Page 19 - Acts Student Textbook

resurrection, the eye witness testimony! And they were ready to die for it.

“Therefore, Jesus is both Lord and Christ”! How big is this statement and what does it mean? (2:36)

This was the conclusion to which Peter’s sermon had been directed. Despite the fact that the Jews
had killed Jesus, God had made Him Lord and Christ whom they had for years been seeking and
expecting.

Peter says this Jesus is now both "Lord and Christ." Here Uttly provides a helpful study saying “the
term "lord" (kurios), can be used in a general sense or in a specific theological sense (cf. v. 21). It can
mean "mister," "sir," "master," "owner," "husband," or "the full God-man." The OT usage of this term
(adon) came from the Jews' reluctance to pronounce the covenant name for God, YHWH, from the
Hebrew VERB "to be" (cf. Exod. 3:14). They were afraid of breaking the commandment which said,
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (cf. Exod. 20:7, Deut. 5:11). They thought
if they did not pronounce it, they could not take it in vain. So, they substituted the Hebrew word
adonai, which had a similar meaning to the Greek word, Kurios (Lord). The NT authors used this term
to describe the full Deity of Christ. The phrase "Jesus is Lord" was the public confession of faith and
baptismal formula of the early church (cf. Rom. 10:9-13; 1 Cor. 12:3; Phil. 2:11). "Christ" was the
Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term messiah, which meant "an anointed one" (cf. 2:31,36; 3:18,20;
4:26; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5,28; 26:23). It implied "one called and equipped by God for a specific
task." In the OT three groups of leaders: priests, kings, and prophets, were anointed. Jesus fulfilled all
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three of these anointed offices (cf. Heb. 1:2-3).”

By using both of these OT titles for Jesus of Nazareth, Luke asserts both His deity (cf. Phil. 2:6-11;
2:32) and His Messiahship (cf. Luke 2:11). This surely sets the stage for the proclamation (kerygma) of
the other sermons in Acts!

How many were saved and how? (2:37-41)

Luke narrates that "they were pierced to the heart" (2:37). This is the Greek term kata plus nussō.
The root word is used in John 19:34 for Jesus being nailed to the cross. Peter's sermon nailed these
hearers to the truth of the gospel. This obviously refers to the necessary conviction of the Holy Spirit
which precedes salvation (cf. John 16:8-11; Rom. 3:21-31).

When they asked what to do (2:37), Peter did not respond to the hearers’ question by saying there
was nothing to do. That is the answer that many Protestants believe to be true. They say, “There is
nothing man can do to be saved. Jesus has already done it all.”

Peter said "Repent" (2:38). This is an AORIST ACTIVE IMPERATIVE, which means make a decisive decision!
Since I am about to make a big controversial statement which some may not agree with, I should first
clarify that where repentance has been preached, faith has always been implied for salvation, and
where faith has been preached repentance has always been implied for salvation. At times both are
mentioned at the same time for salvation (Mark 1:15). Faith is not an addition, but a substitution of
belief which ushers in a genuine relationship with Christ, this implies repentance! The Hebrew term
for repentance meant a change of action. The Greek term meant a state of change of mind.
Repentance is a willingness to change. It does not mean a total cessation of sin, but a desire to please
God, not self. As fallen humanity we live for ourselves, but as believers we live for God! Someone
puts the acronym of FAITH in this way:

13 Uttly, (Acts 2:36).
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