Met up with a friend, Rory, while in Washington. He went to be with Jesus not long after.
Thursday, 20 July 2023
So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:26
Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)
You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).
In the previous verse, Apollos was noted as having been instructed in the way of the Lord and he taught accurately about Jesus, even if he only knew of John’s baptism. Remembering that, it now says “So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.”
This provides a couple of thoughts to consider. One is that he was deemed acceptable to address the synagogue by the synagogue rulers. It implies having some formal training in the Scriptures. Also, saying “boldly” either means that his fervor for the Lord noted in the previous verse is on display or that he may have had the same type of resistance to his message that Paul had, necessitating him to speak out boldly concerning what he knew.
Because he knew about Jesus, the message of Him as the Messiah would have been the key point of his address. However, though He was accurate in what He taught, he was not fully versed in the subject matter. Hence, the words continue, saying, “When Aquila and Priscilla heard him.”
The obvious meaning is that after Paul’s departure, they continued to attend the synagogue. While there, Apollos came and addressed the congregants. Some texts state Priscilla’s name first. If that is correct, it may imply that she was of Jewish heritage and Aquila may not have been. Rather, he may have converted after being a proselyte. Thus, in the synagogue, she would have standing because of her heritage. However, this is speculation based solely on a different rendering found in a Greek text. Concerning them, it next says that “they took him aside and explained.”
This would allow them to discuss what they knew privately. There could be several reasons for this, such as not stirring up those who didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, not wanting to embarrass Apollos while sharing their greater knowledge of Him, etc. Whatever the reason, the private setting allowed them to explain “to him the way of God more accurately.”
The word translated as “accurately” is the same word used in the previous sentence. The form of the word provides a comparative sense. He taught about Jesus accurately; they taught about him “more accurately.”
Aquila and Priscilla took the time to correct his deficiencies. These may have been doctrinal issues, but they were surely not salvific. If they were related to salvation, a further explanation of his conversion would be provided. It is not.
It should be noted that in verse 25, it used the word Lord. In verse 26 it uses the word God. This is a further indication that though he understood about the Lord, there were theological deficiencies in his belief. This is one of the most common situations in churches. People are converted and must go through the steps of growing in knowledge.
In the case of someone like Apollos, he was already well versed in Scripture, he knew and taught about Jesus, and yet, he needed further instruction to become a sound and proper teacher.
Life application: The words about Apollos can be considered from a modern perspective. Suppose there is someone, Ready Randy, who is raised in the church and has read the Bible all his life. He could be described in the same manner as Apollos in verses 24 and 25. He is a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He has been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he speaks with great fervor. He also teaches about Jesus accurately.
He would like to become a minister and so he talks to the pastor. The pastor says, “This is great. I would like you to go to a sound seminary. After you graduate with this particular degree, I will ordain you.” Randy may say, “But I am ready now! I have been reading the Bible for years. Ask me anything.”
The pastor would then let Randy know that there is a great deal more to understanding the way of the Lord than rote memory of the Bible. There are disciplines that must be drawn out of it such as original sin, the Trinity, what the doctrine of predestination means from various theological perspectives, and how to tell which of those perspectives is correct, etc.
Randy listens and agrees. He goes to seminary and discovers that he really wasn’t ready at all. He had a great knowledge of the Scriptures, but he lacked an understanding of how to rightly divide and rightly apply what is recorded there. But he also learned that his foundational knowledge of the word, prior to going to seminary, allowed him to much more easily tell which doctrines were incorrect.
Because of this, he realized that in his own ministry, the single most important thing he could ever teach his congregants was for them to READ THEIR BIBLES. They may never become theologians, trained in the great doctrines of Scripture, but they will have a greater understanding of when they are being led astray from what is sound.
Ready Randy, because of his previous knowledge of Scripture, realized that he had a foot up on everyone else at the seminary who lacked this most important foundation. Many of them were led astray by professors who themselves lacked grounding in the word. Randy’s advice to you today is to KNOW YOUR BIBLE above all else.
Lord God, Your word is too precious to not study and contemplate all our lives. There is never a time that we can say, “I have read the Bible. I don’t need to return to it again.” Rather, the wise person will say, “I have read the Bible many times. And yet, I will continue to read it all my days. I can never exhaust the wisdom of God found in this precious word.” Help us to have such an attitude. Amen.