Christ’s Glories And The Power Of His Word

Uplook – February 2024 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Christ’s Glories And The Power Of His Word

Luke – a medical doctor, reliable historian and Paul’s coworker – wrote The Gospel According To Luke and The Acts Of The Apostles . He contributed more words to the New Testament than any other of its writers and used special terms and expressions to describe Paul’s ministry. These two servants had an excellent relationship, as both were committed to honor their heavenly Lord.

We should pay special attention to Luke’s carefully chosen words, because Christ is the great Speaker. He sent Peter and Paul as well as many others to speak, testify, instruct, encourage and exhort people. Luke recorded these things for the benefit of all believers. Christ continues His work today through the written Word and God’s Spirit.

Let’s briefly consider some details about how God’s Word was communicated and received, drawing practical lessons from key expressions in Acts 17:1-12. The context, Acts 16–18, describes Paul’s second missionary journey. During the journey, Christ’s glories were displayed in the presentation of God’s Word and in the impact it had. There were two reactions to the message about the Messiah: accepting it by faith (Rom. 10:8-10) or rejecting Christ and the Scriptures (Acts 13:46). All the while, as Paul ministered the Word, the glorified Messiah was at work in him and his audience, and He does the same in people today.

Some Key Expressions
The following keywords demonstrate the importance of the written Word and its effects:

1. To reason − Interactive study, posing questions and answering them (Acts 17:2);
2. To open up − The Scriptures are a storehouse that needs to be unlocked and opened up (v.3);
3. To present − Giving basic proofs that Jesus is indeed the Messiah according to God’s Word (v.3);
4. To proclaim – Announcing publicly that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (v.3);
5. To be persuaded – Faith based on God’s Word leads to conviction, being persuaded by a work of the Holy Spirit, which leads to a public identification with Christ (v.4);
6. To receive – Emphasizing the reception of the Scriptures in faith and with willing hearts (v.11);
7. To examine – Reading God’s Word daily gives discernment to evaluate what is being preached (v.11);
8. To believe − Trusting the Word (v.12), as faith expresses itself in obedience (Heb. 11:8).

1. Reasoned With From The Scriptures
“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2 NKJV). The apostle usually went to the Jews first (Rom. 1:16) and presented the Scriptures to them. In this context, Luke often used “to reason” (Gr: dialégomai), sometimes translated “to lecture.” 1 It conveys the idea of a dialogue or debate. In his interactions with the people in the synagogue, Paul usually quoted from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. He did not base his arguments on human traditions, rabbinical interpretations or other sources, even though he sometimes quoted from them. After all, the Jews were the people of the Book, so it made sense to use the Scriptures with them.

When addressing unbelieving Gentiles, Paul’s initial approach was different. Facing a pagan crowd on his first journey (Acts 14:15-17), Paul did not use the Scriptures about the Messiah, nor did he when speaking to the philosophers at Athens (17:16-31). They had no knowledge of God’s Word. In those situations the apostle used biblical arguments related to the Creator because every human being has the faculty to give an account to his Creator-God (Rom. 1:18-32).

In his interactions with Jewish people and proselytes2 in the synagogues, Paul followed Christ’s pattern as He often referred to the Scriptures (consider Jn. 5:43-47). After His resurrection, the Lord reasoned with the two disciples from Emmaus and with the Eleven in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:25-27,44-46), showing how the Scriptures are about Him. The Lord’s example indicates the proper approach.

“Scripture” (Greek: graphē) occurs seven times in Acts, in singular or plural forms (1:16, 8:32,35, 17:2,11, 18:24,28). The importance of the Scriptures is often emphasized even in presenting the good news (see 2 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 1:3).3

2. Opened The Scriptures
The verb “to open” – of the eyes, ears or heart – besides its literal sense, has the symbolic meaning of opening the mind. That is, to enable someone to understand. In relation to opening the Scriptures, it implies to uncover what was hidden or obscure. Depending on its context, the verb dianoígō 4 means to thoroughly open, explain or interpret. In Acts 17:3 Luke used a special tense of this compound verb to indicate an ongoing process, as Paul was doing when “opening up” God’s Word during three consecutive Sabbath days. It suggests a continuing process of opening5 the Scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Christ’s Death And Resurrection Proven From The Scriptures
The third keyword in Paul’s ministry at Thessalonica was “to prove.” Luke wrote that Paul was “proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘this Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ’” (Acts 17:3 ESV). The verb “proving” near the beginning of verse 3 can also be translated “to present,” “set before,” “commit,” “entrust,” “dispose” or “commend.”6 Luke used the same root form (Gr: títhēmi) but with a different prefix ex, meaning “from,” for Priscilla and Aquila’s explaining the Lord’s way to Apollos from the Scriptures (18:26). He also did so for Paul’s explanations to the Jewish leaders in Rome (28:23) and Peter’s discussions with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (11:4).

In Acts 17:3 Luke used this specific root form (títhēmi), together with the prefix para, to emphasize that Paul was laying down a deposit of evidence from the Scriptures. In his discourse the apostle established a solid base of operation from which he could draw essential arguments and irrefutable conclusions concerning the Messiah. The same verb can also be translated “to demonstrate,” and Luke used it to briefly summarize what happened. Paul’s discussions with the Jews in Thessalonica (v.2) could go on for quite some time. The apostle was able to show that his arguments were based on the Scriptures and not on various rabbinical theories.

The rabbis tried to clarify the prophecies about the Messiah’s sufferings and other prophecies concerning His glories by claiming that there must be two Messiahs: “Messiah Ben Joseph” – the suffering Messiah, and “Messiah Ben David” – the glorious and reigning Messiah. The prophets struggled with this seeming paradox, but it was revealed to them that the Scriptures refer to two distinct comings of the same Messiah (1 Pet. 1:10-11). Peter also wrote that the angels, as fascinated observers, are greatly interested in these things, even though they have no direct part in them (v.12; see 1 Cor. 11:10).

Because of human error and hardening, even of the disciples’ hearts, the Lord Jesus explained to them, before and after His resurrection (Lk. 9:22, 13:33, 17:25, 22:37, 24:26-27,46), that He would suffer, die and rise again, and only in this manner ultimately enter His glory. On the day of His resurrection, the angels confirmed the same point (24:4-7).

Paul followed the example of his Master, and was able to prove that the Christ had to suffer, die and rise from among the dead according to God’s plan. Paul then explained that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah. Christ, while on earth, had shown in many ways that He was the Messiah. He gave ample evidence to confirm this, challenging and exposing the fallacies of various rabbinical theories. Nevertheless, all evidence had been rejected, and because of this hardening (see Mt. 12), the Lord told the people of His day that they would not see Him again until they would welcome Him when He comes back (Mt. 23:39; see Isa. 53:10; Zech. 12:10).

Despite their rejection, God’s program was carried out (Acts 2:23-24) and after the resurrection and exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit from heaven (v.33). The Spirit of God, on behalf of the glorified Messiah, through the disciples, presented a second offer of God’s grace to the nation, even though they had cast out their own Messiah. Sadly, this offer was rejected as well, climaxed in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7). The Holy Spirit, however, continued to testify to the chosen people in many synagogues, even far away from Jerusalem. He did so through Paul, the former persecutor, whom the Lord had called after the second national refusal. This previous opponent had become Christ’s messenger and now clearly confirmed that Jesus is God’s Son and Messiah (Acts 9:20,22). Paul presented essentially the same message that the Lord had proclaimed on earth, as summarized in John’s gospel, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (20:31). Luke summarized Paul’s message in three points: the sufferings of Jesus, His resurrection, and His identity as the Messiah. Having established the biblical description of the Messiah, Paul confirmed that these things had been fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus.

4. Proclaimed According To The Scriptures
The verb “to proclaim” signifies a public testimony, as John the Baptist, the herald of the coming King, had given during his ministry. Some translate this verb as “to preach,” which makes us think of a sermon, but “to proclaim” implies something more.

Christ has now, as a result of His resurrection from among the dead, all rights in heaven and on earth, because all power or authority has been given to Him (Mt. 28:18; 1 Pet. 3:22). Therefore, Paul proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Anointed. “To proclaim” refers to the public declaration of Christ’s authority and implies the challenge to recognize or acknowledge it. The rights of the once-rejected Jesus of Nazareth, who now has all authority, must be accepted. No human being is exempted from this obligation, and even the fallen angels will have to acknowledge it and publicly confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11). All believers may honor Christ during the time of His rejection by submitting to His rights and proclaiming them, even though He is not yet publicly respected by this world or His earthly people.

5. Persuaded By The Scriptures
As a result of Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica, a number of the Jews in the synagogue were convinced or persuaded, as was a multitude of God-fearers attending the synagogue, some of whom were proselytes (Acts 17:4). They were joined by a third group: Gentiles, many of whom were prominent women who turned to God from their idols (1 Th. 1:9). The same response occurred during Paul’s first missionary journey when many were “persuaded” (Acts 13:43 NKJV). Luke used the verb “to persuade” (Gr. peíthō) when he indicated those opposite results: Jewish opponents succeeded in convincing the crowds against Paul and Barnabas (14:19) while the positive effects of Paul’s ministry prevailed. The case was the same during Paul’s later visit at Corinth (18:1,4) and his third missionary journey (19:8). In the great tumult at Ephesus, the work met with great hostility as accusations were voiced that many people had been persuaded by Paul and the Christians (v.26).

What about you, dear reader? There is a need to be persuaded. Consider a time much later, after Paul’s arrival as a prisoner in Rome, he continued the same approach he had followed earlier, trying to convince or persuade the Jewish leaders to believe in the Messiah. He used the Old Testament as his basis and once more there was a remarkable difference in results, depending on whether there was faith in the listeners to receive the message (28:23-24). A few years earlier, King Agrippa, who was half-Jewish, was not persuaded, for he apparently did not want to become a Christian (26:28, see 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:16). The right kind of conviction, of being persuaded,7 is linked with faith (Rom. 10:9-21). However, Agrippa did not believe, for he trusted in his own reasoning instead. Faith implies putting one’s trust entirely in God. Hebrews 2:13 links conviction and faith with trust in God, a confidence and dependence demonstrated in our Lord Jesus while on earth. True faith and obedience go together (11:8, 13:17).

As a result of Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica, some of the Jews believed, as did “a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women” (Acts 17:4). The same verse says they “joined Paul and Silas,” which implies that people from these three groups who believed were baptized and became disciples of the Lord Jesus (Mt. 28:19-20). However, this led to violent opposition by the unbelieving Jews, stirred by jealousy or envy (Acts 17:5, see 5:17, 7:9, 13:45; Mt. 27:18; Phil. 3:6; 1 Th. 2:15-16). Trying to find Paul and Silas, they attacked Jason’s house because he had received 8 these strangers. Not finding them, the enraged Jews took hold of Jason and some of the believers and dragged them before the local authorities or city officials (Gr. polytárchas). This term was used particularly in Macedonia, which shows Luke’s meticulous way of recording. Jason, who was Paul’s host (Acts 17:5-7), was a Hellenistic Jew whose name is related to the Hebrew name Joshua and may have been Paul’s relative (Rom. 16:21). As Jason probably also hosted the fledgling assembly, he was accused before the magistrates, together with a few brothers – all new believers (Acts 17:4; see 1 Th. 1–2).

Brought before the people (Gr. dēmos)9 the believers were accused by their opponents as being part of a revolt against Rome, under the leadership of “these men who have turned the world10 upside down” (Acts 17:6 ESV). In a judicial sense, these were false accusations, but there was some truth to them from a moral point of view. The good news implies the setting aside of what the first man is and represents, before introducing what is good and new as related to the Second Man (see Rom. 5). In Adam’s place and his fallen race, the gospel presents “another Man” and what relates to Him, which implies turning things upside-down and downside-up.

Furthermore, the accusation of Acts 17:7 was a mixture of truth and falsehood, as is always the case with what the enemy does. The Christians were not transgressing Caesar’s decrees or starting a rebellion under another king. This would have been sedition, of which the Lord had been falsely accused before Pilate (Lk. 23:2). The charge was correct in the sense that Christians do belong to another king,11 Jesus – but not in the sense that they were starting a rebellion against the Emperor (see also Rom. 13:1-8; 1 Pet. 2:13-17). One day, perhaps very soon, the King after God’s heart will set everything in order. In fact, He will turn things upside down in order to bring everything and everyone into submission to God.

Meanwhile, the adversaries in Thessalonica had said enough to trouble the multitude and the local authorities (Acts 17:8). In His mercy, the Lord watched over Paul and the Christians, so no real harm was done to them (v.9). The terms of the security deposit that Jason and the others had to pay most likely implied that Paul and Silas had to leave and stay away from the area. Because of this, the believers sent them away, and they traveled at night for their safety (v.10).

6. Gladly Receiving The Scriptures
The opposition to Paul’s presentation of God’s Word had caused the apostle and his companions Silas and Timothy to travel to Berea (v.10). There, God demonstrated that the spreading of His Word could not be stopped (consider 6:7, 12:24, 19:20; 2 Tim. 2:9). Previously, right after Stephen’s death, a fierce persecution had started, but it had led to a further scattering of the seed of the gospel message. One of the reasons the Lord allowed this persecution of the new believers in Thessalonica was so the message would get to other places as well. Another purpose may have been to cause the new believers to cast themselves on the Lord and to make them grow (Rom. 5:3-5; Jas. 1:2-4,12).

At any rate, Paul and his companions arrived in Berea, about 50 miles southwest of Thessalonica, where he went to the synagogue according to his custom. Most of the Jews in Thessalonica had opposed Paul’s message, but the Jewish audience at Berea showed a different attitude and were ready to receive him and his ministry. Luke described their mind-set by noting that they were nobler than those at Thessalonica and ready to receive the Word “with all eagerness” (Acts 17:11). Such had not been the case with the Jewish population in the important city of Thessalonica, with the obvious exception of those who had become true Christians (1 Th. 1:5-10).

The Jews at Berea were searching the Scriptures on a daily basis “to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11 NKJV). This verse refers to God’s Word with two different terms:

• Lógos – emphasizes the concept and essence of what Paul presented and which the Bereans received, having checked it out from God’s Word.
• Scriptures – underlines the fact that they relied on God’s written Word.

Furthermore, the Bereans examined the Word with spiritual eagerness and zeal. Their gracious reception and reverent handling of God’s living Word recalls how Simeon took, literally “received,” the Baby Jesus in his arms (Lk. 2:28). The Bereans respectfully and lovingly accepted and received the Word as they truly embraced it – something the natural man is not able to do (1 Cor. 2:14). Those in Thessalonica who had become genuine believers had done the same thing as the Bereans were doing. They too had received12 the message presented by Paul and his companions as God’s Word, which operated with great results even though the majority had rejected it (1 Th. 1:5-6; 2:13).

7. Examining The Scriptures Daily
The Bereans were “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11 ESV). The verb form indicates that they were doing this systematically. They were occupied with God’s Word, not only reading, repeating or memorizing it – all very important – but also comparing Scripture with Scripture, done in a spiritual manner. This implies that this type of examining was by true believers, for the Word must be “spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). In other words, the new believers at Berea learned to do what Paul had been doing when he presented Jesus as the Messiah from the Hebrew Scriptures, using the Greek translation, as many Jews throughout the Roman Empire were more familiar with the Greek language. Thus, they started investigating, evaluating, comparing and examining God’s Word, just like Paul’s approach. These new believers in turn were now able to teach others, just as the Thessalonians had learned and as Paul instructed Timothy (1 Th. 1:6-9, 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:2). Such are beautiful examples of spiritual growth toward maturity, which is an important objective of Paul’s ministry for all believers (Col. 1:28).

The expression “daily” occurs 17 times in the New Testament13 and it provides important lessons for us. This term is found in many Old Testament passages, emphasizing the importance of fellowship with God on a day-to-day basis, as with the manna and listening to God’s wisdom (Ex. 16:5; Prov. 8:34). As far as God’s Word is concerned, the fact that the word “Scripture(s)” is used 50 times in the Greek text indicates its significance, to say nothing of “logos,” which occurs many more times.

In Acts 17:11 Luke summarized the beautiful example of the Bereans who had found the joy that the Word of God brings, as the psalmist expressed long ago: “I rejoice at Your Word, as one who finds great treasure” (Ps. 119:162 NKJV). May we follow these examples and demonstrate those wonderful features.

It may be good to emphasize that the Jews at Berea were noble-minded, more so than those in Thessalonica, many of whom had been prejudiced and intolerant. This describes their honorable attitude. They received the Word, showing their heart’s response as they opened the door for Paul. Doing so, they received the Word, the Lógos, the greatest Guest, the Word of God, with due respect. Paul wrote later, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6). The Bereans did so with all eagerness or readiness, having an intense desire as their hearts had begun to burn, as did those of the two disciples of Emmaus in asking the risen Lord to come in (Lk. 24:32). Their occupation with the written Word was a daily exercise, which implies more practical lessons.

They were examining the Scriptures, involved in an ongoing search with the desire to find out more (1 Pet. 1:10-11), showing their profound and lasting interest. Such searching will always continue. The Bereans did not search the rabbinical writings or the so-called oral traditions, which are man-made, but they were intensely engaged with God’s Word as the Source and Object of their occupation (consider 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).

8. Believing And Obeying The Scriptures
Such conviction of faith, as we also saw with some of the Thessalonians, characterized many of the Jews in Berea, who showed great willingness to receive the Scriptures. Romans 10:17 explains the link between hearing and receiving the Word and a response by faith. The same chapter confirms the connection between what one believes in the heart and what is confessed with the mouth (vv.9-11). Furthermore, a close relationship exists between such a confession and the ensuing public identification of the believers at Thessalonica and Berea, as they both joined Paul and his company. This is faith in action, according to James’ exhortation, “Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas. 1:22). However, in both cities the unbelieving Jews opposed and persecuted the new believers (Acts 17:5-9,13).

Faith implies putting one’s trust in God as He has revealed Himself. These new Christians believed God’s revelation, as many Jews still do today. They understood that the same God who revealed Himself to the Patriarchs also revealed Himself in the mission of His Son. Sadly, many Jews do not believe in this progression of God’s truth and its revelation, contrary to what it says. However, the believers at Berea properly responded to this divine mission, because believing implies obeying (Jn. 3:36; Rom. 1:5, 16:26). With respect to this issue, John’s summary statement is very helpful, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (Jn. 20:31).

Christ − Messiah-Jesus, Yeshua − is the Son of God and the Object and Center of our faith, the Son of Man “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9). He is the central theme of Acts. His sufferings and resurrection in fulfillment of Scripture are topics presented in Acts by seven different persons – the Lord Jesus, Peter, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, Paul, Apollos − on many different occasions, from Jerusalem to Rome. Faith, therefore, is not like putting one’s trust in a new philosophy, in an idea, religion or theology, but rather in the Lord Jesus Himself, in the true and living God. It should be noted that the humble Jesus – His name means “Yahweh is salvation” – who was of Nazareth but born at Bethlehem, is God, the eternal Son of the eternal Father. Besides John’s gospel, The Epistle To The Hebrews provides special help to grasp more of the greatness of His person. These concepts contain a good number of mysteries that the human intellect cannot understand, but faith accepts them and adores!

ENDNOTES
1. This verb occurs ten times in Acts (17:2,17, 18:4,19, 19:8-9, 20:7,9, 24:12,25), always linked to Paul’s ministry. It occurs three more times (Mk. 9:34; Heb. 12:5; Jude 1:9).
2. These are Gentiles who had an interest in God’s earthly people and joined their religion in various degrees. Women more so than men because of the circumcision, which in Judaism was, and still is, limited to males.
3. The verb “to evangelize” (Gr. euaggelízō) means communicating a message of good news on behalf of God, in accordance with the Scriptures. Acts uses it seven times in relation to Paul (13:32, 14:7,15,21, 15:35, 16:10, 17:18).
4. It occurs seven times in Luke’s writings (Lk. 2:23, 24:31-32,45; Acts 7:56, 16:14, 17:3) and once in Mark 7:34.
5. The simple form of this verb (without the prefix dia) occurs 77 times in the New Testament (such as Mt. 2:11, 3:16, 5:2) and is often linked with the concept of an open (or opened) door, heaven, eyes, mouth or scroll.
6. The verb “to present,” “to lay down” or “to prove” (Gr. paratíthēmi) occurs in many passages (Mt. 13:24,31; Mk. 6:41, 8:6-7; Lk. 9:16, 10:8, 11:6, 12:48, 23:46; Acts 14:23, 16:34, 17:3, 20:32; 1 Cor. 10:27; 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Pet. 4:19). The verb translated “proving” in Acts 9:22 is different (Gr. sumbibázō) and this occurs seven times in the New Testament.
7. It may be noted that the Greek verb “to obey” or “to be persuaded” (peíthō) occurs 17 times in Acts (5:36-37,39, 12:20, 13:43, 14:19, 17:4, 18:4, 19:8,26, 21:14, 23:21, 26:26,28, 27:11, 28:23-24).
8. Here Luke used the same verb “to receive” (Gr. hupodéchomai) as he did to describe how Martha and Zacchaeus received the Lord (Lk. 10:38, 19:6). It means to welcome or entertain a guest.
9. A term only found in Acts (12:22, 17:5, 19:30,33), referring to a convocation of citizens in a Hellenistic city, called together for the purpose of conducting official business.
10. This word signifies the Roman Empire (Gr. oikouménē). It occurs 8 times in Luke’s writings (Lk. 2:1, 4:5, 21:26; Acts 11:28, 17:6,31, 19:27, 24:5) and 7 more times elsewhere (Mt. 24:14; Rom. 10:18; Heb. 1:6, 2:5; Rev. 3:10, 12:9, 16:14).
11. “Another king” (Gr. héteros), that is, of another kind, similar to the question the Ethiopian eunuch asked, “Of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” (Acts 8:34 NKJV). The Lord Jesus is “another Man” and also “another King,” for He represents a completely new order of things. Luke used the word héteros 49 (7x7) times in his writings. The rest of the New Testament has it another 49 times. The word “other,” meaning of the same kind (Gr. ἁllos), is used more often.
12. Their reception of the Word was accompanied by receiving or taking in the persons who had brought God’s Word, as Paul’s opponents related to the authorities (Acts 17:7). Apollos had a similar experience when he needed to learn the truth more precisely, for which reason Aquila and Priscilla took him into their home (18:26). These examples teach us to receive those whom God receives (Rom. 14:1,3, 15:7; Phile. 1:17; see 3 Jn. 1:8).
13. Daily (Gr. kath hēméran) occurs in Mt. 26:55; Mk. 14:49; Lk. 9:23, 11:3, 16:19, 19:47, 22:53; Acts 2:46-47, 3:2, 16:5, 17:11, 19:9; 1 Cor. 15:31; 2 Cor. 11:28; Heb. 7:27, 10:11.

By Alfred Bouter

It will be useful to consider what the apostle Paul taught during his short stay at Thessalonica. In the synagogue he maintained that Christ should suffer and rise again from among the dead. Moreover, he announced the kingdom of God. During his stay in Thessalonica, he taught the disciples the coming of the Lord and many related things, which in reading the epistles are perfectly clear. Only the coming of the Lord in judgment of the living – this world – was announced to all. They were exhorted to flee from the wrath to come, from which Jesus is the Deliverer. It was necessary to announce facts known to all; but Paul spoke of salvation, the person of the Lord and His coming. These are far greater teachings than those of many preachers today. A present salvation was clearly announced through Christ who died for us, so that we might live with Him. In much simplicity and clearness: Christ was put to death for our sins, buried, and raised up the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). We reason on the value of the facts, and this is necessary; but the more the facts are put in evidence, the more will the preaching be powerful. —John N. Darby, Meditations On The Acts Of The Apostles (adapted).