Author of Salvation

Acts 5:19-32

But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Our last study put the apostles in prison for speaking in the name of Jesus Christ. We saw how the Lord was adding daily to the numbers of those being saved. The reputation of the apostles was going far and wide. People were exalting the apostles to godlike status because of the miracles being done in their midst. The words of life contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ was healing people of their oppressions. Jesus Christ was being magnified by those truly being saved and those outsiders respected their assemblies. But in our study today we will see these signs and wonders continuing.

But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out . . .

In our last study I mentioned that they were in the public stocks in or around the temple in view of all, but at night they were obviously taken into the prison behind locked doors. The context indicates that the angel was an angelic being and not merely a human messenger. The term “angel of the Lord” reveals that this angel was owned and controlled by The Lord Jesus Christ. The angel led them out of the prison in the cover of night and delivered another message to them.

. . . and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

The angel coming in the authority of The Lord told them to go into the temple and proclaim life in the name of Jesus Christ. The phrase “all the words of this life” is referring to the life of Jesus Christ and His life now being lived through them as apostles of the Lord. They were commanded to teach the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ. It was and is to be upon His life that we find peace with God; not through our life of laboring to keep God's law. The angel gave them the boldness to go further into the temple, when before they only taught outside the temple in the courtyards. Imagine having such encouragement to be released from prison by an angel of the Lord and emboldened to teach the good news about the life of Christ. The apostles had to be filled with an adrenaline rush of energy to go into the temple early in the morning after being held in the stocks the previous evening.

And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught.

It was upon hearing the words of life that sprung up the energy for these men to continue to be bold in the temple for Jesus Christ. Going deeper into the temple they most likely taught in the form of dialogue than simply preaching. Having been early in the morning it was probably the temple priests they were conversing with and no one reported them until after the high council got word of the apostles’ escape.

But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”

Again, we know that it was an angelic being that rescued the apostles, because there were guards outside the doors of the prison and no was found inside. This testifies to a miraculous escape. The guards were probably questioned as to whether they might have saw how they would have escaped but found no reasonable explanation.

Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.

Here in lies another wonder for the chief priests. The elders of the city feared the loss of their power and was the reason they murdered Christ in the first place. The initial reaction was most likely to get rid of these apostles of Christ also, but they also feared the people. If the people were to find out that they murdered Christ they might turn against the chief priests and start a revolution. The chief priests were afraid for their lives in fear of what the people could do to them. But here lies a more important question. What about what God would do to them? The fear of man was greater in them than the fear of God. They literally thought that because they sat in Moses’s seat that they were God. The idea of having a high priest should tell us that their structure of authority was anti-God. The high priest was like a Jewish “Pope” in Israel. Nowhere do the Old Scriptures teach that there is a high priest over Israel. What was considered a high priest in the Mosaic Covenant was just a judge or magistrate of a certain city that judged between the people (Num.35:28). And when it was first established it was clear that a “high priest” was anointed “among his brethren” (Lev.21:10). That means he was not above the congregation other than to exercise God’s justice in the city or town of the people. And there was one high priest in every city, not one particular “high priest” over all cities. The government of the Roman Catholic Church operates this way and has gone in the way of corruption and apostasy as the Jewish Sanhedrin did. This is a call to come out of her and repent for she is too strong to transform from within, as Martin Luther quickly learned in the Reformation. It was this same form of government that murdered the saints who called her out on her idolatries.

So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.

The Sanhedrin feared being put to death by stoning, if the people would be able to figure out the conspiracy of the murder of Jesus Christ. So they sent the temple guards to arrest them without violence.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

You see it was the thought that judgment for murdering Christ was going to be upon them, that caused them to wonder about the outcome of the apostles being released in the middle of the night in the midst of the prison guards. The council reminded them of the threats made before for speaking in Christ’s name and the council knew full well what that message was; that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the Son of Man, God of very God. But in their unbelief they murdered Him and denied His resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of God the Father. They did not want Jerusalem to be filled with the doctrine of Jesus Christ as Son of God and of His resurrection. The accusation of the apostles “intent” reveals the fear of the council. The apostle’s intent was so that Israel would be saved in the life of Jesus Christ.

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Together with the other apostles, Peter defends their intent was to be for the glory of the God of Israel – the God of their fathers. Jesus is the “most-high priest” in Israel. However, Peter does charge them with murderous intent, but gives God the glory for it by reminding them that God exalted Christ. It was the Father who has done this marvelous work in their midst. It was the Father who chose not save His Son from death to save mankind. It was the Father who exalted Him and made Jesus to be the “Author of salvation” or “Lord of salvation”. The translation “Prince” doesn’t do God justice. In the original language the term brings in more of the thought of Jesus being the ongoing originator or author of salvation; or even deeper being Lord over salvation, in that He has the authority to deliver them unto the end of judgment. It is in Jesus Christ being Lord who brings in repentance and forgiveness of sins. If we are going to be saved, we must acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and that the power of salvation rests in Him. We are to bring ourselves to His mercy and also acknowledge our sinfulness. We must be willing to submit to His law in regards to its condemnation over us. We must acknowledge that Christ is willing to forgive us of our sins and in this our faith becomes the means of our justification. Peter also declares that He and the rest of the apostles are witnesses of the resurrection and exaltation. In the beginning of our studies we saw how they were eye witnesses of Jesus’s ascension into heaven. Peter also gives glory to the Holy Spirit who is witness to the ongoing salvation of the church. Those who have been given an obedient repentance has been given the assurance of the witness of the Holy Spirit. God having made Jesus both Lord and Christ has also made us one with Christ by the gift of the Holy Spirit having changed our hearts.