But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 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 Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.
Show the surrounding paragraph
Acts 5:29-31 sits inside this longer paragraph.
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 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 Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. We are his witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Parallel Translations
-
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
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 Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.
-
Peter and the other Apostles answered and sayde: We ought moare to obey God then men.
The God of oure fathers raysed vp Iesus whom ye slewe and hanged on tre.
Him hath god lifte vp with his right hand to be a ruler and a savioure for to geve repentaunce to Israell and forgevenes of synnes.
Show all 3 translations
-
Then Peter and the Apostles answered, and sayd, We ought rather to obey God then men.
The God of our fathers hath raised vp Iesus, whom ye slewe, and hanged on a tree.
Him hath God lift vp with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Sauiour, to giue repentance to Israel, and forgiuenes of sinnes.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (77)
- Acts 4:19 (v29) But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves,
- 1 Samuel 15:24 (v29) Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh, and your words, because I feared the people, and…
- Mark 7:7-9 (v29) But they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ “For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to…
- Genesis 3:17 (v29) To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and ate from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall…
- Galatians 3:13 (v30) 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,”
Show all 76 cross-references
- 1 Peter 2:24 (v30) 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.
- Luke 24:47 (v31) and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
- Acts 10:39 (v30) 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 2:33 (v31) Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out…
- Hebrews 2:10 (v31) For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of…
- Revelation 14:8-12 (v29) Another, a second angel, followed, saying, “Babylon the great has fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath…
- Luke 2:11 (v31) For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
- Acts 11:18 (v31) When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to…
- Acts 13:28-29 (v30) Though they found no cause for death, they still asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had fulfilled all things that were written…
- 1 John 4:14 (v31) We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.
- Revelation 1:5 (v31) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and…
- Isaiah 9:6 (v31) For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,…
- Titus 3:4-6 (v31) But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but…
- Hebrews 12:2 (v31) looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and…
- Matthew 28:18 (v31) Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
- Acts 3:13-15 (v30) The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the…
- Acts 3:15 (v31) and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.
- Acts 4:10-11 (v30) 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…
- Jeremiah 31:31-33 (v31) “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according…
- Ezekiel 36:25-38 (v31) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols. I will…
- Zechariah 12:10 (v31) I will pour on David’s house, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me whom…
- Matthew 1:21 (v31) She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
- Acts 2:22-24 (v30) “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by…
- Acts 2:38 (v31) Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will…
- 2 Timothy 2:25-26 (v31) in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, and they may…
- 2 Peter 1:11 (v31) For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
- Jude 1:25 (v31) to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
- Acts 3:26 (vv30–31) God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.”
- 1 Chronicles 12:17 (v30) David went out to meet them, and answered them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you…
- 1 Chronicles 29:18 (v30) Yahweh, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the heart of your people, and…
- Ezra 7:27 (v30) Blessed be Yahweh, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify Yahweh’s house which is in…
- Psalms 2:6-12 (v31) “Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.” I will tell of the decree: Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your…
- Psalms 89:19 (v31) Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
- Psalms 89:24 (v31) But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted.
- Psalms 110:1-2 (v31) Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.” Yahweh will send out the rod of…
- Isaiah 43:3 (v31) For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
- Isaiah 43:11 (v31) I myself am Yahweh. Besides me, there is no savior.
- Isaiah 45:21 (v31) Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I,…
- Isaiah 49:26 (v31) I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall…
- Ezekiel 17:24 (v31) All the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green…
- Ezekiel 34:24 (v31) I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
- Ezekiel 37:25 (v31) They will dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived. They will dwell therein, they, and their…
- Daniel 9:25 (v31) “Know therefore and discern that from the going out of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Anointed One, the prince,…
- Daniel 10:21 (v31) But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth. There is no one who holds with me against these, but Michael your…
- Mark 2:10 (v31) But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
- Mark 4:12 (v31) that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their…
- Luke 1:55 (v30) as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.”
- Luke 1:72 (v30) to show mercy toward our fathers, to remember his holy covenant,
- John 20:21-23 (v31) Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on…
- Acts 2:32 (v30) This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
- Acts 2:36 (v31) “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
- Acts 3:19 (v31) “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the…
- Acts 4:11 (v31) He is ‘the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.’
- Acts 13:23 (v31) From this man’s offspring, God has brought salvation to Israel according to his promise,
- Acts 13:33 (v30) that God has fulfilled this to us, their children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son.…
- Acts 13:38-39 (v31) Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins, and by him everyone who believes is…
- Acts 22:14 (v30) He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.
- Romans 11:26-27 (v31) and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, “There will come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he will turn away ungodliness from…
- 2 Corinthians 2:10 (v31) Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the…
- Ephesians 1:7 (v31) in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
- Ephesians 1:20-23 (v31) which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all…
- Philippians 2:9-11 (v31) Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,…
- Philippians 3:20 (v31) For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
- Colossians 1:14 (v31) in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
- 1 Peter 3:22 (v31) who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him.
- 2 Peter 1:1 (v31) Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our…
- Titus 1:4 (v31) to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
- Titus 2:10 (v31) not stealing, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things.
- Titus 2:13 (v31) looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
- 2 Peter 2:20 (v31) For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again…
- 2 Peter 3:18 (v31) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
76 distinct cross-references across this passage (77 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (25 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv29–31 29. This is the sum of their answer, It…
29. This is the sum of their answer, It is lawful for them, nay, they ought to prefer God before men. God commandeth us to bear witness of Christ; therefore it is in vain for you to command us to keep silence. But I have declared before in the third chapter, when this sentence taketh place, that we ought rather to obey God than men. God doth set men over us in such sort with power, that he keepeth still his own authority safe and sound. Therefore, we must obey rulers so far, that the commandment of God be not broken. Whereas power and authority is lawfully used, then it is out of season to make comparison between God and man. If a faithful pastor do command or forbid out of the Word of God, it shall be in vain for men which are stubborn to object that we ought to obey God; for God will be heard by man. Yea, man is nothing else but an instrument of God. If a magistrate do his duty as he ought, a man shall in vain say that he is contrary to God, seeing that he dissenteth in nothing; yea, rather the contrary rule is then in force. We must obey God’s ministers and officers if we will obey him. But so soon as rulers do lead us away from the obedience of God, because they strive against God with sacrilegious boldness, their pride must be abated, that God may be above all in authority. Then all smokes of honor vanish away. For God doth not vouchsafe to bestow honorable titles upon men, to the end they may darken his glory. Therefore, if a father, being not content with his own estate, do essay to take from God the chief honor of a father, he is nothing else but a man. If a king, or ruler, or magistrate, do become so lofty that he diminisheth the honor and authority of God, he is but a man. We must thus think also of pastors. For he which goeth beyond his bounds in his office, (because he setteth himself against God:) must be despoiled of his honor, lest, under a color or visor, he deceive. The office of a pastor is very excellent, the authority of the Church is great, yet so that no part of God’s power and Christ’s mastership be diminished. Whence we may easily gather that the pride of the Pope is ridiculous, who, when as he treadeth under foot the whole kingdom of Christ, and doth set himself openly against God, will yet, nevertheless, lie hid under the name of Christ.
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 vv29–30 We ought to obey no man, but so far…
We ought to obey no man, but so far forth as obeying him, we may obey God.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv29–31 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and…
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Ver. 29. We ought to obey God rather than men] This is a principle granted and grafted in us by nature. I love and embrace you, O Athenians (said Socrates, in his Apology), but yet I will obey God rather than you. {See Trapp on "Act 4:19"} {See Trapp on "Mat 22:21"} The article is twice repeated when our Saviour speaks of God, more than when of Caesar; to show that our special care should be to give God his due.
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 vv29–31 This they all agree in, and it is the…
This they all agree in, and it is the common sense of all considering men; as Socrates in his apology told the Athenians, I embrace and love you, O Athenians, and yet I will obey God rather than you. This the apostles had formerly asserted, Act 4:19.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v29 To the foregoing charge of obstinacy brought in against…
To the foregoing charge of obstinacy brought in against the apostles, St. Peter answers in the name, and as the mouth of the rest; owning that they had not obeyed them in their injunction, because they had commanded that which was contrary to the command of God.
Where observe, How the apostles assert the prerogative of Christ as their apology for disobedience to human commands: We ought to obey God rather than men.
Read full note →
The second part of the charge was sedition; as if the apostles endeavoured to stir up the people to revenge the blood of Christ upon the chief priests and rulers.
Thence note, That it is no new thing to tax the ministers of Christ for preaching sedition, when rulers design to stop their mouths, and not suffer them to preach at all. But to remove this part of the charge, the apostle tells them, that this Jesus whom they ignominiously slew on earth, is now an exalted Prince in heaven, able to give repentance and remission of sins to the worst of his murderers, if they unfeignedly desire it: Him hath God exalted to give repentance and remission of sins &c.
Whence learn, 1. That Jesus will be a Saviour to none to whom he is not a Prince. We must submit ourselves to his ruling power, as well as commit ourselves to his saving mercy. For it is in vain to expect salvation by him, if we do not yield subjection to him.
2. That repentance and remission of sins are the special fruits and advantages of Christ’s exaltation: Him hath God exalted to repentance and remission of sins.
Learn, 3. That it is the sole prerogative of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give repentance and remission of sins.
Where note, The encouragement which the apostle’s ministry gave to the murderers of Christ to hope for pardon; he preaches the duty of repentance, and the privilege of remission of sins, but assureth them, for their comfort, that Christ stands ready to dispense both. But observe the sad effects which this sermon had upon these hearers; it was for substance the same which St. Peter preached, Acts 2. when so many thousands were pricked at the heart by sorrow and compunction; whereas these men were cut to the heart with anger and indignation.
Whence learn, 1. That the most sound and sacred doctrine, is an intolerable torment to an unsound and unholy heart; That the word of God dispensed by the same minister, and in the same manner, has not always the same success. The substance of both these sermons was the same, (Jesus and the resurrection,) and the preacher (St. Peter) was the same, but the success was not the same; to let the apostle know, that the excellency of the power was of God, and not of himself, as St. Paul speaks, 2Co 4:7.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv29–31 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,.... Not…
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,.... Not from the dead, though this was true; but called him to the work and office of a Saviour, inverted him with that office, and sent him to perform that work; so that this refers rather to the incarnation of Christ, in consequence of the ancient council and covenant of grace: and this the apostles attribute to God the Father, under the character of "the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", as in Act 3:13, to show that they did not bring in and worship any strange God; nor introduce any novel doctrine; or speak of any other Saviour or Redeemer, than he whom the God of their fathers had appointed, and who was made known to them, whom they looked for and believed in, and were justified and saved by:
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree; this is said in defence of themselves, being charged that they intended to bring this man's blood upon them; they therefore insist upon it that they had slain Jesus whom God raised up, inasmuch as they had condemned him to death in their sanhedrim, and had urged and importuned Pilate to crucify him, and had imprecated his blood upon them and on their children; and were not content to put him to any kind of death, but insisted on his being crucified, or hanged on a tree; that is, stretched out upon the cross, which was both a painful and shameful death, to which they were manifestly accessary, and therefore justly charged with it.
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 vv29–31 Then Peter - In the name of all the…
Then Peter - In the name of all the apostles, said - He does not now give them the titles of honour, which he did before, chap. iv, 8; but enters directly upon the subject, and justifies what he had done. This is, as it were, a continuation of that discourse, but with an increase of severity.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv29–31 Verse 29. We ought to obey God rather than…
Verse 29. We ought to obey God rather than men.] The same answer they gave before, Ac 4:19, founded on the same reason, which still stood good. We have received our commission from GOD; we dare not lay it down at the desire or command of men. See Clarke on Ac 4:19.
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 v29 Act 5:29-32. Then Peter and the other apostles —…
Act 5:29-32. Then Peter and the other apostles — Or, Peter, in the name of the others, who, it seems, were all present; said — He does not give them the titles of honour which he did before; (Act 4:8;) but enters directly upon the subject, and justifies what he and his brethren had done. This is, as it were, a continuation of that discourse, but with an increase of severity; We ought to obey God rather than men — They do not plead the power they had to work miracles; a power which spoke sufficiently for them, and proved their divine mission; and therefore, they humbly declined mentioning it themselves: but appealed to a maxim universally owned, to which even reason must subscribe, and which was a perfect justification of their conduct; God had commanded them to teach in the name of Christ, and therefore they were in duty bound to do it, though the chief priests forbade them. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus — Of the seed of David, according to the promises made to our fathers; that is, he qualified him for, and called him to, his great undertaking. It seems to refer to the promise made by Moses. See Act 3:22. Or, he may speak of God’s raising him from the grave. Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree — As if he had been the meanest of slaves, and the vilest of malefactors. You put him to death in the most infamous manner; but God has restored him to life; so that God and you are manifestly contesting about this Jesus, and which must we side with? Him — This very person, notwithstanding all the outrage with which you treated him; hath God exalted with his right hand — By his almighty power, from the grave to heaven; or, to his right hand. You loaded him with disgrace; but God has crowned him with honour; and ought not we to honour him whom God honours? A Prince and a Saviour — To his people, whom he both governs and delivers, and therefore we ought to preach in his name, and make known the laws of his kingdom, as he is a Prince; and the offers of his grace, as he is a Saviour. Observe, reader, we cannot have Christ to be our Saviour, unless we be willing to take him for our Ruler. We cannot be redeemed and healed by him, unless we give up ourselves to be governed by him. His saving us is in order to his ruling us. To give repentance to Israel — To give the people of Israel place or room for repentance, notwithstanding their aggravated guilt; and to declare unto them the terms of peace and reconciliation: or, to call them to repentance by the gospel, and give them grace to enable them to obey the call; and forgiveness of sins — To all the truly penitent, on whom alone that blessing is bestowed: for there is no remission without repentance; none are freed from the guilt and punishment of sin, but those who are freed from the power and dominion of it; that are turned from it to God. And on the other hand, wherever repentance takes place, accompanied with fruits worthy of repentance, and faith in Christ, and in the promises of God through him, remission is granted without fail. Some infer from hence, that repentance and faith are as mere gifts of God, as remission of sins. Not so: for man co-operates in the former, but not in the latter. God alone forgives sins. And we are his witnesses of these things — How incredible soever they may appear to you, and are appointed by him to publish them to the world: and if we should be silent, as you would have us to be, we should be false to, and betray, a trust of the greatest possible importance; and so is also the Holy Ghost — A much greater witness, a witness from heaven; whom God hath given — In his gifts, as well as graces, as has been abundantly manifested of late, in the presence of thousands; to them that obey him — That obey his gospel, and submit themselves to his government. “The testimony arising from this miraculous communication of the Spirit to Christians at that time, entirely removes the objection from Christ’s not appearing in public after his resurrection: for had there been any imposture, it had been easier of the two to have persuaded people at a distance, that he had so appeared to the Jewish rulers, or even to the multitude, and yet had been rejected, than that he had given his servants such extraordinary powers; since, had this assertion been false, every one might have been a witness to the falsehood of such a pretence, without the trouble and expense of a journey to Jerusalem, or any other distant place.” — Doddridge.
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 vv29–31 We ought to obey ... - See the notes…
We ought to obey ... - See the notes on Act 4:19.
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 v29 Peter answered boldly, We ought to obey God, rather…
Peter answered boldly, We ought to obey God, rather than men. And withal adds, that God had raised from death Jesus, the Prince and Saviour of mankind, by whose merits all might find repentance, and forgiveness of their sins; that they were witness of his resurrection, &c. (Witham)
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 vv29, 31 Then Peter, &c.--(See on Act 2:22, and Act 3:13,…
Then Peter, &c.--(See on Act 2:22, and Act 3:13, &c.).
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 vv29–31 29. Then—To the charge of disobedience the apostles take…
29. Then—To the charge of disobedience the apostles take the high ground that obedience to them would be disobedience to God. This was in fact declaring that, though they might be magistrates of secular Israel, yet they were not authority in the present kingdom of God, the new theocracy. Caiaphas was no high priest, for the only high priest was at the right hand of God. The Sanhedrin were no judges in the new theocracy; for these twelve apostles, by them falsely judged, were now in spirit and in truth sitting upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of the true Israel.
Peter and… apostles… said—Either Luke gives a summary of the utterances of all the apostles, or the words of Peter alone in the name of all the apostles.
Read full note →
We ought—The apostles here explicitly affirm what they submit to the judges in Act_4:19.
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 vv29–31 29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and…
29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said] The Greek has no word for other. It is quite like the style of the New Testament to say “Peter and the apostles,” and it is not implied hereby that Peter was excluded from the number of the Apostles, but, as he probably was the chief speaker, his name is singled out for prominence in the narrative (see note on Act_4:6). Here again we have evidence that St Luke has made no attempt to do more than produce for us the substance of such speeches as he notices.
We ought to obey God rather than men] Better, We must, &c. In substance, though not in words, this is the argument used by Peter and John (Act_4:19), though here more stress is laid upon the impossibility of doing otherwise than as they had begun.
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 vv29–31 (29) Then Peter and the other apostles.—The whole company…
(29) Then Peter and the other apostles.—The whole company of the Twelve, it must be remembered, were now the objects of attack, and they all accept Peter as their spokesman.
We ought to obey God rather than men.—The words are an assertion of the same general law of duty as that of Act_4:19-20, but the command of the angel in Act_5:20 had given them a new significance.
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 vv29–31 But for then, A.V.; the apostles for the other…
But for then, A.V.; the apostles for the other apostles, A.V; must for ought to, A.V. Peter is the spokesman, the sentiment is that of the united apostolate. Must obey God, etc. The rule is a golden one for all men, all circumstances, and all time. (comp. Act_4:19) Peter does not deny having received the prohibition, but pleads the superior force of the command of God, as set forth in the following verses.
We ought to obey God rather than men
Read full note →
(or, "we must," Revised Version). A great principle requires to be seen in the full daylight before it can be made the foundation of great action. Fanaticism borrows its strength from the night of ignorance, not from the noon of truth. Persecution may vindicate itself on the ground of obedience to God, but it proves itself to have no title to such a principle because it destroys freedom.
I THE GREAT REQUIREMENT. Obedience to God.
1. It is a requirement abundantly set forth in the Scriptures, in conscience, in the teaching of providence in connection with revealed truth, and especially in that inspired guidance which no true and earnest man is left without.
2. Enforced by the work of the Church, by the dangers of the world, by the deceitfulness of the heart, by the promises of God"s Word.
3. Rewarded by the sense of inward strength, by superiority to circumstances, by successes in Christian effort if not in this world fully, in eternity.
II THE GREAT TRIAL.
1. Human laws, human requirements, human errors, human passions, all may say, "Obey the voice of man rather than of God.
2. Compromise the great danger of the Church. Under its new disguise of a pantheistic submission to inevitable law of development, specially subtle.
3. Lack of moral courage and conviction, obscuring principle and magnifying the strength of surrounding obstacles. We need the Holy Ghost, upholding the work of God in our own hearts, penetrating the deceptions of the world, arming us with spiritual preparation against inevitable assaults from without.
4. Individually the same great question to be settled between ourselves and God. His controversy. "Yield yourselves to God. R.
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 vv29, 31 We ought to obey God rather than man.
Act_5:29
We ought to obey God rather than man.
Read full note →
Ought
The word ought is but an old past form of the verb owe; it is, in fact, but another spelling of owed. What, therefore, we ought to do, we owed to do; what we ought to be, are owed to be. To God we owe our lives; we ought to pay Him with our lives. What we owe to our fellow-man, is that which we owe it to God to do for an honoured creature of God. We ought to do it because we owe to do it. And yet we go on saying we ought to do and we ought to be, never thinking that what we ought we owe, and that what we owe we do not pay! (H. C. Trumbull, D. D.)
Ought
is the word which sets forth the sense of duty. It differs from all the other words of the language save those of cognate meaning--a word without moods, tenses, conjugation, above time, space, and circumstance, a word like eternity, perfect and complete in itself. Ought! Whence came it? Not from time, for it is not subject to the laws of time as other words; it is a stray word from eternity. In virtue of this word, the central word of conscience, man is in eternity, and eternity is in man. This word ought, or, if you like, the truth which this word symbolises, the momentous truth of duty and obligation, is a great light hung up in the sky of the soul for ever; and however bright the lustre of the sun in the material firmament of the senses, it pales by the side of the exceeding brightness of the great light which rules the day in the inner heavens of the spirit. (J. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.)
Obedience to God
I. Its necessity.
1. Commanded (Deu_13:4; Deu_10:12).
2. The condition of acceptance with God (Exo_19:5; Jer_7:23).
3. The condition of securing Gods help (Exo_23:22; Deu_7:9).
4. Expected of Gods people (Deu_27:9-10).
5. More than burnt-offerings (1Sa_15:22).
6. A fit return for Gods mercies (1Sa_15:24).
7. Must obey God rather than man (Act_4:19-20; Act_5:29).
8. Exhorted (Jer_26:13; Jer_38:20).
9. A proof of friendship to Christ (Joh_15:14).
II. What it includes.
1. Obeying Gods voice (Exo_19:5; Jer_7:23).
2. Obeying Gods law (Jos_1:7; Isa_42:24).
3. Bringing every thought into obedience to Christ (2Co_10:5).
4. Obeying the gospel (Rom_1:5; Rom_6:17; Rom_10:16).
5. Keeping Gods commandments (Ecc_12:13).
III. How to be rendered. Should be--
1. From the heart (Deu_11:13; Rom_6:1).
2. Willingly (Psa_18:44; Isa_1:19).
3. Faithfully (Jos_22:2-3).
4. Undeviating (Deu_28:14).
5. Constantly (Php_2:12).
IV. Motives to.
1. Promises to (Exo_23:22; 1Sa_12:14-15; Isa_1:19).
2. Blessedness of (Deu_11:27; Deu_28:1-14; Luk_11:28; Jam_1:5).
3. Disobedience punished (Deu_11:28; Deu_28:15-68; Jos_5:6; Isa_1:20). (S. S. Times.)
Obedience to God
The proposition is one which receives an unanimous assent. It is a truth seen by intuition. If there be a God, and He has any will respecting our conduct, we ought to obey Him. We owe Him obedience on every account. He is our Maker, Proprietor, Benefactor, and a Being infinitely perfect, incapable of willing anything inconsistent with the strictest rectitude. We ought to obey Him. Ought we! Then why have we disobeyed Him? Out of thy own mouth will lie judge and condemn us. But since there are mistakes as to what obedience is and is not, let us--
I. Draw some distinctions.
1. The mere doing of what God commands does not constitute obedience, unless we also abstain from what He forbids. Negative precepts are as obligatory as positive precepts.
2. Obedience must be universal. It must not only have respect to all that is forbidden and required. The same reasons exist why we should be conformed to the whole will as to any part of the will of God. If, therefore, any one disobeys God in any respect, he forfeits the character of obedience; and hence it is written, cursed is every one who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.
3. To obey God is not simply to act according to His will, but because it is His will. An accidental conformity of the will of man to the will of God is not obedience. It must be intentional. An atheist may do what God requires, but you would not therefore say that he obeys God. A man may do some things which God requires from some inferior consideration. Thus some are scrupulously honest, because dishonesty is disgraceful, or an inherent principle of integrity, and not out of regard to the Supreme Lawgiver. The very same elements go into the constitution of filial obedience. A dutiful son is one who does what his parent instructs, not because it falls in with his own inclination, or because he is to gain anything by it, but out of regard to the will of his parent. It is apparent, then, that there may be a great deal of morality and right acting among men where there is no obedience to God.
4. A doing according to Gods will, out of a regard to God, does not alone constitute obedience. It depends on the nature of the regard. The regard may be servile--dread of the effects of Gods displeasure at disobedience. It may be mercenary--expectation of reward for obedience. But the regard that is had to God in all acceptable obedience is the union of respect and love.
5. Obedience, to be acceptable, must be internal as well as external. External actions are really but the expression of obedience. In what is the law of God summarily comprehended but in a twofold exercise of the heart? Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself. All pious and charitable acts must, in His account, pass for nothing, unless they are the expressions of love, the obedience of the heart
II. Characteristics of obedience. It must be--
1. Constant; not occasional and interrupted. There exist the same imperative reasons why God should be obeyed at all times, as at any time. And the love of God, the principle of obedience, is not a fitful and feverish excitement, but a regular and healthful pulsation.
2. Unconditional. We ought to obey God, whatever the difficulty, the circumstances, or the consequences. There is no power of dispensation. And yet how many exceptions are taken on the mere score of inconvenience--e.g., as regards the Sabbath law. And must the laws of the great and dreadful God, whose majesty is such that all nations are before Him as nothing, bend to human convenience? What! is it our duty to obey God only when it is convenient and agreeable, or when it does not seem to interfere with any of our secular interests?
3. Supreme and primary, and not subordinate and secondary. This obligation takes the precedence of every other. They must bend to it. It will bend to none. Whoever is disobeyed, God must be obeyed.
4. Immediately, without hesitation. Delay is disobedience, even though it should be accompanied with the determination to obey hereafter. Is Gods law fulfilled by good resolutions and dutiful purposes?
5. Unquestioning. We have no right to ask the reason of His commands, or their utility. It is enough that He commands. Some little Sunday-school girls were questioned in reference to the petition, Thy will be done, etc. How do angels in heaven do it? Immediately, said one; actively, said another; unitedly, replied a third; and then there was a pause, when one little girl said without asking any questions.
6. Submission. The reasons for obedience to Gods perceptive will are the same as those for submission to His providential will. Thy will be done, means be Thy purposes accomplished, as well as be Thy commands obeyed.
7. Sinlessness is necessary to the perfection of obedience, but not to its reality. Yet the desire and prayer, and aim and effort, and struggle to be free from it is. (W. Nevins, D. D.)
Three classes of people
I. The spirit of the believer. This is shown in the conduct of the disciples under persecution.
1. A working spirit. As soon as set free, they are found in the temple at work for Christ.
2. A conscientious spirit. We ought is the principle controlling their conduct.
3. A witnessing spirit. Notice how strong and how clear is their testimony (Act_5:30-32).
4. A rejoicing spirit (Act_5:41). They were glad at the privilege of suffering for their Masters cause.
II. The spirit of the unbeliever. Notice how this stands in marked contrast with the believers spirit.
1. There is the fear of men (Act_5:26). While the apostles are fearless of popular opinion, their persecutors are fearful, and stand in awe of the peoples wrath.
2. There is hatred against the truth (Act_5:28; Act_5:33). These men were not sincere seekers after the truth. The truth was the particular object of their enmity.
3. There is the spirit of persecution (Act_5:40). Either the disciples were right or they were wrong. If they were wrong, the priests party need have no rear--their cause would come to naught. If they were right, it was a crime to beat them. But to repress truth by violence has been the aim of persecution in all ages.
III. The spirit of indecision. This we observe in the counsel of Gamaliel. His plea may be interpreted as the utterance of a noble toleration or of an unprincipled expediency; perhaps both elements entered into it.
Obedience to God rather than man
A stern father one day, when he came home from his business, heard a noise as if some one were talking in his little boys room. He asked his wife what it was. She told him it was Johnnie praying. This made him angry. He told his little son, in a decided tone, that if he dared to do it again he must leave the house and find another home. Like Daniel, dear Johnnie knew all he must suffer; but he determined to keep on praying. The next day his father came home and found him praying again. He went at once to his little room, and in a gruff voice said, Pack up your things and be off. Ill not have any of your praying in my house. You shall not live with me. And so the poor fellow packed up the little that was his, and took his bundle and walked downstairs to say goodbye. He went first to his mother and sister, and gave them the good-bye kiss; and then, with a full heart, he leaned over the cradle and pressed his quivering lips to those of the little one he loved so much. His mother stood by weeping. How could he part with her? At last, throwing his arms around her neck, and with tears in his eyes, he sobbed, Good-bye, mother! And then the little hero turned kindly to his stern father, and, holding out his hand, said, Good-bye, father. But the father could not bear it any longer. He could not keep the hot tears from his eyes. No, he could not, after all, drive away his noble boy. Johnnie, you need not go now. Pray for me. I have been a wicked man to try to keep you from praying. I was wrong; you were right in praying. Oh, pray for reel was all he could say. And Johnnie did pray. Yes, and the father prayed too. He became a converted man, and loved, with his family, to bow before the mercy-seat. (E. P. Hammond.)
Obedience to God in spite of danger
One Saturday there was a little boy named Jamie Brown pushing along the road on his way home. He had only travelled about a mile, when, at a turn of the road, three or four very wicked boys, who disliked him for going to church, and refusing to join them in mischief, came rushing out from a clump of trees with a fierce bull-dog, and said, Brown, you must say the bad words we tell you before you go another step, or well send the dog at you. And then they began to swear, and speak the worst of words. Now there was one thing Jamie had learned at his mothers fireside, and that was, that it was wrong to take Gods name in vain, and wrong to foul the tongue with bad words. But he simply said, Let me go; I want to get home. Not one step farther, said the biggest fellow, until you say these words after me. Swear this oath, and well let you go, and he repeated wild and wicked words. I dare not say that, replied the boy; and you have no right to ask me. Swear the oath this moment, or we will let slip the dog. I will not swear that oath; and you have no right to let slip the dog on me. They gave him one more chance, and then let loose the dog. That night, as his mother and the other children sat round the fire, the brave boy told the rest of the adventure. It came into his head, as his savage persecutors were unloosing the dog, that God, who shut the mouths of the lions in the den where Daniel was, could shut the mouth of the fierce dog on that lonely road. And God did shut the mouth of the dog. The big, hulking scoundrels, more brutal than their dog, yelled it at the harmless boy. The dog barked furiously for a second or two, and went rushing up to him. But it neither bit nor offered to bite. And Jamie was delivered out of their hands. (N. T. Anecdotes.)
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 v29 29–32. Peter's defence asserts (1) that God must be…
29–32. Peter's defence asserts (1) that God must be obeyed rather than earthly rulers; (2) God raised up Jesus whom they hanged on the cross; (3) exalted him to his right hand; (4) to be a Prince and Savior, to grant Israel the opportunity to repent, and to obtain forgiveness; (5) that they were witnesses of these facts, and so was the Holy Spirit. Given to them that obey Him. The Holy Spirit is given only to those who have submitted to the Lord (Acts 2:28 and John 7:38, 39). It dwells only in the obedient heart.
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.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On vv29, 31 29. “Peter and John, responding, said, It behooveth us…
CONFLICT OF DIVINE AND HUMAN RULE
29. “Peter and John, responding, said, It behooveth us to obey God rather than man.” This is the salient point. When there is a conflict between the authorities, human and divine, we must “obey God rather than man.” If we do not, hell is our doom. God help us. That has been the battlefield in all ages. Two hundred millions of martyrs have sealed their faith with their blood. They all died rather than be untrue to God. The truest saints on the globe today are brought face to face with this very issue: “Will you obey God or man?” When men want you to disobey God, you may know they are not in harmony with God. If they were, there could be no conflict. I charge you, reader, as I shall meet you at the judgment bar, dare to be like the apostles, “Obey God rather than men.” God’s will is revealed by His Word, Spirit and providence to your intellect, spirit and conscience. Jesus says: “He that willeth to do his will shall know the doctrine.” If you are really fully consecrated to God, He will see that you have all needed light. When they were burnt, the priest, i. e., their own pastor, went out to the burning with Bible in hand, exhorting the martyr to give up heresy and live. The ignorant, illiterate saint, with radiant face and eloquent lips, nobly resisted and shouted in the flame. You must remember that the man who opposes the discharge of your conscientious duty to God is not with God. We must, like the apostles and martyrs, be true to God at any cost.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v31
Acts
WHOM TO OBEY,-ANNAS OR ANGEL?
Read full note →
OUR CAPTAIN
Act 5:31.
The word rendered ‘Prince’ is a rather infrequent designation of our Lord in Scripture. It is only employed in all four times-twice in Peter’s earlier sermons recorded in this Book of the Acts; and twice in the Epistle to the Hebrews. In a former discourse of the Apostle’s he had spoken of the crime of the Jews in killing ‘the Prince of life.’ Here he uses the word without any appended epithet. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we read once of the ‘Captain of Salvation,’ and once of the ‘Author of Faith.’
Now these three renderings ‘Prince,’ ‘Captain,’ ‘Author,’ seem singularly unlike. But the explanation of their being all substantially equivalent to the original word is not difficult to find. It seems to mean properly a Beginner, or Originator, who takes the lead in anything, and hence the notions of chieftainship and priority are easily deduced from it. Then, very naturally, it comes to mean something very much like cause; with only this difference, that it implies that the person who is the Originator is Himself the Possessor of that of which He is the Cause to others. So the two ideas of a Leader, and of a Possessor who imparts, are both included in the word.
My intention in this sermon is to deal with the various forms of this expression, in order to try to bring out the fulness of the notion which Scripture attaches to this leadership of Jesus Christ. He is first of all, generally, as our text sets Him forth, the Leader, absolutely. Then there are the specific aspects, expressed by the other three passages, in which He is set forth as the Leader through death to life; the Leader through suffering to salvation; and the Leader in the path of faith. Let us look, then, at these points in succession.
I. First, we have the general notion of Christ the Leader.
Now I suppose we are all acquainted with the fact that the names ‘Joshua’ and ‘Jesus’ are, in the original, one. It is further to be noticed that, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which was familiar to Peter’s hearers, the word of our text is that employed to describe the office of the military leaders of Israel. It is still further to be observed that, in all the instances in the New Testament, it is employed in immediate connection with the name of Jesus. Now, putting all these things together, remembering to whom Peter was speaking, remembering the familiarity which many of his audience must have had with the Old Testament in its Greek translation, remembering the identity of the two names Joshua and Jesus, it is difficult to avoid the supposition that the expression of our text is coloured by a reference to the bold soldier who successfully led his brethren into the Promised Land. Joshua was the ‘Captain of the Lord’s host’ to lead them to Canaan; the second Joshua is the Captain of the Host of the Lord to lead them to a better rest. Of all the Old Testament heroes perhaps there is none, at first sight, less like the second Joshua than the first was. He is only a rough, plain, prompt, and bold soldier. No prophet was he, no word of wisdom ever fell from his lips, no trace of tenderness was in anything that he did; meekness was alien from his character, he was no sage, he was no saint, but decisive, swift, merciless when necessary, full of resource, sharp and hard as his own sword. And yet a parallel may be drawn.
The second Joshua is the Captain of the Lord’s host, as was typified to the first one, in that strange scene outside the walls of Jericho, where the earthly commander, sunk in thought, was brooding upon the hard nut which he had to crack, when suddenly he lifted up his eyes, and beheld a man with a drawn sword. With the instinctive alertness of his profession and character, his immediate question was, ‘Art thou for us or for our enemies?’ And he got the answer ‘No! I am not on thy side, nor on the other side, but thou art on Mine. As Captain of the Lord’s host am I come up.’
So Jesus Christ, the ‘Strong Son of God,’ is set forth by this military emblem as being Himself the first Soldier in the army of God, and the Leader of all the host. We forget far too much the militant character of Jesus Christ. We think of His meekness, His gentleness, His patience, His tenderness, His humility, and we cannot think of these too much, too lovingly, too wonderingly, too adoringly, but we too often forget the strength which underlay the gentleness, and that His life, all gracious as it was, when looked at from the outside, had beneath it a continual conflict, and was in effect the warfare of God against all the evils and the sorrows of humanity. We forget the courage that went to make the gentleness of Jesus, the daring that underlay His lowliness; and it does us good to remember that all the so-called heroic virtues were set forth in supreme form, not in some vulgar type of excellence, such as a conqueror, whom the world recognises, but in that meek King whose weapon was love, yet was wielded with a soldier’s hand.
This general thought of Jesus Christ as the first Soldier and Captain of the Lord’s army not only opens for us a side of His character which we too often pass by, but it also says something to us as to what our duties ought to be. He stands to us in the relation of General and Commander-in-Chief; then we stand to Him in the relation of private soldiers, whose first duty is unhesitating obedience, and who in doing their Master’s will must put forth a bravery far higher than the vulgar courage that is crowned with wreathed laurels on the bloody battlefield, even the bravery that is caught from Him who ‘set His face as a flint’ to do His work.
Joshua’s career has in it a great stumbling-block to many people, in that merciless destruction of the Canaanite sinners, which can only be vindicated by remembering, first, that it was a divine appointment, and that God has the right to punish; and, second, that those old days were under a different law, or at least a less manifestly developed law of loving-kindness and mercy than, thank God! we live in. But whilst we look with wonder on these awful scenes of destruction, may there not lie in them the lesson for us that antagonism and righteous wrath against evil in all its forms is the duty of the soldiers of Christ? There are many causes to-day which to further and fight for is the bounden duty of every Christian, and to further and fight for which will tax all the courage that any of us can muster. Remember that the leadership of Christ is no mere pretty metaphor, but a solemn fact, which brings with it the soldier’s responsibilities. When our Centurion says to us, ‘Come!’ we must come. When He says to us, ‘Go!’ we must go. When He says to us ‘Do this!’ we must do it, though heart and flesh should shrink and fail. Unhesitating obedience to His authoritative command will deliver us from many of the miseries of self-will; and brave effort at Christ’s side is as much the privilege as the duty of His servants and soldiers.
II. So note, secondly, the Leader through death to life.
Peter, in the sermon which is found in the third chapter of this Book of the Acts, has his mind and heart filled with the astounding fact of the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, and in the same breath as he gives forth the paradoxical indictment of the Jewish sin, ‘You have killed the Prince of Life’-the Leader of Life-he also says, ‘And God hath raised Him from the dead.’ So that the connection seems to point to the risen and glorified life into which Christ Himself passed, and by passing became capable of imparting it to others. The same idea is here as in Paul’s other metaphor: ‘Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept’-the first sheaf of the harvest, which was carried into the Temple and consecrated to God, and was the pledge and prophecy of the reaping in due season of all the miles of golden grain that waved in the autumn sunshine. ‘So,’ says Peter, ‘He is the Leader of Life, who Himself has passed through the darkness, for “you killed Him”; mystery of mysteries as it is that you should have been able to do it, deeper mystery still that you should have been willing to do it, deepest mystery of all that you did it not when you did it, but that “He became dead and is alive for evermore.” You killed the Prince of Life, and God raised Him from the dead.’
He has gone before us. He is ‘the first that should rise from the dead.’ For, although the partial power of His communicated life did breathe for a moment resuscitation into two dead men and one dead maiden, these shared in no resurrection-life, but only came back again into mortality, and were quickened for a time, but to die at last the common death of all. But Jesus Christ is the first that has gone into the darkness and come back again to live for ever. Across the untrodden wild there is one track marked, and the footprints upon it point both ways-to the darkness and from the darkness. So the dreary waste is not pathless any more. The broad road that all the generations have trodden on their way into the everlasting darkness is left now, and the ‘travellers pass by the byway’ which Jesus Christ has made by the touch of His risen feet.
Thus, not only does this thought teach us the priority of His resurrection-life, but it also declares to us that Jesus Christ, possessing the risen life, possesses it to impart it. For, as I remarked in my introductory observations, the conception of this word includes not only the idea of a Leader, but that of One who, Himself possessing or experiencing something, gives it to others. All men rise again. Yes, ‘but every man in his own order.’ There are two principles at work in the resurrection of all men. They are raised on different grounds, and they are raised to different issues. They that are Christ’s are brought again from the dead, because the life of Christ is in them; and it is as ‘impossible’ that they, as that ‘He, should be holden of it.’ Union with Jesus Christ by simple faith is the means, and the only means revealed to us, whereby men shall be raised from the dead at the last by a resurrection which is anything else than a prolonged death. As for others, ‘some shall rise unto shame and everlasting contempt,’ rising dead, and dead after they are risen-dead as long as they live. There be two resurrections, whether simultaneous in time or not is of no moment, and all of us must have our part in the one or the other; and faith in Jesus Christ is the only means by which we can take a place in the great army and procession that He leads down into the valley and up to the sunny heights.
If He be the Leader through death unto life, then it is certain that all who follow in His train shall attain to His side and shall share in His glory. The General wears no order which the humblest private in the ranks may not receive likewise, and whomsoever He leads, His leading will not end till He has led them close to His side, if they trust Him. So, calmly, confidently, we may each of us look forward to that dark journey waiting for us all. All our friends will leave us at the tunnel’s mouth, but He will go with us through the gloom, and bring us out into the sunny lands on the southern side of the icy white mountains. The Leader of our souls will be our Guide, not only unto death, but far beyond it, into His own life.
III. So, thirdly, note the Leader through suffering to salvation.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews it is written, ‘It became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain’-or the Leader-’of their salvation perfect through sufferings.’ That expression might seem at first to shut Jesus Christ out from any participation in the thing which He gives. For salvation is His gift, but not that which He Himself possesses and enjoys; but it is to be noticed that in the context of the words which I have quoted, ‘glory’ is put as substantially synonymous with salvation, and that the whole is suffused with the idea of a long procession, as shown by the phrase, ‘bringing many sons.’ Of this procession Jesus Christ Himself is the Leader.
So, clearly, the notion in the context now under consideration is that the life of Jesus Christ is the type to which all His servants are to be conformed. He is the Representative Man, who Himself passes through the conditions through which we are to pass, and Himself reaches the glory which, given to us, becomes salvation.
‘Christ is perfected through sufferings.’ So must we be. Perfected through sufferings? you say. Then did His humanity need perfecting? Yes, and No. There needed nothing to be hewn away from that white marble. There was nothing to be purged by fire out of that pure life. But I suppose that Jesus Christ’s human nature needed to be unfolded by life; as the Epistle to the Hebrews says, ‘He learned obedience, though He were a Son, through the things which He suffered.’ And fitness for His office of leading us to glory required to be reached through the sufferings which were the condition of our forgiveness and of our acceptance with God. So, whether we regard the word as expressing the agony of suffering in unfolding His humanity, or in fitting Him for His redeeming work, it remains true that He was perfected by His sufferings.
So must we be. Our characters will never reach the refinement, the delicacy, the unworldliness, the dependence upon God, which they require for their completion, unless we have been passed through many a sorrow. There are plants which require a touch of frost to perfect them, and we all need the discipline of a Father’s hand. The sorrows that come to us all are far more easily borne when we think that Christ bore them all before us. It is but a blunted sword which sorrow wields against any of us; it was blunted on His armour. It is but a spent ball that strikes us; its force was exhausted upon Him. Sorrow, if we keep close to Him, may become solemn joy, and knit us more thoroughly to Himself. Ah, brother! we can better spare our joys than we can spare our sorrows. Only let us cleave to Him when they fall upon us.
Christ’s sufferings led Him to His glory, so will ours if we keep by His side-and only if we do. There is nothing in the mere fact of being tortured and annoyed here on earth, which has in itself any direct and necessary tendency to prepare us for the enjoyment, or to secure to us the possession, of future blessedness. You often hear superficial people saying, ‘Oh! he has been very much troubled here, but there will be amends for it hereafter.’ Yes; God would wish to make amends for it hereafter, but He cannot do so unless we comply with the conditions. And it needs that we should keep close to Jesus Christ in sorrow, in order that it should work for us ‘the peaceable fruit of righteousness.’ The glory will come if the patient endurance has preceded, and has been patience drawn from Jesus.
‘I wondered at the beauteous hours, The slow result of winter showers, You scarce could see the grass for flowers.’
The sorrows that have wounded any man’s head like a crown of thorns will be covered with the diadem of Heaven, if they are sorrows borne with Christ.
IV. Lastly, we have Jesus, the Leader in the path of faith.
‘The Author of faith,’ says the verse in the Epistle to the Hebrews. ‘Author’ does not cover all the ground, though it does part of it. We must include the other ideas which I have been trying to set forth He is ‘Possessor’ first and ‘Giver’ afterwards. For Jesus Christ Himself is both the Pattern and the Inspirer of our faith. It would unduly protract my remarks to dwell adequately upon this; but let me just briefly hint some thoughts connected with it.
Jesus Christ Himself walked by continual faith. His manhood depended upon God, just as ours has to depend upon Jesus. He lived in the continued reception of continual strength from above by reason of His faith, just as our faith is the condition of our reception of His strength. We are sometimes afraid to recognise the fact that the Man Jesus, who is our pattern in all things, is our pattern in this, the most special and peculiarly human aspect of the religious life. But if Christ was not the first of believers, His pattern is wofully defective in its adaptation to our need. Rather let us rejoice in the thought that all that great muster-roll of the heroes of the faith, which the Epistle to the Hebrews has been dealing with, have for their Leader-though, chronologically, He marches in the centre- Jesus Christ, of whose humanity this is the document and proof that He says, in the Prophet’s words: ‘I will put My trust in Him.’
Remember, too, that the same Jesus who is the Pattern is the Object and the Inspirer of our faith; and that if we fulfil the conditions in the text now under consideration, ‘looking off’ from all others, stimulating and beautiful as their example may be, sweet and tender as their love may be, and ‘looking unto Jesus,’ He will be in us, and above us-in us to inspire, and above us to receive and to reward our humble confidence.
So, dear friends, it all comes to this, ‘Follow thou Me!’ In that commandment all duty is summed, and in obeying it all blessedness and peace are ensured. If we will take Christ for our Captain, He will teach our fingers to fight. If we obey Him we shall not want guidance, and be saved from perplexities born of self-will. If we keep close to Him and turn our eyes to Him, away from all the false and fleeting joys and things of earth, we shall not walk in darkness, howsoever earthly lights may be quenched, but the gloomiest path will be illuminated by His presence, and the roughest made smooth by His bleeding feet that passed along it. If we follow Him, He will lead us down into the dark valley, and up into the blessed sunshine, where participation in His own eternal life and glory will be salvation. If we march in His ranks on earth, then shall we
‘With joy upon our heads arise
And meet our Captain in the skies.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv29–31 29-32. To these charges the apostles candidly and fearlessly…
29-32. To these charges the apostles candidly and fearlessly respond. (29) " Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. " This answers the first charge. They plead guilty, but justify themselves by the authority of God. Peter and John had left the Sanhedrim before, with the words, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken to men more than to God, do you judge." Now, as if that question was decided, they declare, "We ought to obey God rather than men." They then answer the second charge by a restatement of the facts: (30) " The God of our fathers had raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, having hung him on a tree. (31) This man has God exalted to his own right hand, a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. (32) And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. " This was repeating, with terrible emphasis, the very thing which was charged against them as a crime.
In the declaration that Jesus had been exalted a Prince and a Savior, "to grant repentance to Israel and remission of sins," it is implied that repentance, as well as remission of sins, is in some sense granted to me. But to grant repentance can not mean to bestow it upon men without an exercise of their own will; for repentance is enjoined upon men as a duty to be performed by them. How, then, can that which is a duty to be performed, be said to be granted to us? We will readily perceive the answer to this question, by remembering that repentance is produced by sorrow for sin, and that it belongs to God to furnish men with the facts which will awaken this sorrow. Without revelation, men would never be made to feel that sorrow for sin which works repentance; but in the revelation of Jesus Christ we are furnished with the chief of these motives, and because of this, he is said to grant repentance.
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.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v31 Saviour (See Scofield "Rom 1:16").
Saviour (See Scofield "Rom 1:16").
repentance Repentance. Act 8:22; Act 17:30; Mat 3:2.
Read full note →
forgiveness (See Scofield "Mat 26:28").
sins Sin. (See Scofield "Rom 3:23").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v29 The defense of Peter:
The defense of Peter:
v. 29. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Read full note →
v. 30. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
v. 31. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
v. 32. And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.
While Peter was the chief spokesman upon this occasion, the other apostles gave a good account of themselves, and he but voiced the conviction of their hearts. The very first words in the defense of the apostles established a great principle in the Christian Church: To obey God rather than men is the obligation resting upon us. If the rulers wanted to charge them with disobedience, that charge might well stand, and they would cheerfully plead guilty, just as they told the Jewish leaders in advance that they would not and could not obey, chap. 4:19-20. Where matters of the kingdom of God are concerned, the preaching of the Gospel, no prohibiting, threatening, mocking, or abuse would be of any avail. In these matters the government has no jurisdiction. wherever there is a clear statement of Scriptures, there the Christians will hold fast the truth and the protection of the Lord, and were the whole world to condemn them. And so far as the second part of the high priest’s charge was concerned, that the continued preaching of the risen Christ might cause insurrection and tumult, the apostles boldly repeat what they had witnessed to before. It was not a strange and foreign God, but the God of their fathers whom they proclaimed, the God of Israel, who had raised Jesus from the dead, that same Jesus upon whom the rulers had laid unholy hands in killing Him by hanging Him to the tree of the cross. This testifying of God to the person and the work of Jesus not only proved that it was innocent blood which they had shed, but it also received further confirmation by the fact that God had exalted Him to His right hand in heaven, to the full and continual use of His divine majesty and glory. In this way the Lord has made the despised Jesus a Leader or Prince and a Savior, And Jesus was now exercising the power of His office and the duties of His ministry in the effort to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. It is His earnest, good, and gracious will to have the people turn from their evil ways and from the hardness of their hearts and to accept the forgiveness of sins which has been merited and is ready for all men. Both repentance and forgiveness of sins are free gifts of mercy on the part of the exalted Christ. And of all these things the apostles are witnesses, of the death, of the resurrection, of the ascension of Christ. This testimony is moreover corroborated and confirmed by the Holy Ghost, who testifies in and with the apostles, who makes their testimony effective. This Spirit God has given to them that have the obedience of faith. On Pentecost Day the apostles had received an extraordinary demonstration of His power, but the same Spirit is ever given through the Word, by the acceptance of the great facts of our salvation, as taught by the apostles. It is this Spirit that testifies through the mouth of the Christians when they boldly give an account of their faith. This brief speech of defense here made by the apostles was in itself a gift of the Holy Spirit and a striking fulfillment of the Lord’s promise, Mat 11:19.
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 v29 General Information:
General Information:
Here the word "We" refers to the apostles, and not to the audience. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We")
Read full note →
Peter and the apostles answered
Peter spoke on behalf of all of the apostles when he said the following words.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus
Here "raised up" is an idiom. AT: "The God of our fathers caused Jesus to live again" (See: Idiom)
God exalted him to his right hand
To be at the "right hand of God" is a symbolic action of receiving great honor and authority from God. AT: "God exalted him to the place of honor beside him" (See: Symbolic Action)
by hanging him on a tree
Here Peter uses the word "tree" to refer to the cross which was made out of wood. AT: "by hanging him on a cross" (See: Metonymy)
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins
The words "repentance" and "forgiveness" can be translated as verbs. AT: "give the people of Israel an opportunity to repent and have God forgive their sins" (See: Abstract Nouns)
Israel
The word "Israel" refers to the Jewish people. (See: Metonymy)
those who obey him
"those who submit to God's authority"
translationWords
Peter
apostle
obey
God
ancestor
raise
Jesus
exalt
hand
prince
Savior
repent
Israel
forgive
sin
testimony
Holy Spirit
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv29–30 5:29 See study note on 4:19-20.
5:29 See study note on 4:19-20.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.