As some of you may know, I am daily reading through Scripture in its order. Today’s devotion included Acts 2:37-47. I saw an amazing connection between this passage and Galatians 3:5.
The first key verse is Acts 2:39. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
For the Protestant Reformed Churches, this Acts 2:39 verse is rightly emphasized as being a key verse in their teaching of an unconditional covenant between God, believers, and the children of believers. “
What is the covenant of God? What is that covenant that was established with Abraham and his seed; that has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ; that now is made with believers and their children; and that will be perfected with the church gathered out of all nations from the beginning to the end of the world at the coming of our Lord? The covenant is the relationship of friendship between the triune God and His chosen people in Jesus Christ.” “THE COVENANT OF GOD AND THE CHILDREN OF BELIEVERS” by Professor David J. Engelsma. Here is a link to that article –
Click here: THE COVENANT OF GOD AND THE CHILDREN OF BELIEVERS . The qualifier “
as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” both limits “all who are far off” and “your children” to be the group “the Elect”. In other words, just as not “all who are far off” are saved, not all “your children” are necessarily saved. Those who are saved are “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself”. But, it is encouraging and a source of covenant duties of believing parents to their children that God chooses and includes among His Elect, many of the children of believers. As important of a subject and worthy of a separate post that the Covenant may be, that is not the purpose of this post. However, I did want to at least bring up the Covenant as a separate subject for those who want to read more about it.
The primary purpose of this post is to show the connection between Acts 2:37-47 and Galatians 3:5. When I read Acts 2:39, the LORD directed my attention to the phrase “the promise” and showed me to what “the promise” referred. “The promise” refers to the phrase “and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” in the prior verse Acts 2:38.
My first thought was sinful. I first sinfully thought that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not all that important when you compare it to the Covenant and salvation.
But, then I read the following verses of Acts 2:41-47.
“41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
These wonderful activities of the early church were the result of “the promise” referred to in Acts 2:39 and “the gift of the Holy Spirit” referred to in Acts 2:38!
The LORD then turned my attention to Galatians 3:5. “So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”
Just as the Galatians were more interested in proving their own self-righteousness by their own works of the flesh (which they thought was their ability to perfect themselves by knowing the Law and by obeying it), we, Christians today, are faced with similar pride and temptation. We also read of all the wonderful activities of the early church in Acts 2:41-47, and we think that we can copy these activities by knowing them and exercising our will-power to do them.
However, be reminded that these wonderful activities of the early church were the result of “the promise” referred to in Acts 2:39 and “the gift of the Holy Spirit” referred to in Acts 2:38! Be also reminded that Galatians 3:5 also talks about the results of the gift of the Holy Spirit which is that God “works miracles among you”. We can now understand that these wonderful activities of the early church should be considered as miracles wrought by God through His Holy Spirit!
In conclusion, “the promise” refers to “the gift of the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit works miracles including these wonderful activities of the early church. We should not try to prove our own self-righteousness by our own works of the flesh and think that we can copy these activities of the early church by knowing them and exercising our will-power to do them. Some of these wonderful activities of the early church were done by the Holy Spirit uniquely for the apostles and the early church to establish their authority. But, other of these activities may be done today by the Holy Spirit as God continues to build His church. In any event, we must focus on God by faith and recognize what God has done through His Holy Spirit. We must also believe and pray that God continue to build His church by using us empowered by His most precious Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 