Atos 8
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 8
Constable comments on this passage - "I see no reason to conclude that Simon's faith was spurious. The text says that he believed just as the others Luke mentioned (Acts 8:12), and there is no reason to doubt the reality of their faith." ED COMMENT: While Constable is correct in stating "there is no reason to doubt the reality of their faith," the fact is that Luke gives us no details about the fruit of their faith, but he gives a definite description of the "fruit" of Simon's profession. It is also notable that Constable makes no statement that not all belief in the NT is saving belief. This is clearly a minority view and if works demonstrate the authenticity of one's faith, there is no evidence Simon's faith was saving faith. And Peter would seem to leave little doubt when he declared "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God." (Acts 8:21) The danger of this genre of "generous" interpretation is that it gives credence to the idea that if one says they believe, then no matter how they live or act subsequently, they are regenerate or born again. This is a dangerous teaching and runs counter to many passages that teach a faith that truly believes is a faith that brings forth fruit in keeping with repentance, a faith that is not dead but has works that flow from genuine faith. C. I. Scofield, in Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, agrees that Simon was a mere professor, not a genuine possessor. In the final chapter of this booklet (“Believers and Professors”) Scofield has this heading: “BELIEVERS ARE SAVED, MERE PROFESSORS ARE LOST.” The first example he gives of a mere “pretender” is that of Simon. Harry
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Constable comments "Obedience to the Father's will determines entrance into the kingdom, not professed admiration for Jesus." Constable however explains that he interprets obedience this way -- "During Jesus' ministry doing the will of God boiled down to believing that Jesus was the Messiah and responding appropriately (John 6:29)." He goes on to add that Jesus "will say He never knew these false professors. Many people deal with holy things daily yet have no personal acquaintance with God because they are hypocrites. It is their failure to bow before divine law, the will of God, that renders them practitioners of lawlessness and guilty." (ED: cf Peter's verdict on Simon as continually "in the bondage of iniquity," where iniquity is adikia the Greek word for lawlessness. Simon the Sorcerer's profession recalls an experience I had about 15 years earlier. I was sitting in a worship service when a well-known owner of one of the "gentlemen's clubs" was being baptized and the pastor was so excited as he asked for his testimony. But as I sat and listened to the man's testimony, there was a "dirtiness" about his description of his sordid lifestyle before he supposedly professed Christ. He focused on the "before" and not the "after!" I was disturbed in my spirit. Afterwards I went to teach my Sunday School class where we went through the Scriptures verse by verse. And guess who visited the class? You guessed it - the strip club owner who had just been baptized! And he sat right smack down in the front seat in the middle of the class. I remember asking questions to the class (which is how I would teach) and once he answered in a very confrontational and negative way, questioning what the Word of God said. I was again disturbed in my spirit (and was able to show him from other Scripture that this was indeed the sense of the passage he had questioned). I'm sorry I cannot tell you the end of the story -- he never came back to our class and I never saw him in church after that. Was he a genuine believer? That is certainly not my call, but I had serious reservations that his profession was truly possession. He reminds me of Simon the Sorcerer. And after being baptized (see baptizo) - In my opinion based on Peter's assessment of his heart and need for repentance and continuation in bondage to sin (see below), Simon's belief was not belief that led to his salvation and certainly his baptism did not lead to salvation. Water baptism does save anyone! Only spiritual baptism saves, but it should be followed with the public testimony of literal water baptism. Paul explains spiritual baptism which occurs the moment a man or woman places their faith in Jesus Christ... And in Him (CHRIST) you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands (Circumcision of the heart), in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, (see the false teaching of baptismal regeneration) in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, (Colossians 2:11-13+) The fascinating fact is that Philip baptized Simon, so clearly at this point Philip did not question the legitimacy of his salvation experience. This would be left to the discerning spirit of the apostle Peter. J. C.
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Constable notes that Isaiah 53+ "is also the middle chapter in part two of the book (chs. 40-66). Most of the approximately 80 references to Isaiah in the New Testament come from this chapter." Isaiah 53+ is exalted by many and ignored by many others. Believers in Messiah revel in this great section of Isaiah. Jews who reject Jesus refuse to even read Isaiah 53+ in their synagogues. In fact Isaiah 53+ has been called "the torture chamber of the rabbis!" And yet it is most fascinating that it was the view of the ancient rabbis that Isaiah 53+ had reference to the Messiah though of course the ancient rabbis did not refer this to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the view of the Jewish paraphrase or the Targum. In chapter 52 in verse 13, the Targum reads, “Behold my servant the Messiah.” So it’s obvious that that particular paraphrase interpreted this passage of the Messiah to come. That’s the view of many of the Midrashim and many of the late rabbis as well. David Thompson - What is most interesting is something that Drs. Keil and Delitsch picked up on, and that is, even those Jewish rabbis who believed it did refer to the Messiah yet to come, missed the fact that He already did come (Isaiah, Vol. 7, p. 303). Jonathan Ben Uziel says in his Jewish commentary that he thought that this section referred to the Messiah yet to come (F. C. Jennings, Studies in Isaiah, p. 612). So even those, who believe this does refer to the Messiah, can’t seem to realize God’s Messiah did come to Jerusalem and was crucified there. Most modern day Jewish teachers totally disregard this text as referring to the Messiah and do not teach it to the people of Israel. The effect is that most in the nation Israel are blind concerning Jesus Christ. However, any honest exegetical approach to this text clearly shows that this is an amazing prediction of precisely what would happen to Jesus Christ. As Keil and Delitsch say it is like Isaiah is writing this sitting “beneath the cross upon Golgotha”. (Sermon) William Kelly says that the “The more modern writers, who dread the ancient application of the prophecy to the Messiah by their fathers, have invented a double means of escape, either by applying it to some distinguished man like Josiah or Jeremiah, or to the Jewish people elsewhere styled "My servant" in the prophecy. But in vain. This section is so punctually and exclusively applicable to our Lord that these efforts only prove the will of unbelief and its failure. In the beginning of chap. 49. we have already seen Christ, the Servant substituted for Israel who had been altogether wanting. We have seen in chap. 1. that the godly Jews are exhorted to obey the voice of this Servant of Jehovah, humbled though He has been among men, but vindicated of God, and indeed He Himself is God. (Commentary) Warren Wiersbe appropriately entitles his commentary on Isaiah 53 "Climbing Mount Everest." Like Mt. Everest, Isaiah 53 stands out in beauty and grandeur, but only because it reveals Jesus Christ and takes us to Mt. Calvary. The messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53 was held by Jewish rabbis till the twelfth century. After that, Jewish scholars started interpreting the passage as a description of the sufferings of the nation of Israel. (SEE MORE DETAILED NOTE) But how could Israel die for the sins of Israel (Isa 53:8)? And who declared that Israel was innocent of sin and therefore had suffered unjustly (v. 9)? No, the prophet wrote about an innocent individual, not a guilty nation. He made it crystal clear that this individual died for the sins of the guilty so that the guilty might go free. The Servant that Isaiah describes is the Messiah, and the New Testament affirms that this Servant-Messiah is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God (Matt. 8:17; Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:27-40; 1 Peter 2:21-24). Isaiah 53 is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament more frequently than any other Old Testament chapter. The index of quotations in the appendix of my Greek New Testament gives at least forty-one different citations, and this may not be all of them. (Bible Exposition Commentary – Be Comforted - Isaiah). (Bolding Mine) Delitzsch goes so far as to observe that "All the references in the New Testament to the Lamb of God (with which the corresponding allusions to the Passover are interwoven) spring from this passage (Isaiah 53:7) in the book of Isaiah." John Philips - The text tells of the Messiah silent before His shearers. We see Jesus abused by the Sanhedrin, ridiculed by Herod, scourged by Pilate, scoffed at by the soldiers. We see Him stripped, seemingly as helpless in their hands as a sheep in the hand of its shearer. All the dignity that comes from dress was stripped away. But His silence clothed Him with a dignity no insult or injury of man could ever take away. (Exploring Acts) HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH - What is this passage saying? Neither the sheep nor the lamb opens its mouth before they the experience either death or shearing.Jesus fulfilled this prophecy in Mt 26:63; 27:12-14; Mk 14:61; 15:5; Lk 23:9; Jn 19:9; 1Pe 2:23. The picture of sheep to slaughter of course predicts Jesus taking on the role of the Passover lamb which was sacrificed (Ex 12:3, 6 and 1 Cor 5:7, Jn 1:29; 1Pe 1:18, 19; Rev 5:6). Below are the English translation of the Septuagint followed by the English translation of the Masoretic text. It is clear that the Ethiopian eunuch is reading from the Septuagint. For in depth commentary on Isaiah 53:7+. Septuagint- And he, because of his affliction, opens not his mouth: he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. (Brenton's English Translation) Masoretic text - He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. (NAS) Warren