The same four themes are present in the life and ministry of jesus in lukes gospel. That is exactly what the acts of the apostles book is. It portrays the beginning of the church from its roots at pentecost fifty days after the lords resurrection, to paul. Talbert phd, vanderbilt university is distinguished professor of religion at baylor university in waco, texas. Perhaps the most pervasive theme of acts in the role of the holy spirit in the lives and journeys of the disciples. Themes and theology luke is often neglected as a theologian. The theology of luke and acts course, taught by darrell bock, thoroughly explores the theology of lukes gospel and the book of acts. Paul revistis the churches second missionary journey 15. By comparison, the pauline epistles have 2,032 verses and the johannine. Almost every commentator on acts maintains its purpose is to tell the story of the birth and growth of the church. Though not a commentary, this is an essential book along side bocks, or any other commentators book on luke and acts, as it gives the reader the big. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the world. Bock, an internationally recognized scholar who has been teaching and writing on these books for over thirtyfive years. This sunday, i pick up in chapter of the book of acts.
Jun 05, 2015 we come to the conclusion of our introduction to the book of acts today by looking at its purpose and theme. Jan 16, 2019 there is a third element of the book of acts which cannot be ignored. As a result, the preaching of the gospel and the witness of the newly formed church sparks a flame that spreads across the roman empire. Johnson 1992 lists four theological themes present in the book of acts. In his writing, luke records the story of god working through jesus to usher in a new era of promise and spiritenablement so that the people of god can be gods people even in the midst of a hostile world. Overview of two important approaches for studying the theological themes of the gospels. We preached through the first twelve chapters in acts last fall, and after a seven week break to teach on marriage, we jump back into the narrative. This is tape 1 for the series on the theology of the new testament gospels. A basic overview of the structure for the book of acts.
Meanwhile, john squires writes regarding the book of acts that another themethe plan of godfunctions as the foundational theological motif for the complete. Acts, as it is commonly called, is a second volume of the. The message of acts is that, because jesus was a jew, the gospel should be presented first to jews, then to. In so many ways, the book of acts can rightly be called the acts of the word of god. Neither the third gospel nor the acts provide an explicit statement of authorship, but the. The most recent approaches to acts see the book in light of its. These repeated motifs run throughout his book and are important keys to understanding lukes teaching. Feb 08, 2018 theological themes and the book of job. So you can bet its jammed packed with lots of interesting theological. Luke recorded three rejections by the jews to peter and the apostles associated with him to the message of repentance and proclamation of the kingdom. The book of acts forms a bridge between the gospels and pauls epistles. Power, status, and resources are to be used for the sake of the community. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. Explore the books of luke and acts in depth with dr.
As we approach the book of acts, we must always keep in mind that luke wrote out of his background in the old testament and first century beliefs about the kingdom of god in christ. While the birth of the church is found in acts though not in the way most think luke s purpose was far different. Bock introduction of the 7,947 verses in the new testament, luke acts comprises 2, 157 verses, or 27. In just the second chapter of the book, the holy spirit plays a role on the day. It may be that the focus of acts is the theme of fulfillment unhindered, cf. On one level, as is true of most literary works, luke had many purposes and acts has many themes. Gain a knowledge of the basic content and message of the book of acts. Of the 27 books that make up what we know as the new testament, the one called the acts of the apostles is unique in the information it contains. The books full name is the acts of the apostles, for it recounts their efforts to take the gospel to the nations. Start a free trial of quizlet plus by thanksgiving. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament.
Similarly, while a number of secondary themes could probably be identified, the primary theme of acts can be found in acts 1. The holy spirit empowers believers to declare the gospel among both jews and gentiles. Though not a commentary, this is an essential book along side bocks, or any other commentators book on luke and acts, as it gives the reader the big picture of what luke wrote to theophilus and for us. The lessons provide a thorough exploration of the important introductory issues, major theological themes, and how each book relates to the broad picture of new testament theology. This time, i would like to approach this matter from a slightly different perspective. Choose from 29 different sets of theological themes flashcards on quizlet. As you know, there are four accounts of jesus in the new testament. Apologetics is the branch of theology that is concerned with. As i have been reading back through acts this week in order to regain my bearings, i have been reminded how much i love this book and how much we have learned already. This is the third lesson of our series the book of acts, and we have entitled this lesson major themes. Literary patterns, theological themes, and the genre of lukeacts dissertation series h. Bock offers an indepth study of lukes gospel and the book of acts.
The reference to the former treatise which is, of course, the gospel according to luke implies that this book is to be regarded as its sequel, and the terms of the. Our interest here is to highlight lukes overarching purpose and theme. Here are a few of the major themes weve already seen developed in the book of acts. A basic overview of the structure for the book of acts by luke geraty dec 19, 2012 biblical theology, new testament, preaching once ive decided to preach through a book of the bible, i like to form some sort of a homiletic outline that helps me break a book up into sections to preach through.
We come to the conclusion of our introduction to the book of acts today by looking at its purpose and theme. Staggs commentary focuses on lukes purposes in writing acts. There are two important approaches that need to be taken when studying the major themes and theological emphases of matthew, mark, luke and john. Tracing theological themes through the whole bible story kevin halloran 5. Throughout this threecourse bundle, see what makes lukes gospel distinct from the other gospels, explore key moments in the book of acts, and trace the theological themes that span these two books.
Aleph, origen, tertullian, didymus, hilary, eusebius, epiphanius. According to lee, the book of acts refers to the formative history of the early church, while establishing luke as a charismatic theologian who demonstrates that baptism in the holy spirit is an experience of empowering to facilitate the mission of the. In the latter portion of acts, luke recorded three rejections of the jews to pauls overtures of salvation. One of them named agabus stood up and predicted by the spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world. Some theological concepts in the book of deuteronomy. He is the author of many books, including ephesians and colossians in the paideia series, reading the sermon on the mount, and reading acts. When the gospel is preached in the book of acts, the resurrection is emphasized as much as the crucifixion. Key verses and themes in acts bible commentary theology. There is a third element of the book of acts which cannot be ignored. This is not a theology of acts, but rather a theology of these particular speeches in acts. In a theology of luke and acts, a video study, top new testament scholar darrell l. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the.
Purposes of the book of acts reformed bible studies. Here are some of the key themes that luke highlights for. Pauls establishes the churches first missionary journey. This theme is carried forward by several different words and phrases cf. Most important theological themes of the book of kings. Bock has done a great job synthesizing the biblical theological themes that no doubt run through his commentaries. Luke is a theologian and his book is telling the reader about the work of god in the world. A theology of luke and acts is a very readable biblical theology of luke acts. In the early days of the church, many were accusing the christians of being seditious against the roman imperial government.
The book of job acts as a defense of gods goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil. Bock offers an in depth study of lukes gospel and the book of acts. One of them named agabus stood up and predicted by the spirit that there would be a. Doc chapter 6 key themes of lukeacts charles puskas. He shows us how god is working and speaking in this story and our own stories. The main theological emphasis of the book of acts is the holy spirit. Crump, an introduction to the gospel and acts, investigates the key themes, e. This summary of the book of acts provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of acts. He has wide variety of theological interests, such as how gods plan is unfolding in history, or the movement of the holy spirit as the gospel moves into new areas of the world. Tracing theological themes through the whole bible story. Any discussion of the theological concepts of the book of deuteronomy will necessarily be limited by the nature of the material in the book, by the space available, and by the subjective selection of the writer. The debate over the historical accuracy of the book of acts is important, in no small measure because as i have pointed out already it. The acts of the apostles major themes gospel renewal.
Major themes in the book of acts the bart ehrman blog. Frank stagg in his commentary, the book of acts, the early struggle for an unhindered gospel, asserts the purpose is primarily the movement of the message about jesus the gospel from a strictly nationalistic judaism to a universal message for all humans. The main emphasis of the christian witness was to proclaim the reality of the resurrection as confirming jesus as gods messiah and to call all people to repent and place their faith in him as lord. Grow in spiritual maturity through careful and consistent application of the principles found in the book of acts. The book of acts is about the mission of the church to bear witness to jesus. It records that he performed many signs and wonders to validate the ministry of the apostles and other early church leaders. There are several major themes in acts, and here let us consider three of them. Yet we can also think of it as the acts of the holy spirit. Acts of the apostles records the first days after jesuss death and the growth of the early church in the ancient world. Theology and themes job bible commentary produced by tow project most familiar to bible readers as the righteous man who suffered unjustly, job exemplifies the person who questions why good people suffer.
Retribution can never be the final word of the god whose grace will triumph in the end. Meanwhile, john squires writes regarding the book of acts that another theme the plan of godfunctions as the foundational theological motif for the complete. This smaller section emerges as a theological micro cosm of the book as a whole. Themes in the book of acts the book of acts begins with the outpouring of gods promised holy spirit on the day of pentecost. A literary and theological commentary on the acts of the apostles. In my former book, theophilus, i wrote about all that jesus began to do and to teach v. Our contributors explore the book of acts as a theological treasure that can engage and shape our discipleship today. Gods promised program, realized for all nations biblical theology of the new testament series at. So, if we hope to grasp the significance of the book of acts, we must pay careful attention to these repeated themes. Literary patterns, theological themes, and the genre of luke. The initial verses of both the gospel of luke and the book of acts indicate they were written to an otherwise unknown person named theophilus. When we understand the great themes of the acts of the apostles, seemingly disconnected individual events take on a new significance. The spirit empowers the communityto witness to the realm acts 2. While acts is a record of history, luke weaves many theological themes into these stories to teach us about god and his mission.
By examining the relationship of literary form to theological argument in the book of hebrews, seven theological themes occurring throughout hebrews are elucidated, each of which is especially preva lent in 11. A theology of luke and acts, a video study zondervan. Scholars may find various themes in the book of acts. Gods word to his people in the book of joshua is an important word, but it is not the last word or the latest. Theology and themes job bible commentary theology of. Apologetics is the branch of theology that is concerned with defending christianity against accusations and error. Some of you will recognize that i have written on the book of acts before. I have chosen to summarize what i consider the main message of the book and to select the most important themes for further study. This is unfortunate because he has a very developed theology and also wrote a larger portion of the new testament than any other author. Holy spirit is the cornerstone of the acts of the apostles, attributed to the apostle luke. After the jews of pisidian antioch reject the gospel in acts. Acts of the apostles theological point of view in practice.
The book of acts presents a rich theology of the holy spirit. Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the. Padilla finds a remarkable consistency of theological themes across these six speeches, although is emphasis is on god, christology, pneumatology and soteriology. The purpose of the book of acts is governed by the jews response to peter and paul. Reflecting on the center of biblical theology in acts. This title may be a bit misleading, because 11 apostles are barely mentioned, while the book concentrates almost exclusively on the early work of peter chapters 112 and the short but influential ministry of paul chapters 28.
Key verses and themes in acts bible commentary theology of. T he acts of the apostles is a hidden treasure in the new testament, john chrysostom famously proclaimed in. Theological themes and the book of job miryea gist medium. Theological themes in the book of joshua preaching source. The book of joshua is a complex literary, theological, and historical work. In my own life the embrace of the word of god the good news that jesus christ is lord, has truly changed, and is still changing everything. Luke acts is an attempt to answer a theological problem, namely how the messiah, promised to the jews, came to have an overwhelmingly nonjewish church. Learn theological themes with free interactive flashcards.