Questions tagged [acts]
The second half of Luke's history of the church, which was commissioned by Theophilus. It covers the actions of the Apostles from Christ's ascension to heaven to Paul's imprisonment in Rome.
307
questions
3
votes
3answers
60 views
+100
Do Ephesians 1:13 and Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-7 contradict each other?
On the one hand Ephesians 1:13 appears to state that Christians receive the Holy Spirit upon the moment of conversion:
Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
Do all believers receive the Holy Spirit at conversion but only a few are filled with the Holy Spirit post conversion? [closed]
The following passages seem to support that all believers receive the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion:
Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of ...
2
votes
1answer
59 views
What is the intended meaning of the word “power” as used in Acts 1:8?
Acts 1:7-8 (NIV):
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you ...
2
votes
2answers
78 views
Is the promise of “power” in Acts 1:8 only for the apostles or for Christians in all ages?
Acts 1:7-8 (NIV):
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you ...
2
votes
1answer
112 views
Did Jesus first appear to the 11 disciples in Jerusalem or Galilee?
There seems to be a disagreement between the gospels of Luke and Matthew regarding the location of the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the eleven disciples.
The author of Luke states, ...
1
vote
3answers
55 views
What's the etymology for the Greek word ἐκκλησία (church)? [closed]
Acts 5:11
New International Version
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
church
ἐκκλησίαν (ekklēsian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 1577: ...
1
vote
1answer
34 views
Was Moses a powerful speaker? [duplicate]
Exodus 4:10
Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Was Philip teleported to Azotus by the Holy Spirit in Acts 8:38-40?
Acts 8:38-40 reads:
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of ...
3
votes
3answers
109 views
Do Matthew 5:17-20 and Acts 15 contradict each other?
Matthew 5:17-20 (NKJV)
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one ...
2
votes
5answers
165 views
Are Christians being licensed not to keep the Sabbath according to Colossians 2:16-17, Romans 14:5-8 and Acts 15?
Is Paul giving Christians license to omit Sabbath observance in Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14:5-8? Is this corroborated by Acts 15?
Below the passages:
Colossians 2:16-17
16 Therefore let no one ...
3
votes
2answers
232 views
Why are centurions featured so frequently in the New Testament?
Healing the centurion's servant in Matthew 8:5–13.
Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
How does the NASB render καρδίαν as quick in Acts 7:54?
Ὡς δὲ ἐπληροῦτο αὐτῷ τεσσαρακονταετὴς χρόνος, ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.
Most translations render καρδίαν as heart but the NASB chose to translate ...
2
votes
3answers
49 views
How far into the temple did the Ethiopian eunuch worship? [closed]
Deuteronomy 23:1
No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Acts 8:27
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important ...
0
votes
2answers
33 views
Explain why it is believed that Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles?
What proofs are there to support “evidence that Luke is the writer of the Book of Acts?”
7
votes
3answers
880 views
In Acts 28:31 sudden ending [closed]
The last verses of Luke's record in Acts appear to end the book very suddenly and unexpectedly. Does anyone have any information about whether there might be more to the book that is now lost? Or ...
2
votes
2answers
57 views
Does Peter personify water in Acts 10:47?
As Peter spoke the word to Cornelius and his household, they received the Holy Spirit:
Then answered Peter, `The water is any one able to forbid, that these may not be baptized, who the Holy Spirit ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Was the infanticide of the Hebrews real? [closed]
Acts 7:17-21:
“But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham,[as] the people increased greatly in number[at] in Egypt, until another king who did not know about[...
3
votes
3answers
52 views
What is intended by, “God raised him and …granted that He become visible”? Acts 10:40
What do we understand from the word 'visible' or the meaning of this action?
The context is:
Acts 10:40-41 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He
become visible, not to all the people,...
6
votes
2answers
545 views
Does Acts 2:33 demonstrate that 'Father' is not equivalent in meaning to 'God'?
Typically the question over the divinity of Jesus which leads to the belief in the Trinity, or denial thereof, is focused on verses which could indicate Jesus is God (e.g. John 1:1, 20:28, Acts 20:28, ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Why did ESV translate Ἄνδρες in Acts 27:10 as “Sirs” and in Acts 27:21 as “Men”?
English Standard Version Acts 27:10
saying, “Sirs [Ἄνδρες], I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”
Only 11 verses ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views
What were the legal consequences of “I appeal to Caesar!” in Acts 25:11?
In https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/68291/in-acts-2510-paul-appeals-to-caesar-what-aspect-of-roman-law-citizenship-was-h:
About two decades before the birth of Christ, Rome passed a ...
5
votes
3answers
653 views
3
votes
2answers
49 views
Did NIV overplay the word παρατίθημι in Acts 17:3 “explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead”?
New International Version Acts 17:2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had ...
5
votes
1answer
166 views
Did Paul perform the circumcision himself in Acts 16:3?
Acts 16:3
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Who actually did the operation?...
6
votes
3answers
73 views
Which law did Peter allude to in Acts 10:28?
Luke 7:2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his ...
0
votes
3answers
91 views
When did Jesus recieve the spirit in the context of Acts 2:32-33?
Acts 2:32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all
witnesses. 33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God,
and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
How old was Paul when Jesus died?
Acts 22:3 (NRSV)
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
2 Corinthians 1:12, “simplicity” or “simplicity of heart”?
2 Corinthians 1:12, (DRB):
For our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity of heart and sincerity of God, and not in carnal wisdom, but in the grace of God, we have ...
1
vote
3answers
103 views
In Acts 7:38 Moses spoke to the angel on Mt Sinai and received oracles from the angel
“This is the one (Moses) who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.”
Acts 7:38
...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
Acts 4:26, isn't the Christ himself the Lord?
Acts 4:26 (DRB):
The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled together against the Lord and his Christ.
The question is so simple:
Isn't the Christ himself the Lord?, How to say (...
3
votes
2answers
60 views
Acts 1:5 versus Acts 2:4: Being baptized versus being filled with the Holy Spirit
Luke uses βαπτισθήσεσθε (NASB: “you will be baptized”) in Acts 1:5 and then uses ἐπλήσθησαν (“and they were filled”) in Acts 2:4. Is there a reason for the change in verbs used to describe the baptism ...
2
votes
3answers
73 views
Acts 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit?
Act 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat ...
0
votes
3answers
53 views
What is the most gramatically sound translation of εἰς in Acts 2:38?
Is there any grammatical justification for translating εἰς as causal, i.e, "because of" anywhere in either scripture or in any classial use of the first century?
4
votes
1answer
44 views
In Acts 13:48 -“ τεταγμένοι” (appointed- YTL), What the Luke's narration implies to, “middle” or “passive ”voice?
Apparently, Luke simply narrates the event describing how "people throng" to Paul and Barnabas to hear the message, and with conscious volition "they" responded. Therefore, the "middle voice" would ...
0
votes
0answers
45 views
In Acts 22:5, what authority did Paul have to destroy Christians?
[Act 22:5 NLT] (5) The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Who was indicated as the Creator, the Christ and holy servant in the prayer of Jesus' disciples in Acts 4:24-30?
Acts 4:24-30 of the English standard Version says 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and ...
-1
votes
2answers
59 views
In Acts 5:3, what does it mean for Satan to fill the heart of Ananias?
[Act 5:3 NLT] (3) Then Peter said, "Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.
[Act 5:3 MGNT] (3) εἶπεν δὲ ὁ ...
0
votes
2answers
81 views
Is the gospel narrative hidden in the narrative of Acts 12? [closed]
Close reading Acts 12, it appears the text parallels the gospel narratives. Can anyone flesh-out a verse by verse comparison?
In Acts 12:1 we read, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth ...
0
votes
2answers
74 views
What does the position of Jesus indicate in Acts 7:55? Is there a third person next to God in this account?
Acts 7:55 of the American Standard Version says, But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. What ...
-1
votes
4answers
89 views
Acts 2:44,45; Acts 4:32, Does Acts say that Christianity teaches a form of Communism?
Acts 2:44,45 (DRB):
44And all they that believed were together and had all things common. 45Their possessions and goods they sold and divided them to all, according as every one had need.
Acts 4:...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Acts 10:2, 1 Timothy 3:16 What is the accurate difference between godliness and fearing of God?
I do good and avoid evil because I love God, not because I fear God.
What is the accurate difference between "godliness" and "fearing of God"?
Can a man be godly and fearing of God ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
In Acts 1:25, what is an apostle?
[Act 1:25 NLT] (25) as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs."
What is an apostle?
12
votes
3answers
964 views
In Acts 2:6, was the miracle in the speaking or the hearing at Pentecost?
I have a few questions about tongues during the Pentecost event in acts. Here is the main verse :
And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every ...
3
votes
3answers
266 views
Was it Peter or Paul who first revealed that the gospel would be announced to the gentiles?
Paul is preaching to the gentiles in Acts 9 and Peter has his vision in Acts 10. So why does Peter say that the Lord chose him to preach to the gentiles and that Cornelius was the first of the ...
3
votes
2answers
446 views
“We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” Why then, was Stephen stoned to death? Acts 7:59-60 [duplicate]
When the Jews delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate , Pilate said to them:
John 18:31 (NASB)
31" So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him
according to your law.” The Jews said to ...
4
votes
1answer
198 views
Why did Moses claim he was not eloquent when the Lord called him?
Ex 4:10: And Moses said unto the Lord, o my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue
This was Moses ...
2
votes
2answers
131 views
Question regarding “baptism for the remission of sins” in Acts 2:38
The Nicene Creed declares: “We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.” However, while doing research into this subject, I found this quote from the Lion Book of Christianity regarding ...
0
votes
0answers
44 views
Why/How Peter and James didn't know about Paul but Barnabas knew it?
From this link
Who are those apostles in Jerusalem? Paul himself states that during
his visit to Jerusalem, he saw only Peter and James, the Lord’s
brother, but none of the other apostles (Gal. ...
1
vote
2answers
52 views
Would men include boys in the New Testament?
"Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation
under heaven"
- Acts 2:5, NASB
Men translates Aner (Strong G435) which means Male according to Greek lexicons.
"So then, ...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
Should οἰκοδομέω be interpreted literally or metaphorically?
οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeō), with the lexical entry STRONG NT 3618, is the Greek verb for "edify." In the gospels it often has the normal meaning of building a physical structure.
But in Acts and the rest ...
