Acts: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary

by Gareth L Reese

Overview

This is a phrase-by-phrase commentary and exposition of the New Testament book of Acts.  This commentary is in use as a college textbook, yet is suitable for lay church members.

Acts is a history book, written by Luke to complement and continue the record begun in his Gospel. In Acts, Luke demonstrates how Jesus' apostles faithfully and obediently put the Great Commission into practice, beginning "in Jerusalem, and then into all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Acts is also indispensable for the introductions it provides to many people encountered elsewhere in the New Testament: Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila, etc.

The Restoration Movement consistently treats Acts as history, but also as a type of unbiased How-To manual for the church.

• 75% of the New Testament books find their historical backdrop in Acts. Knowing when the churches in the Galatian region or in the cities of Ephesus or Thessalonica were planted is important to interpreting the epistles bearing their names. Knowing the circumstances of Paul's life during the time when he penned Romans or 1 Corinthians or Philippians colors our interpretation of those books. Knowing who Peter, Luke, and Timothy were influences our interpretations of numerous Scriptures. Such historical information is found in Acts.
• If the early church is the pattern and model for us to follow, Acts becomes a How-To manual of sorts. Who can be a Christian, and how does it happen? Who receives spiritual gifts, and how does it happen? What ordinances ought the church observe, and when? What makes a church grow, and how does it happen? What is the relationship between church and state? What is the right response to persecution and tribulation? How ought Christianity interact with other religions? How ought we to battle evil in the spiritual world around us? What is missionary work like, and whom should be sent? What is the right leadership structure in the church, and how are leaders selected? Such questions can be dealt with using the guidance the Holy Spirit provided in Acts.

Since this commentary presumes the God-inspired nature of all Biblical writing, the author harmonizes Acts' teachings with other relevant Scriptures, and frequently examines the original language in which it was written. And because of their importance, multiple Special Studies are provided on many of the How-To topics noted above.

This commentary continues the author's series on the books of the New Testament, and is written from the unique standpoint of the Restoration Movement, a position which allows him to approach Scripture with no special theological doctrine or dogma to defend and explicate. This approach provides an unhindered freedom to listen to what the Holy Spirit would tell us in the Scriptures. By deliberately employing the time-honored grammatico-historical method of interpretation, the Word of God is allowed to impress upon our minds the intent the Divine Author had in mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798987764206
Publisher:	Scripture Exposition Books LLC
Publication date:	02/10/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1068
Sales rank:	547,009
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Dr. Gareth L. Reese had a 65-year career as a professor of New Testament at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, MO. Whether teaching courses, or preaching, or offering seminars in the U.S. and abroad, he has long been known for his ability to make the Word of God come alive for his listeners and readers.The commentaries in this set capture the thousands of hours Dr. Reese has spent studying, examining, and wrestling with what God has written in the scriptures, as he has sought to understand and harmonize the wondrous way of salvation that God has revealed to us. Dr. Reese's practice has long been to read one new commentary each time he teaches a course, and this extensive and broad and diligent study is clearly evident in his writings. His Acts commentary, originally published in 1966, quickly became the standard course textbook in the Bible colleges associated with the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, and remained so for four decades. His works have been translated into multiple languages.An advocate for the Restoration Movement, Dr. Reese is a conservative evangelical scholar. His writings display a deep and profound respect for the Word of God; for the inspired authors through whom this Word was given; for the Church, the Body of Christ, that continues to be built up as a spiritual house by that Word; and, most of all, for the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who is exalted and glorified and honored as we come to Him according to His Word.Dr. Reese is a 1954 graduate of the Cincinnati Bible Seminary (later, Cincinnati Christian University), and holds multiple post graduate degrees.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTORY STUDIES

 NEW TESTAMENT CHRONOLOGY

Chronology of the Gospels

Chronology of the Apostolic Age

 INTRODUCTORY STUDIES TO ACTS

Title

Purpose

Authorship

Trustworthiness

Dependence

Language

Date of Writing

Place of Writing

Destination

Integrity

Characteristics

The Value of Introductory Studies

COMMENTARY

Chapter 1

Spec. Study #1 - Diverse Opinions About the Kingdom of God

Spec. Study #2 - The Brothers of the Lord

Chapter 2

Spec. Study #3 - The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

Spec. Study #4 - Speaking in Tongues

Spec. Study #5 - The Doctrine of Inspiration

Spec. Study #6 - Predestination and Foreknowledge

Spec. Study #7 - Hades and the Intermediate Place of the Dead

Spec. Study #8 - What is Repentance?

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Spec. Study #9 - The Sects of the Jews

Chapter 5

Spec. Study #10 - Church Discipline

Spec. Study #11 - Demons and Demon Possession

Chapter 6

Spec. Study #12 - A Method of Selection of Elders and Deacons

Chapter 7

Spec. Study #13 - Difficulties in Acts 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (with Ch. 22 & 26 harmonized for the Conversion & Life of Paul)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Spec. Study #14 - Was Peter Ever in Rome?

Chapter 13

Spec. Study #15 - The Synagogue and its Services

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Spec. Study #16 - The Faith That Saves

    Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Spec. Study #17 - The World of the Occult

   Chapter 20

Spec. Study #18 - The Lord's Supper

   Chapter 21

   Chapter 22

   Chapter 23

   Chapter 24

   Chapter 25

   Chapter 26

   Chapter 27

   Chapter 28

EPILOGUE: THE LAST LABORS AND LETTERS OF PAUL

MAPS

INDEX