What is the theme of this chapter?
Purging and Persecution
What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 29
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men."
What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?
It's true that we are living in a different age — the age of Grace — than Ananias and Sapphira, that the sins of believers are dealt with in a different manner and that the power of the Spirit is manifested in a different way today. But, the principles of God do not change. Grace is not mere tolerance or laxity of sin. There are actually many more exhortations to godly living in Paul's epistles than in all four Gospels and the Book of Acts put together. God still hates sin, and we will not enjoy the blessings we have in Christ where it is condoned.
Additional observations/questions:
Acts 5 was still the day of Israel's opportunity to repent. Far from setting Israel aside at Calvary, God was still dealing in mercy with her exclusively. Had Israel accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah, the apostles would then have proceeded to "make disciples of all nations," and the nations would have found salvation and blessing through Israel in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant and the prophetic Scripture. That was the whole idea of the "Great Commission."
Again, I think Stam says it well:
"Not one word has yet been said in the record concerning the joint body of which believers today are members. Not once have we come across any such phrase as 'the dispensation of the grace of God,' or 'the gospel of the grace of God.' Not once has there been an offer of salvation through faith in Christ's shed blood, and certainly the good news of salvation, on any terms, has not yet been sent to the Gentiles."
Purging and Persecution
What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 29
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men."
What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?
It's true that we are living in a different age — the age of Grace — than Ananias and Sapphira, that the sins of believers are dealt with in a different manner and that the power of the Spirit is manifested in a different way today. But, the principles of God do not change. Grace is not mere tolerance or laxity of sin. There are actually many more exhortations to godly living in Paul's epistles than in all four Gospels and the Book of Acts put together. God still hates sin, and we will not enjoy the blessings we have in Christ where it is condoned.
Additional observations/questions:
Acts 5 was still the day of Israel's opportunity to repent. Far from setting Israel aside at Calvary, God was still dealing in mercy with her exclusively. Had Israel accepted Jesus Christ as Messiah, the apostles would then have proceeded to "make disciples of all nations," and the nations would have found salvation and blessing through Israel in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant and the prophetic Scripture. That was the whole idea of the "Great Commission."
Again, I think Stam says it well:
"Not one word has yet been said in the record concerning the joint body of which believers today are members. Not once have we come across any such phrase as 'the dispensation of the grace of God,' or 'the gospel of the grace of God.' Not once has there been an offer of salvation through faith in Christ's shed blood, and certainly the good news of salvation, on any terms, has not yet been sent to the Gentiles."
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