We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree. God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
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Acts 10:39-41 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all— you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree. God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins.”
Parallel Translations
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We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree.
God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed,
not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
-
And we are witnesses of all thinges which he dyd in the londe of the Iewes and at Ierusalem whom they slew and honge on tree.
Him God reysed vp the thyrde daye and shewed him openly
not to all the people but vnto vs witnesses chosyn before of God which ate and dronke with him after he arose from deeth.
Show all 3 translations
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And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Iewes, and in Hierusalem, whom they slewe, hanging him on a tree.
Him God raysed vp the third day, and caused that he was shewed openly:
Not to all the people, but vnto the witnesses chosen before of God, euen to vs which did eate and drinke with him, after he arose from the dead.
Cross-references (41)
- John 14:22 (v41) Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”
- Luke 24:48 (v39) You are witnesses of these things.
- Acts 10:39 (v41) We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree.
- Acts 13:31 (vv39, 41) and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.
- John 14:17 (v41) the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and…
Show all 39 cross-references
- John 21:13 (v41) Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the fish likewise.
- Acts 1:2-3 (v41) until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To…
- Acts 1:8 (v39) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and…
- Acts 10:41 (v39) not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
- Acts 13:30-31 (v40) But God raised him from the dead, and he was seen for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his…
- 1 Peter 1:21 (v40) who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.
- Acts 1:22 (vv39, 41) beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his…
- John 15:16 (v41) You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that…
- Acts 2:24 (v40) whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.
- Acts 2:32 (v39) This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (v40) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was…
- 2 Corinthians 4:14 (v40) knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.
- 1 Peter 2:24 (v39) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.
- Matthew 28:1-2 (v40) Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. Behold,…
- Luke 1:2 (v39) even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,
- Luke 24:30 (v41) When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them.
- Luke 24:41-43 (v41) While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of a…
- John 15:27 (v39) You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
- John 20:1-21 (v41) Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the…
- Acts 2:23-24 (v39) him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and…
- Acts 3:14-15 (v39) But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised…
- Acts 4:10 (v39) may it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God…
- Acts 5:30-32 (v39) The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree. God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a…
- Acts 7:52 (v39) Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now…
- Acts 13:27-29 (v39) For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn’t know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every…
- Acts 17:31 (v40) because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given…
- Romans 1:4 (v40) who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our…
- Romans 4:24-25 (v40) but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who was delivered up for…
- Romans 6:4-11 (v40) We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,…
- Romans 8:11 (v40) But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life…
- Romans 14:9 (v40) For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
- 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 (v40) Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But…
- Galatians 3:13 (v39) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”
- Hebrews 13:20 (v40) Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord…
39 distinct cross-references across this passage (41 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (20 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv39, 41 39. And we be witnesses. That he may make…
39. And we be witnesses. That he may make his words to be believed, he saith, that he and his fellows in office saw with their eyes all those things which they spake concerning Christ. Shortly after, he taketh the word witness in another sense, when he saith that they were appointed witnesses by God, and that they are brought forth, as it were, by God, that they might by their preaching bring men unto the faith of Christ. So Paul, in the fifteenth of the First to the Corinthians, (1 Corinthians 15:15,) saith,
“We (saith he) should be found false witnesses [of Gods] unless Christ were risen from the dead.”
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And we have already heard by the mouth of Christ, “Ye shall be my witnesses in Judea, Samaria, and at Jerusalem.” And now Peter calleth himself only an historical witness, because he beheld the things which were done. And here he toucheth his death briefly, because it was openly known; he standeth longer upon his resurrection, which was more doubtful, and the knowledge whereof was more available unto faith.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v41 This choosing of the Apostles is properly given to…
This choosing of the Apostles is properly given to God: for though God be president in the lawful election of ministers, yet there is in this place a secret opposition and setting of God’s choosing, and men voice the one against the other, for the Apostles are immediately appointed of God, and the Church Ministers by means.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv39–41 39 And we are witnesses of all things which…
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
Ver. 39. And we are witnesses] Eye-witnesses (which are far better than ear-witnesses) and ancient witnesses, such as of whom Aristotle saith, πιστοτατοι οι παλαιοι αδιαφθοροι γαρ; the more ancient the more credible. Plus valet oculatus testis unus quam auriti decem. (Plaut.)
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv39–41 We are witnesses; the apostles, whom Christ had chosen…
We are witnesses; the apostles, whom Christ had chosen to go in and out with him, and to be eye and ear witnesses of all that was done by him, or against him.
Whom they slew: their killing of our Saviour is the rather here spoken of, to show how rightfully the Jews were now to be forsaken, and that they had no cause to complain of the calling in of the Gentiles, being themselves had in such a manner rejected Christ; but especially, that they who were here met, and we, all might consider, how much it cost our blessed Saviour to deliver us from sin and hell. He was made a curse for us, Gal 3:13, as Deu 21:23 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us, Gal 3:14.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv39–41 And we are witnesses of all things,.... That is,…
And we are witnesses of all things,.... That is, Peter, and the rest of the apostles, were witnesses, even eyewitnesses, of Christ's going about from place to place, and of the good he did every where, and of the miracles which he wrought; and even of every thing
which he did both in the land of the Jews; which takes in not only Judea, but Galilee, and beyond Jordan;
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and in Jerusalem; the metropolis of Judea:
whom they slew and hanged on a tree; whom the Jews put to death; for since it was by their instigation, and at their request, it is ascribed to them; and who not content with any death, desired he might be crucified, or hanged on a tree; partly because of the pain and torture of it, and partly because of the shame and ignominy that attended it; as well as to throw off the scandal of his death from themselves to the Romans, crucifixion being a Roman punishment.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v41 Not now to all the people - As before…
Not now to all the people - As before his death; to us who did eat and drink with him - That is, conversed familiarly and continually with him, in the time of his ministry.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv39–41 Verse 39. We are witnesses of all] In this…
Verse 39. We are witnesses of all] In this speech St. Peter may refer, not only to the twelve apostles, but to the six brethren whom he had brought with him.
Whom they slew] As the truth of the resurrection must depend on the reality of the death of Christ, it was necessary that this should be stated, and shown to rest on the most indubitable evidence.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v39 Act 10:39-42. And we — His apostles, of whom…
Act 10:39-42. And we — His apostles, of whom I have the honour and happiness to be one; are witnesses of all things which he did — Having been present when he did them; both in the land of the Jews — In all parts of Judea; and particularly in Jerusalem — Their capital city; for we attended him in all the progress which he made, beholding with astonishment his miracles, and hearing with delight his discourses; whom — Nevertheless, this unbelieving and ungrateful people were so far from receiving with a becoming regard, that, in a most infamous manner, they slew and hanged him on a tree — Crucifying him, as if he had been the vilest of malefactors and slaves. Their crucifying Christ is here spoken of, the rather, to show how justly the Jews were now to be abandoned of God, and that they had no cause to complain of their rejection and the calling of the Gentiles, seeing that they had in such a manner rejected Christ. Him — This very same person, though so injuriously treated by men; God raised up the third day — According to the repeated predictions of the prophets. Peter thus preaches unto them the resurrection which immediately followed his crucifixion, lest the Gentiles should be deterred from believing in him, and should take offence at the scandal of the cross. And showed him openly — Greek, εδωκεν αυτον εμφανη γενεσθαι, gave him to become manifest, namely, after his resurrection; and evidently to appear. As if he had said, That he rose is unquestionable, it having been evidenced in all the ways by which any thing can be proved. For Christ was seen, and heard, and felt by many after his resurrection; he appeared not now indeed to all the people — As before his death; but unto witnesses — Persons appointed to be witnesses of this fact; chosen before of God — For this purpose; even to us, who did eat and drink — And converse frequently and familiarly with him, after he arose from the dead — As we had done during the time of his ministry; so that we can, and do, with the greatest certainty, bear witness to the truth of these important matters. And he commanded us — Gave it us in charge in a most solemn manner; to preach unto the people — The glad tidings of salvation, present and eternal; and to testify — Wherever we come; that it is he — This very Jesus of Nazareth; who is ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead — That is, of all mankind, whether they be alive at his coming, or had died before it. This was declaring to them, in the strongest terms, how entirely their happiness depended on a timely and humble subjection to him, who was to be their final Judge.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv39–41 And we are witnesses - We who are apostles.…
And we are witnesses - We who are apostles. See the notes on Luk 24:48.
In the land of the Jews - In the country of Judea.
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Whom they slew ... - Our translation would seem to imply that there were two separate acts - first executing him, and then suspending him. But this is neither according to truth nor to the Greek text. The original is simply, “whom they put to death, suspending him on a tree.”
On a tree - On a cross. See the notes on Act 5:30.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv39–40 Whom they killed. At the very first, says[4] St.…
Whom they killed. At the very first, says[4] St. John Chrysostom, the apostles preached Christ crucified, and tell them they had put to death on a cross the Lord of all things, the judge of the living and the dead. (Witham) --- We may here admire how wonderfully Peter adapts his discourse to the capacity of his hearers. When speaking to the Jews, he proves Jesus to be their Messias, from the testimony of their prophets. On the present occasion, he only just alludes to the prophets, but confirms his discourse by the testimony of the miracles which Jesus had wrought in public, and were known to all the world. (Calmet)
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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]
St. John Chrysostom, hom. xxiii, vides eos nunquam occultare crucem, Greek: oras autous oudamou kruptontas ton stauron.
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George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv39–40 we are witnesses of all . . . he…
we are witnesses of all . . . he did--not objects of superstitious reverence, but simply witnesses to the great historical facts on which the Gospel is founded.
slew and hanged--that is, slew by hanging.
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on a tree--So Act 5:30 (and see on Gal 3:13).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv39, 41 39. We—The apostles.
39. We—The apostles.
Land—The countries of Judea, Galilee, and Perea.
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Jerusalem—The capital. The verse should have closed here, having given a summary of Christ’s life and its proofs; next follows his death and its results, beginning with the last clause of this verse.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv39–41 39. And we are witnesses of all things] Because…
39. And we are witnesses of all things] Because they had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministerial life (Luk_24:48).
whom they slew and hanged on a tree] Rather (with the oldest MSS.) “whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree.” For the latter part of the expression cp. Act_10:30 note.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv39–41 (39) And we are witnesses of all things.—The Apostle…
(39) And we are witnesses of all things.—The Apostle still keeps before him the main idea of his mission as laid down in the command given by his Lord (Act_1:8).
Both in the land of the Jews.—Speaking as St. Peter did at Cæsarea, and as a Galilean, we must probably take the word in its narrower sense as meaning the inhabitants of Judæa. So taken, the words have the interest of implying the ministry in Judæa, of which the first three Gospels record so little, but which comes out into full prominence in the fourth. (See Introduction to St. John’s Gospel.)
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Whom they slew and hanged on a tree.—As in Act_2:23, Peter represents the Crucifixion as virtually the act of the rulers and people of Jerusalem and not of the Roman governor. The mode of death is described as in the Greek of Deu_28:26 and in Gal_3:10, rather than in the more technical language of the Gospels.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv39–41 Country for land, A.V.; whom also for whom, A.V.…
Country for land, A.V.; whom also for whom, A.V. and T.R.; hanging him for and hanged, A.V.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v39 And we are witnesses of all things which He…
Act_10:39-43
And we are witnesses of all things which He did.
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The apostolic testimony
I. Its substance.
1. Christs miracles. All things which He did. These miracles were--
(1) Declarative of His Divine power, and thus credentials of His Messiahship.
(2) Symbols of His saving influence. As there was a miracle in every parable, so there was a parable in every miracle. Thus, when Christ opened blind eyes, it typified the restoration of spiritual sight; when He healed disease, it showed His power over the paralysis and leprosy of sin; when He raised people from the dead, it proclaimed His ability to raise from the death of trespasses and sins.
2. Christs crucifixion. Whom they slew. This was the central fact of all apostolic testimony. It was the burden of Peters earliest message and latest epistle, and the ruling theme of all Pauls ministry. This was not only
(1) Martyrdom for truth, or
(2) An example of self-sacrifice, but also
(3) Atonement for sin. As the preacher afterwards testified, He bore our sins, He died the Just for the unjust, and redeemed us with His precious blood.
3. Christs resurrection (Act_10:40). This was declarative of--
(1) His Divine Sonship.
(2) His victory over death and the grave.
(3) The acceptance of His atonement.
(4) Our resurrection, of which His was a pledge and type.
4. His second coming (Act_10:42). This was a matter of revelation, not of eyewitnessing, but it was the inevitable outcome of all they saw. Christ was to come--
(1) As Judge, and assert openly His universal Lordship.
(2) As Raiser of the dead.
5. Remission of sins through faith in Christ (Act_10:43). Thus we have in the first sermon to the Gentiles the whole gospel in substance, and the main articles of the Christian creed.
II. Its authority.
1. The testimony of their senses. They were trustworthy men. They could see, and actually saw, and had no inclination or inducement to make a false report; and their clear knowledge and full conviction gave body and strength to their testimony.
2. The Divine choice and command. They were selected because they had seen, and were commanded to tell what they saw. Hence they were not lecturers on history, which they would have been without a Divine call, but missionaries of a gospel.
3. Their own sanctified impulse. They could not but, out of the love of Him who had died for them and rose again, declare the things they had seen and heard.
III. Its method.
1. It was not simple declaration. Merely to say that they saw Jesus, etc., would have excited interest, stimulated inquiry, imparted information, and perhaps have founded a school, but would never have converted a soul or established a Church.
2. It was persuasive preaching. Their aim was not merely to secure belief in certain truths, but to save souls; and so it has pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. How faithful, earnest, telling, and successful this preaching was these early sermons testify.
IV. Its rearing on ourselves.
1. We are not eyewitnesses, but we may be heart witnesses. We have not seen Christs physical miracles, but we may be the subjects of His spiritual miracles. We have not seen the crucifixion, but we may receive the atonement. We are not witnesses of Christs resurrection, but we may feel its power.
2. Being heart witnesses, we are bound to testify what we feel. (J. W. Burn.)
St. Peters boldness, delicacy, and candour
1. We look for boldness in St. Peter; and we find it in those words, We are witnesses, etc. He takes upon himself and his colleagues all the responsibility; they are prepared to stand by the truth of the facts which they allege. We feel the value of this emphatic announcement; miracles, to be believed at all, must be believed on testimony which is beyond suspicion and which cannot be shaken.
2. Then, for his delicacy, we find it in the suppression of all reference to the part which Romans took in the crucifixion of our Lord; no word of Pontius Pilate, or Roman soldiers, or sentinels over the tomb. Any one who read the account for the first time would conclude that none but Jews and dwellers in Jerusalem had a hand in His death; especially as the nailing to the Cross, which was essentially a Roman punishment, is softened down to the expression, hanged on a tree, which was as essentially a Jewish. He might well spare the feelings of such men as he saw before him; men in spirit, as well as in fact, utterly guiltless of the blood of Jesus.
3. And for the apostles candour, we trace it in his assertion that God had shown the risen Saviour not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us. An announcement, as Paley remarks, which no impostor would ever have made. (E. T. Marshall, M. A.)
Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses.--
The privacy of Christs resurrection no argument against the truth of it
There is no article of the Christian faith more necessary to be embraced, more undeniably to be proved than that of Christs resurrection. But our modern unbelievers have been at the woeful pains to furnish the world with arguments against this fundamental article of the Christian faith, the overturning of which they too well know would be no less than the entire extirpation of all religion. Happy had it been, say they, for the Christian cause in general if the proof of Christs resurrection had been made a little more public. For whatever may be said in apology for St. Thomass incredulity, it cannot be doubted but that, had our Lord appeared personally to the high priests and rulers after He was risen, made an open entry into Jerusalem, and frequented the temple and other places of public concourse, that every eye might see Him, He would have given the world fuller satisfaction than in remitting us to the testimony of His apostles, who were all His own creatures, and consequently evidences against whom we may make a just exception. But let us answer this vain objection, and see whether the privacy of Christs resurrection was not more agreeable to the majesty of the Almighty, and also no less convincing to those who were in any tolerable disposition to be satisfied.
1. And there is no one will deny but upon the certainty of Christs resurrection lies all the stress of the Christian religion, and likewise that all necessary means of convincing the world of the truth, and confirming them in the reality of it, were highly expedient; but then it should be remembered that Christ now, after His resurrection, was not to condescend to any action beneath the majesty of His Divine nature, which He had then more fully assumed. And, besides, of all men living, none ever had, or could render themselves more unworthy of this extraordinary, I had almost said unnecessary, way of conviction than the unbelieving Jews and chief priests. Another thing let me observe to you. They had long rejected all the evidence our Saviour had given them, and when they could not directly deny the truth of any of the miracles He wrought, they rather chose to impute them to the assistance of darkness; and can it with any justice be urged that such men should again be favoured with such a visitation, especially after His summoning Lazarus from the grave, which was so far from removing their prejudice that they after even waxed more inveterate against Him.
2. Again, let us suppose that our Lord had made His personal appearance before the high priests and rulers after He was risen, yet, if you remember, how little they were moved and affected with the relation of the centurion at His death, and with that of the soldiers at His resurrection, with the shock the whole frame of nature felt, and when everything else was moved, except themselves, can you imagine they would immediately have been convinced, and worshipped what they so lately had scoffed and crucified.
3. Suppose, then, He had made this public entrance, and they had been convinced of His Divinity, what sort of creatures must we conceive them to have been, able to sustain themselves under this shock? Something more inhuman than we can imagine them. Could flesh and blood behold the glorified Son of the Most High, whom just before it had arraigned, condemned, and executed, and live? The more of majesty and terror He had appeared in, the greater, and more insupportable, must have been their dread, and the more of love and compassion the greater and more abundant their confusion.
4. Now the method which our Saviour took, and the account the Scriptures give us of it, was neither attended with any of these inconveniencies, which would otherwise have happened, nor any ways defective to procure our assent. He neither exposed Himself to fresh insults nor laid the Jews under a necessity on the one hand of adding still to their sin by denying Him in His glorified Person, nor endangered their lives on the other by exhibiting to their view the reproach that a late crucified, but then eternally crowned Jesus, would have been to them. As to that expression used by our modern unbeliever, wherein he calls the apostles creatures of our Saviour, and consequently evidences against whom exception might justly be taken, I say it is unfair and ungenerous. Every circumstance proves they actually were as St. Peter, in the words of my text, styles them, Witnesses chosen before of God, and they not only called themselves so, but likewise were enabled to confirm the same by undeniable demonstrations of such power as could only be given them by Him whose witnesses they were. (S. Eccles, M. A.)
Witnesses of the resurrection
Why did not our Saviour show Himself after His resurrection to all the people? Why only to witnesses chosen before of God? Because this was the most effectual means of propagating His religion through the world.
I. Consider what would have been the probable effect of a public exhibition of His resurrection. Suppose our Saviour had shown Himself as openly as before He suffered crucifixion, preaching in the temple, talking to His disciples, etc., the people would perhaps have shouted hosannas once more, but the impression would soon have passed away; and then only a few of the multitude would have had an opportunity of testing the reality of the fact that He had risen. In all probability they would have denied the miracle.
II. He showed Himself to a few, because, humanly speaking, only a few could be made instruments. No one could become witnesses of the fact of His resurrection who did not know Him intimately before His death. The apostles alone had this knowledge.
III. Every great change is effected by the few, and not by the many. By satisfying the few, the many would be influenced. The few, thoroughly convinced, become convincers of the many. This is always the case. The twelve apostles overturned the powers of darkness, and established the kingdom of righteousness. (J. H. Newman, D. D.)
It is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.--
The Mediator--Judge and Saviour
I. Our Divine Mediators position involves two offices. We are not now living under the immediate government of God, but under the reign of the Mediator. Jesus as Mediator has become--
1. Our Judge. The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. To this end Christ both died, and rose, End revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living, for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. In this capacity Christ has judicial authority over all men, and He will try all of us at the last, as He is even now sitting in judgment upon all our acts and thoughts and intents. We shall each one appear before His great white throne, and if any are condemned, His lips shall say, Depart, ye cursed; if any are glorified, from His lips shall proceed the sentence, Come, ye blessed. That judgment will be authoritative and final.
2. A Saviour. That through His name whosoever believeth in Him should receive remission of sins. He has the sovereign right of condemnation or justification. He has authority to pass by transgression, His atonement has made it possible for Him to do this in perfect consistency with tits character as Judge. And the same universality which pervades the Mediators dignified proceedings as Judge is to be seen in His condescending operations as Saviour. He is able to save to the uttermost all them that come unto God by Him. Let the two offices dwell together: He is a just God and a Saviour.
II. Both these offices regard men as sinners. I am sick to the death of hearing men talk about the goodness which is latent in human nature. The case of Cornelius makes it evident that the best natural religion needs to be illuminated by revelation, and instructed by the doctrine of the Cross.
1. Christ comes to judge because there are sinners to be judged. If you find me a nation which has no tribunals, no punishments, it must either be the scene of utter anarchy, or else a nation where all obey the law, and such a thing as a criminal is unknown. The setting up of the last great assize, and the making of that assize to have reference to all men, and the appointment of the supremest Person in existence to conduct that assize--all these facts imply guilt somewhere, and abundance of it.
2. Christ comes to save because there are sinners to be saved. He comes to remit sin; but there can be no remission of sins to those who have never transgressed. However wide the whosoever is, so wide is the guilt: the remedy measures the disease.
3. Putting the two things together, the very fact that there is a Mediator at all regards man as fallen. God could have dealt with us immediately, without an Intercessor, had we been as the first Adam was before his fall. It is by reason of sins influence upon the race that it became necessary that there should be a Daysman that might lay His hand upon both, and deal with God in His Divine Person, and yet deal with fallen man in His humanity.
III. The qualifications required by our Lord as Judge materially comfort us in looking at Him as Saviour.
1. As Judge, Jesus--
(1) Has full authority: He is fully commissioned of God to acquit or to condemn. Oh, then, if He gives me pardon through His blood, it is a free pardon under the Kings own hand and seal.
(2) Possesses the amplest knowledge. A judge should be the most instructed, or he is not fitted to decide in matters of difficulty and importance. Jesus Christ as Judge is incomparably fit to judge men, for--
(a) He knows men thoroughly. He is Himself a Man, and knows all about us by experience as well as by observation.
(b) He knows the law. Hath He not said, Yea, Thy law is within My heart? No one knows the law of God as Jesus did, for He kept it in every point.
(c) He knows what sin is. He has lived among sinners as a Physician, making a specialty of the disease of sin. Though He had no sin of His own, yet all sin was laid on Him.
(d) He knows the punishment of sin. A judge must know what penalties to award. Jesus knows this well enough, for He Himself also hath once suffered for sin, the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God.
2. Inasmuch as Christ is qualified to be Judge, it equally qualifies Him to pardon. For--
(1) He knows thee thoroughly, and can cleanse thee thoroughly. He knows the law, and therefore He knows how legally to acquit, so that no further question can be raised. Since He knows the penalty, because He has borne it all, He will take care that none of it shall ever fall on us. Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect since God hath justified?
(2) All the personal qualifications of our Lord as Judge remarkably tend to make the pardon of His people the more blessedly clear, for as a Judge He is very just. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness. Well, then, when He forgives it must be just to forgive.
IV. Our knowledge of the first office of the Mediator is necessary to our acceptance of him in his second capacity. This was why Peter preached it; this was why Paul before Felix reasoned concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. This is why the Holy Spirit Himself convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. If you do not believe in Christ as your Judge, you never will accept Him as your Saviour.
V. The saving work of Christs mediatorial office is that which concerns us most at this present time.
1. Note the words, Shall receive remission of sins. What is this? It is the causing of sin to cease to be. God in wondrous mercy is prepared to forget your sin, to blot it out, to cast it behind His back, to cast it into the depths of the sea.
2. Note that this is to be done in Christs name. There is no other name in which pardon can be bestowed.
3. This is to be had through faith.
4. This blessed news has reference to everyone in the whole world that will believe in Jesus. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Jesus, the Judge
I. The message.
1. This begins with the assurance that there is a moral government. There is a Judge over the race of men. Men are not permitted to do whatsoever is right in their own eyes. The race is not left to anarchy: Jesus Christ is Head of all.
2. We have to go on to say that there will be a judgment. Consider--
(1) The character of God. Being the Ruler of the world, He must do justice. We should count any man a miserable counterfeit of a monarch if he never administered justice. And the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans works will not permit offenders to insult His laws with impunity.
(2) The character of man equally involves a judgment, for he is evidently a responsible being. We count not the cattle of the hills or the fish of the sea responsible; no one blames the wolf that he ravens, or the lion that he devours; but when we come to think of man, we regard him as a creature whose actions have a moral quality about them, and are either right or wrong. Surely, where there is responsibility there is a law, and where there is a law there must, some day or other, be rewards for well-doers and punishments for malefactors.
(3) The present tangled condition of the worlds history requires that there should be a day of rectification at the end of time. We often see the wicked prosper, while the righteous are abased. The Judge of all the earth must do right; and how can this be but by a final adjustment in which it shall be clearly seen that, though the wicked prosper for a while, they are as bullocks fattening for the slaughter; and though the righteous suffer for a while, it is but as the gold suffers in the furnace, that it may come forth purified?
(4) Moreover, there is in the consciences of most a testimony to a coming judgment. I will not say of all men, for I believe that some manage so to drug their self-consciousness as at last to quiet all their fears; but yet the most of men believe in a judgment to come, and in their more thoughtful moods are alarmed thereat.
3. This judgment will be conducted by the Man Christ Jesus. He will be thus enthroned, I suppose, partly because it is involved in His mediatorial office, in which the Lord hath put all things in subjection under His feet. But specially remember that the Judge is the Man Christ Jesus. There must be special reason for this honour done to the manhood of our Lord, or it would not be so continually insisted upon (Dan_7:13; Joh_5:22; Joh_5:27; Mat_25:31-32; Mat_13:41). Be ye sure, then, of His impartiality. He is God, yet Man, having an intense sympathy both with the King and with the subjects.
4. This judgment will concern all mankind. He will judge the quick and dead; that is, those who will be alive at His coming He will judge, as well as those who have already died. The summons will exempt no man. Here and there a criminal escapes the vigilant eye of human law; but there shall be no such instance at the coming of the Lord.
5. A few words concerning this judgment. It will be--
(1) A very eminent one. It will be a judgment fixed by the peremptory ordinance of God, for the text saith that He hath ordained Jesus to sit as Judge. The whole trial will be most solemnly conducted (1Th_4:16).
(2) Very searching, into deeds (2Co_5:10); words (Mat_12:36); every secret thing (Ecc_12:14).
(3) Very exact. It will proceed upon evidence and documentary testimony, and slander and hearsay will not be mentioned there. The books were opened.
(4) Very severe; for things will not be judged by their outward appearance, but put to thorough test and trial.
6. The sentences will be so just as to be indisputable, and even the condemned will own the justness thereof. That verdict will be final and irreversible. When Jesus has once pronounced it, there will be no appeal, no suing out of a writ of error, no reversal of the decree. These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
II. The evident importance of this message.
1. This may be gathered from the text.
(1) He commanded us. Then God must know that there is a great necessity for its being declared.
(2) To preach--to herald, to proclaim. Lo, we this day precede the great Judge, as the trumpeters go before our judges on assize day, and this is our cry, He cometh! Jesus, the Judge of quick and dead!
(3) To testify. Having given the proclamation, we are then to bear witness solemnly, and to speak the fact over and over again for God, adding our own belief that it is surely true.
(4) Unto the people--not to some few, but to all.
2. There is importance in this from other reasons.
(1) It sheds a great light upon the future of the ungodly.
(2) It reflects great glory upon Christ. Ye may despise Him, but He is your Master after all.
(3) It has a beneficial effect upon our everyday life. I constantly hear people say, Tell the people about something that has to do with today--about cleanliness and honesty, and all that. But if I want men to live righteously, I know of no motive that can have greater weight than this. You are stewards; you will have to give in your account. Will anybody tell me that this is unpractical? If God will judge men at the last, it behoves men to see how they live today.
(4) It has a convincing and awakening power. Men tremble when they hear of judgment to come, and they are led to cry, What must we do to be saved? This is the plough which makes furrows for the good seed; the surgeons knife which prepares for the reception of the healing balm. Years ago a gentlewoman had been spending an afternoon at cards, and the evening at a ball. She came home very late, and found her maid servant reading a book. Ah, said she, are you still poring over your dull books? They make you moping and melancholy. The lady retired to her chamber, but she slept not. In the night she was troubled, and fell a-weeping. She tossed to and fro; and at length she called her maid. She said, Madam, what ails you? I thought I left you very merry and well. Oh, said she, but I looked over your book, and I only saw one word, but that word stings me: I cannot sleep; I cannot bear it! What word was it, madam? It was that word eternity. Oh, maid, said she, it is very well for me to sport and play and waste my time as I have done; but oh, eternity, eternity, eternity! How can I face eternity? And so that night was turned to prayer. I could wish the like might happen now to many of you. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christs coming to judgment
This last act of Christ is a special part of His exultation and honour, bestowed upon Him because He is the Son of Man (Joh_5:27). Wherein we have four things to be distinctly considered--
1. The subject of it, Christ. Judgment is the act of the undivided Trinity. The Father and Spirit judge in respect of authority and consent, but it is the act of Christ in respect of visible management and execution.
2. The object. The quick and dead--i.e., all that at His coming do live, or ever have lived. This is the object personal, and in this is included the real object: viz., all the actions (2Co_4:5; Rom_2:16).
3. The fountain of this authority is God the Father; for He hath ordained Christ to be the Judge.
4. The infallible truth, or unquestionable certainty of all this. He gave us commandment to preach and testify it to the people. We had it in charge from His own mouth; and dare not hide it. This truth, that our Lord Jesus Christ is ordained by God the Father, to be the Judge of quick and dead, stands upon the firm basis of Scripture authority (Joh_5:22; Act_17:31; Rom_2:16). Three things will be opened here.
I. First, the certainty of a judgment. This is truth of firmer establishment than heaven and earth.
1. As the Scriptures aforementioned (with 2Co_5:10; Ecc_12:14; Mat_12:36, etc.) do very plainly reveal it: so the justice and righteousness of God require it should be so (Gen_18:25). Righteousness requires that a difference be made betwixt the righteous and the wicked (Isa_3:10). But no such distinction is fully made in this world (Ecc_7:15; Hab_1:13; Ecc_3:16-17; Jam_5:6-7).
2. Man is an accountable being. His actions have a relation to a law (Rom_14:12; Mat_25:14-15).
3. What need we seek evidence of this truth, further than our own conscience?
II. The nature and manner of this judgement.
1. It will be a great and awful day (Jud_1:6). Three things will make it so.
(1) The manner of Christs coming will be awfully solemn (1Th_4:16-17).
(2) Much more the work itself. For it is to judge the secrets of men (Rom_2:16). To sever the tares from the wheat. To make every mans whites and blacks appear.
(3) And no less the execution of the sentence.
2. It will be a critical and exact judgment, every man will be weighed to his ounces and drachms. The name of the Judge is the Searcher of Hearts. No hypocrite can escape. Justice holds the balances in an even hand.
3. It will be a universal judgment (2Co_5:10; Rom_14:12; Rev_20:12).
4. It will be a judgment full of convictive clearness.
5. It will be a supreme and final judgment, from which lies no appeal.
III. This judgment makes for Christs honour. For--
1. This act of judging pertaining properly to the kingly office; Christ will be glorified as much in it as He hath been in either of the other. We find but some few glimpses of the kingly office, breaking forth in this world. Now that office will shine as the sun in the midst of the heavens.
2. This will be a display of His glory in the highest, before the whole world (2Th_1:10).
3. This will roll away forever the reproach of His death,
Inferences: Is Jesus Christ ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead?
1. How great then is the security believers have, that they shall not be condemned in that day. Who shall condemn, when Christ is Judge?
2. How miserable a case will Christless souls be in at that day! They that are Christless now will be speechless, helpless, and hopeless then.
3. How are all concerned to secure their interest in Christ, and therein an eternity of happiness to their own souls, by the work of regeneration?
4. Then look to it, all you that hope to be found of Him in peace, that you avoid those sins and live in the daily practice of those duties which the consideration of that day powerfully persuades you to avoid or practise.
(1) See you be meek and patient under all injuries and abuses for Christs sake (Jam_5:7-9).
(2) Be communicative, public-hearted Christians, studying and devising liberal things for Christs distressed members (Mat_25:34-35).
(3) Be watchful and sober, and see that you be not overcharged with the cares and love of this present life (Luk_21:34-35).
(4) Improve all your Masters talents. Take heed of the napkin (Mat_25:14; Mat_25:18).
(5) But above all, be sincere in your profession (Luk_12:1-3). (J. Flavel.)
The certainty and circumstances of a future judgment
I. There is a judgment ordained by God and to be declared to men. The Holy Scripture teacheth us--
1. That God hath appointed a determinate time for this judgment. A day in which He will judge the world in righteousness.
2. That in order to this judgment all the actions of men are with greater exactness registered in books. The books were opened.
3. That, in order thereto, there shall be a general resurrection of all persons, both just and unjust.
4. That then all persons so raised shall be presented at the bar of our Lord, to answer and undergo their trial.
5. That then and there every thought, word, and work of men shall be thoroughly disclosed and discussed; so that it, together with its due quality and desert, shall plainly appear.
6. That on each man, according to the true quality of his doings, a definitive sentence shall pass, whereby he shall be acquitted or condemned.
7. That according to the purport of this sentence a discrimination shall be made; and to one party a gracious reward; to the other, a sore punishment.
8. That all this shall be transacted in a regular, public, and most solemn manner, in open court, in the face and audience of all the world, before angels and men.
9. That the judgment shall pass to the full conviction and entire satisfaction of all that are present; so that each one concerned therein shall be forced in conscience to acquiesce in his doom, as most just and equal.
II. The judge ordained; Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Why it should be so, many reasons may be assigned.
1. It was requisite that the judge should be visible, and audible; such whom the parties concerned might discern and converse with, in order to their clearer and fuller satisfaction, or conviction: such our Lord, the Son of man, clothed with glorified flesh, will be.
2. This Judgeship is a good part of that regal office which God did confer on Christ; giving Him a power over all flesh, all authority in heaven and earth.
3. It is an office of too great eminence to be imparted to any other. Worthy is He alone to receive the book.
4. He alone also capacities proper for this judicature: that Divine faculty of searching mens hearts; wisdom to know all matters of fact that ever were, and to discern the right in every case; absolute goodness, perfect equity and immutable love of right, and that exact temperament of affection toward men which is requisite to the distribution of equal justice toward them, according to due measures of mercy and severity.
5. By this designate on the glory of God is especially promoted: His wisdom appeareth in constituting one so in all respects most fit to discharge the office; and His goodness, for since it was requisite that a judgment should pass on us, how could the terror thereof be better allayed than by putting it into the hands of His Son? How also could He exhibit a more illustrious instance of His justice and love to righteousness than in advancing Him to so glorious an office, who, out of perfect compliance to His will, did freely stoop so low, and gladly undergo so much?
6. Just it likewise was that to Him should be consigned a power to reward His friends and do Himself right on His enemies.
7. This appointment is conducible to our edification.
(1) It is apt to raise in us a high reverence of our Saviour; and consequently to dispose us to the observance of His laws and imitation of His example.
(2) It is a matter of special comfort and encouragement to consider that hence assuredly we shall find a fair and favourable trial; since it is no enemy, but our best friend.
III. The objects, or the extent of the judgment ordained. All, without exception.
IV. Application: The doctrine is calculated--
1. To make us circumspect and vigilant; for, since we must render an account of every thought, word, and action, what exceeding reason have we, with most attentive and accurate regard, to mind whatever we do!
2. To beget and preserve sincerity in us. What a folly is it to delude men with false appearances, or rather by them to abuse themselves; seeing they soon will be rightly informed, and we grievously disgraced for it!
3. To render us serious in all our thoughts, opinions, affections, actions; suppressing all proud conceits, all admiration of these transitory things, all wanton joys; for--
(1) Why should any apprehension of worldly state, of any endowment, puff up our minds, seeing the day is near at hand which will quite level men?
(2) Why should we value those splendid toys, or that sordid trash, which men here do so eagerly scramble for; which then evidently will be discountenanced?
(3) Why, having affairs on foot of such vast importance, should we amuse ourselves with trivial matters?
(4) How shall we dare to embrace the serpent of sinful excess?
(5) And how can we be easily transported into wild merriments, if we consider how infinitely serious business lieth on us; how nearly our everlasting welfare lieth at stake?
4. To engage us carefully to improve all the talents by Gods providence and grace committed to us. Hath God bestowed--
(1) Wealth on us? this will engage us so to use it in Gods service.
(2) Power? this should induce us to use it moderately and fruitfully.
(3) Any parts, wit, knowledge? this should move us to employ them in drawing men to the practice of virtue and piety.
(4) Honour or credit among men? this may oblige us to use it as an instrument of bringing honour to God.
5. To induce us to the observing strict justice and equity in all our dealings. Let no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because God will judge and avenge for all these things.
6. To breed charity in us; in giving, in forgiving, in judging and censuring of men.
7. To support and comfort us, as against all other wrongful dealing, so against all unjust and uncharitable censures, groundless slanders and surmises, undeserved reproaches of men; for that assuredly at that judgment right will be done, and innocence cleared.
8. To preserve us from being deluded and poisoned by the more favourable opinions of men. For God seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.
9. To encourage us to judge ourselves so that we be not judged, or not condemned with the world.
10. To guard us from infidelity and from impatience in regard to the providential dispensation of affairs here. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. (I. Barrow, D. D.)
Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.
Forgiveness of sin
I. The blessing conferred--Remission of sins. Remission is to remove the guilt of sin, that the punishment of it may not be inflicted upon the sinner. God alone can fully forgive sins in this way; and He does it eminently, so that not a vestige of it remains. Remission implies--
1. An offence, and consequently an offender. We have offended God.
2. A sovereign act. It is a pure act of grace and love.
3. A complete and perfect act. He does not forgive the greater offences and omit the smaller ones; neither does He forgive the smaller and leave the greater ones unpardoned.
II. The unlimited nature of the blessing. Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. The qualification necessary in the recipient of the blessing is to believe. This includes penitence for the past offences, and a full reliance on Christ for pardon. There is no respect of persons--Whosoever. This may be regarded alike in respect to nations, in respect to class, and in respect to moral character.
1. The Jews were still slow of heart to believe that the Gentiles were to be partakers of the grace of the gospel. There is no distinction of race or colour of skin. Whosoever believeth among all nations, and languages, and tribes, and shades of mankind, shall receive remission of sins.
2. As the blessing of forgiveness is applicable to all nations, so it is also to all classes.
3. Moral character does not exclude from the blessing. Some have run to a greater excess of riot than others; still there is no distinction made.
III. The medium through which the blessing is conveyed--Through His name. God could not, consistently with His justice and holiness, forgive sins without atonement.
IV. The universal testimony borne by the ancient prophets to the fact that sin must be forgiven through Christ--To Him give all the prophets witness. Soon after the entrance of sin it was intimated that it should be remitted through the Saviour. The door of hope was opened when God said, I will put enmity between thee and the woman. We refer to some of the prophecies on this point. Isaiah tells us--He was wounded for our transgressions … and with His stripes we are healed. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Jeremiah says--This is His name, the Lord our Righteousness. We see, then, that Christ is the medium of communication between God and man. If we shall be reconciled to God it must be through Him. (Homilist.)
The universality of the gospel
It was John Berridge who thanked God for that blessed word whosoever, in the gospel invitations and promises. If it had been written, John Berridge may come, there might have been a doubt as to who was meant by it; for there may be a hundred John Berridges in the world. Rut with that word whosoever just there, there is no room for questioning. Whosoever will, may come. Whosoever comes, shall receive. If you or yours are without remission of sins, whose fault is it?
Way to accept remission of sins
To accept pardon and its peace, not from any perception of Gods power to pardon, but from the conviction that love carries pardon with it; to accept it as the inevitable consequence of gratitude and growing affection; to accept it, feeling the preciousness and sweetness of the Divine paternal love; to accept it, and by it to be led through sickness and trials of every kind; to accept it, and find that it is enough for every emergency; to accept it, and feel that it is all, and in all--if that does not fashion the character more potently than conscience and reason, then character is no more the effect of a cause, and cause and effect are disjoined.
Christ, the preachers great theme
The best sermon is that which is fullest of Christ. A Welsh minister, when preaching at the chapel of Jonathan George, was saying that Christ was the sum and substance of the gospel, and he broke out into the following story:--A young man had been preaching in the presence of a venerable divine, and after he had done he foolishly went to the old minister and inquired, What do you think of my sermon, sir? A very poor sermon indeed, he replied. A poor sermon! it took me along time to study it. Ay, no doubt of it. Why, then, do you say it is poor: did you not think my explanation of the text to be accurate? Yes. Were not the metaphors correct and the arguments conclusive? Yes. Why, then, do you say that it was a poor sermon? Because there was no Christ in it. Well, there was no Christ in the text, we are not to be preaching Christ always, we must preach what is in the text. So the old man said, Dont you know, young man, that from every town, village, and hamlet in England, there is a road to London? and so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures--that is Christ, and my dear brother, your business is, when you get to a text, to say, Now, what is the road to Christ? then preach a sermon running along that road to Him. And, said he, I have never yet found a text that had not a plain and direct road to Christ in it; and if ever I should find one that had no such road, I will make a road, I would go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my Master. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On v39 39–41. We are witnesses. Not only of his life…
39–41. We are witnesses. Not only of his life and power, but of his resurrection.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv39–41 39. Not content with assuming that these facts were…
39. Not content with assuming that these facts were familiar to them, Peter gives them a surer foundation for their convictions, by presenting the testimony upon which he relies to prove the facts. (39) " And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew, hanging him upon a tree. " In view of the fact that Cornelius had been "warned from God by a holy angel," to send for Peter and hear what he had to say, no confirmation of this his testimony was needed. They were prepared to receive everything he might say to them as a message from God.
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v39 The last part of Peter’s sermon:
The last part of Peter’s sermon:
v. 39. And We are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree.
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v. 40. Him God raised up the third day, and showed Him openly,
v. 41. not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead.
v. 42. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
v. 43. To Him give all the prophets witness that through His name, whosoever believeth in Him, shall receive remission of sins.
To the facts which these men of Caesarea knew, and which they had always viewed in a somewhat detached, objective way, as concerning the Jews only, Peter now adds the weight of his personal testimony, together with that of the other apostles. Witnesses they are of all the things which Jesus did in the land of the Jews, in Palestine in general and in Jerusalem; witnesses they are also of the fact that the Jews became HIS murderers by suspending Him on the cross. But this same Jesus God had raised up from the dead, and had granted that He should be revealed as the living Christ. But this revelation was purposely not made to all the people; the personal prophetic ministry of Jesus was brought to a close with His death. Only to those men was the living Christ revealed, to those witnesses, that had been expressly chosen by God before, and who had both eaten and drunk with Christ after His resurrection from the dead. By being made apostles, these men were also delegated as witnesses, and they were making no haphazard, dark assertions as to something which they themselves knew only at second hand, but their testimony was based upon personal experience. In addition the apostles had received the charge to act as His heralds to all the people, in proclaiming the Gospel as well as in bearing witness to the fact that Jesus has been ordained, definitely appointed, by God as the Judge of the living and of the dead, Joh 5:22. Peter had now stated as a basic truth the fact that race and nationality debars no one from the blessings of God; he had reminded his hearers of the Gospel history which they had heard of and had viewed in a disinterested way; he had added his personal testimony as to the great facts in the working of salvation. And now he comes to the climax of his sermon, the application of the truths just proclaimed to his own present audience, placing full emphasis upon the fact that this wonderful message was not confined to the children of Israel, but concerned every one present in a most vital way. For to Jesus, he called out, all the prophets gave witness that every one that believes on Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. Only by accepting the great truths of the Gospel as meant especially for them would they become partakers of the peace and joy which they contained for every believer. That is the summary of Gospel-preaching. "He could not have spoken more clearly than when he says: through His name, and adds: all that believe on Him. Therefore we receive forgiveness of sins through the name of Christ, that is, for Christ’s sake, not for the sake of our merit or works, and that is done when we believe that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. " "This He wants preached and believed in all the world, and thereby sets aside all boasting of the Jews and of all work-saints [self-righteous men], that they should know that they cannot, receive the grace of God through the Law and their own works, but can receive forgiveness of sins only in the name of this Christ by faith."
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v39 General Information:
General Information:
The words "We" and "we" here refer to Peter and the apostles and believers who were with Jesus when he was on earth. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We")
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General Information:
The words "he" and "him" here refer to Jesus.
in the country of the Jews
This refers mainly to Judea at that time.
hanging him on a tree
This is another expression that refers to crucifixion. AT: "nailing him to a wooden cross"
God raised him up
Here to raise up is an idiom for causing someone who has died to become alive again. AT: "God caused him to live again" (See: Idiom)
the third day
"the third day after he died"
caused him to be seen
"permitted many people to see him after he was raised from the dead"
from the dead
From among all those who have died. This expression describes all dead people together in the underworld.
translationWords
testimony
Jew
Jerusalem
hang
raise
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.