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miracle had actually taken place (4:16). But what they wanted to know from Peter and John was “ by what power, or . . . name" the thing had been done. If Peter had replied, “W e have done this in the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel,” the apostles doubtless would have been set free at once. The Jewish leaders, worldly as they were, had no quarrel with good works. What they hated was the name of Jesus. And therefore, when Peter an swered that the miracle had been done “in the name o f Jesus Christ o f Nazareth” (v. 10, R .V .), the apostles were threatened with punishment, not if they performed other miracles, but if they disobeyed the command not to “ speak at all nor teach in the name o f Jesus” (v. 18). 2. The conflict o f the early church, with both pagan and Jewish religionists, was not about the existence o f God nor the value of the Golden Rule. The conflict raged around just one chief point, the Name and Person o f Jesus Christ. Even a casual reading of the Book of Acts shows that all the arguments and all the persecutions revolved around one question, Who is Jesus? There were other controversies, but they all grew out o f this one supreme question. To the apostles and the early church, Jesus was the true Messiah, the eternal and only-begotten Son, second Per son o f the Triune God, in whose mighty hand rested the destiny o f the world and o f every individual in it. To the rest, He was only an obscure Jewish peasant and teacher. The early church could have won respite from persecution instantly if the members had been willing to drop His name as that of a divine Saviour from their preaching. See Acts 5 :28, 40 and many other texts. 3. The conflict over the Name and Per son of Jesus our Lord has never ceased. Let us hold fast His Name (Rev. 2:13) in the face of a hostile world, like the early Christians who rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name”, (Acts 5:41). Golden Text Illustration America’s laws are such that the Chris tian seldom must face a conflict between civil law and the will of God. But do we not sometimes feel ourselves more bound by the laws of convention than by the commands of God? In this respect, as well as in others, “we ought to obey God rather than men.” In the Dawn appears an illus tration o f the danger we face if we yield to men : “When Dr. Chalmers was a guest in the house of a nobleman, among the gentlemen present was an old highland chieftain who kept his eyes fixed on Dr. Chalmers and listened to his conversation with intense interest. The subject was pauperism, and its causes and cure. At night the Doctor, whose room was near the chieftain’s, heard a heavy groan, and on hastening to him found him dying of apoplexy. As the company stood around, Dr. Chalmers, the very picture of distress, said tremulously : ‘Never before did I see thè meaning of that text—“Preach the word ; be instant in season, out o f season.” Had I known what was to happen, I would not have dwelt upon this evening’s topic. I would have preached Jesus Christ and Him cru cified. You would have thought it out of season, but ah ! it would have been in season, both as it respects him and as it respects you.’ ”—S elected .
about the cross was foolishness to men because o f who was on the cross; He was a Man of no influence either in His home town or elsewhere; He was poor to the extent that He had not where to lay His head; and He was of such strange be havior that His own family thought Him beside Himself. How could such a One save souls? Then, too, this preaching was foolishness to men because of what, as to national significance, the cross represented; to the Romans the Christ of the cross was merely a religious disturber of the people; to the Greeks He was merely a religious fanatic who had gone too far with his fanaticism; and to the Jews He was merely a religious impostor posing as Messiah. In Christ there was to be seen no great hero leading his followers in battle and bravely going to his death with his flag flying; but He was One who, apparent ly, had submitted to an ignominious death and had left His followers scattered and alone. How could such a one save a soul? “ The thing preached” was foolishness to both Jews and Gentiles (vs. 22, 23). The Jews required a sign, but their requirement had been fully met by Jesus-Christ in His three years o f miracle-working in their midst. Therefore, their reiterated plea for visible proof o f Jesus’ Messiahship was merely a method of rejecting the authority of their God. The Greeks sought after wisdom, but they, like the Jews, rejected the wisdom of God dwelling in a Man, a Man who1«poke as never man had spoken, who silenced every skeptic with the authority of His word. Both groups turned their backs upon Christ; hence He became to the Jews a stumblingblock and to the Gentiles foolishness (v. 23). But to those who accepted “the thing preached,” Christ became the “power of God, and the wisdom of God” (vs. 24,25). The power of God to remove sin and to pay its penalty was seen in the work of the cross. The One who had hung upon that cross had borne in His body the sin of the world (cf. John 1:29; 1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:5, 6; 1 John 2:1, 2). All that God does for the believer in any age is wrought by virtue o f that cross. God so loved the world that He permitted the cross, and His wisdom is seen in the accomplishment of that cross: Divine love was satisfied, sin was put away, Satan was brought to defeat, souls were set free, and the doors of heaven were flung wide open to all who would enter. “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" (Acts 4:7). The reference here is to the notable miracle performed in- chapter 3, the healing of the lame man. The important thing to be noticed is that the Jewish high priest and rulers had no objection to the miracle as such. And they were convinced that a Points and Problems 1.
lame man as being a “good deed”—and surely a good deed did not warrant the arrest and persecution of the ones who were ihstrumental in the performance of it. Peter went further. He declared that the deed had not been wrought by any power exercised by himself or his com panions, but that it had been wrought by “the name o f Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” the One who, his hearers knew, had gone about their whole country healing those who were oppressed by the devil, deliver ing from all manner of sicknesses, and giving proof upon proof that He was the Messiah promised by the prophets. Peter reasoned that the evidence' that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead was to be seen in the restoration o f the impotent man. In other words, the same gracious and miraculous deeds that Jesus of Naz areth had done before they crucified Him, He was continuing to do through His fol lowers ; hence there could be no question that He was risen from among the dead. Peter deliberately charged the persecut ing company with the murder of the One who had done and who was continuing to do good deeds among the people. Speaking fearlessly to the Jews, the apostle referred to Christ as the One “whom ye crucified.” While the Jews did not actually perform the act of crucifixion, they were truly guilty of the murder of Jesus of Nazareth, for they had rejected Him in their hearts. While thus condemning the Jewish lead ers and pressing home upon their con sciences the blame for the murder of Jesus o f Nazareth, Peter did not forget that in his audience were sinners in need of the W ord of life. He therefore called their attention to their own Scriptures and to the fact that in the rejection o f Christ by the nation, and in God’s acceptance and exaltation of the Son, there was the ful fillment o f prophecy. The stone set at nought by the builders had become the head o f the corner (cf. Psa. 118:22; Isa. 28:16). Moreover, Peter hastened to make plain that salvation was to be found only through this crucified and risen One (v. 12). There was—and is—no other way of salvation, for there is no other name under heaven “whereby we must be saved.” This additional revelation of the means of sal vation, given to the Jews through Peter, was a manifestation of God’s patience and love for them, and it provided them with opportunity to accept. But alas! the oppor tunity was allowed to pass, and the patience and love o f God were once more and finally spurned. In his attitude and message, Peter fur nishes an excellent example of how, under persecution, one may bear witness for Jesus Christ. Peter’s testimony was fear less, because he felt that the Lord was with him ; it was simple, because he had nothing to say except what was given by the Holy Spirit; it was clear as crystal, because the Spirit never confuses issues; it was un mistakable, because the Spirit always makes Himself understood; and it was applied to the immediate need and con dition o f the audience, because the Spirit understands the need o f every man. II. W itnessing to B oth J ews and G entiles (1 Cor. 1:21-25). W e believe that Paul did not mean that it was the foolishness of preaching by which souls were to be saved, but that they were saved by “the foolishness o f the thing preached” (v. 21, R. V., margin). The “thing preached” was the cross of Christ (cf. vs. 17, 18). The truth that gathered
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