Acts Axed
(rightly divided)
Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way:
for he is a chosen vessel unto me,
to bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel:
The Book of “The Acts of the Apostles” is the breeding ground for much false doctrine, so it must carefully be rightly divided (axed). Otherwise, it will divide you through good words and fair speeches from grievous, ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing.
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The twelve apostles are the apostles at the time of Acts, namely the original twelve minus Judas plus Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles beginning in Acts 9. (Jesus did not call Matthias, men did.) |
Acts 1:1 through 8:25 are Jewish through and
through. The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2
was strictly Jewish and the preaching of Stephen in Acts 7 was strictly Jewish
and Acts 8:1-25 is strictly Jewish. Gentiles
had to find God through Jewish doctrine.
Then beginning in Acts 8:26, the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ begins to be preached directly to Gentiles (here an Ethiopian).
Paul is then called to be the Jewish apostle to the Gentiles with this new gospel in Acts 9, but Jews are still offered the same kingdom until Acts 28:28 when the offer is taken off the table.
Jews must now come to God through the Gentile gospel of Christ.
Summary of the doctrine for each division is as follows:
Acts 1:1 – 8:25
Jewish doctrine (repent & be baptized + signs).
Acts 8:26 – 28:27
(1) Jewish doctrine (repent & be baptized + signs) for the Jew and (2) the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the Gentile. This is a 30+/- year transition period where both gospels were being preached, but all were to accept the gospel of Christ when they heard it (Acts 19). The kingdom of heaven was being offered to all believing Jews and Gentiles.
Acts 28:28-31 + Romans through Philemon
(Pauline epistles)
gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for all, a-l-l all. There is no other effective gospel for salvation today, Jew and Gentile alike.
If a preacher today places your salvation doctrine in the Acts baptism for the remission of sins, he is wrong, dead wrong, dead as in hell wrong. There are almost innumerable preachers, teachers, wolves, psychologists, bishops, reverends, and religious TV stars that will tell you that your salvation is in the water baptism of Acts 2:38. Here there is no Gentile present and the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has not yet been declared.
You are living on this side of Acts 8:25, so get your doctrine on this side of Acts 8:25 from Paul, like Acts 16:30-31. Jesus personally gave Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (that’s you), this new doctrine (Galations 1:12-18) and told him to proclaim it to the Gentiles. You (all) are to follow Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), as he is of Christ:
I Corinthians 11:1
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
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