ST 1-7. Memorize key quotes / Preview / Reference materials

References

one.Acts Transmission Theory

1. For background research on the Book of Acts, its theological content, and its relationship to the Gospel of Luke, please refer to: Yuan Tianyou, The Transmission of Acts, Hong Kong: Keido Publishing House, 2005.

2. Outline of the Book of Acts [See Appendix II (II), page 30 of this course].  

two.John's Baptism Jesus contrasts the baptism of John with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating their fundamental similarities yet also their differences. The similarity lies in the power they both bestow. John's baptism is a baptism that "proclaims repentance and forgiveness of sins" (Luke 3:3), possessing the power to forgive sins. It signifies that sincere repentance and acceptance of John's baptism result in forgiveness of sins. Furthermore, those who receive John's baptism are empowered to bear fruit worthy of repentance (Luke 3:8). The baptism of the Holy Spirit, however, grants believers the power to witness for Christ to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).  

three.Baptism of the Holy Spirit Seven passages in the New Testament mention baptism by/received/through the Holy Spirit. The different prepositions used reflect the fact that since the Holy Spirit is the one who performs baptism, one must receive baptism in Him. Six of these passages contrast John the Baptist's own baptism with water with Jesus' future baptism in the Holy Spirit. The seventh passage is 1 Corinthians 12:13, which states that all Corinthian believers were baptized by one Holy Spirit to enter the church. In Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16, John prophesies that the Messiah who will come after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This can be understood as the cleansing act of the Holy Spirit: it blesses believers on the one hand and condemns non-believers on the other; it also includes the work of the Holy Spirit from Pentecost until the final judgment. The exact meaning of Mark 1:8 and John's words seems to be unknown to most. However, in Acts 1:5, when Jesus was preparing for his ascension, he reiterated John's words and prophesied that John's words would be fulfilled in a few days. About seven days later, when the disciples observed Pentecost, they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 was fulfilled (Acts 2:1-41, especially 17-21). Several years later, when Peter was preaching at Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit again revealed himself in a similar dramatic manner, so much so that this event is generally referred to as "Pentecost of the Gentiles." These similarities reminded Peter of Jesus' words before his ascension, and when he faced accusations from Jewish Christians in Jerusalem that his association with Gentiles was shameful, he also quoted Jesus' words in defense (Acts 11:16). These six passages mentioning baptism with the Holy Spirit clearly use a Pentecostal-like experience as the primary concept. However, 1 Corinthians 12:13 does not suggest that the Corinthian believers experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a dramatic and objectively visible form during their baptism; rather, the phenomenon described here is the ritual of becoming a member of the church. Just as baptism with water symbolizes repentance, faith in Christ, entry into the community of believers, and union with the body of Christ, baptism with the Holy Spirit refers to the initial moment when the Holy Spirit works in the believer's life. The descent of the Holy Spirit has no specific pattern; it can come quietly, almost imperceptibly, or it can come dramatically and clearly. The Pentecostal experience also evolved as follows: they lived in the transitional period from the Old Testament to the New Testament, a complex series of events beginning with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, gradually unfolding to the ascension of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We must note that although the disciples did not experience the Holy Spirit for the first time on Pentecost (John 14:17, 20:22), this does not mean that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the believer's "second blessing," that is, another, more intense experience of the Holy Spirit after repentance and faith. Pentecost was a second blessing for the disciples, as they had been disciples both before and after Jesus' life. However, the scriptures do not indicate that Cornelius and his friends received the Holy Spirit a second time; they experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit immediately upon their conversion to Christ. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians does not state that believers experienced two stages of this baptism. If the Corinthian church—including the “carnal” Christians Paul rebukes elsewhere (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)—had all received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then the baptism of the Holy Spirit clearly cannot guarantee that believers have reached a certain level of maturity or holiness. Moreover, if no spiritual gift is reserved for every Corinthian believer (1 Corinthians 12:2-30), then the baptism of the Holy Spirit cannot be absolutely equivalent to receiving any spiritual gift. This is not to deny that Christians, after believing in the Lord, will experience the presence or power of the Holy Spirit one or more times. Luke uses the phrase "filled with the Holy Spirit" to describe this situation; especially after the apostles boldly preached the gospel, those who heard the word quickly came to faith (e.g., Acts 2:4, 4:8, 31, 13:9). If any of these events seems to be a particular milestone marking the beginning of another new phase in the Christian faith experience, then, as Green suggests, describing it as "the release of the Holy Spirit" might be appropriate. However, if we wish to remain faithful to the biblical usage of "baptism by the Holy Spirit," we need to limit its interpretation to the believer's experience at the moment of salvation, when God dwells in his/her heart through the Holy Spirit. (Excerpt from: Craig L. Blomberg, "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit," in Yang Qingqiu (ed.), *Dictionary of Bible Theology*, Hong Kong: Evangelical Witness Association, 2001, pp. 978-979)  

Four.Who ultimately replaced Judas as apostle, Matthias or Paul? In recent years, many biblical scholars have questioned the rationality of electing apostles, mainly because Jesus later personally chose Paul. Was Paul truly the apostle who replaced Judas? Different biblical scholars hold different positions. Scholars who support Matthias believe that choosing him was reasonable. First, Peter and his followers had very strict requirements for apostles; second, it wasn't the eleven apostles acting on their own, but rather 120 believers jointly electing two people; third, the method of drawing lots was a reasonable way to seek understanding God's will in the Old Testament era; and Matthias is the only one clearly recorded as "alongside the eleven apostles" (verse 26), so Matthias replacing Judas was reasonable. Scholars who support Paul replacing Judas believe that Paul was personally chosen by Jesus. Paul clearly stated at the beginning of Galatians that he was an apostle "not by man or through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead," and Paul's contributions to the church were significant, making him more suitable for the apostolic role. Naturally, both sides have their own interpretations. However, we must understand that, on the one hand, Peter's purpose in proposing the replacement of an apostle was to maintain the connection between the mission of witness and the traditions of Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel, relative to the twelve apostles, were less important than individual achievements. On the other hand, Jesus' personal selection of Paul did not necessarily mean that he would replace Judas. Paul also stated that Jesus chose him as an "apostle to the Gentiles," distinct from Peter and the others as "apostles to the circumcised" (Galatians 2:8), showing that Paul's apostolic status had a different purpose than that of Peter and the other twelve apostles, and therefore did not need to be compared. The identity of an apostle refers to someone sent by the Lord. Whether it is the eleven apostles, Matthias, or Paul, what matters is the mission they receive from the Lord; personal identity becomes secondary. As Paul points out in Philippians 3:8, "For his sake I have lost all things; I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." It is clear that while Paul valued the Lord's mission, he did not consider the identity of an apostle an indispensable personal goal. Therefore, who replaced Judas is not the key point in the Kingdom of God.  

5.Drawing lots Regarding whether it was appropriate to use lot to select Matthias as a substitute for Judah, please see: Davids, The New Testament of the Bible, translated by Xu Chengde, Campus Bookstore Publishing House, Taiwan, 1996, pp. 31-33.  

6.Apostles and Disciples “The term "apostolos" (Greek: apostolos) refers to a messenger, ambassador, or agent sent by a commissioner to carry out instructions… The term Apostolos appears 79 times in the New Testament (10 times in the Gospels; 28 times in the Acts of the Apostles; 38 times in the Epistles; and 3 times in Revelation). It appears most frequently in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles (34 times in total), and in the Pauline Epistles (34 times), referring to those commissioned by Christ to assume special responsibilities in the church. Their unique position is that they not only saw the resurrected Lord but were also commissioned and empowered by Him to proclaim the gospel to all nations. The New Testament uses Apostolos to refer to Jesus as the one sent by God (Hebrews 3:1) or God sent to preach the gospel to the Israelites (Luke 11:49), to those sent by the church (2 Corinthians 8:23; Philippians 2:25), and most often to individual figures commissioned by Christ to preach the gospel of the kingdom. However, the New Testament authors had different understandings of this final category. For example, the term "apostle" in Luke and Acts almost exclusively refers to the twelve disciples, but Paul's usage is broader. The "apostles" in 1 Corinthians 15:7 seem to include those beyond the twelve mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:5; James is considered an apostle in both this passage and Galatians 1:19; Barnabas is called an apostle in Acts 14:14 (compare Acts 11:22-24, 13:1-4); and Paul refers to Andonicus and Junia as apostles in Romans 16:7. In this broader sense, an apostle is someone who witnesses to the resurrection of Christ and is sent by Christ to make disciples of all nations… Jesus had many disciples during his time on earth, but not all of them were apostles. The twelve disciples were chosen from a larger group to live with Jesus; those who became apostles were sent to preach the word. The New Testament lists the twelve disciples in four passages: the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16) and the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13). These lists are largely the same, representing four different forms of an early oral tradition. Matthew and Mark refer to the twelve disciples as apostles only once, in the context of their missionary journeys (Matthew 10:2; Mark 6:30), indicating a role rather than a status. Luke, however, frequently and almost exclusively refers to the twelve disciples as "apostles" (Luke 6:13, 9:10, 17:5, 22:14, 24:10; Acts 1:26, 2:43, 4:35, 36, 37, 5:2, 12, 18, 8:1). Except for Luke 11:49 and Acts 14:14, Luke generally uses "apostolos" only for the twelve disciples. Because they were called by Jesus, constantly with Him in His ministry, and witnessed His resurrection, they were probably most familiar with His words and deeds. Commissioned by the resurrected Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, they witnessed God's redemptive work in Christ. The view that the twelve disciples are equivalent to apostles has two bases: besides the use of this title for them in the Gospels, Jesus gave them responsibilities after His resurrection (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:48-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:8). Therefore, the basic qualification for an apostle is being called and sent by Christ. We see additional qualifications in Matthias's account: besides having God's calling, the person must have followed Jesus from John's baptism to Jesus' ascension and be a witness to Jesus' resurrection (Acts 1:21-22). Jesus chose the twelve disciples and made them the core of His followers to symbolize that Jesus came to build a new nation of Israel. The twelve disciples form the core of God's new people, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel, symbolizing God's work of redemption through Jesus and His disciples. Their number suggests their work among the Israelites; although the mission of the twelve disciples was not limited to the Jews, it was particularly relevant to the twelve tribes of Israel, as emphasized in the promise of Matthew 19:28. (Excerpt from: R. David Rightmire, ”The Apostles' and “The Twelve Disciples,” *Dictionary of Bible Theology*, Hong Kong: Evangelical Witness Association, 2001, pp. 484-485)    

7.The Kingdom of Heaven is Coming Based on the lessons of Jesus Christ concerning the future, we can say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ marks the time of His formal reign, and the descent of the Holy Spirit and the destruction of Jerusalem are manifestations of His authority. However, this interpretation does not preclude the fact of His second coming to rule. According to Luke, the destruction of Jerusalem did not immediately usher in the end times; rather, it brought with it a "time for the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24). Matthew also records, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). Moreover, the first three Gospels all mention a period of upheaval and the second coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-27). Therefore, we can say that the time when Jesus Christ reigns over the whole earth is the time of His second coming. The following simplified diagram illustrates the relationship between the process of the kingdom's coming and the life of Jesus: