelation 19:15). The “already” of the cross does not exhaust the psalm; its climactic realization is the second advent and the millennial kingdom. On the divine decree of Acts 4:28, Dispensationalists affirm God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge, though the tradition has generally been less systematically Calvinistic on predestination than Reformed theology, with many holding a modified view that balances sovereignty with human freedom.

On the community of goods in Acts 4:32–35, Dispensationalists typically read this as a temporary, voluntary practice of the early Jerusalem church during a unique transitional period, not a normative pattern for the church age. Because they distinguish sharply between Israel and the church and between dispensations, they caution against making this Jerusalem practice a binding rule; the epistles, addressed to the developing church, establish the enduring norms of cheerful, proportionate giving (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7) rather than communal ownership. The filling of the Spirit (Acts 4:31) is understood within the new dynamics of the church age inaugurated at Pentecost, when the Spirit came to indwell believers permanently (John 14:16–17). Overall, the Dispensational reading honors the historical particularity of the text, upholds the exclusivity of Christ, and reads Psalm 2 as pointing beyond the cross to the future literal kingdom, while distinguishing the transitional Jerusalem community from the normative practice of the church.

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Bibliography

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• Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
• Calvin, John. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society.
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• Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.
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• Ryrie, Charles C. Dispensationalism. Chicago: Moody, 1995.
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• Sproul, R. C. Acts. St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
• Spurgeon, Charles H. The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. London: Passmore & Alabaster.
• Stott, John R. W. The Message of Acts. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: IVP, 1990.
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• The Westminster Confession of Faith and The Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms.