Acts 2:14-40 Part I

Christ Church of Central Arkansas

Theological summary: 1. Peter and the Apostles are compelled to fulfill the Commission given them by Jesus. They were tasked “commissioned” to bring the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8). This points to the need for a massive organizational undertaking of the church to be a Missionary-Sending Organization! And yet, in Acts 2, this was initially accomplished in only a few days or perhaps weeks, cf., Acts 1:8; 2:5; 2:41. 2. Regarding tongues, it is striking that during Peter’s sermon, he gives a quick comment about drunkenness (2:15) and then specific focus on the miraculous outpouring of tongues according to God’s intended purpose (Joel), i.e., the PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL. He says nothing about ecstatic speech. 3. Joel’s prophecy eradicates several social barriers, e.g., male-female, young-old, master-slave, stating the Spirit of prophecy will be given to all (Keener, 882). Furthermore, there is a universal sense in which the gospel is for all people, cf., 1 John 2:1-2. In other words, the language of election is absent from the sermon (Schnabel, 164). In fact, we see in this sermon a proleptic universalism (Keener, 844), cf., John 3:16).