Author: Charlie Garrett

Keeping the exterior of the Vermont state capitol jam-up and jelly-tight.

Friday, 10 February 2023

This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, Acts 14:9

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).

The verbs of the verse are not well translated. The verse should read, “This man heard Paul speaking, who having looked intently at him and having seen that he has faith to be saved” (CG). This will be used for the commentary.

The previous verse said that “in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting.” He was noted as a cripple from birth who had never walked. With that, the narrative continues, saying, “This man heard Paul speaking.”

The tense of the word translated as “heard” varies in manuscripts. Some have it as an aorist verb, some as an imperfect verb, and so on. Either way, the crippled man listened to Paul as he was speaking, probably on several separate occasions. Paul noticed this, probably realizing that the man was truly and attentively focused on what was being said. In response to the heartfelt focus toward what he was saying, it next says of Paul, “who having looked intently at him.”

Just because the man was a cripple, Paul did not neglect focusing on him. Rather, it probably captured his attention even more, realizing that the man was truly convicted in his heart at what he had been hearing. Because of this, Paul returned a fixed and focused attention on him as he sat there. With his eyes having so alighted upon him, it next says, “and having seen that he has faith.”

The words here must be taken in the context of what has been said. Before this man was introduced in the previous verse, it said, “And they were preaching the gospel there.” Paul and Barnabas were not carrying out a healing ministry. Rather, they were preaching the gospel concerning Jesus. This is key to understanding what the man’s thoughts must have been.

Paul was speaking about the salvation that comes through the finished work of Christ. He could tell that the man understood his words and accepted them as truth. This is faith. That faith then led to him believing the message in his heart. This can be deduced from the words “that he has faith.”

Faith and belief are not the same thing in the Bible. Concerning the difference, HELPS Word Studies provides these words –

“Faith (4102/pistis) involves belief but it goes beyond human believing because it involves the personal revelation (inworking) of God. Faith is always God’s work. Our believing has eternal meaning when it becomes ‘faith-believing’ by the transforming grace of God.

Reflection: Demons believe (and shudder) . . . but they do not have (experience) faith!”

The account of this man tells us that he had faith. But it is faith in what? Some commentaries cite similar examples in the gospels, such as –

“For she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.’ ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, ‘Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was made well from that hour.” Matthew 9:21, 22

“And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’
They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’
²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’” Matthew 9:28, 29

These and other similar accounts clearly indicate that the people anticipated healing. This is because this was an expected indicator of the ministry of the Messiah. The idea of being saved from sin was not what they were thinking of. Rather, they were considering physical restoration whether they were considering the issue of sin or not.

On the other hand, Paul and Barnabas are proclaiming the gospel which focused first and foremost on the issue of sin, from which man needed healing. As such, commentaries and translations need to consider this when presenting the final words of the verse, which say that he had faith “to be saved.”

The Greek word is sózó. It can mean saved, heal, preserve, rescue, make whole, etc. The context will determine what the meaning is. For example, in the account of Matthew 9:21, 22 above, the woman was clearly anticipating physical healing. On the other hand, the word is used in Matthew 27:42 where it twice says, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.”

In that, it is not speaking of healing, but of saving one’s physical life. The scribes and elders may have been thinking of Lazarus or another person who was saved from physical death, and yet, there Jesus hung supposedly unable to save himself. In Acts 2:21, Peter spoke to Israel at Pentecost and said –

“And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.”

Peter then went on to explain that those words from the prophet Joel were anticipating salvation from sin and the saving of one’s soul. It is this, not physical healing, that Paul and Barnabas were proclaiming, meaning the gospel. Hence, rather than having faith to be healed, the translation should say the man had faith “to be saved.”

What happens afterward in his physical healing is only a bonus to the salvation from sin that he experienced. This is quite different from what occurred with the man in Acts 3. Peter and John spoke to the man but never mentioned anything about the gospel or cleansing from sin. That may have occurred later, but it was not a part of what Luke recorded. Rather, the healing was first and foremost a physical one.

To understand the difference more fully, go back and read the Acts 3:16 commentary. In short, in Acts 3, it was not the man’s faith that healed him. Instead, Peter and John healed him based on “the faith” which is established by Jesus Christ. One might say, “The church is established upon the faith found in (as the basis of) the name of Jesus.”

In the account now in Acts 14, it is the man’s faith in the gospel, leading to belief, that has saved him from sin. In his commentary on these words concerning this crippled man, Albert Barnes says –

“He had heard Paul, and perhaps the apostle had dwelt particularly on the miracles with which the gospel had been attested. The miracles performed also in Iconium had doubtless also been heard of in Lystra.”

There is nothing in the account to substantiate this. The only thing said is that these men preached the gospel. This man heard, believed, and the door to salvation was opened to him. As a witness to this, the events that will follow are then recorded. The physical healing is only a sign of the more perfect spiritual healing that has occurred.

Life application: When talking to others about Jesus, in noticing their amount of attention based on how their eyes are fixed or their other facial responses, one can then adjust his approach and words, directing them accordingly.

This is what Paul did. He was speaking out the gospel, he noticed a man’s facial expressions, and he realized that the man had faith in what was being said. With that, he more fully directed his attention to that man.

Be attentive to such things. If you are not having an effect with your words, redirect them. There is one gospel, but there are many ways to present it. Keep working with your presentation to bring about understanding in your audience. Salvation might be just a few words away for those who are listening.

Lord God, thank You that You have offered us Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And more, You have given us the choice to believe or disbelieve. Your greatness is displayed in this. You do not force Yourself upon Your people but appeal to them, asking us to reason with You and do what is right. Thank You for this. Amen.

Some person who worked (still?) at the Vermont Capitol.

Thursday, 9 February 2023

And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. Acts 14:8

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).

Upon arrival in the cities of Lycaonia of Lystra and Derbe, Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel there. With that noted, Luke continues with the words, “And in Lystra.”

The events that will now take place in Lystra are surely what Paul refers to, being remembered by him many years later when he wrote his second letter to Timothy –

“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.” 2 Timothy 3:10, 11

Timothy would have known these things because this is the general area he came from, as will be noted in Acts 16 –

“Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. ² He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.” Acts 16:1, 2

There it says Timothy was a disciple, and so he was probably converted during the events of Acts 14. As for the events at Lystra, the details begin with the next words, saying, “a certain man without strength.”

The word is adunatos. It signifies “without power,” and it is quite often translated as “impossible.” At times it is used concerning Christians whose faith is not yet very firm. In this case, it is a man who had no power “in his feet.”

In other words, there was a disconnect between his brain and the feet which left him without any power of locomotion in that regard. This is further explained by the next words that say he “was sitting.”

The verb is imperfect, thus denoting a regular and continued state. He was helpless in this regard and thus sat while life went on around him. The reason for his helpless state is that he was in this condition all his life, being “a cripple from his mother’s womb.”

This is the same condition, using the same word, chólos, as the man who was healed by the Lord through Peter and John in Acts 3 –

“And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple.” Acts 3:2

In this state, even from before his birth, Luke next notes that he was one “who had never walked.” The words are not said of the man in Acts 3, but they are implied to some extent. There, it said that he was carried to the temple each day to beg. In Acts 4:22, he was then noted to be over forty years old.

Walking is a real thing that people do, and it is also a metaphor commonly used in Scripture to speak of one’s conduct before the Lord. One of many examples of this would be Ephesians 2 –

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:1-3 –

As this is so, we can guess that metaphor is being conveyed in these two men. The man of Israel was over forty and had to be carried. EW Bullinger defines the number as “a period of probation, trial, and chastisement—(not judgment, like the number 9, which stands in connection with the punishment of enemies, but the chastisement of sons, and of a covenant people). It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8).”

This is an exacting description of Israel. Like the Jew in Acts 3 who was healed after forty years of life, they have always been in a state of probation, trial, and chastisement. During this entire time, they have been carried by the Lord because they could not properly walk before Him. Their conduct has been defiled. And yet, He has preserved them and will heal them as a nation someday.

Likewise, the Gentile in Acts 14 has also been lame from birth, never having walked. And yet, the Lord will now be attentive to him through the ministry of Paul and Barnabas.

The care of Luke to document these relevant facts is to be noted. Through his meticulous writings, the state of things among both the Jews and the Gentiles is clearly and precisely detailed for us to see patterns develop. These then provide an explanation for the expansion of the church beyond Israel and into the rest of the world.

Life application: The history of Israel is one of being called by God, accepting that call, imperfectly living life with the Lord, and then eventually rejecting Him. And yet, despite the rejection, there is the promise of being called back to the Lord and wholly restored someday.

It is a pattern that speaks of the eternal salvation of Israel, despite their personal failings and apostasies. If people can come to the realization that national Israel is being given as a template for individual salvation, there would never be a question in their minds about the doctrine of eternal security.

Man is called by God when the gospel is preached. Those who accept the gospel are saved. Even in their salvation, they live imperfect lives before the Lord. Some are even dismissed from the congregation, or they walk away from Him entirely. For examples of this, refer to 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5; 1 Timothy 1:18-20; and 2 Peter 1:9.

There are those who are to be cast out of the church for wholly inappropriate behavior, there are those whose feet get so far off the path that their faith is shipwrecked, and there are those who are cleansed from their past sins and yet have forgotten it was so. Despite these things, the Bible teaches that they have been saved and they will not lose that state, even if their earthly lives face incredibly unhappy times.

Israel was handed over to their own depraved ways for judgment. And yet, the Lord has kept them as a people and has brought them back to the land of Israel to restore them to Himself. This is just what Paul says is to happen to the wayward man in 1 Corinthians 5. This state of eternal security is not because either Israel or that man deserves it, but because God has spoken it. It is His name that is on the line, and so He will perform. He says this explicitly in Ezekiel 36 –

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.”’” Ezekiel 36:22

If you are somehow convinced that a person can lose his salvation, you are in error. Your understanding of the character of God, the eternal nature of His decrees, and the sacredness of His covenant-keeping are deficient. Look to Israel with the right eyes and your faulty view of these things will be corrected.

O God, our minds are often confused about what You are doing and why. And this isn’t because we have not been given the information to figure it out. Instead, it is there to understand. But we have biases, presuppositions, and a failure to fully explore Your word. Help us to be more attentive to what You are telling us in this precious word. In this, we will have a confident and settled walk before You all our days. Amen.

Fancy stairs. Nice touch.

Wednesday, 8 February 2023 

And they were preaching the gospel there. Acts 14:7

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, Paul and Barnabas were said to have fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. With that in mind, Luke next records, “And they were preaching the gospel there.” The Greek is just three words. Two of them are a finite verb and a participle that together denote continuance. The exact order would read, “And there they were preaching the gospel.”

These men went to this area and these cities, and while there they didn’t just preach, but they continued to do so. The words then give the state of the situation that will continue through verse 23. It is not indicated how long their time of preaching was, but it was long enough to encounter great difficulty, make many disciples, establish a multitude of churches, and even return to other cities in the area to strengthen them.

The chapter shows the tireless efforts of Paul and Barnabas, all summed up in these few words.

Life application: There are many ministries that get started and that quickly fade away. Churches may decide to set up a pancake breakfast ministry in the poorer part of town, helping the people there. Things take off quickly but eventually flatten out. The people who are served will come to expect their pancakes as if it is their weekly due.

With that, those in the ministry get frustrated and eventually it shuts down. There are many reasons for such a failure, but the main point of a ministry that comes from a church is not feeding people pancakes. Anyone can do that, and they can do it for whatever reason they want.

A ministry that is done by a church, or by church people, should have the main goal of sharing the gospel. Paul and Barnabas did not bake pancakes. The narrative says they preached the gospel. This is what needs to be done. The way that occurs may need to be adjusted to the local circumstances. But if the good news is not shared eventually, then what is the point of the ministry?

And more, Paul and Barnabas didn’t just preach the gospel. They continued to do so. There needs to be a determination that even if the initial effort doesn’t bear any fruit, the work will continue. There is a time to move on, and that has been seen and will continue to be seen in the book of Acts, but there also must be a realization that some things take time. Without an extended effort, there will be no fruit on the tree.

Feeding people pancakes is fine, but it cannot be the main goal of a successful church ministry. Whether openly and boldly, or slowly and methodically, sharing Jesus must be the ultimate goal. If that is done, and even if the first convert comes after a long time, the ministry will be considered a success.

Lord God, help us to have the attitude that whatever we do, we will do it so that You will be evident in the doing. May our lives, our actions, and our words ultimately be dedicated to the set goal of bringing others to You. Help us with this. Even in a world that is set against You and Your offer of peace, help us to have this mind. To Your glory. Amen.

Directions according to Wikipedia. Which could mean anything…

Tuesday, 7 February 2023

they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. Acts 14:6

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).

Note: the NKJV doesn’t do a great job of translating this verse. Instead, it should read, “having become aware, they fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region” (CG). This will be used for the commentary.

With trouble brewing in Iconium and a violent attempt made by both the Gentiles and the Jews to stone Paul and Barnabas, the verse begins with, “having become aware.”

Without telling the details, we see that Paul and Barnabas somehow were apprised of the plotting of those opposed to their message. Because of this, “they fled to the cities of Lycaonia.”

Of this area, Charles Ellicott provides a remarkable description –

“The very name Lycaonia, interpreted traditionally as Wolf-land (the local legend derived it from Lycaon, who had been transformed into a wolf), represented but too faithfully the character of the inhabitants. The travellers were also losing the protection which a Roman citizen might claim in a Roman province, Lycaonia, which had been annexed in A.D. 17 to the Roman province of Galatia, having been assigned by Caligula to Antiochus, King of Commagene. So wild a country was hardly likely to attract Jewish settlers; and there is no trace in St. Luke’s narrative of the existence of a synagogue in either of the two cities. For the first time, so far as we know, St. Paul had to begin his work by preaching to the heathen. Even the child of a devout Jewish mother had grown up to manhood uncircumcised (see Note on Acts 16:3).”

This is the only time that the area of Lycaonia is mentioned in Scripture. As stated by Ellicott, the name comes from lukos, a wolf. Even to this day, the name inspires movies about people that have transformed into wolves. Of this area, two main cities are named, “Lystra and Derbe.”

Both names are introduced here. The meaning of the names isn’t certain. Along with visiting these cities, the apostles also evangelized “the surrounding region.” Charles Ellicott continues his narrative of the area, saying –

“Of the two towns named, Lystra was about forty miles to the south-east of Iconium, Derbe about twenty miles further to the east. The former, which lies to the north of a lofty conical mountain, the Kara-dagh (=Black Mountain) is now known as Bin-bir-Kilisseh, i.e., ‘the thousand and one churches,’ from the ruins that abound there. The addition of ‘the region that lieth round about’ suggests the thought that the cities were not large enough to supply a sufficient field of action. The work in the country villages must obviously—even more than in the cities—have been entirely among the Gentiles. Among the converts of this region, and probably of this time, we may note the names of Timotheus of Lystra (see Note on Acts 16:1), and Gaius, or Caius, of Derbe (Acts 20:4).”

Of the actions of these apostles, it is common to read commentaries that say their travels are in accord with Matthew 10:23 –

“When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.”

This sounds appealing. The apostles were persecuted in Iconium and so they took the words of the Lord to heart and went to evangelize another city. Unfortunately, this fails to consider the continued words of the same verse from Matthew –

“For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

The entire context of the passage from Matthew refers to Israel. The continued words of Matthew 10:23 clearly indicate that Israel was the subject of the command. Therefore, it is wholly inappropriate to use this verse in Acts as a fulfillment of the apostles’ obedience to the command of Matthew 10:23. Rather, they are doing what the Lord instructed as is recorded in Acts 1:8 –

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

These men had been sent out as missionaries and they are doing what missionaries are to do in the context of the church age. As apostles, they bore an additional set of gifts and abilities as the word was being established. Now that it has been compiled, the word is the tool to be used for the evangelization of the nations.

Life application: On the morning of preparing this commentary, a video was received entitled “Iranians Meeting Jesus in Dreams, Experiencing Radical Transformation.” If this were true, there would be no need to evangelize. But the Bible says otherwise.

How convenient it is to say that Jesus is popping into people’s heads at night and converting them. It sure takes the pressure off those who are too timid (or too lazy) to do what the Bible instructs.

God has given us the tools we need to evangelize the world, He has empowered us to do so, and yet we sit and watch videos that are contrary to the very message that we are supposed to be proclaiming. Someday, all will have to stand before the Lord and give an account of what they did with their time.

Those who make up false stories of visions, dreams, and conversations with Jesus will have to face Him someday. Be wise and discerning. Get out and tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ. This is how people are evangelized. It will not come about any other way.

Heavenly Father, help us to be reasonable in our approach to Your word. May we not take liberties with it that are contrary to its message. Rather, help us to accept it as written, follow through with what is instructed, and be willing to share the good news with those we encounter. It is what You have instructed. May we be obedient to Your word. Amen.

Another interesting shell pattern in the marble floor of the Vermont State Capitol.

Monday, 6 February 2023

And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, Acts 14:5

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).

The previous verse revealed a division within the city where a part sided with the disbelieving Jews and a part sided with the apostles. That now comes to a head, saying, “And when a violent attempt was made.” Here, a new and rare word comes into Scripture, hormé. It will only be seen again in James 3:4 where the pilot of a ship desires to turn it by use of a rudder. It signifies a violent impulse.

One can see the heated anger of those opposed to the message of the apostles. They were certainly yelling out just as people yell out today, “How dare you say there is only one way to God!” The inability of man to yield himself to another in order to be saved is almost ubiquitous. These people could not accept what Paul and Barnabas had been teaching because they could not accept that they were so fallen that they needed God Himself to intervene in their salvation. And this sudden, violent impulse was “by both the Gentiles and Jews.”

This is how it has continued since the time of the apostles. All around the world, the masses have rejected the simplicity of the gospel and the doctrine that says, “Jesus is sufficient to save. Come to Jesus and you will be saved.” It is fought against by Jews, and it is fought against by Gentiles. If one stood in the halls of the US government today and proclaimed, “There is one and only one way to be saved,” the chambers would fill with angry cries of scorn and derision. This is the case now, and it was the case in Iconium. As it says, “with their rulers.”

The rulers could just see their supposed power fleeing away as a portion of their city bowed the knee to Jesus and not to them. Those who had accepted the gospel had been freed from the bondage and oppression they faced. There was a complete change in them that told these rulers they had lost their supreme authority to direct the minds and affairs of the Christians. And so, this angry multitude gathered together and with a sudden impulse came “to abuse and stone them.”

The sense is, “You are condemning us with your words of exclusivity. You are taking away our positions of power and authority. You are proclaiming a complete break from the way things have been. And we don’t like it.” They had rejected the grace of Christ and they were set to remove those who had proclaimed it. This is how it was for Paul and Barnabas. This is how it was for those who followed them in their newfound faith. And this is how it has continued to be anywhere the true gospel is proclaimed. It is a message of total inclusivity for any who believe, and it is a message of total exclusivity, for those who fail to believe.

Life application: There are those in the church who diminish the pure gospel, which is by faith alone through grace alone, claiming that one must make Jesus the Lord of his life before he can be saved (Lordship salvation), or that one must demonstrate works to prove that he is saved. If there are no works, that person is not saved (Calvinism and others in varying degrees). There are those who say one must repent of sin before a person can be saved (adding works to the gospel).

To trust in the pure gospel by faith is to simply say, “I believe that Jesus died for my sins” (implying the person has sin and is acknowledging that), that He was buried (with my sins), and that He was raised because of my justification (Romans 4:25). I accept this and believe that I have been granted God’s forgiveness.”

For those with such views as mentioned above, they cannot believe that “grace” means “grace” and that “faith” alone truly saves, even if they say they believe this. And so, they attack those who hold to the simple gospel by using pejoratives such as “easy believism.”

As also noted above, the inability of man to yield himself to another in order to be saved is almost ubiquitous. And more, it is considered so objectionable that even those who were saved by grace through faith in the first place then add works into their own gospel presentations. “Yes, it worked for me, but it certainly won’t work for others.”

As is clearly the case, “easy believism” is anything but. It is the hardest thing of all to accept. This is why the crowd rushed upon Paul and Barnabas. They held to a religious expression that says, “There is more than one way to be saved and it includes my goodness or my deeds that will impress God. He wouldn’t dare condemn someone as important as me.”

This is a lie of the devil, and it has been effective in every religious expression ever devised by man. Only when one understands that man is inherently flawed, fallen without the possibility of fixing the situation on his own, and needing to trust solely in the merits of Christ, can he be saved. This is the message of God in Christ, and it is the most difficult of all things for man to accept. There is nothing easy about belief. The Bible testifies to this from the first pages to its last.

But this is what God asks of you. Trust Him first, then give up your sin. Trust Him first, then do good works. Trust Him first, then make Him Lord of your life. Everything has an order and the order for salvation starts with God’s grace being worked out in you through your faith. Trust.

Lord God, may we stand firm on the simple gospel. You have done the work; people need to simply believe that it is so. May we never add to the purity of what You have proclaimed. People need Jesus first. Everything else follows after that. Thank You for the simplicity and beauty of what You have done for us. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.